1867 – 1942
Meriden, Connecticut
- 1867 launched by Charles Parker in Meriden, Connecticut
– Parker Snow Co
– produced rifles for the US Army during Civil War - produced mostly break-open shotguns
– 242,000 produced - gun of choice for:
– Annie Oakley
– Frank Butler (her husband)
– Clark Gable - 1934 acquired by Remington Arms
- 1942 phased out of business
Parker Bros
About Parker Bros
Parker Bros. of Meriden, Connecticut is remembered as the maker of some of the finest American double-barrel shotguns ever produced. Charles Parker launched the gun business in 1867 under the name Parker Snow Co., originally to produce rifles for the U.S. Army during the Civil War. The company soon concentrated on side-by-side shotguns, building exposed-hammer guns for more than two decades and introducing hammerless models in the late 1880s. Parker shotguns were shown at the 1876 Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia, the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago and other major expositions.
Parker sold its guns in a ladder of grades, from the plain “dollar grades” and Trojan and VH models to the elaborately engraved A-1 Special and Invincible, with prices rising as the work became finer. Roughly 242,000 Parker guns were made between 1867 and 1942. Remington Arms acquired the company in 1934, moved manufacturing to Ilion, New York in 1938 and made the last Parker shotgun in 1942. High-grade original Parkers are among the most sought-after American collector shotguns, and the name remains a benchmark for craftsmanship among bird hunters and trap and skeet shooters.
Key Facts
- 1867: Charles Parker launches Parker Snow Co. in Meriden, Connecticut
- 1876: Parker shotguns exhibited at the Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia
- 1893: Parker guns shown at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago
- 1934: Remington Arms acquires the company
- 1938: Manufacturing moves to Remington’s Ilion, New York factory
- 1942: Parker production phased out after about 242,000 guns
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Sources
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