Information on this Parker Hale please

kaskirov

kaskirov

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My father gave me this rifle (forgot to tell me for a few years, but that's a different story) and it was originally owned by his father. It is a Parker Hale "Safari", .308 win, non-detachable magazine. I'm looking for information on it: Model, possible year, quality and accuracy of these rifles, price range (not selling, just curious). I've read somewhere that these use the same (or similar) bolt as the k98; it does look similar, is this true?

Pictures:
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Stock is a bit worn
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Nice Monte carlo style stock:
Parkerhale1_zps151dd502.jpg


Interesting sights, the rear folds down to fit a scope:
Parkerhale8_zps189f187a.jpg


Parker Hale LTD Birmingham England
Parkerhale7_zpsf16a7f23.jpg


Safari Time!
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19 tons per... box? 2.015"?
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Bolt seems really sturdy, but needs lube.
Parkerhale6_zps03b944ad.jpg


Does this take some sort of stripper clips? Or have I just handled too many mil surps?
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I have never shot it because I love mil surplus rifles.
My father almost never used this because he prefers detachable magazines.
Many moose have been killed by my grandfather with this.

I'm tempted to refinish it, but I'm worried about ruining a (literal) grandfathered rifle. My mosin turned out decent, but it didn't have checkering or that white trim. I would also want a better finish than my mosin
 
It's the second time this week for me to post this littlebit of info:D
This link should answer a few of your questions
http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?239551-Parker-Hale-30-06-identification
 
Its an early P/H on a sporterized Mauser 98 action built in the late 50's or early 60's. In its original form it used stripper clips but the charger guide has been milled open. If you want to scope it you need to change out the Mauser safety for a low side swing safety. The trigger is probably still a M 98 trigger. They are solid, utilitarian rifles. In my opinion only worth $300 or so as is, probably worth more to you for sentimental reasons.
 
2.015" is the 308 case length. 19 tons per square is 38000psi, which is far beneath 308 pressure, but maybe what it was proofed for above the max pressure
 
If i read the letters in the "X" correctly, it's "M" and "B" which would make it a 1961 production. If i'm wrong on the letters, let me know.
You "may" have one of the early P-H Safari made on a FN (commercial) action.

WesportSalesCat007.jpg
 
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BTW, the "Ton per Square Inch" are "British LONG TONS" which equals to 2240 pounds. It does translates from PSI (CUP) to PSI (Piezo) as per SAAMI's conversion formula;

18 LT X 2240 # sq. in. = 40 320 PSI (CUP)
40 320 *1.52 - 18 = 61 268 PSI (Piezo) SAAMI reading.
 
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Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought the commercial actions didn't have the stripper clip and thumb cut-outs. Either way, it's a good quality Mauser action.
 
See the stripper clip guide lips and the "hump" are gone; as it's an early Safari rifle, this is either a ex-mil rework, a FN commercial (post '47 actions, but I can't make the floorplate relase latch) or an early commercial Santa Barbara (pre FN Supreme machinery). Prior to the full throttle operation of the Sparkbrook plant (officially opened in 1962) P-H was not set yet on who the the supplier would be and there was still A LOT of war reparation Mauser actions floating around in Europe in those days...
 
I had the side safety on a mauser installed, it didn't clear the bolt properly, and was possible to put the safety half on, pull the trigger, and then later when taking the safety off it would fire. I'd recommend a timney trigger with safety over the side safety.
 
Many (most) PHs were made up on Spanish actions. I would suggest that the receiver on this one is a reworked Spanish military '98. If so, it would be a better action than the very last '98 based PH rifles.
 
tiriaq said:
Many (most) PHs were made up on Spanish actions. I would suggest that the receiver on this one is a reworked Spanish military '98. If so, it would be a better action than the very last '98 based PH rifles.
Click to expand...

The later P/H rifles were built on new Santa Barbara actions but these did not use Spanish actions. I have read that they were built on new German WW 2 actions that had never been assembled into rifles. Apparently the actions had been brought to England after the war and P/H got ahold of them and use them for these rifles.
 
762shooter said:
The later P/H rifles were built on new Santa Barbara actions but these did not use Spanish actions. I have read that they were built on new German WW 2 actions that had never been assembled into rifles. Apparently the actions had been brought to England after the war and P/H got ahold of them and use them for these rifles.
Click to expand...

Not so, as most (a whole big majority) of P-H rifles were built on commercial Santa Barbara actions - made from FN Supreme patterns and machinery, starting late '60s / early '70s. These Spanish (Santa-Barbara) actions can be indentified by the fainted "Spain" stamping on the left side action tang, and are of two variations; one with the standard bolt shroud and swing type safety, the other one with streamlined bolt shroud and side safety.
Early production pretty fast set on "commercial" Santa-Barbara actions (also marked "Spain) but from the pre-Supreme pattern (military less charger clip lips and rear bridege "hump").
A very small part of the (very) early Safari rifles were made on ex-whatever military actions, scrubbed by BSA, while another very small percentage were built on new commercial FN actions (pre-Supreme), the rest being made on Santa-Barbara and possibly the very, very late production used some Zastava actions to fill residual orders.

Sparkbrook started production of the Safari rifles about 1962, prior to that, the rifles were made by BSA (BSA did a LOT of reworks in those days, and did not offer ex-mil on their own name after they introduced their own rifle, the "Hunter" line, about 1953.
P-H used ex-mil receivers for some time, but by 1962, they were using new, unissued M/98 receivers, mostly from Spain.

P-H with fainted "Spain" on S-B action;

MadeinSpain.jpg
 
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The "Spain" markings are generally pretty faint because they were ground off.
Other makers used Santa Barbara actions, apart from PH.

Who made the barrels on PH rifles? I believe that they are hammer forged. Did PH buy actions or barrelled actions from Spain?
When I was running my business, I had a collection of burst/split/damaged barrels from customers' rifles. The PH barrels were the absolute worst from the standpoint of handling shooter induced mishaps (snow, mud in barrel). Other makes tended to bulge or split; PH barrels would fracture. From machining on them, they seem harder than other barrels.
 
I do not know about the harder/softer barrels, but I have owned about a dozen
Parker Hale rifles over the years since about 1966. All were S/B actions but one.

At least 7 of these were 308 Norma Magnums. All were stellar in the accuracy department. [for sporting rifles]

I still own 2 P-H rifles in that Chambering, but they are M81's, not the gaudy, fancy, shiny stocked Safari's.
Both shoot sub-moa with loads they like.
These are finished quite nicely, and the more sensible "Classic" stock handles the recoil better, IMHO.

PH made a number of early production Magnums with 22" barrels, something I could never quite fathom.
My first 308NM was one of these...It shot very well, and I'm quite certain the 20 head of game I shot with it could not tell.
However, I consider a 24" tube about minimum with a magnum chambering.

Regards, Dave
 
tiriaq,

I don't know if they made ALL their barrels, but they sure made some nice hammer forged ones (just think of the M/85 and 1200TX :) ).
Their barrel division is now named Armalon and still make (supposed) fine hammer forged barrels.
I can't say they always did make their own barrels, but they sure made some prior to WWII
Like Eagleye, I owned many P-H rifles, 1000/1100/1200 and one M/81 and I personally never got any issues with their barrels.
Maybe the barrels you are referring to were Midland barrels? I really don't know.

Yes, they bought their actions in the white from SB and made all the finishing themselves.
And in Europe, they have to stamp the country of origins on gun parts, and P-H used to grind that off (leaving a fainted "SPAIN"). Husqvarna did the same with FN actions.

As for anyone having concerns about the Santa Barbara actions strenght or quality, one must know they are still in use with CF C3 sniper rifles... this tells it all...
 
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The Parker Hale 308 my brother has is not a sporterized 98mauser but is a Spanish copy of the 98 mauser, the receivers were made by the same company as the Santbarbera mausers.
It seems to have only english proof markings on the barrel which leads me to believe (his at least) has a P/H barrel and a the receiver was an unfinished receiver when it came to P/H.
My brothers is a later model with a squared beaver tail fore end, raised cheekrest monte carlo stock. It also has a clean barrel with no sights.
 
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