In House Shipping:
Make: Parker Brothers
Model: VH Grade
Serial Number: 120688
Year of Manufacture: 1903
Gauge: 12 Gauge, 2 1/2” shells
Action Type: Side by Side, Double Trigger Shotgun with Extractor
Barrel Length: 30”, with solid, concave rib with wavy lines. The wavy line engraving stops just short of the muzzle at a line across the rib. The barrels just meet at the muzzle.
Choke: The barrels are both Full choke, both fixed.
Sights / Optics: There is a silver-colored bead set into the front of the concave solid rib.
Weight: 8 lb., 1.0 oz.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece checkered walnut with splinter forend, capped pistol grip, straight comb, orange rubber NoShoc buttpad and an initial plate inlaid to the belly (not marked). The forend has an inlaid steel tip. The forend has some tiny losses around the top edges. There are scattered nicks, dings, scuffs and scratches. The LOP and fit of the buttpad spacer indicates that the stock has been cut. There are no cracks. The checkering is well defined. Drop at comb is approximately 2", drop at heel 3". The LOP measures 13 5/8" and 12 3/4" from the fronts of the triggers to the back of the pad, 12 3/4" and 11 7/8" to the back of the wood. The pad has light wear and some discoloration but remains fairly supple. Overall, the stocks are in Very Good condition.
Type of Finish: Blue & Case Color
Finish Originality: Original, numbered parts match.
Bore Condition: The bores are mostly bright. There is infrequent minor erosion and stubborn fouling, mostly in the choked portion at the muzzle-end. In this writer's opinion, the bores rate 9/10.
Overall Condition: This shotgun retains about 80% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. Exposed case color has mostly muted or gone to a light patina with strong color on the water table, standing breech and inside of the forend iron. The barrels have generally strong finish. There are scattered light nicks and small scratches. There is some minor surface oxidation with infrequent erosion, most notable at the muzzles. The screw heads range from sharp to lightly tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this shotgun is in Very Good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The action locks up with no play. We have not fired this shotgun. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None.
Our Assessment: This Parker Brothers VH Grade Hammerless comes to us from 1903. The VH or Vulcan Grade was a “knockabout” gun produced by Parker which still had the same quality in manufacture and attention to detail of their higher grade, and higher priced, offerings. The Trojan would be introduced in 1913 to compete with lower priced options from other manufacturers, but the Vulcan would stick around for those who were willing to pay for quality but also wanted to actually take their guns into the field. The gun has 30" barrels choked Full, and the stock has been equipped with a buttpad. The gun is in nice shape for its age of more than 120 years with the majority of its original finish, good bores and a tight lockup. Whether you want to add to your Parker collection or take it back out in the field, this classic shotgun would make a nice addition to any collection. Please see our photos and good luck!