Parker Bros (also known at various times as Parker Brothers Manufacturing Company, Parker Brothers Guns, and Parker Bros. Shotguns) was an American

firearms A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes c ...

firm, mostly producing

shotgun A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small p ...

s from 1867 to 1942. During these years, approximately 242,000 guns were produced in various grades, and are widely considered the finest and most collectible American shotgun.

Models

All Parker

gun A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, pr ...

s are break-open style actions, most of which are side-by-side double barreled designs; the remainder are single barrel guns intended for use in trap shooting. For the first 20+ years of production, Parker Bros. used an exposed hammer design, but by 1888 the first hammerless guns were offered for sale. Parker guns were offered in 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 20, 28 and .410 gauges. There is an experimental example known to have been produced in 18 gauge. All else being equal, the smaller the gauge the more scarce and valuable a Parker gun would be in today's world. Parker guns were sold at various price points; the basic gun being the same design with the price increasing as production costs (engraving, fit and finish, quality of wood grain, barrel steel, etc.). These grades included: dollars grades, Trojan & VH through A-1 Special/ Invincible.

History

Parker Bros. was launched in

Meriden, Connecticut Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. In 2020, the population of the city was 60,850.rifles A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with bo ...

for the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. The company was among several entrepreneurial initiatives by Charles Parker, founder of the

Charles Parker Company The Charles Parker Company (born 1832) was formed in Meriden, Connecticut by Charles Parker, and over the years manufactured products including metalware, Art Brass (now in museums), hardware, lamps, spectacles, and piano stools. Also related to t ...

. Over the years, Parker shotguns were exhibited in several national and international expositions including the Centennial International Exhibition, Philadelphia in 1876; the Melbourne International Exhibition, Australia in 1880-81; the World’s Columbian Exposition, Chicago in 1893; and the Sportsmen’s Exposition, New York in 1895, 1896, and 1897. The company was acquired by

Remington Arms Remington Arms Company, LLC was an American manufacturer of firearms and ammunition, now broken into two companies, each bearing the Remington name. The firearms manufacturer is ''Remington Arms''. The ammunition business is called ''Remingto ...

in 1934, and phased out of business by 1942."Parker Brothers (Meriden, CT) DHE Side-by-Side Shotgun,"
NRA Museum. Accessed Nov. 15, 2018.

Famous shooters

Parker guns were often viewed as the gun of choice by celebrities including:

Annie Oakley Annie Oakley (born Phoebe Ann Mosey; August 13, 1860 – November 3, 1926) was an American sharpshooter who starred in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. Oakley developed hunting skills as a child to provide for her impoverished family in western ...

, Frank Butler,

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

, as well as the top ranked competition shooters of the day.

PGCA

There is an active interest in Parker guns today, most visibly represented by th
Parker Gun Collector's Association

References

Other sources consulted

* Johnson, Peter H. (1961). ''Parker, America's finest shotgun''. New York: Bonanza Books. 260 pages.

External links

Parker shotguns
Courtesy of NRA Museums

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker Bros. Firearm manufacturers of the United States Shotguns Defunct manufacturing companies based in Connecticut