16ga.com ~ View topic - My favorite article on Erv Walters and Parker Guns!

Gentlemen,

Back in 2011 in the Sept/Oct addition of the SSM William J. Morrissey wrote a real nice article about traveling down south to visit a few small gun shops and sporting good stores. This article became my favorite Parker shotgun story of all time. Having owned a few that were passed down to me, I knew the legend of Irv Walters, however I thought the story was just a made up legend until Bill Morrissey wrote his article.
Now to me Parker guns have always held a certain mystique, because I was taught to Grouse hunt with my Grandmothers DHE 28 gauge gun. However to me all other Parker guns were just nice box lock American Classics and after our 28 was destroyed in a farm house fire I sold the other Parker guns to up grade our L.C. Smith gun collection. I probably should have kept the 16 D grade it was a nice gun to Grouse hunt with.

Era Walters legend was passed down to me with a couple of the Parker guns in the 60's, the story of how Erv Walters could turn any graded Parker double gun into a fantastic A Grade of his own design, is a story I have never forgotten. I always wanted to meet Erv but never got the chance. Bill Morrissey actually got the chance and ran across one of Erv's up graded Parker guns, in one of the stores outside of where Erv was living in a retirement home. Now if I want to own a Parker double gun, I want it to be one of Erv Walters guns, to me they are a great American Classic double gun. Seems Parker has its own Legend also.

If you can get your hands on the old 2011 Sept/Oct Issue of SSM the article starts on Page 76. You can not miss the magazine Georgia Pelligrini's beautiful picture is on the cover, with her double gun and ESS. Nice article on her also in the magazine.

all the best,

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

Yes!

I too have read this article MANY times.
It's a terrific read, and it brings to mind a few Parker guns I've encountered with my hunting buddy/LGS owner that stumped us both...

He used to keep the shop open until 8pm on Friday nights in the fall....I spent nearly all of those Fridays from 6pm to 8 or 9 o'clock looking over and helping inspect the vintage stuff that came thru the door that week. Articles like that were endlessly referenced in conversation together.

There is nothing better, in my mind, then a well written and worded true magazine artie on the subject of vintage guns...the internet just does not hold the same magic...at least to me.

Ooooooooo! I can just taste fall here in Michigan! It's just around the corner!

DannyPratt,

Good to see another Classic gun nut, did you ever get to meet Erv Walters?
I would loved to have spent time with him and learned some of his engineering and engraving tricks. Here in Pa most all the fantastic Master Gun Makers are now retired or passed away. Rich Painter closed up shop a few years ago, Freddie Brunner out in CA also. Mr Franklin here in the Pittsburgh area, when I was a boy had a shop we use to visit nightly, when we were down off the mountain, the incredible double guns in that old shop were worth a small fortune. It is a shame that we have so few of them left and it seems very few had sons to learn their trade. Rich Painter had been talking about retiring for years, nobody thought he would really do it. When he turned 60 he had enough money to do what ever he wanted, and decided to retire and hunt for the rest of his life. Just shut the business down and walked way, the building is still empty even today. He did not even sell out. I really miss him being only a 1/2 hour drive away.

all the best,

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man