Two Parker Hale Safari's Still Packed In Grease - Keep Em', Shoot Em', Sell Em' ?

waynewjw

waynewjw

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Not Looking For Offers (last thread closed due to offers which if I list will be in the EE). I'm looking for Nutters opinions and thoughts as to what they'd do.

Just acquired two Parker Hale Safari Sporting Rifles - the actions and 24" barrels still have original factory grease, obviously never been fired, beautiful walnut stocks with white spacers on butt and grip caps, hand cut checkering, 99% deep bluing, hang tags still attached. Pretty hard to identify what years these rifles were mfg. as Parker Hale records were destroyed when the company was sold back when. I'm guessing they'd be 50'ish years of age. Do I leave them alone and put them in the gun rack (not my 1st choice), do I list them on the EE and move up to a single rifle or do I clean up the grease and take them out for a date - to the range and hunting?

So I'm torn as to what I should do with them - 270 and 30-06. The 30-06 is fixed plate top load internal magazine, flip rear sight, hood front. The 270 is drop magazine, flip rear sight, hood front and stainless bolt. Idea's as to value would help. I've goggled a lot and there's a pretty wide spread on prices, but these are new with hang tag's so I figure the value will be above average.

So if you had them, what would you do?
 
Dépends what you want; collect them or shoot them. If you need a rifle for hunting, go ahead, chose one and keep the other... but keep all the packing stuff that goes with the other you want to use...

They may be "younger" than you think as the same models were made up to the '80s, but started around their moving to Sprarkbrook in 1962. Anyhow, they can be dated by the Birmingham proofmark, on the barrel (where you see the proof mark in tons per Sq. Inches, it's the letters / numbers around the "X" mark).
 
When you say "acquired" do you mean purchased, given, inherited...? If I was in your shoes, how I came to be in possession of the rifles would play a part in determining what I did with them. I wouldn't resell them if they were gifted to me. If I purchased the two rifles I would either keep and use them both or just keep the .270 and sell the .30-06 if I could make a profit; I've got a .30-06 already anyhow. If I inherited the rifles for free but they held no sentimental value I would keep the .270 and sell the .30-06 for cheap to a friend who recently got his PAL.
 
aquired as in oh i dont know....stole them!!!!! :eek: just messing around. personally i would keep them unless you really didnt either need them, like them or have another project you needed to fund. I would love the 30 06 if it had a hinged floor plate. Im a big fan of the parker hale safari model, I own a .308 i bought from a member here. 500 should be a min baseline starting point imo.
 
I purchased both of them, an elderly gentlemen with medical conditions, purchase new and never did anything with them until he sold them to me. I already have a 30-06 and a 270, so the quandary is do I want another two of the same caliber? I didn't purchase with the intent to sell, but guns come and go and that's the decision I have to make regards these two.
 
They are Parker hales not exactly collecter items they were $179-279 guns in there day I"m not bashing them they are good quality guns just not high end . Now if u had 2 pre 64 model 70"s or 2 Browning FN"s that we're unfired u would have a situation
 
Important that if you aren't keeping them, don't shoot them. Will obviously affect collector value if you surrender to the temptation to try them one just once
 
Sounds like these are built on military action blind magazine do they have adjustable triggers do they have side safeties or wing safety's on the bolt . $800.00 u say
 
Very early PHs used converted military '98 actions. Most used Spanish sporting actions patterned on the FN action.
There were a number of different versions of the sporting action used. The last version abandoned some of the best features of the '98 Mauser design in the interest of manufacturing economy. The internal receiver collar and breeching system is one of the '98's best features. The PH sporting actions initially had a "C" collar, then a ( ) collar, then no collar. The collarless ones also abandoned the '98 firing pin system and boltstop/ejector unit.
The detachable magazine version has a detachable magazine. That is the good news.
Most non-detachable magazine rifles use a diecast triggerguard/magazine unit, often with cast in embellishment on the hinged floorplate. A spacer is incorporated if the rifle is set up for shorter rounds.
Triggers are adjustable. Broken safeties are not unheard of.
 
waynewjw said:
How do you use the proof marks to determine date of mfg.?
Click to expand...

You need to take the stock off and look for stamp on the underside of the barrel that is either a pair of crossed lances/swords, or a circle with a two letter date code, one letter on the left and one on the right. You will need a magnifying glass to read it. Because it is stamped on the rounded barrell the letters can fade towards the edges making them hard to read. For example the code ZB is 1974. The B may look like an E so look carefully. There should be some collectors on this site who should be able to look up those letters for you.
 
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struff55 said:
No they will not have collecter value it's a $350 gun
Click to expand...

The rifles that the OP has acquired might not have collector value but some other Parker Hale chamberings in the larger bore rifles are hard to find.
The 375 H&H and 458 Win. Mag. are not seen very often and I've been trying to find a 404 Jeffery in the Parker Hale for ages..
 
waynewjw said:
How do you use the proof marks to determine date of mfg.?
Click to expand...

The Letters / Numbers around the "X" are the giveaway.

Post a pic and I can help you with that..

Yours are likely (pretty sure) built on Santa-Barabara actions and this will show up as a fainted (grinded) "SPAIN" marking on the left side of the receiver tang.
These actions are the equivalent to the FN Supreme and for that reason, the Zastava. When FN quit making 98 actions, they sold the "commercial" production lines to both Zastava and "Santa Barbara" (or Empresa Nacional Santa Barbara de Industrias Militares, La Coruna)
It's also are the same action used by CF snipers, on their C3 and C3A1 (M82).
 
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The 30-06 pictured on the EE looks more like the '98 action with the winged safety on the bolt, with a blind floorplate. Looks like a pretty sturdy gal. Can anybody provide some info on these models, as I might take another look at as well. :)
 
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