Sidearms & Scatterguns Old Parker bros and LC Smith

[Tikka595II]

So I have a chance to pick up an old parker Bros and Lc smith Damascus double barrel shotgun. What should I know about them? Do they hold value well? Is there a good market for them? what identifying marks should I look for? Any thing special to look for or avoid? Both are 12ga
thanks for the help

 

[Tikka595II]

 

[Mike 556]

So I have a chance to pick up an old parker Bros and Lc smith Damascus double barrel shotgun. What should I know about them? Do they hold value well? Is there a good market for them? what identifying marks should I look for? Any thing special to look for or avoid? Both are 12ga
thanks for the help

It's really hard to judge condition by just pictures. Being 12 ga. I'm pretty sure their on the heavy side, probably make a decent duck, turkey or clays gun. Make sure that actions are tight with no wobble and the locking lever is at least center to right of center. Check the barrels, you don't want pitting or major dings. I don't have any Damascus barreled doubles, but have some older Foxes. A good friend has and shoots plenty of Damascus guns, out of any older double, we shoot mostly lower pressure shells. RST shot shells is your friend with any older double. I shoot RSTs out of all my double guns, both old and new, amazing shot shells. An older 12, if it's not a high grade and in original condition won't bring near as much as some of the lighter 16- 20 -28 gauges. The older 410s are just plain out of reach for poor peasants such as myself! So, if you buy the 12s at a decent price, your probably never going to lose any money, but there's almost assuredly not much room for appreciation. Sorry I couldn't be more help, but without actually seeing them, it's extremely hard to judge condition and worth.
Mike

 

[Quarter Horse]

So I have a chance to pick up an old parker Bros and Lc smith Damascus double barrel shotgun. What should I know about them? Do they hold value well? Is there a good market for them? what identifying marks should I look for? Any thing special to look for or avoid? Both are 12ga
thanks for the help

As with all collectibles, you can never know enough. Realistically, the
books you would need to research Parker and Smith shotguns would cost more than the value of the guns you are considering. I spent thirty plus years studying, buying, selling, restoring and hunting with quality SXSs. I had twenty plus feet of bookshelf with research materials. Considering this, I still occasionally missed something on a purchase.

The market is somewhat off from what it was ten years ago.

Generally speaking they will hold their value.

There are marks on the water table and barrel flats that will provide information about the guns.

The list of what to look for and what to avoid is far to complex.

Have you been able to inspect the guns in hand. How much does the seller want. The profit is always in the buy.

 

[Tikka595II]

As with all collectibles, you can never know enough. Realistically, the
books you would need to research Parker and Smith shotguns would cost more than the value of the guns you are considering. I spent thirty plus years studying, buying, selling, restoring and hunting with quality SXSs. I had twenty plus feet of bookshelf with research materials. Considering this, I still occasionally missed something on a purchase.

The market is somewhat off from what it was ten years ago.

Generally speaking they will hold their value.

There are marks on the water table and barrel flats that will provide information about the guns.

The list of what to look for and what to avoid is far to complex.

Have you been able to inspect the guns in hand. How much does the seller want. The profit is always in the buy.

Well it is a trade deal I hope to look at them this evening I did get some good pics and if I am correct the Parker is a 1885 and the lc smith is a 1906

 

[Quarter Horse]

Get pics of the ends of the barrels straight on, the water table, the barrel flats, the locks and any engraving, the wrists of both guns, the wood behind the locks, the butt plates, the undersides of the actions, the checkering, any imprinting on the tops of the barrels, the bottom tangs etc. Take 12ga. snap caps with you. Put a little wax over the location of the primer and and cock and fire each barrel. The wax will tell you if the firing pins are hitting the primer.

Remove the forearms of the guns, grasp the gun at the muzzles with butt hanging down and shake. If you feel something moving the gun is probably off face. Take scotch tape with you. Put a piece of tape across the standing breech centered on the firing pins and extending past the breech balls. If the barrels will close over the piece of tape the gun is off face. Check the hinge pin and hook. An easy fix for being off face is to use permanent Lock Tite to glue in a very thin piece of metal either inside the hook or over the backside of the hinge pin. On a Smith, this will usually result in the top lever moving to the right as well as putting the gun back on face.

The barrels are the heart of a SXS. Properly checking the barrels can't be done without gauges to check the barrel wall thickness, chokes and chambers. Visually you can look at the crispness of the printing on the rib and barrels. If it looks washed out they have probably been refinished. If you look at the muzzles and the barrels do not touch they have probably been cut. The next test is to "ring" the barrels. This will tell if the top and bottom ribs remain firmly soldered to the barrels. With the barrels off the action, hang the barrels, by the hook, from a finger and tap them the full length with a wooden pencil. If the fillets have started to separate you will hear distinct dead spots. Check for any dents or dings in the barrels.


Check the wood for cracks through the wrist, behind the lock plates and on the top edges of the forearm. On the Smith in particular check the horns at the top and bottom of where the wood contacts the stock. Smiths are notorious for cracking at these points.

I know this is probably too much info. but you asked.

 

[sandwarrior]

I'd say Quarter Horse gave you a pretty good way to check them. (the guy who can throw a rock and hit a Cabelas)

FWIW, both Parker Bros. and LC Smith are very good quality shotguns. they not only hold value well they increase in value consistently. Seeing as how they are damascus barrels though, I wouldn't be shooting them with high pressure loads. if you see serious pitting in the barrels, I wouldn't shoot them at all. Meaning, if you plan on buying them as quality shooting collectibles, that's something to take into consideration. Cleaning and storage care are paramount with those barrels. They'll last a long time if you do. Just don't expect them to keep up with a modern flow steel barrel.