Parke Hale 1200 help/advice.

[Gorgon]

So it would appear that the general consensus is to leave it alone or you lot are going to show up at my house and give me beats! The floor plate magazine is new to me as my rimfires both have detachable magazines but I suppose like anything new it's just a case of using it and getting used to it. I can see me dropping rounds into the mud at first!

I did think at first that since it has iron sights fitted it would be nice to keep them even if I never use them although I think curiosity will get the better of me and I will try them out. I also thought that it would be nice to restore it. I have a Greener GP that I was thinking of restoring too so maybe they'll both get done together. Re blue and oil finished wood for both of them!

The fellow who gave it to me used it for stalking for years and was giving it away because he's not as young as he used to be so doesn't stalk any more, so I think it will all work fine but obviously this needs extensive testing and quite possibly a remortgage to buy sufficient rounds! I'm hoping to get out and try it this weekend coming so I'll report back my findings.

Thanks for all your input so far. Rest assured the rifle will be unmolested as long as I own it.

 

[Gorgon]

Hello fellow Reddit user

It was the rug that gave it away, surely?

 

[Gorgon]

Nice choice of rifle.
Both of my Parker-Hales have floor plate magazines. Initially, inexperienced like you, I thought it would be better to swap them out for detachable mags, but never did. Very glad I didn't. The floorplate system is superior, in my (now somewhat more experienced) opinion.
Stick with it, and when you've got used to it you'll understand.

Also, I wouldn't be too bothered about the screwcutting. One of my Parker-Hales (243) was already cut when I bought it, so I use a mod with that. The other (270) wasn't cut and I've kept it that way. It's much nicer to carry and handle without the weight of a mod up front (photo of it at post #35 in this thread: Classic/traditional sporting

This sounds like good advice to me and also seems to be the theme here. The floor plate seemed a bit alien to me but does seem quite common now I've looked in to it a bit more. Thinking about it it was probably a but daft to start coming up with ways to change it when I haven't actually used it yet!

 

[Gorgon]

Yes it looks like a late model 1200, just use it as it is. Docter scopes were quite serviceable.
Just a personal thing but if it were mine I would seriously consider replacing the blocks and rings with a decent set of steel mounts and rings. This is purely a personal preference based on past experience with Parker Hale mounts and rings.

I did think about changing the rail so I could move the scope back a bit further. The front mount has a shim so it grips the rail which presumably works fine but I don't think it was originally supplied that way? The rails/bases/blocks/whatever the proper term is are Parker Hale items with A22 marked on the front one and A28 on the rear. The rings have Parker Hale etched on them so I assume it's all original. What would you recommend to swap them out for?

 

[Gorgon]

It's a good rifle if it shoots straight, and it probably will. I have one in .270. I had it threaded and a T8 moderator. It shoots absolutely lovely. For me the T8 is fine if heavy but retain the sight picture after firing.
No mag never been an issue as it will hold 5 rounds I usually load with 4 and never used then all, infact only used 2.
I have been advised the wood under the varnish is beautiful and stripping and oiling would transform it but that's not getting done in near future.

I think an oil finish would look lovely! The stock is in pretty good condition apart from a few dings here and there but I reckon refinishing it would certainly bring it back to its best.

 

[Gorgon]

Before spending too much on detachable box magazines I would see how it shoots. They can be quite variable but hopefully you will be lucky.
There were PH rifles with detachable box magazines called the 1200C so yes it is possible. If you want to convert it have a talk to Norman Clark in Rugby as he bought the remaining stock from PH when it closed so if anyone has parts it will probably be him. Common threads for moderators on sporter weight barrels would be 14x1 or 1/2UNF. I had a Doctor 6x42 scope years back and it was very good for short range stalking. Let us know how it shoots

Full report to follow once I get out and use it!

 

[rab19]

The only thing I have done to mine is fit a Mauser 98 picatinny rail so as to swap between my NV and day scope.
If you wanted to change the mounts for 30mm, I got Leupold Standard Mauser FN to fit

 

[HonestJohn]

Don’t change the scope mounts, they work perfectly, if anything, buy a used Leupold 2.5-8x40 1” with longer eye relief. Don’t restore the rifle, it will cost you more than a new synthetic Mauser m18 and you will lose the ‘originality’ value as well as putting out of use for 2 months or so.

You won’t dump the rounds in the mud, never open the floor plate, cycle the rounds out

 

[Firefly]

First centrefire rifle I owned in the 80’s. Wish I still had it !
Ff

 

[VSS]

You won’t dump the rounds in the mud, never open the floor plate, cycle the rounds out

One of mine is a detachable floor plate. I never open it. The other is a hinged floorplate. In the beginning, I used to hold my hat under it before opening. Now, years down the line and being fully familiar with it, I can open the floor plate and let the rounds slide out into my hand, even in the dark. Either way, I've not dumped any rounds in the mud.
Hopefully the OP will find out for himself that the floorplate mag is indeed a very handy design.

 

[Skinny78]

Hello everyone!

I recently got given a Parker Hale 1200 Deluxe (apparently) in .243 which will be my first stalking rifle. For an extra £60 (and a bottle of single malt) I got a scope, rings and 30 rounds so I think I'm good to go. However, there are a few things to figure out.

Firstly, the barrel is not screw cut. The fellow who gave it to me said it was a bit pointless having a moderator since you fire one shot then have another job to attend to which seems like sound logic to me. I have a slot for a moderator though so I think it's probably something I'm going to want. If I were to get it screw cut is there a "one size fits all" thread because that's sensible or do moderator manufacturers use different threads? My other two rifles are bot CZ and the same thread, whatever that is, but also rimfires so those moderators are of no use in this application!

Secondly, from what I can gather the rifle uses a Mauser 98 action but a floor plate magazine. Can I swap this for a detachable box mag? I know with enough time and money anything can be done but I'm more thinking or an off the shelf kit. Someone on here appears to have used a Remington 700 kit that works but I imagine needs a bit of fettling?

Thirdly, I'm not sure if this is a genuine Parker Hale item as the barrel has a stamp on top saying "Gibbs Rifle Co. Martinsburg, WV. I can only see what appears to be London proof marks and the letter LP with 93 directly beneath them. To confuse matters it also says Parker Hale on the side of the barrel.

Fourthly, there are probably going to be more questions I'm yet to think of!

The scope is a Docter zf 6x42 m which I think is quite old but still clear. I base this off the fact that one of the boxes of rounds had a price sticker on it saying £17! I can't seem to attach images but I'll continue trying to figure this out!

Ine if the best things about that rifle is the internal mag. Box mags get lost.

 

[Gorgon]

I finally got out to test the rifle out yesterday. There was a day of no wind, no rain, no work until the evening and mentor availability, so everything was in place! I tried the Powershock 100gr that I got with it and some Hornady American Whitetail 100gr and some SST Superformance 95gr. They all seemed as accurate as each other and after some scope fettling I was getting three shots within a 3" stick on target but I think some more practice is required before shooting at anything alive.

The scope seemed okay at 70ish yards but when I backed up to 100 the target was very small so some zoom would be nice even if it just for setting up. It's also loud as hell! I'm not sure if it will be my forever gun or starting out gun so at the moment I have no plans to get it screwcut or really do anything to it apart from perhaps a scope change.

The action is a bit stiff so I dismantled the bolt this morning (from instructions found on here!) and gave it a clean and some grease and while it's better it's still a bit lumpy. The plate on the side that I think forms the extractor (ejector?) is a reddy brown colour but all the others I've seen are shiny silver. Would it be wise to try and polish this off? I can get some pictures to show it if it sounds like I'm talking gibberish!

I've saved the brass as I do plan to start reloading at some point in the not too distant future. The two key ingredients I'm missing are powder and primers but I'll sort that when I can find either for sale!

Finally, a photo.

 

[Gorgon]

Oh, to add, the reddish brown bit I'm talking about can be seen in the photo if you zoom in. It's the bit above the safety and extending either side of it.

 

[HonestJohn]

The extractor brown was just a metal finish, don’t polish it or it will start to rust. Polishing the finish off will do nothing for you. Mauser 98 actions are lumpy and sloppy, esp Parker Hales, they were designed for war, where a bit of mud would not make them seize up. Polishing isn’t going to help on a Mauser 98, the best and smoothest ones come smooth due to machining tolerances from the factory, they were almost all already converted to expensive custom rifles over time.

.243 isn’t loud per se compared to a real loud rifle, but do wear ear protection! The ammo you have isn’t the best, you might find grouping improves with Sako or Norma. Also, has the barrel been properly cleaned lately? Sometimes a clean barrel needs a good qty of rounds down it to tighten up again.
The scope reticle will look small at 100, but on a roe or red deer at 100 will look just fine , try setting up a deer size target! I often shoot a 4x and can shoot roe past 200 fine, even shoot 1/2” groups at the range in good conditions.
Your shooting style and trigger technique might well be impacting on your group size as well - if you are not used to shooting a CF rifle, technique can be the difference between a 3” group and a 1/2” group. Breathing, holding the forend, shooting off bags or bipod on hard ground, waiting too long to shoot and letting muscle tension set in, etc.
In fact, I find most people who do not have top technique shoot far better groups with low and fixed mag scopes than variable high power. A 15x scope for you will likely cause large wobble zones, and you might increase your group size due to pulling and pushing shots, waiting too long for that reticle to be ‘just’ in the right place during the wobble,,and when it is, you jerk that trigger.

Read Nathan Forsters articles on shooting technique, do lots of dry firing, wear ear protection, and go set up a target that’s not a thin black crosshair on white, but a good white on black circle or similar. Also, try and find some friendly people who will let you have some high end branded ammo to try

 

[VSS]

The extractor brown was just a metal finish, don’t polish it or it will start to rust. Polishing the finish off will do nothing for you. Mauser 98 actions are lumpy and sloppy, esp Parker Hales, they were designed for war, where a bit of mud would not make them seize up. Polishing isn’t going to help on a Mauser 98, the best and smoothest ones come smooth due to machining tolerances from the factory, they were almost all already converted to expensive custom rifles over time.

.243 isn’t loud per se compared to a real loud rifle, but do wear ear protection! The ammo you have isn’t the best, you might find grouping improves with Sako or Norma. Also, has the barrel been properly cleaned lately? Sometimes a clean barrel needs a good qty of rounds down it to tighten up again.
The scope reticle will look small at 100, but on a roe or red deer at 100 will look just fine , try setting up a deer size target! I often shoot a 4x and can shoot roe past 200 fine, even shoot 1/2” groups at the range in good conditions.
Your shooting style and trigger technique might well be impacting on your group size as well - if you are not used to shooting a CF rifle, technique can be the difference between a 3” group and a 1/2” group. Breathing, holding the forend, shooting off bags or bipod on hard ground, waiting too long to shoot and letting muscle tension set in, etc.
In fact, I find most people who do not have top technique shoot far better groups with low and fixed mag scopes than variable high power. A 15x scope for you will likely cause large wobble zones, and you might increase your group size due to pulling and pushing shots, waiting too long for that reticle to be ‘just’ in the right place during the wobble,,and when it is, you jerk that trigger.

Read Nathan Forsters articles on shooting technique, do lots of dry firing, wear ear protection, and go set up a target that’s not a think black crosshair in white, but a good white on black circle or similar. Also, try and find some friendly people who will let you have some high end branded ammo to try

What he says ^^^

 

[Selous]

The Doctor 6x42 scope that I had used a thick number 4 reticle ( 4thin, 3 thick posts). This can obscure a lot of a target and make aiming a bit difficult sometimes if you choose the target poorly. The best I found was a large black diamond that allowed the cross hairs to be centred on the points. Also make sure you have the front and rear of the rifle supported on sandbags or beanbags so that your reticle is truly steady. A round bale is not really the best support for accuracy but it’s better if you roll it onto its flat side and use the upper flat surface.
A barrel clean would be sensible and also make sure all the screws are tight if you haven’t done already.
Give it another go and report back

 

[Gorgon]

The extractor brown was just a metal finish, don’t polish it or it will start to rust. Polishing the finish off will do nothing for you. Mauser 98 actions are lumpy and sloppy, esp Parker Hales, they were designed for war, where a bit of mud would not make them seize up. Polishing isn’t going to help on a Mauser 98, the best and smoothest ones come smooth due to machining tolerances from the factory, they were almost all already converted to expensive custom rifles over time.

.243 isn’t loud per se compared to a real loud rifle, but do wear ear protection! The ammo you have isn’t the best, you might find grouping improves with Sako or Norma. Also, has the barrel been properly cleaned lately? Sometimes a clean barrel needs a good qty of rounds down it to tighten up again.
The scope reticle will look small at 100, but on a roe or red deer at 100 will look just fine , try setting up a deer size target! I often shoot a 4x and can shoot roe past 200 fine, even shoot 1/2” groups at the range in good conditions.
Your shooting style and trigger technique might well be impacting on your group size as well - if you are not used to shooting a CF rifle, technique can be the difference between a 3” group and a 1/2” group. Breathing, holding the forend, shooting off bags or bipod on hard ground, waiting too long to shoot and letting muscle tension set in, etc.
In fact, I find most people who do not have top technique shoot far better groups with low and fixed mag scopes than variable high power. A 15x scope for you will likely cause large wobble zones, and you might increase your group size due to pulling and pushing shots, waiting too long for that reticle to be ‘just’ in the right place during the wobble,,and when it is, you jerk that trigger.

Read Nathan Forsters articles on shooting technique, do lots of dry firing, wear ear protection, and go set up a target that’s not a thin black crosshair on white, but a good white on black circle or similar. Also, try and find some friendly people who will let you have some high end branded ammo to try

Well then, I'll leave the brown bit alone and make sure everything is properly lubed and accept it for what it is!

By loud I mean loud compared to my moderated rimfires. I'm not sure if it's louder than a shotgun or not but I imagine when I get to stalking it will be a one and done type thing so not really a concern noise wise. I had a look at what my local shop has and they have Sako Gamehead 90gr but around £60 for 20! I did clean the barrel before taking it out. I fired 25 in total so I assume it was probably just about leaded or whatever the term is. Coppered?

I think I'll stick with the current scope for now then since I haven't really give it a great deal of use. I'll get back out and put some more rounds through it. This is my first centrefire so I expect my technique is a bit off! There were certainly a few shots that were off the mark that were entirely down to me. This centrefire lark is going to get expensive!

 

[Gorgon]

The Doctor 6x42 scope that I had used a thick number 4 reticle ( 4thin, 3 thick posts). This can obscure a lot of a target and make aiming a bit difficult sometimes if you choose the target poorly. The best I found was a large black diamond that allowed the cross hairs to be centred on the points. Also make sure you have the front and rear of the rifle supported on sandbags or beanbags so that your reticle is truly steady. A round bale is not really the best support for accuracy but it’s better if you roll it onto its flat side and use the upper flat surface.
A barrel clean would be sensible and also make sure all the screws are tight if you haven’t done already.
Give it another go and report back

That sounds like what I have. The horizontal parts are half thick, half thin, the bottom vertical is the same and the top vertical is all thin. I'll make up some of these diamond targets and see how I get on. I'll try and get the hay bale on its side for the next outing. I have visions of it rolling to the bottom of the field when I try to put it back but that sounds like a future me problem!

 

[VSS]

That sounds like what I have. The horizontal parts are half thick, half thin, the bottom vertical is the same and the top vertical is all thin. I'll make up some of these diamond targets and see how I get on. I'll try and get the hay bale on its side for the next outing. I have visions of it rolling to the bottom of the field when I try to put it back but that sounds like a future me problem!

You really don't want to end up with one of those bales to start rolling. Believe me. I've had a few jump clean over the hedge into the road at the bottom of my field over the years, with some near misses with vehicles. Once they start rolling and get a bit of momentum you can't stop them.
You'd be better off, by all acounts, to get down on the ground and shoot prone. Get a couple of sandbags to support the rifle.

 

[Gorgon]

You really don't want to end up with one of those bales to start rolling. Believe me. I've had a few jump clean over the hedge into the road at the bottom of my field over the years, with some near misses with vehicles. Once they start rolling and get a bit of momentum you can't stop them.
You'd be better off, by all acounts, to get down on the ground and shoot prone. Get a couple of sandbags to support the rifle.

This sounds like something I'd quite like to avoid! I'd certainly have some explaining to do since it isn't my field or hay bale! I best order so sandbags I think.