Parker-Hale serial numbers.......

[Bull72]

Good Morning, Mr Bull72. Thanks for dropping in - it's always good to know that there are other folks out there who enjoy the much-ignored Parker-Hale centre-fire rifles.

Unfortunately, what I know about them, apart from the names, that is, could be writ large upon the eyelash of an angel. This post is about the Parker-Hale replications of muzzleloading rifles made between 1972 and 1994 or 5.

If you go back to the beginning of the thread, you'll see that I collect serial numbers on behalf of David Minshall of Research Press, who is also the competition secretary of the Muzzle Loading Association of Great Britain. Along with the late and much-missed Bill Curtis and thankfully still alive De Witt Bailey, they are compiling a history of these guns.

Thank you for your time and knowledge I did realize that this started as a Muzzleloading thread but I figured what's the harm in trying I got my 06 from a friend and then my oldest son had to buy a Parker Hale in 06 and a 308 he loves his as much as I love mine and I am wanting to expand my Parker Hale collection

 

[tac]

Pity you don't live here in UK - my LGS has around ten on the rack for prices around $300 - 500. A couple have half-way decent scopes, too.

 

[Bull72]

Pity you don't live here in UK - my LGS has around ten on the rack for prices around $300 - 500. A couple have half-way decent scopes, too.

That's the story of my life wrong place at the wrong time

 

[Bull72]

My Parker Hale 30-06 with the scope and my Firearms company 270 it a foremost model 6600

 

[tac]

A gamekeeper friend of mine bought his .270 off his dad, who had bought it new in 1961 or 2. It has a nice Kaps scope on it - not well-known, but 100% German optical quality from end to end. It's in almost daily use, what with the lack of culls for the last two years seasons. UK has over 150000 too many deer.

 

[pofflebot]

I have what may be a parker hale 3 band but makings especially serial number are inconclusive any ideas ?
Pics at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing markings on upload

Thanks
Mik e

 

[tac]

B B over 2 = 1976 Birmingham Proof.

Crown over BP = Birmingham Proof.

3 1/2 drams Black powder = 96gr of 2Fg = proof load - the usual service load is 2 1/2drams = 68.5gr of 2Fg.

47241.7 = Not the foggiest notion - it is categorically NOT any kind of a serial number.

I'd say from the state of the breech end that somebody has taken a large file and tried to defarb this Parker-Hale original by removing its serial number. In the USA this is quite common, and is a never-no-mind, but in Kent UK it is a criminal offence under the Firearms Act.

Here is where the serial number SHOULD be - and it SHOULD be under 9000 or so to be a totally complete Parker-Hale - BTW, anything after around 14000, when ALL the barrels had been used, are NOT Parker-Hale-barrelled guns.




Are you in Kent, England, or the place where the National guard shot some students? If you are in Kent, England we need to talk - soon. PM me.

And BTW, welcome, and tell us a little bit about yourself on the noob thread at the top of the page - we all like to know who we are talking to these days, if you get my drift.....

 

[tac]

My Parker Hale 30-06 with the scope and my Firearms company 270 it a foremost model 6600

View attachment 868393 View attachment 868394 View attachment 868395 View attachment 868396 View attachment 868397

I like the guns, but if you could lay them on something less like an eye-test, and horizontally, that would be kinder to my poor old human eyeballs.

 

[Bull72]

I like the guns, but if you could lay them on something less like an eye-test, and horizontally, that would be kinder to my poor old human eyeballs.

Sorry about that ole boy I was in a hurry to get a picture I will do better in the future

 

[tac]

'ole boy'?

 

[Bull72]

I have what may be a parker hale 3 band but makings especially serial number are inconclusive any ideas ?
Pics at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing markings on upload

Thanks
Mik e

View attachment 885802 View attachment 885803 View attachment 885804 View attachment 885805 View attachment 885806 View attachment 885807

I am not able to help with this weapon but it sure is a fine looking weapon

 

[Bull72]

'ole boy'?

It's just what we call each other around my neck of the woods nothing personal

 

[Bull72]

I have 3 Parker-Hale rifles I bought 30 some years ago from private individuals.

A 25-06, 30-06, and a 7mm. I just liked the looks of these rifles at the time.

Is this what you refer to as a repro rifle?

Thanks.

I like the looks but I love the response of my fine shooting 30-06 I am really looking forward to expanding my Parker Hale collection

 

[tac]

I have just taken one of my P-H rifles to pieces so that I can camparicate MY stamps with yours for clarification -

THIS is my 1974 Musketoon -


And THIS is yours -

 

[pofflebot]

some similarities certainly !

 

[tac]

some similarities certainly !

Well, considering that there were no other makers of replica Enfield long arms in UK, either before or since, I think it's pretty much a dead cert that your gun is a Parker-Hale.

The only other person I know who made guns, and that was back in the 80's and into the 90's, was Martin Tebbs of the Vintage Arms Association [VAA], and HIS rifles were based on the Creedmore style target rifle, not any kind of military long arm.

Back in the early 90's I bought ten UNBREECHED Parker-Hale barrels direct from the Golden hillock Road works of P-H, for a fellow member of the VAA, but they were unproofed, not having been fitted with a breech.

 

[pofflebot]

I have ordered a mould so soon i will get it shooting i hope !
I checked the the as .580 so have ordered a .578 minie mould hope that is not too large ?

 

[tac]

I have ordered a mould so soon i will get it shooting i hope !
I checked the the as .580 so have ordered a .578 minie mould hope that is not too large ?

No doubt you'll find out. The Minié bullet needs to be 1.5 - 2 thou undersized so as to just go down the barrel from the weight of the ram rod. I use bore butter, mostly, since I've currently used up all my Bees wax and Neat's foot oil concoction. It seems to work by filling all the grooves AND the base of a conventional Minié bullet with canelures. My P-H Musketoon posted a ten-shot 2" group at 50m last week. I used Swiss #3 - which is actually 2Fg - and just 50gr. My bullets are swaged, smooth-sided and 580gr from Malcolm Seller up in Doncaster, but I also use a Lyman mould from time to time. I'll look it out tomorrow and give you the details

You might look up my last purchase - I posted it here a couple of weeks ago - a genuine Pritchett rifle from 1958. There's a short movie of it on Youtube, too - tac's guns Pritchett rifle. That's also nominally in .577cal but is actually .585 - I'm going to be paper-patching for that.

 

[PHGRL]

Hi there im hoping someone can help me please, im not certain i am on the right thread, but a couple of people here seem very knowledgeable. I am lucky enough to come from a huge military family. Most members have either served in or worked for the British military at one time or another so guns are something i have been brought up with my entire life. My Father owns a Parker-Hale 1200tx and the serial number is 4. Can anyone tell me first of all if it is rare to own a P-H with such a low serial number, and secondly how much might it be worth? I am asking because my Father is considering selling it, but he is an elderly man and I really dont want anyone to try to swindle him. Thank you so much for any advice you can give us.

 

[Lilhigbee]

@tac is our resident expert on these and a few thousand miles closer to you than most of us as well. We'll see if we can draw him into this discussion.