Parker Bros.

Lore & Background

Parker Bros. began as Parker Snow Co. in Meriden, Connecticut, founded by Charles Parker, who had already established the Charles Parker Company. The firm's initial work was producing rifles for the U.S. Army during the Civil War, but after the war it turned to shotguns, which it made from 1867 until 1942. All Parker guns are break-open actions, the vast majority being side-by-side double barreled designs, with a smaller number of single barrel guns intended for trap shooting. For the first 20-plus years, exposed hammers were standard; hammerless models were first offered for sale in 1888.

Parker shotguns were produced in a wide range of gauges: 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 20, 28, and .410, with an experimental 18-gauge example also known. The guns were sold at various price points, with the basic design remaining the same while cost increased with engraving, fit and finish, wood grain quality, and barrel steel. These grades included dollar grades, Trojan & VH through A-1 Special/Invincible. The company exhibited its shotguns at several international expositions, including the Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia (1876), the Melbourne International Exhibition in Australia (1880–81), the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago (1893), and the Sportsmen’s Exposition in New York (1895, 1896, 1897).

Parker guns were favored by celebrities such as Annie Oakley, Frank Butler, and Clark Gable, as well as top-ranked competition shooters of the day. The company was acquired by Remington Arms in 1934 and phased out of business by 1942. Today, interest in Parker guns continues, most visibly through the Parker Gun Collector's Association.

Reader's Guide

Parker Bros. shotguns are regarded as the finest and most collectible American shotguns, a reputation built over 75 years of production. The company's commitment to quality is reflected in its graded system, where the same basic action could be ordered with increasing levels of engraving, wood selection, and barrel steel, from the more affordable Trojan and VH grades up to the A-1 Special and Invincible. This approach allowed shooters of different means to own a Parker, while the top grades represented the pinnacle of American gunsmithing.

The legacy of Parker shotguns is also tied to their use by famous figures. Annie Oakley, Frank Butler, and Clark Gable all owned Parkers, and the guns were the choice of many champion competition shooters. The company's presence at major expositions from the 1876 Centennial to the 1897 Sportsmen's Exposition helped cement its reputation. After Remington Arms acquired the firm in 1934, production continued until 1942, when the line was discontinued. The Parker Gun Collector's Association now preserves the history and fosters interest in these shotguns, ensuring that the Parker name remains synonymous with quality and craftsmanship in American firearms.

Did You Know?

• Parker Bros. produced approximately 242,000 guns between 1867 and 1942.
• The company offered shotguns in 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 20, 28, and .410 gauges, plus an experimental 18-gauge example.
• Hammerless Parker guns were first offered for sale in 1888; earlier models had exposed hammers.
• Parker shotguns were owned by Annie Oakley, Frank Butler, and Clark Gable.

From Civil War Arsenal to Shotgun Dynasty

Charles Parker first established Parker Snow Co. in Meriden, Connecticut, with a singular wartime purpose: supplying rifles to the United States Army during the Civil War. This venture was one thread in a broader tapestry of entrepreneurial activity, as Parker was also the founder of the Charles Parker Company. Yet it was the post-war pivot toward sporting shotguns that would define the firm's lasting identity. Over the decades, the business cycled through several names—Parker Brothers Manufacturing Company, Parker Brothers Guns, and Parker Bros. Shotguns—before settling into the familiar Parker Bros. moniker. From 1867 through 1942, the company dedicated itself almost exclusively to shotgun production, a span of roughly seventy-five years during which it built an unmatched reputation. What began as a wartime manufacturing operation in a Connecticut town gradually transformed into what collectors and historians alike regard as the benchmark of American shotgun craftsmanship, a legacy that outlived the company itself by many decades.

Break-Open Brilliance: Design and Grading

Every Parker shotgun employed a break-open action, a mechanical philosophy that prioritized clean, reliable function above all else. The vast majority were side-by-side double-barreled configurations, while a smaller subset featured single barrels purpose-built for trap shooting. For more than two decades after the company's founding, these guns sported exposed hammers; it was not until 1888 that the first hammerless models reached the market, marking a significant design evolution. Parker offered an impressive range of gauges—8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 20, 28, and .410—with at least one experimental example known in 18 gauge. Rather than producing fundamentally different models, the company used a single underlying design and layered in escalating levels of refinement: finer engraving, superior fit and finish, higher-grade wood grain, and premium barrel steel. This produced a tiered lineup stretching from the modest dollars grades through Trojan and VH, all the way up to the A-1 Special and Invincible, allowing shooters to find a Parker at virtually any price point while never compromising the core architecture.

World Stage and Celebrity Endorsement

Parker shotguns were far more than a regional Connecticut product; they were showcased on the grandest international stages of the nineteenth century. The firm exhibited its wares at the Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876, the Melbourne International Exhibition in Australia in 1880–81, the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, and the Sportsmen's Exposition in New York across three consecutive years—1895, 1896, and 1897. This sustained presence at major expositions signaled that Parker had achieved a level of prestige comparable to the finest manufacturers anywhere. The brand's reputation was further cemented by its association with legendary marksmen and public figures. Annie Oakley and Frank Butler, the celebrated sharpshooter couple, were known to favor Parker guns, as was Hollywood star Clark Gable. Beyond celebrity, the guns were the preferred choice of the top-ranked competition shooters of the era, reinforcing the widespread view that no other American shotgun matched Parker in quality, reliability, and sheer shooting pleasure.

A Finite Legacy: Acquisition, Cessation, and the Collector's World

Across its roughly seventy-five years of active production, Parker Bros. manufactured approximately 242,000 shotguns in a wide array of grades—a finite number that has only intensified the brand's desirability in the modern era. The company's independent run came to an end in 1934 when Remington Arms acquired the firm, and by 1942 the Parker name had been fully phased out of business. Yet the guns themselves refused to fade. Today, a vibrant community of enthusiasts keeps the legacy alive, most visibly through the Parker Gun Collector's Association, which serves as a hub for research, discussion, and the preservation of Parker's heritage. The National Rifle Association's museums also house examples of Parker shotguns, acknowledging their place in American firearms history. Peter H. Johnson's 1961 book, Parker, America's Finest Shotgun, remains a foundational reference for collectors. For many in the shooting world, a Parker is not merely a collectible; it is the definitive statement of what an American shotgun can be.

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