Parker Bros. Vulcan VH Grade 30″ IM/MOD 16 GA SXS Double Shotgun, 1936 C&R
Sold for $$2525.00
LSB#: 220812VH046
Make: Parker Bros. (after Remington buy-out)
Model: Vulcan Grade Hammerless VHE
Serial Number: 239207
Year of Manufacture: 1936
Gauge: 16 Gauge, 2 9/16” Shells
Action Type: Side by Side, Dual Trigger Shotgun with Ejectors
Markings: The barrel rib is marked “PARKER BROS, MAKERS, MERIDEN, CT. U.S.A. VULCAN. STEEL”, with two arrows pointing towards the lettering. Each barrel flat has a Parker Overload Prooved proof mark, the left has “NI” and “X E”, the right flat is marked “3 8” with “8” as super-script and “V” in circle. The underside of the barrel lug is marked “16” and “1”, the left is marked “239207”. The top of the forend bracket is marked “239207”. The bottom of the frame is marked “PARKER” and the receiver has border engraving. The water table is marked with “VH / 239207 / V”, and “PARKER BROS. / PAT’D. OCT. 25, 1910.”. The lower tang is marked “239207”.
Barrel Length: 30″
Choke: Left: Fixed Improved Modified, Right: Fixed Modified
Sights / Optics: There is a white bead at the front of the rib and a smaller white mid-bead. The top of the rib is milled in a wave-like pattern for glare reduction which stops at a scribed line just behind the muzzle.
Weight: 7 lb., 6.6 oz.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece checkered walnut with splinter forend with metal tip, capped pistol grip, straight comb, metal initial plate in the belly and brown ventilated rubber White Line recoil pad. The stocks have some scattered light nicks, scuffs and scratches with a few more notable marks, most notable is a scrape below the front of the comb on the left. There are some areas of thinning finish in the grip areas. There are a couple of tiny losses around the front edges of the wrist. There are no cracks. The checkering is well defined. Drop at comb is approximately 1 1/2”, drop at heel is approximately 2 3/8”. The LOP measures approximately 14 1/2? and 13 5/8″ from the fronts of the triggers to the back of the recoil pad, 13 5/8″ and 12 3/4″ to the back of the wood. The pad shows moderate wear at the heel and toe and some cracking and crushing, it has hardened with age. The stocks rate in Very Good overall condition.
Type of Finish: Blued & Case Colored
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bores are bright. There is no erosion. There is a shallow dent in the left barrel about 6″ from the muzzle, barely visible in the bore.
Overall Condition: This shotgun retains about 87% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. The barrels have generally strong finish with a few minor scuffs and scratches as well as the minor dent noted above. The receiver’s case color is muted toward the bottom-front, stronger toward the top-rear. The receiver has a few light nicks and infrequent minor surface oxidation. 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 including ejectors. The shotgun features a single selective trigger; the tang mounted safety returns to ‘safe’ when the action is opened. The barrel to frame fit is solid. 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 1936, after the company was bought out by Remington. 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. This example is in Very Good condition, showing signs of use in the field but with fairly light wear for an 86 year old field gun. The gun mostly matches the Parker Records for this serial number, though the records make no mention of the gun being shipped with ejectors. It is not clear if this is an error in the records, if the gun went back to Parker for the upgrade later, or if it is an after-market modification. It is also worth noting that while the wood is of higher quality than usual for Parker Vulcan guns, collectors speculate that Remington used remaining Parker walnut blanks to help cut costs after buying the company. It seems that there were several Remington/Parker guns that had higher grade wood than normal for their model. The gun is chambered for 16 gauge shells with its 30″ barrels choked Improved Modified and Modified, which should make for a versatile field gun. This interesting gun will make a great addition to any collection, whether your interest is Parker shotguns, or you can simply appreciate a classic American shotgun. Please see our photos and good luck!