Fox Collectors

Some months ago and after plenty of talk back and forth I made a good deal on a VHE 32" double trap gun with non-working ejectors including one that would bind up and make bad noises when the dry fired gun was opened. Despite mucho advice to stay away from broken Parker ejectors I figured I could repair and learn all about them in the process. And learn I did! As many know, ejector parts are almost impossible to find and I ended up making a new toggle block (cocking toggle), a new two-pronged sear spring, and microwelding and remachining the shoulder on the joint block (joint roll) that engages the rear end of the levers (floating sears) to trip the ejectors. All that along with fitting new floating sears which I got from a kind gent. The original ejector hammers just needed a touch on the mill and were re-used.

I also learned this gun was owned by a noted trap shooter and sportsman in Iowa, a contemporary of Joe Kautzky, and he had Parker Brothers retrofit the 32" Titanic barrels from a earlier DHE to make up this VHE. That DHE, in turn, was fitted with 34" tubes.

I just finished up the ejectors this week and fired 106 shots today at Rock Mountain with perfect ejector functioning, mostly both barrels but some singles to verify each barrel ejector was working independently.

I'll be doing an article for publication on this Parker and its original owner and so these are all the details I want to share right now. Kind of a salute to the original owner, some of the shells I fired today were vintage Remington paper trap loads.

check out the well fitted safety slot filler

Looks like a cool gun. And fortunately it made it into your capable hands. Looking forward to the article….

Thanks gents. Forgot to mention the buttstock besides being straight also has a "thick wrist" and the so called military comb, both as in Fox parlance . That trio is my favorite configuration. I have plenty of info on the original owner and now to come up with a fitting name for my new gal, made in 1916. She's a keeper. frank

Great job, Frank. She appears to be stocked high, as one would expect a trap gun to be.

The tidbits of information now leave me hungry for the article. I assume it will be in a future issue of Parker Pages?

I do love the thick wrist on that one

Thanks again everyone. Stan, I'd committed an article to the DGJ editors some weeks ago. So it won't be in the Parker Pages. frank

Frank, thanks for sharing the gun and the work undertaken to get her back on line! Nice gun!! All I can think about is you should take her to the PA Turkey woods!! Brett

Just want to reconnect here. I shot this Parker again today, 100 shots and once again the ejectors worked perfectly. Great to see her back after being sidelined for years as what the Dealer called a "problem gun". Actually she was high gun in our squad of 8, shooting against 2 Perazzis, 3 Benellis and 2 Brownings - all of them sporting clays competition guns. And especially neat because I drove the Jeep to the Rock today and my shooting glasses were back home in the truck. Used a pair of Rangers that were in my shooting bag - which I did remember to take - but the lenses have an old prescription six years old. After we finished up the guys told me to get rid of the newer glasses. :rotf:

A couple of gents have asked and here are some stats on the Parker; she weighs 8^2, chambers 2-5/8", chokes I-Mod & Full, LOP 14-1/2". Today's load was 7/8 ounce of 7-1/2's in Gun Club hulls, pushed by Alliant E3 powder at about 1200 speed.

Nice long barreled Parker! She was re-stocked at some point and it looks like a nice job! I like it.

Some months ago while mulling the ejector repairs I showed her to Morris and Jeff K at one of SxS events and we agreed she has a thicker wrist and fuller nose on the comb than typical for PB guns, and since then I found details that will clarify things on the stock. The gun certainly shows the original owner's touch and its "spirit" is intact. Also found info on several of his shoot-offs against Joe Kautzky of Fox fame. Maybe Tool Man/Steve and I can get his "Special K" Kautzky Fox and this Parker together for a photo op at one of the events later this year. frank