Expensive lessons; some learn, some don't....
What Modified said about trying to prevent newbies from getting hammered buying poorly modified/abominated guns, rings a bell big-time for me.
One old gunstore owner in the 70's told me "you have to lose $1000 free and clear, before you can call yourself a gun trader." Wonder what that is in today's money? Here follows a lesson I both learned and watched unfold...
In the mid-80's, I had Parker shotgun fever, being smitten with the wonderful old side-by-sides, and the quality of the craftsmanship lavished on them. I wanted an unmolested, unmodified gun as it left Parker, in pretty good shape, so I could hunt with it, but not have to pay minty gun prices, which in no way could I afford. Modified guns were simply "out."
I searched high and low for a nice, original Parker, and just couldn't find any that hadn't been butchered or worn to death, or both. The hunt was getting lengthy and I was getting desperate. Then, in a little show, I found
a possible candidate: a 16 gauge V-grade on an "O" frame, which is a 20 ga. frame. That meant it would be light and quick, and easy to carry. It was well worn, sans original finish, but seemed mechanically functional. There were a couple of small dents in the barrels, but no pitting. I could just afford it, but it wasn't the original finish that Parkers enjoy.
It looked like the search would go on for at least 5 years at the rate I was going.... I was thinking hard about getting it and having it restored, and
decided to call an expert. Saturday morning; there was a pay phone on the auditorium wall (remember them?) and I called Larry Del Grego Jr.
His father had worked for Parker until they closed, and then made a family business out of refurbishing Parkers with original parts, careful workmanship and as close to correct duplicates of the original finish as could be managed. He'd trained his son, who then took over and continued the tradition.
He was very nice, listened patiently, and he very kindly gave me some invaluable advice. He said, "I think I know what you want in a Parker, and you will never be satisfied with this one, even if it is correctly restored. Just resign yourself that you will not buy one until you find the one you really WANT, and then you'll be happy with it. The original guns are out there, and go to those who keep looking." I thanked him sincerely, and reluctantly walked away, passing on the 16 ga.
I was resigned to a 5-year hunt... Six months later, I had this almost supernatural *certainty* that the one I wanted would be at a larger-city show I'd never been to before... about 8 hours away. I woke up at 0-dark-thirty, which is rather difficult for me, and drove hard to be one of the first through the door, with my meager savings and a Kimber .22 Hornet & Leupold scope as trade bait.
I entered the show, turned left, and started looking. It was a big one, alright.... I saw 24 Parkers that day, and ALMOST bit on an affordable D-grade (first of the finer-grade Parkers, with nice engraving, etc.) However, it just seemed like it was TOO good a deal. Luckily, there was an original D-grade beside it, and I noted that the affordable one lacked the carved finials on the stock behind the action, and the inlaid initial shield on the toe!! It had been re-stocked, very nicely fitted and finished, but incorrectly, and was therefore out of collector's condition entirely!!! I kept on until I reached the last table in the show -- which would have been the first had I only turned right... about 4 pm with tired feet and sinking heart.
THERE IT WAS!! A totally original, 80% 12 ga on a 1 frame (16 gauge frame), it weighed just 6 & 3/4 lbs, and came to the shoulder like a dream! Mechanically it was pristine!! Ejectors, engraving, double triggers (better for total reliability), barrels tight on action... and factory 26" barrels. Rare configuration, and a special-order gun. Amazingly, I could afford it, and it came home with me on an adrenaline high that lasted me the entire drive!
I did love that gun, and it shot like it was an extension of my will... it made me look capable with a shotgun, which I'm not... it was MY PARKER, and I used it extensively, handloading low-pressure, low-recoil loads that wouldn't strain it. When not hunting, it was on the skeet field, and I kept it for many years, before finally realizing my shotgun days were over.
Flash forward a year after I'd found mine. The scene: another little show,
and a TRUE ABOMINATION appeared. A 12 ga. Parker Trojan (their lowest grade field model, made without all the amenities found on even the next grade up.) The wood was bereft of finish and worse, had been sanded irretrievably below the metal. It was horribly buffed/polished, barrels cut off incorrectly, and to add insult to injury, was CHROME PLATED.
It literally was worth only the value of the internal parts, and I'm sure evey they had been molested. The price tag for this gem? $650, which was the going rate for an all-original Trojan in 80% original condition or better. A young man obviously had "the fever," and was staring at it lustfully. I had just been in his shoes...
I asked him if he had a minute, told him my experience, and that this gun was totally destroyed (and why). He'd lose big money if he bought it, and it also wasn't anything he'd want to hunt with or be happy with. The same money would buy him a great Trojan, if he'd just be patient and keep looking. He nodded, and we parted ways.
Next show, 6 months later, I'm walking along and I see a guy with a side-by-side over his shoulder, which had coal-black barrels with an unusual "fuzzy" apperance. I dismissed it as I passed by, and then saw the Parker buttplate on the end as we passed. I did a U-turn, and asked about it.... and LO! It was our hero from the show before, and it was THAT Trojan! I asked about the barrels. He said he'd tried dove hunting with it, but the sun's reflections off the barrel were blinding, so he'd spray-painted them black. He was now trying to sell it for $250, but wasn't getting even a hint of an offer. Visible reinforcement of the wisdom of Larry Del Grego's advice...
Some people can learn from instruction; others have to feel the pain from 1 or more bad decisions to learn. The most pitiable, I guess, are the ones who NEVER learn, no matter how many times they get whacked by experience!!
John
