Parker Hale 1200 TX Value

[OR4NGE]

I bought a Parker Hale 1200TX target rifle. These are the rifle the C3 and C3A1 were based on.

I was thinking of listing it up for sale and would like to get feedback on its value considering this one is in very good condition.

let me know your thoughts.

 

[Tarrantula]

Complete and original with sights, depending on condition probably $1200-1400?

 

[Potashminer]

For what value the information is, I bought one in July 2021 for $1600 - well used, recoil / butt had been altered - but apparently all original, other than that - was fully useable as received. Is stamped on the barrel that it was made for the Palma Competition in 1969. Also came with some Palma medals from a previous owner, who was NOT the 1969 PALMA shooter of this rifle. Likely no longer shoots to the level that a competitor might want, but it does shoot at least as good as I can. Is some mystery to me that originals in 1970 were made and sold by Parker Hale as repeaters - five shot internal magazines, yet five years later (1976/77) the catalogue shows them as single shot rifles - I have not found out when the change was made. So there will be at least TWO types of PH 1200 TX - one is a repeater and at least one is a single shot - might make a difference about what price it sells for.

In the 1976/77 Parker Hale catalogue the "single shot" rifle is advertised as Mark III version - so that suggests there might have been a Mark II and a Mark I version previously - I do not know that - to be confirmed, if I can ever find a Parker Hale catalogue dated between 1970 and 1976/77.

I was able to compare this rifle to pictures of the same rifle that was used by the current owner's Dad in the 1969 Palma shoot - his pictures are of the rifle that his Dad used - unaltered since then - so I can see what is the same and what is different, between that rifle and this one - which started as identical to each other.

 

[gaff]

maybe you should ask in the target rifle area?

 

[can14]

big difference between a single shot and a repeater parker hale target in price

 

[OR4NGE]

big difference between a single shot and a repeater parker hale target in price

Which one is more valuable ?

 

[m1008]

Which one is more valuable ?

The repeater, good luck machining a single shot

 

[Potashminer]

Which one is more valuable ?

I am not sure - would be between the Buyer and Seller to determine. From the cut-out view in the 1976/77 catalogue, they might use the same receiver and barrel - bedding within the stock is very different, though.

Since Parker Hale has not existed as a gun maker for a number of decades, they are not making any new ones. So there will be a tension between a Seller who usually wants to get as high a price as he can, versus the Buyer who will want to pay as least amount as he can. Sometimes they can meet in the middle and a sale occurs. Partially depends what the Buyer wants to do with it and what the Seller knows about it - if Buyer wants a shooter, he is likely concerned about the bedding and the bore condition - stuff that some Sellers may know nothing about. Or, the Buyer is mostly concerned about how it "looks" - so typically wants shiny stock and excellent bluing - does not care about bedding or bore condition - to each their own. Is no "price list", that I know of, for such stuff.

There will be an additional aspect for a Parker Hale 1200 TX - some buyers will want them for parts to try to make a "wannabe" Canadian C3 sniper rifle - goes to the motivation of the Buyer and how much he will pay, versus what the Seller will accept.

Contrary (sort of) to the OP - the Canadian C3 rifle should no longer exist - all of them were supposed to have gone back to Parker Hale for "upgrade" into the C3A1 - which included a new receiver, a new scope mount, a new scope, a new barrel, a new stock, a new trigger, and a new magazine - is possible that the C3 bolt or possibly the bolt handle was re-used to make the C3A1 - and all the original C3 parts likely got used again by Parker Hale to make rifles for various South and Central American countries. Some accountant in Canadian government will "prove" that the Canadian snipers did not get "new" rifles - that the "old" C3's were merely "upgraded" into C3A1. Parker Hale company was subsequently bought by USA "Gibbs" company - who eventually went broke - Numrich bought up much of Gibbs' inventory, which included what they had for PH parts - why it was and is possible to get some "new" PH parts from Numrich. Too boot, there was a very nearly identical rifle sold by Parker Hale called the M82 - some countries adopted that, as produced, as their "sniper" rifle.

 

[slug]

I've had at least two, over the past decades, and they were good shooters, but perhaps not great shooters.
My Musgrave can do better than those two, but not much.
I'd like to get a TX, but mainly for nostalgia's sake.
There's not as much interest in full bore target shooting these days.

 

[55recce]

Of course posting a picture would help enormously.

Also the term "value" is an interesting choice very much dependent on the owner, attachment, provenance etc. My Westley Richards shotgun has a huge value to me as it was owned by my
grandfather who went missing while flying in a Tempest in 1945 and then by my father. I have very fond memories of shooting pigeons with my brother when we still lived in the UK in the 1970s. He too is dead now.

So a better choice of words would be "what would be a good asking price if I was to post on the EE" or "what has been the selling price for these recently..."

 

[Lee Enfield]

...snip...the Cnadian C3 rifle should no longer exist - all of them were supposed to have gone back to Parker Hale for "upgrade" into the C3A1 - which included a new receiver, a new scope mount, a new scope, a new barrel, a new stock, a new trigger, and a new magazine - is possible that the C3 bolt or possibly the bolt handle was re-used to make the C3A1 - and all the original C3 parts likely got used again by Parker Hale to make rifles for various South and Central American countries. Some accountant in Canadian government will "prove" that the Canadian snipers did not get "new" rifles - that the "old" C3's were merely "upgraded" into C3A1. Parker Hale company was subsequently bought by USA "Gibbs" company - who eventually went broke - Numrich bought up much of Gibbs' inventory, which included what they had for PH parts - why it was and is possible to get some "new" PH parts from Numrich. Too boot, there was a very nearly identical rifle sold by Parker Hale called the M82 - some countries adopted that, as produced, as their "sniper" rifle.

What actually happened was PH exchanged C3 (1200TX CDN according to the CFTO) straight across for C3A1 (M87) rifles.

Parker-Hale sold the C3 rifles back thru the trade- Gil on Milsurps obtained part of the PH shipping records from Bill Smallwood. It appears that about 350 C3 rifles were exchanged towards approx 525 C3A1 rifles.

The Canadianizing of the M87 included:
1- installation of Unertl designed scope mount with recoil cross bar.
2- c3/1200 bolt with standard m98 anti bind rail. Standard M84/M86/M87 bolt doesn't have the anti bind rail (and long left bolt lug) and most actions are not milled for it.
3- use of c3/m82 wood stock (slightly different from 1200tx)
4- c3/1200tx contour barrel. Contract specifies 1/12 and 26". (Delivered length and twist rate seems to have been a problem)

 

[Pblatzz]

The C3A1 has a fiberglass stock and not the Wood stock as on the C3.

 

[Pblatzz]

The C3 Bolt hand was round, and not flattened like the PH 1200TX bolt handle. It has a conventional trigger guard that held 5 rounds, The barrel was 1" dia and had a 1 in 12" right hand twist.

Here's a nice one..

 

[Pblatzz]

Complete and original with sights, depending on condition probably $1200-1400?

Agreed if it comes with original sights. (see below).

Need to have the front sling swivel too (see below).

 

[Potashminer]

Should be several pictures below - from No. 70 Parker Hale catalogue - last picture lists the "specifications" that were offered then. No. 70 catalogue shows the rifle as a repeater - No. 76/77 catalogue shows it as a Mk. III version, single shot rifle. I do not have any catalogues in between to know when changes were made.

 

[Potashminer]

The "hand stop" appears to have the sling swivel incorporated into it as the attachment mechanism. It looks like this, after some considerable use:

 

[can14]

I have some of the and stops they can either be used with a screw in rail or the slider rail like 40xb