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John Daniels
Member
| Joined: | Wed Aug 20th, 2008 |
| Location: | Illinois USA |
| Posts: | 14 |
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Posted: Thu Aug 21st, 2008 01:51 am |
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Hello from Illinois. I'm new to the forum and to Parker Shotguns. I've been involved in shooting sports and gun collecting for a while now but just recently started to take an interest in side by side shotguns. From what I have heard and seen I thought that a Parker would be the best place to start. However, this is where my confusion begins. What Parker do I want? Hoping some of you can point me in the right direction. Just so you know I dont mind buying a gun that needs to be restored. Actually thats one of the things that really drew me to the side by sides. Also, I do plan on using and competing with this shotgun once it is finished. So I figured a 12 ga. would be best for the clay target sports. The 28" barrels feel best to me. I dont need anything real fancy with engraving and so on. So thanks in advance for all the advice.
John
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Russ Jackson
PGCA Member
| Joined: | Sun Sep 23rd, 2007 |
| Location: | Pennsylvania USA |
| Posts: | 222 |
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Posted: Thu Aug 21st, 2008 02:12 am |
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Hello John; Welcome to the forum , and to the world of Parker guns, I have to warn you this Parker disease is catchier than kissin your best girl when she has the flu!! It sure is fun though !I am relatively new to the forum also but have been buying Parkers for a while, I am not one to give advise on which gun to buy, but the one thing that I wish I had purchased first was the pair of Parker collector books called :The Parker Story : I see them sometimes on E-Bay and there are those on this forum that will be able to direct you where to purchase new books . There is a world of information in those two books , and without a doubt these would help in your decision of which gun would be the right gun for you! Good luck with whichever gun you choose and again welcome aboard ! Russ
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Tom Leshinsky
PGCA Member
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Posted: Thu Aug 21st, 2008 03:38 am |
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| Another very good book is "Parker Gun Identification & serialization" it is a good book to start with. The front section on identification is particularly good for new Parker colectors and it is not expensive. Later you will need to read the books "The Parker Story" but they are big and costly.
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James T. Kucaba
PGCA Member
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Posted: Thu Aug 21st, 2008 11:43 am |
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John ... WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF PARKERS ! ... As other people have mentioned, you can save yourself from making costly mistakes by investing the money to purchase the two volume set of "The Parker Story," for about $270.00, the Parker Serialization Book for about $35.00 and Ed Muderlak's "Parker Guns The Old Reliable" for about $45.00 BEFORE you buy a gun ... Mr Muderlak lives in northern Illinois near the Wisconsin border and if you need some really expert advice "from the guy who wrote the books" I can put you in touch with him in an off-site email ... You can find the books on Ebay under the the heading of "Parker Shotguns" and on Amazon.com as well.
When you finally decide to buy a Parker, I'd suggest you buy it from a reputible Parker dealer like Ivory Beads, Puglisi's Gun Emporium, Chadick's or the other reputable dealers you'll find in the LINKS section of this website.
If you want your first Parker to be a "shooter," I'd suggest buying a VH because its the most common Parker with fluid steel barrels ... Parker made more of the VH than any other model and it's easier to find a really nice VH at a good price just because there's more of them around.
Take care, and good shooting ... Jim Kucaba ... AriZOOna Cactus Patch ... Email: JimKucaba@aol.com
PS ... I was born and raised in Cicero Illinois and my Mom was from the little coal mining town of Benld Illinois near St Louis.
Last edited on Thu Aug 21st, 2008 11:45 am by James T. Kucaba
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"The price of critics NEVER changes ... They're ALWAYS a dime a dozen !"
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Russ Jackson
PGCA Member
| Joined: | Sun Sep 23rd, 2007 |
| Location: | Pennsylvania USA |
| Posts: | 222 |
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Posted: Thu Aug 21st, 2008 02:38 pm |
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Not to get off subject here ,but Jim mentioning Mr. Muderlak's book on the Parker Gun, does any one have an update to when Ed's latest book will be being delivered? I remember a while back Destry wrote it should be before Labor Day, does anyone know ,is it still on target.
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John Daniels
Member
| Joined: | Wed Aug 20th, 2008 |
| Location: | Illinois USA |
| Posts: | 14 |
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Posted: Thu Aug 21st, 2008 02:40 pm |
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| I will look into getting those books ordered. I read a book in the past about Parker Shotguns but I do not recall which book it was though. Thanks for the advice.
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Bruce Day
PGCA Member
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Posted: Thu Aug 21st, 2008 10:03 pm |
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Sometimes Rock Island Auction has some nice Parkers and that is close to you. Of course you need to know what you are looking for so you can avoid cut barrels, cobbled together guns, etc, assuming you want a Parker that would be generally considered a nice gun. The recommended books are good and interesting. The Parker bible is the more costly The Parker Story, and the Muderlak book contains some good starter information. Numerous people have expertise in Parkers including some who are regulars on this bbs.
Good luck.
Last edited on Thu Aug 21st, 2008 10:12 pm by Bruce Day
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Bruce Day
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paul harm
PGCA Member
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Posted: Sun Aug 24th, 2008 01:08 am |
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| John, all the advise so far is good advise. I own three damascus barrel Parkers, all hammer guns that I bought at local gun shows for under $1000. All of them needed work, but had good actions and barrels. I shoot one or more of them three times a week at the local gun club. The for mentioned dealers usually deal in high end guns where as local gun shows or dealers may have what you're looking for. Good luck and let us know how you make out. Paul
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