We hope you enjoy this multi-part blog series on the restoration of a 1921 Parker BHE 12 gauge shotgun. Do you have questions about the process of gun restoration? Feel free to ask in the comments section below, or drop us a line.
Day 4: Last Day of Inletting
Day 4, Step 1
1) At this time the hammer relief can be inletted.
Day 4, Step 2
2) And also the sears.
Day 4, Step 3
3) Look at all the internals!
Day 4, Step 4
4) The serial number is stamped.
Day 4, Step 5
5) New stock, old stock.
Day 4, Step 6
6) Can you spot the cast off? The customer’s custom dimensions required a 3/16-inch cast off.
Day 4, Step 7
7) The final inletting is complete—the Parker is then test fired.
Day 4, Step 8
8) The top tang.
Day 4, Step 9
9) The trigger guard.
Day 5: Polishing the Barrels
Day 5, Step 1
1) First, the set of barrels is evaluated.
Day 5, Step 2
2) Our polisher, Gordie, locates any dings, scratches, or rust spots that might require extra attention during polishing.
Day 5, Step 3
3) Gordie uses a polishing block with some sanding paper to remove the rust bluing.
Day 5, Step 4
4) For any deeper pitting or rust spots that may need something more aggressive, he uses a mill file.
Day 5, Step 5
5) Here you can see what the polishing block and sanding paper start to take away.
Day 5, Step 6
6) As with most areas of gunsmithing, polishing requires a lot of attention to detail.
Day 5, Step 7
7) The finished set of barrels! This will then go to our in-house engraver to have the engraving recut.
Day 6: Inletting the Gold Shield
Day 6, Step 1
1) First, the gold shield is placed and a layout is drawn.
Day 6, Step 2
2) The area is then rough chiseled.
Day 6, Step 3
3) The shield is then glued in.
Day 6, Step 4
4) Tape is used to secure the shield during the drying process.
Day 6, Step 5
5) After the shield has dried for a few hours, the tape is removed.
Day 6, Step 6
6) Using a file, the shield is then shaped into place.
Day 6, Step 7
7) The installation of the gold shield is complete.
Parker BHE 12 Gauge Restoration: The Full Process
Days 1-3: making a new buttstock, fitting the stock to the receiver, fitting the skeleton buttplate
Days 4-6: last day of inletting, polishing the barrels, inletting the gold shield
Days 7-9: re-cutting the barrel engraving, polishing the action, rust bluing the barrels
Days 10-12: stock refinishing, checkering the buttstock, finishing up the checkering
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This installment of Restoration Resources appears in our Shoot History e-magazine. If you'd like to see more stories like these while learning about classic firearms preservation, head over to Shoot History. Be sure to hit the subscribe button while you're there.
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