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A Parker Bros. .410 Bore AAH Grade 7 Upgrade by Del Grego.

Originally made as a .410 bore VH grade on a “000” frame ca. 1931-1932, this is one of only 567 guns made in .410 bore by Parker Bros. The "000" frame was Parker’s smallest action and only used for the .410 and has the customary dished water table, or “lightening” flutes, to reduce weight in the action. The gun was made with various options and upgrades as well, such as Ejectors, Single Selective Trigger, Large Forearm (beavertail) and a straight grip. According to The Parker Story, Less than 50 were made in this configuration.

A great gun on its own, and in quite a rare configuration, it made a prime candidate to be upgraded. The original Grade "0"  VHE action body and furniture are filed, engraved, and stocked in the manner of a Grade 7 “AAH”. 

There is a full coverage small scroll engraving pattern on the action and furniture and engraved scroll wedges on the breach ends of the barrels. The Maker’s name is engraved on the sides of the action, just under the edge of the water table. The serial number is inlaid in gold on the long guard tang. There is a large “S” inlaid in gold as well at the safety. 

The action has double beaded fences filed into it and the water table is marked with an “AAH” and a “7” by the lightening flutes along with the “Parker Bros.” stamp and serial number. The action has a case color finish.

A very nicely figured walnut stock with great color and feather pattern has a 14 3/8” LOP over a blue steel skeleton butt that is engraved to match the receiver. The beavertail forend and straight grip were original factory options on this gun, and have been upgraded with checkered side panels, grip, and forend with elaborate Fleur-de-Lis checkering and fancy carved borders and an ebony wedge as the forend tip. Gold stock oval on the toe line has the initials: “S.G.”.

Original 26” barrels have a raised, concave, machine matted rib with double ivory beads and “PARKER BROS. MAKERS. MERIDEN, CT. U.S.A. PEERLESS STEEL” roll marked between inward facing arrows ("PEERLESS" engraved to replace the "VULCAN" steel it was originally marked with). The “Parker Bros. Overload Proved” proof mark is on both barrel flats. “410” and “000” are stamped on the rear lump of the barrels.

According to "The Parker Story", just 337 Grad 7 guns made by Parker in all bore sizes. While one was offered in the firm's literature, it appears a Grade 7 "AAH" was never produced by Parker Bros. in a .410 bore.  

In a letter dated 2013, from Lawrence Del Grego III, it states that this gun was upgraded to its present state by the Del Grego family, referring to it as “one of our upgraders”. The letter says the gun was engraved by Robert Runge Jr. 

Robert Runge Jr. started at Remington in the Parker Bros. gun works, as an apprentice engraver in 1934, the year RAC acquired Parker Bros. He stayed on and worked for the Remington Arms Co. after the end of the Parker production and retired from Remington in 1979 as a Master Engraver. Runge Jr. is also credited with most of the engraving found on Del Grego upgrades. 

The same letter from Mr. Del Grego goes on to say, “the balance of the work was carried out by my grandfather and father”, referring to Lawrence Del Grego Sr. and Lawrence “Babe” Del Grego, Jr.

Del Grego - 

History of Del Grego, from the Del Grego website: www.parkershotgunrepair.com

“Lawrence Del Grego III is the present owner and operator of Larry Del Grego & Son and is the fourth generation of Parker Shotgun specialists. The overlap of generations resulted in a continuous flow of knowledge of exact specifications and procedures required to repair and restore Parker shotguns to Parker standards.

Herman Shura was the first of the family who worked for the Parker shotgun company. He was a German watch maker who was retained by Charles Parker to update and redesign the single trigger. He spent the balance of his career installing and repairing Parker single triggers. Lawrence Del Grego Sr. was brought into the company by his father-in-law, Herman, in 1933. He was an excellent mechanic and worker and was fortunate to work in most areas of the Parker gun company as well as the custom repair shop after Remington moved his family to Ilion when the Parker Company was purchased by the Remington Arms Co. Larry traveled for Remington repairing Parkers in the field until Remington made the decision to discontinue repairing Parkers.

Larry recognized the need for someone to repair these fine guns and had the foresight to purchase the Parker parts & fixtures giving up his retirement from Remington to service Parker guns thus ensuring their value for the future. He also had the advantage of the remaining Parker employees in the area, and they were very helpful in sharing their individual specialties in the servicing of Parkers especially in training Babe, Larry Del Grego II.

‘Babe’ (Larry Del Grego Jr.) was brought into the business by his father Larry Del Grego Sr., in 1958 after service in the Airforce. The website states, “Of all the Parker employees, no one has repaired or even seen more Parker Shotguns than Babe”. In the thirty five years he worked in the business he repaired and restored many impressive Parker shotguns including making a new stock for the third Invincible to exact Parker standard thus restoring the originality of one of the most sought after Parker guns of all times. His broad knowledge from functional repairs to fitting stocks and forends and completely restoring Parkers to original condition has been the reason Larry Del Grego has been able to maintain the high standards of the Parker gun. He is still a great source of knowledge concerning anything Parker.

The workmanship and quality of the Del Grego family is legendary and, in many ways, considered the continuation of the original Parker tradition. Considering the Del Grego shop was able to make original Parker guns into configurations that were never made by the Parker Bros firm, with workers who actually worked for Parker Bros., offers today’s collector the closest opportunity to getting as close to an “original” version of these very rare, if not mythical, and quite desirable small bore, high grade guns from America's premier shotgun maker. 

A very rare gun that has been superbly executed and documented. 

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