Parker hale rifles

LSF

Well-Known Member
:confused:Hello,I am new to the directory and to centrefire rifles and i am in the process of putting in a variation for a .243 & probably a .308 because i am planning to do the DSC1 & some stalking later in the year ( time & funds permitting ), I have been looking on line at rifles and parker hale rifles seem to pop up frequently in particular the midland model from £195 upwards,WHY are they so cheap and numerous , How accurate are they,Do they have common faults to look out for and finally can you get spares for them,lee
 
oh you are going to get so much feedback on this :D if you are thinking of stalking then do you really need .243 and .308? it might be better to combine the money and just get one....... .308 :D
 
hello & thanks for the prompt reply,but wouldnt .308 too much gun for the smaller species of deer and have you any experience of Parker Hale rifles?
 
hello & thanks for the prompt reply,but wouldnt .308 too much gun for the smaller species of deer and have you any experience of Parker Hale rifles?


Lee,
Firstly .308 is not too much gun for even the smallest of our deer species. You can only get dead there is nothing further than dead. Choose the right type of bullet and place it in the right area of the Deer amd your will have meat for the larder and freezer.

As for experience with Parker-Hales :lol: just a little.

Now the Midland is a later model and correctly it's the Midland 2100, avoid the Gibbs marked and made ones as they were were very spotty on quality control. It would appear that the Midland 2100 model came into production some time after 1977 and was certainly still in production in 1986. I have just acquired a .243 Midland 2100 of 81 vintage. Now the difference witht he Midland 2100 is that is uses an American Springfield 03 bolt rather than a Mauser bolt and P-H intorduced it as a cheaper starter line to it's Models 1000, 1100 and 1200's.

The Midland was more cheaply finished, the poishing on the barrel was not as well done or struck off to use a gunmaking term, the stock was plainer and fitted with a hard plastic butt plate and grip cap however the rifle still has a Timney type adjustable trigger. If the bore is good and not excessivily worn or damaged then with ammunition it likes it will shoot better than you can hold most likely. I would expect them to hold MOA or there abouts easily and most will do much better.

As for parts places like Norman Clark of Rugby should be able to help but in all likelyhood your not going to need them that is unless some well meaning soul has buggered something up. Here is the one I just picked up:-

P2190085.jpg

A previous owner added the fore stock tip and greip cap of wood the csustomised the chequering with some stippling and added the recoil pad.

P2190154.jpg


P2190153.jpg

This one has been glass bedded also and the barrel free floated :rolleyes:.

DSCN1145.jpg

You can see the large safety lug which is a feature of the Springfield 03 bolt. The mounts have been changed now as I did not have any spare rings for the Leupolds then discovered that the mounts do not seem to be the correct ones for the receiver. it now has a new set of P-H bases fitted.

As with any rifle may I suggest you try them for feel and fit. if they feel good and comfortable when you shoulder the rifle you will likely shooter better with it than one which you do not feel comfortable with. I am not sure where abouts in the country you are but if you over the East Coast of Lincs way then perhaps you could see some and try them for fit. I am not selling by the way but it might just help you decide as I have several of the P-H rifle models :D.
 
Hello brithunter and thanks for prompt reply,the info you supplied is just what i was after,but why are they so cheap and numerous.Now back to the calibre issue,I was considering a .243 because its flat shooting,mild recoil ,cheap to feed & would be capable of taking all but the biggest reds and of course charlie ( in essence a well proven versatile round ),also
although i have been shooting nearly 20 years i have only been rifle shooting 3 or 4 years and only with rimfire rifles (.22 lr & .17 hmr ) and i thought i would have more chance of getting a variation for a .243 than something bigger ( i.e 30 cal ).And now my final question if you could have 1 rifle in 1 calibre for all 6 species of deer & charlie what would it be,also i live in worksop ,north notts,lee
 
Hello brithunter and thanks for prompt reply,the info you supplied is just what i was after,but why are they so cheap and numerous.Now back to the calibre issue,I was considering a .243 because its flat shooting,mild recoil ,cheap to feed & would be capable of taking all but the biggest reds and of course charlie ( in essence a well proven versatile round ),also
although i have been shooting nearly 20 years i have only been rifle shooting 3 or 4 years and only with rimfire rifles (.22 lr & .17 hmr ) and i thought i would have more chance of getting a variation for a .243 than something bigger ( i.e 30 cal ).And now my final question if you could have 1 rifle in 1 calibre for all 6 species of deer & charlie what would it be,also i live in worksop ,north notts,lee

hi lee ,

if you are looking for the holy grail in rifle calibres it does not exist ( i for one have been on the quest for quite some time !:lol:)

i personally think if you are going down the one rifle does all , i would go for one of 3 calibres , the 6.5x55 , the .270 or 30-06 all will do the job and all of them a plenty enough gun !

just my fivers worth

cheer s lee
 
hello & thanks for the prompt reply,but wouldnt .308 too much gun for the smaller species of deer and have you any experience of Parker Hale rifles?

LSF, no I don't think the .308 is too much rifle for the smaller species of deer, as long as you tailor your load to suit the species. A light fast bullet will produce more meat damage and blood blistering than a big slow one will.

You might have a job getting your police authority to allow you one as your first deer rifle though, my lot would only allow me 6.5x55 for deer and fox as a first rifle.

I have bought a Parker-Hale M.81 Classic in .308 recently, it would pass the DSC1 shooting test with PPU 165gn SP's. I am sure I will make it shoot better with my home-loads. But wooden stocked traditional rifles are out of favour (especially in.270) at the moment, everyone wants plastic stocked, free floated, stainless steel barrelled rifles. The Parker-Hale rifles are built on a Mauser 98 action, regarded as one of the strongest and most reliable ever made, most seem to be pressure bedded not free floated and it is possible that your chosen rifle will have been well used. You might be lucky if you spend a bit of time looking round and find a good one, they are out there and even though Brit has cornered the market in them, I managed to find a good one!

Simon
Parker-Hale 3.JPG
 
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LSF, no I don't think the .308 is too much rifle for the smaller species of deer, as long as you tailor your load to suit the species. A light fast bullet will produce more meat damage and blood blistering than a big slow one will.

You might have a job getting your police authority to allow you one as your first deer rifle though, my lot would only allow me 6.5x55 for deer and fox as a first rifle.

I have bought a Parker-Hale M.81 Classic in .308 recently, it would pass the DSC1 shooting test with PPU 165gn SP's. I am sure I will make it shoot better with my home-loads. But wooden stocked traditional rifles are out of favour (especially in.270) at the moment, everyone wants plastic stocked, free floated, stainless steel barrelled rifles. The Parker-Hale rifles are built on a Mauser 98 action, regarded as one of the strongest and most reliable ever made, most seem to be pressure bedded not free floated and it is possible that your chosen rifle will have been well used. You might be lucky if you spend a bit of time looking round and find a good one, they are out there and even though Brit has cornered the market in them, I managed to find a good one!

Simon
View attachment 5114

simon ,

thats very nice rifle you have there , and a really smart piece of wood as well !

have you stripped and re-oiled the stock or is that the original finish ?

cheers lee
 
Hello Leec6.5 ,Please excuse my inexperience ,I have only a little knowledge of centrefire rifles but in terms of calibre/clout doesnt the .308 fit in the gap between the .270 & the 30.06 and so is a capable contender for the one and only calibre to use ( LISTEN TO ME RATTLING ON,THIS TIME LAST WEEK I HAD SET MY MIND ON A .243, BUT THE MORE PEOPLE I SPEAK TO THE MUDDIER THE WATER BECOMES ) CHEERS,LEE
 
lee ,

me personally i dont like the .243 (even though ive had 2 in my time) or the .308 , i have friends who rate the 308 and i have friends who hate the 308 , its all about personal preference .

a good starting point would be the 6,5x55 , bigger than the 243 and smaller than the 308 and will drop any thing your gonna poke it at !:D

cheers lee
 
Hello flytie,The wood is very nicely figured is it really as good as it looks,and what sort of grouping does the rifle shoot with the afore mentioned factory ammo,lee
 
Hello leec6.5 ,Isnt the 6.5 a relatively new round to blighty ( although it been around in scandinavia forever ),the reason i ask is i bought my .17 hmr at the height of their hype and on 2 or 3 occasions i couldnt get ammo or had a limited choice
of what was avaliable also some price hiking was going on because of the lack of the stuff around,what i am saying is the .243 and .308 have been around forever and if a gunshop does rifles/ammo they will carry these calibre,or am i talking cobblers,lee
 
LSF, some points on calibre: I'm fairly new to this unlike most others round here, but feel I can offer some guidance too. All dear legal calibres will work well, but some give more leeway than others. I was in basically your position and went with a 243 to please the cops. Looking back, I mildly regret it. I'm not a fan of the 243, but that's got more to do with cartridge shape rather than ballistics. If I were you, and are looking at parker hales (which I would too), I'd go 270 or 308. They are very very similar in terms of energy. The 270 is slightly faltter shooting for a given SD, but the 308 will give slightly less meat damage on average. 6.5x55 is a fantastic round as I've seen Lee use it, but you won't find a cheap second hand rifle in it. Unless you're very very lucky. Also I may need correcting but I don't think factory ammo is as cheap and readily available as 308 and 270.

You have a real expert posting on here already (not much Brithunter doesn't know about Parker Hale), so I can't add a lot more. Except I think they are great value at the prices you often see. I'd own a PH before remington, browning, tikka even sako blaser and sauer. I just love Mauser actions. Doesn't mean they are for everyone - they are clunky and compared to sako are rough. They can be as accurate as any other rifle, it'll be dependant on the particular one.

Other ones you might want to look at are Brno rifles. Also very good with similar points. I even know of a good one at a good price if you're interested...
 
Hello and thanks for the advice,the .308 seems to be well liked and caple of shooting all 6 deer species & wildbore given the chance and a sensible selection of ammo,But would the boys in blue let me have 1,because i would be jumping up from firing a .17 ( 17 grain round ) to a .308 ( possibly 200 grain round ) . Initially i was going just for the .243 then after speaking to wadashot he said go for what you want ,as the price is the same and they can only say no,after thinking about this i thought i could use the .243 ( 100 grain soft points ) for all but big reds and then the .308 on the hill when specifically after reds ( GIVEN THE TIME,MONEY & SULK FREE PERMISSION FROM MY LADY WIFE ) my hmr is a cz/brno & i am massive fan of the make and the calibre and i have also seen a few good cheap examples on line,cheers lee
 
Good thread LSF!! i am in a simialr position and sufferring the same kind of doubts....other than i would like a Parker Hale as i like the traditional wooden stocked rifle...they really do look good and probably shoot better than i can!! my own views match yours on cost too...ammo. .243 seems to be the one also as i will want if for deer and fox and i am not sure if they will allow me bigger, although they do seem reasonable here. my only concern with PH is finding a l/h stock [not overly bothered about the action] but would like a lefty stock or at least an ambidextrous one...not sure if they do these or if there is any way of changing a right handstock to a left?... i also can only afford one rifle but having read the likes of Brithunter's posts i am looking forward to piecing together a secondhand collection of kit...

i am still very much open to being swayed as you yourself sound....hope you get the answers you need and the rifle you end up wanting!! [followed by the deer]:thumb:
 
Hello and its nice to speak to someone in the same boat,I think the message that is coming through regarding calibre is that the bigger calibres ( 6.5,.270,.308 & 30-06 ) give more margin for error and more scope for different bullet weights etc and i think now ideally i would like something in .308 because it has been around for ever,good selection of second hand rifles ( i get the impression everybody wants synthetic stocks and stainless barrels etc ) especially wooden stocked models,ammo is reasonably cheap ,alot of people using prvi partisan stuff,I suppose we will have see what the boys in blue say regarding calibres. The parker hales i have looked at look to be in excellent condition if the photos are anything to go by,as i have said earlier i like the cz/brno but it would be nice to own & use something british made !
regarding a left handed model perhaps that could be another post,these guys on here seem to know their stuff,cheers lee
 
In answer to you question as to why Midland and Parker-Hale rifles are reasonably priced mostly and sometimes even cheap is because they are not fashionable. P-H missed the boat with their advertising and styling really. If they had changed some things they could possibly have been held in higher asteem but that is history.

Oh by the way the Midland 2100 was available in these calibres and chamberings:-

22/250, .243, 6mm Rem, 270 Win, 6.5x55, 7x57, 7x64, .308 Win, 30-06.

This line up was also offered in the P-H models 1000 Std, 1100 Lightweight and 1200 Super.

Unless you really going to be hunting Red Deer on a regular basis then the .243 would serve you well by chosen the bullet and load to suit the quarry. Yes 6.5x55 or even 25-06 and .270 would be a better all in choice however in law you only have to show good reason but making the Police realise this is often an uphill struggle.

As for this :-

You have a real expert posting on here already (not much Brithunter doesn't know about Parker Hale),
:rofl: Sorry Harry but there is so much that I have still to learn still about the Parker-Hale company and it's products. It was only with the acquistion of the .243 Midland 2100 that I learnt that the Midland was not introduced until the late 1970s. It does not appear in my 76/77 catalogue so my searching for the later 1970's catalogues to fill in the gaps.
 
:rofl: Sorry Harry but there is so much that I have still to learn still about the Parker-Hale company and it's products. It was only with the acquistion of the .243 Midland 2100 that I learnt that the Midland was not introduced until the late 1970s. It does not appear in my 76/77 catalogue so my searching for the later 1970's catalogues to fill in the gaps.
Well, I guess the more you know the more you don't. But you sure as hell know more than the rest... Interesting about the springfield bolt on the midlands. But unless I'm really missing something here - springfield bolts don't fit in mauser 98 recievers... So that means Midlands are based on a springfield action?

I've got a stupid story to tell. I went into Thetford guns a week or so ago. I asked about second hand 30-06 on the the off chance. He said no but I can do a new remington for 550. I said no sorry (didn't tell him what I was really thinking - not on your life!) what do you think of Parker Hales. He said "wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. Absolutely awful, none of them ever were or ever will be accurate" or words to that effect, or even more extreme. Needless to say I was out of there pretty quick and never plan on going back. I can't belive a person in the rifle trade can be this stupid. What planet is he on? This is also after him lecturing me on how vastly superior the 17HMR is over the 22WMR (again wrong person to tell this too) and how the 17 is more inherently accurate and you can never get an accurate 22WMR. He knows his $hit this bloke...
 
hello brithunter,I prefer substance over fashion/image and what i would be looking for is something that is fit for purpose !
i.e something useable like the cz rifles not the most attractive or highly finished but they have it where it counts ,good metalurgy,properly engineered,accurate and durable/longlived ( I WILL GET OFF MY SOAP BOX NOW )
Regarding calibre i will apply for .243 & .308 and see what happens,realistically 1 rifle would be what i want,but lets see how the variation goes,cheers lee
 
simon ,

thats very nice rifle you have there , and a really smart piece of wood as well !

have you stripped and re-oiled the stock or is that the original finish ?

cheers lee

Lee, yes I stripped and oil finished it, but i did not dye it the dark colour some prefer as i like the wood too much. I just used alkanet red root oil for colouring.

Hello flytie,The wood is very nicely figured is it really as good as it looks,and what sort of grouping does the rifle shoot with the afore mentioned factory ammo,lee

LSF, yes the wood really is as good as it looks, if not better!

I was getting a shade under 2" groups last Sunday, I would hope to do much better with home-loads. The privi ammo is the first i have tried in the rifle, it was only £2.00 more for the loaded ammo than to buy Lapua cases, so i am using the Privi to plink at the range with as we have a sporting rifle challenge next Sunday at the club. Then i will try some load development, which should be interesting.

Simon
 
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