Reader Forum

Parker Brothers Double Barrel Shotgun I own and operate a small firearms repair shop and a customer recently brought in a Parker Brothers Side-by- Side Double Barrel Shotgun chambered in 12 gauge with exposed hammers for restoration. The serial number indicates it was manufactured in 1882. I am in need of a left hand hammer and hammer screw, as well as a right hand stirrup. Does anyone know of a source where I might acquire these parts? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Dale Hankins Powderhorn Gun Works LLC We are assuming the owner may want the gun returned to firing condition. Maybe not, but for what immediately follows here the assumption stands. Check the barrels by removing the forend and lightly scrubbing off the finish from a small area on the barrels beneath it with the mildest of Emery cloth. What you’re checking for are any signs of the barrels being of the Damascus type, thereby showing "twist" marks.

If they are Damascus barrels the gun should not be fi red with modern loads as there is too much risk of the barrels unwinding with catastrophic results. To be modified for modern loads by inserting full-length Briley tubes would markedly lower any collector value of the gun and would, of necessity, reduce its gauge. Now let’s suppose the Parker is purely intended to be a very attractive wall hanger but still has Damascus barrels.

Can you be absolutely certain and assured the owner will never fi re it with a modern load? If any doubt exists whatsoever, omit the stirrup and hammer spring. They won’t show anyway. With the possibility of omitting at least the stirrup in mind, check with the Remington Custom Shop in Ilion, NY. They were making Parker reproductions and might be able to provide some spare parts.

If not, call Brownells for a free copy of their Parts Source List for out of production firearms and be prepared to let your fingers do a lot of walking making phone calls around the after market. Don’t forget to mention to your customer he or she will be charged for the calls. Your bringing up the subject of Parker shotguns reminds one of our staff of a day long past when a customer of his brought in a Parker double. The gent wanted screw-in chokes installed.

He was immediately told such an addition would ruin the $6000.00 value of the piece and it was handed back to him. The customer then told the gunsmith he had a gross of Parker shotguns still in their boxes in his attic. After recovering from the shock, the gunsmith asked him to open one box and check their condition. Next day the Parker owner came back with additional breathtaking facts. The shotguns were perfectly preserved and bore consecutive serial numbers and the owner wanted to know their total value.

The gunsmith did considerable digging, going so far as to speak personally with the Curator of Arms and Armor at the Smithsonian and National Firearms Museums. The answer from both curators was, "I can’t put a fixed price on them. They’re worth millions." It seems the grandfather of this customer had been a purchasing agent for the Union Pacifi c during the period they were laying track westward in a race to complete the transcontinental railroad.

Among the agent’s orders-tofi ll were shotguns for the track-laying crews which were used for game-getting and personal defense against "hostile savages." Soon before his retirement, the agent placed his fi nal order for shotguns. That order nowreposed in the attic of his grandson, the gunsmiths’ customer.

After being informed of the perceived total value of this 144 Parker collection, the gunsmith advised his customer to parse out and donate chunks of the collection to differing museums, take a tax write off on the contributions and concluded his advice by politely requesting one of the shotguns for himself. As this response is written, the customer’s family is still writing off those donations and the gunsmith never received a Parker. Great customer relations, but not so great for business.

Kessler Arms Shotgun I have an old Kessler Arms Corp. 12 gauge shotgun Model 128 FR for 2 ¾inch shells but I’m missing the magazine for it. Do you guys know where I could buy one or if anyone in our fraternity could tell me? The gun has no value, but it means a lot to me and my family. Louis The gun and its manufacturer have been out of production since 1953 but Numrich Gun Parts Corporation will be your best bet for parts.

Iver Johnson TP-22 What is the recommended take down procedure for the Iver Johnson TP-22 Pocket Pistol? I am having problems with mine consistently stripping rounds from the magazine. When I load seven rounds the first three work without a hiccup but the rest are hit and miss or jam when ejecting. Sometimes the pistol will fail to grab the cartridge completely. I can load single shot without the magazine and the pistols fi res every time.

I attempted to open the trigger like a CZ or Berreta and the slide will travel all the way back but will not lift off. Is there another trick to remove the slide or is this not possible with this model? Richard We have seen reports that this pistol doesn’t care for high or hypervelocity .22 ammunition. It tends to cycle the pistol too rapidly. Restricting your ammo to standard velocity may lessen or eliminate your jamming problem. As for field stripping, we noted on the

net after punching up the name of the pistol that an owner’s manual is available from gunshowbooks.com. No price is shown but we assume there must be a modest charge for securing a copy. Ruger M77 Hawkeye Trigger Job Has American Gunsmtih done an article on trigger jobs for the Ruger M77 Hawkeye series of rifles? If so, which issue? If not how, about doing one or giving me some pointers. The rifle on my bench has a monster heavy trigger and I’d like to lighten it up a bit.

The Ruger Hawkeye is the platform for the company’s Alaskan and African models. The Ruger 77 MK II is the godfather of the Hawkeye. We did indeed do an article on the Alaskan in he March 2008 issue but did not address trigger work specifically. The mechanism on the rifle provided for the article broke smoothly and clean at 4.5 pounds on NRA weights and we firmly believe no less a trigger/sear engagement should be considered for a hunting rifle chambered in .375 Ruger or .375 H&H.

However, if you find the trigger on your Hawkeye to be simply unbearable and are convinced that polishing all its related components will not improve the trigger enough, proceed to scan Brownells catalog for an aftermarket trigger suitable for the Model 77 MK II. Install that on your rifle but do not strive to adjust it to a "target" pull. Be certain to set the factory trigger system safely aside. Should the rifle ever have to be returned to Ruger for service, reinstall the original trigger before shipping it.

If you fail to do so, the aftermarket trigger will not be seen again and you will be informed that you have violated, ergo voided, the factory warranty. Leonard Hardening and Stock Restore I have a couple of questions for you. First, is there any way that color case hardening can be done safely at home? What is the easiest way to blue or brown over a color case hardened receiver that has lost its colors? Second, is there any way, short of cutting and splicing, that afire scorched gun stock can be rescued?

I have an old Stevens bolt action shotgun chambered in 12 gauge that has about the last four or five inches of the left side of the foreend scorched and I’m wondering how it can be refinished without either sanding too much off or splicing in anew piece. I’ve always gotten good advice and directions from you in the past, and I’m certain I will now Jim Nice to hear we haven’t steered you wrong, Jim. Hope we never do.

Yes, case hardening can be safely done at home assuming you have an outer area in which to house your case hardening materials and equipment. We wish someone had written a book on the subject but traditionally those involved in and making a living with the procedure have been most possessive of their specific formulae. Some of these, we’ve heard, have been and are pretty esoteric.

We do know that high temperatures over carefully monitored times are universally employed and that materials can vary far beyond charcoal, bone grindings and leather. Suffice it to say, and to caution you, keep any activity out of the lady’s kitchen if you want to maintain a happy home. Brownells has been showing a color case hardening kit of late. As we recall, it is not inexpensive but it wouldn’t hurt to discuss your intentions and goals with them anyway.

As for removal of the case coloring, much depends on its depth. The color can be ground off or eaten away with acid and the exposed raw metal polished up for refinishing. You must be extremely careful when a receiver is involved though. Too thin and it will lose the structural integrity it once had to withstand discharge of a cartridge or maintain support of internal components. On to your second inquiry. It’s too bad bleaching cannot be effective with case coloring, but it can be with your scorched forend.

There, a light sanding could remove the scorched area, the area treated as you would in finishing a stock—bleaching, fine sanding, feathering, fine sanding, filling, etc.—and then the final refinish. AG