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I�ve been looking for waterfowl dedicated side by side to compliment my upland gun which is a nicely balanced featherweight Elsie 12 gauge. I found a nice looking (from Internet photos) Parker VH 3� magnum built on a #2 frame, 30� barrels full and full, weighs in at 7.75 pounds. Coincidentally that�s the exact weight of my Ruger Red Label Sporting Clays which I have been using in the duck blind for 25 years, I appreciate the extra swing weight, it also absorbs recoil and I don�t have to carry it far from boat to shore blind.

I�ve done a little research on the Parker site and have discovered that Parker did chamber magnum 12 gauges for three inch shells, actually 2 7/8� chambers, but for some reason most are on a too light 1 1/2 frame, some have been seen on #3 frames, but a #2 framed magnum 12 is rare. Have any of you seen a Parker magnum 12 on a two frame? Btw, the gun dealer who I�ve known for 20 years says it is marked on the barrel lugs or frame, I can�t remember which, as factory.

The only issue is the gun is marginally short for me at 13 7/8� including a 1 1/4� recoil pad. That coupled with the fact that I�m down south running my retrievers in field trials, so can�t see the gun in person till mid March, I�d have to jump in blind so to speak. The comb dimensions sound like they�ll work for me, but even with hunting clothes it might require a slip on pad to fit me in the duck blind.

The true, Parker "12-gauge 3-inch Magnum" guns are all late Remington guns. Parker Bros. would always chamber a gun for longer shells throughout their years, but back in the day, our North American ammunition companies didn't put heavier loads in the long shells (2 7/8, 3 and 3 1/4 inch) than one could have in a 2 3/4 inch shell. The long shells got more/better wadding. The progressive burning powder, high velocity, 12-gauge 3-inch shell with 1 3/8 ounce of shot hit the market in the 1924/5 time frame --





The 12-gauge 3-inch Magnum loads with 1 5/8 ounce of shot were introduced in 1935 by the Olins along with their new Winchester Model 12 Heavy Duck gun.

I have a Parker GHE 12 ga on #2 frame with 32" barrels, weighs 8lbs 5 oz. Unfortunately the stock broke a piece off right behind the action, so it is in the shop being repaired. I was hoping to take it to the Southern and maybe sell there.

I should also mention that I would stick with 2 3/4� bismuth 1 1/4 oz loads.

Researcher:
Do you know if Parker ever chambered a 3-inch 16 ga.?
I have a VHE with what appears to be a longer chamber.

What is marked on the lugs or table? What year is the gun? Serial number?

I haven't had access to the Parker Bros. records to search for 3-inch 16-gauges, but I suspect they exist. In that Parker Bros. by and large didn't mark the chamber length on their guns, only a letter or the original hang-tag can verify a non-standard chamber. There was a series of reports in the sporting press back in the day of A.W. DuBray making the rounds in the southeast doing his hunting using a 16-gauge with 2 7/8 inch shells.

The SAAMI meeting where it was "suggested" that our manufacturers start marking the chamber length on their guns was in 1937. None of my Remington pumps or autoloaders from the 1930s are marked with the chamber length. I don't have one from 1939 or 1940, but my 1941 Remington Sportsman is marked while my guns from 1936 and 1938 are not marked.





The late Remington Parkers were marked on the barrel lug with grade, gauge and chamber length --



Where Parker Bros. put the serial number --



Savage Arms Corp. started marking some of their Fox guns in 1938 and most all in 1939 onward --



I did search the A.H. Fox Gun Co. graded gun production records and found 8 or 9 3-inch 16-gauges and one ordered for 2 7/8 inch shells.

John, if you're going to use only 2 3/4" shells, why are you searching for a 3" chambered gun? There are nice heavy Parkers with shorter chambers that are not as hard to find as a 3" gun. We would still like to hear more about the #2 frame gun you found.

I�m not searching, I found one that looks like it would be a solid, not too heavy, waterfowl gun. I had a nice DS grade Lefever that was a bit heavy for chasing Montana pheasants all day long, but being 110 years old I worried about shooting heavy bismuth duck loads all day.

Cut to today; I now have a 6.5 pound LC Smith FW for pheasants and my eye on this magnum 3� Parker VH grade.

Researcher: Thanks for the very thorough response to my question. As my VHE is a 1914 gun, it is entirely unmarked as to chamber lenth.
I understand it was a special order for pass shooting ducks, the rt barrel XF, and left F., so perhaps the longer chamber was part of a 16ga. "magnum" configuration. Also, sorry for hijack of the OP.