Parker VH

[Maggiemollie]

28" M/F. Seems to be an honest shooter.

[Maggiemollie]

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[Researcher]

Looks like a nice honest gun. Shoot and enjoy.

[Silvers]

Ron, you certainly know how to pick them and have gotten some good honest guns of late. Best of all perhaps is that you shoot them regularly and hunt often in season. Looking forward to meeting and having you talk and shoot with some of the Fox gang at Hausmann's Northeast in June and possibly at the Rock Mountain Northern in July.

Just musing now ...... all so often fellas here will tell us about their high condition or custom Fox or whatever but often I get the impression it is/will be a dust catcher that rarely if ever gets out of a gun safe or is mainly for showing off in the gun room or den. Heaven forbid, it might get scratched while hunting or if owner ever shoots clays with it he'll probably tear up his scorecard instead of turning it in. Oh well, to each his own but for me at least it's a lot more fun shooting and hunting with these vintage guns than just collecting them. No better way to get in practice and be a humane hunter than by shooting often with gun X, Y or Z at the range or course. frank

[DarylC]

I place the VH grade Parker on the same level as the Sterlingworth. Not a whole lot of bling but a solid gun to shoot. Nice catch on the VH.

[Researcher]

In the years before WW-I inflation started the Parker Bros. Quality VH and the A.H. Fox Gun Co. A-Grade were at the same Net Selling Price of $37.50. The Sterlingworth came on the market at a $25 Net Selling Price to compete with the L.C. Smith 00-Grade, Lefever Durston Special and Remington K-Grade all at that $25 Net Selling Price. Parker Bros. finally brought out their Trojan Grade at $25.50 but they couldn't do the complicated Parker action at that price and quickly upped the price to $27.50. Inflation started in 1916 and by 1920 both the Sterlingworth and the Trojan were in the $55 price range. For 1922 A.H. Fox Gun Co. must have begun cutting some corners because they dropped the Sterlingworth price to $48. By 1926, the Godshalks moved A.H. Fox production into a new more efficient factory and dropped the price of the Sterlingworth to $36.50 --

a dollar cheaper than the Ithaca's new NID Field Grade.

Parker Bros. kept the price, workmanship and quality of the Trojan high and along with the Trojan's limited choices only sold 33000. The Sterlingworth with the greater choice of barrel lengths, the option of ejectors, and after 1914 a single selective trigger, and a lower price sold close to 140000.

[ROMAC]

I always thought that the 20 gauge Trojan I have was of pretty high workmanship.

I still like my Foxes better but I think everybody ought to have at lease one or two Parkers so you know what you are talking about when you brag on your Foxes.

[fox-admin]

Very nice Parker enjoy shooting and hunting with it.

[Maggiemollie]

Very Nice 20g.

I haven't really met a SxS I didn't like. Some are just better than others. Like beer.

[Maggiemollie]

I used to collect guitar. Had many fine all original mint vintage. They were case queens. Inside the case, take out to look at and admire, maybe strum a few chords with no pick out of fear of fear of scratching and devaluing, and replace in case.

Realized no fun. Got rid of the queens, bought a few players vintage. Still sucked and didn't sound any better than a $200 import but at least I enjoyed the guitar.

That is what I plan on doing with these.

I look forward to meeting more than a few at Hausmanns. And northern.

[randallro]

I place the VH grade Parker on the same level as the Sterlingworth. Not a whole lot of bling but a solid gun to shoot. Nice catch on the VH.

completely agree ...i have one of each. unlike many i don't fancy a lot of engraving...i like it simple and shootable. the over engraved guns always remind me of my grandma's silverware.

[Stan Hillis]

I still like my Foxes better but I think everybody ought to have at lease one or two Parkers so you know what you are talking about when you brag on your Foxes.

Well said, Roger, and I agree. I own one Parker. Well, one and a half you might say. I'm first and foremost a Fox man, and especially enjoy long barreled smallbores for doves. I had been in the market for a 32" Fox 16 or 20, but when two "came along" they were priced at $12,500 for the 20 ga. Sterly ejector, and around $16,500 for the AE 20, as I recall. I had to walk away empty-handed, not willing to pay that much. About 8 months later I was offered a Parker DHE with 32" barrels in both 16 and 20, a two gauge set. The price was acceptable, and that's how I ended up with the DHE. It is a dream on the dove field in either gauge.

Nonetheless, I appreciate the beautiful slender profile and sculpting of the Fox action, the simplicity and strength of the internals, and the entire story of how A.H. began, as a teenager, designing the gun and took on the other manufacturers with his unique designs.

[eightbore]

Way to go, Stan. My favorite multi barrel small gauge set is an early high condition GHE 16 gauge 28" Damascus that I bought at a farm auction in Pennsylvania in 1971. A local gun store provided me with a set of 26" Parker Special Steel 26" 16 gauge barrels with forend that were a snap on fit. A gun show in Timonium Maryland provided me with a set of 32" 20 gauge barrels with forend, separated from an A-1 Special two barrel set. They were also a snap on fit. It pays to keep your nose to the ground when putting these multi gauge-multi barrel sets together. Money doesn't help if you can't find the parts. No part of my set cost more than $225.00.