Parker Hale

[John Gryphon]

I cannot recommend these rifles highly enough. When I turn up at range days, you always get a few snide comments about"Shame he's only got a Parker Hale" or "Brit Crap" etc etc, but most people shut up when they see how accurate they are. Shame that the yuppie stalkers dont rate them, as they rubbish them without knowing anything about them.

Lakey

I have M70/Sako/Rem rifles and my PH (x2) rifles are as good as any as to delivering a bullet into the kill zone and thus I do agree wholeheartedly!

I carried my PH 358NM mostly this year over my Sako 300 WM because IMO the PH is an easier rifle to carry in the bush.

 

[callie]

Lakey , look on the brightside, while the yuppies are "rubbishing" them, to a certain degree this works in your favour, if they are not buying it's giving you more choice and a reasonable, affordable rifle that won't have wonderful inlaid engraving that shoots equally as well as their rifles that are costing £3,4,5000 , let 'em have 'em, you can stay with your PH and know that its equal if not better than whatever they have.

 

[Bavarianbrit]

I was an apprentice at BSA in Armoury Road Birmingham in the mid 60s and PHs works were at the bottom of our test track I used to stroll in as a cheeky 15yo and watch the workers at their benchs. I did the same at the BSA stocking dept as that was where I was to end up after my basic engineering training was over.
They were good days.
We bought a few PHs at the big English auctions this year for peanuts.
martin

 

[Brithunter]

Damn it will you lot keep it quiet there are still quite a few Paker-Hales I don't have and you lot are pushing the prices up . Let's see I don't have:-

M81 Classic
1300 Scout
2100 Midland
Safari
Super Safari
Hussar
1000 standard

Plus a few other varients let alone the BSA's missing like:-

Hunter
Viscount
Imperial
Model 1929 Hi Velocity sporting rifle................. I wish .

They get expensive enough without you lot tellign others just how good they are .

 

[garyb]

Here's mine... in 308Win

Brit - What model is it.. I was led to believe it's a 1200 Something?

Does everything I ask of her with my own homeloads.

 

[Brithunter]

Here's mine... in 308Win

Brit - What model is it.. I was led to believe it's a 1200 Something?

Does everything I ask of her with my own homeloads.

View attachment 3960

Cannot make out the trigger but everything else points at it being a 1200 Super. On the 1200 Super the trigger blade is usually gold plated. However there was a black blade offered and used on the 1100's. The other option but they are often marked on the left side wall is a Safari Super.

The "Super" stock design was adopted in the mid 1960's and continued in use until Parker-Hale's demise.

 

[garyb]

The blade is black, and the trigger design is very similar to a Timney.

It's also floor plated rather than magazine fed.

 

[Paul at Fechan]

My .308 PH at 100m would group sub inch. It was my first centrefire but then one day out of the blue it stopped grouping and knowbody in the land could make my baby work right again. So I got a heavy barrel T3 Varmint in .308 and it's unbeatable. You can try but I wouldn't bet your rifle cause you'll fail.

 

[Brithunter]

I take it you mean it does nto have a droppable magazine. The P-H's use the Mauser design of staggered magazine but usually with a floor plate release the floor plates are often emossed like this one:-

That is the gold plated trigger straight out of the box hence the hang tag. Now some models also came with a smooth polished floor plate.

 

[garyb]

I do..

Although mine is plain black, with no decoration like yours.

Brit I also notice that your rifle dose not have a one piece mount like mine...

Do you know where I can get some mounts like yours from?

 

[dodgyrog]

Damn it will you lot keep it quiet there are still quite a few Paker-Hales I don't have and you lot are pushing the prices up . Let's see I don't have:-

M81 Classic
1300 Scout
2100 Midland
Safari
Super Safari
Hussar
1000 standard

Plus a few other varients let alone the BSA's missing like:-

Hunter
Viscount
Imperial
Model 1929 Hi Velocity sporting rifle................. I wish .

They get expensive enough without you lot tellign others just how good they are .

Maverick has a Scout he might sell. It's in lovely condition.

 

[geordieh]

I do..

Although mine is plain black, with no decoration like yours.

Brit I also notice that your rifle dose not have a one piece mount like mine...

Do you know where I can get some mounts like yours from?

Hi Gary
I have a PH1200 and i have two piece leupolds fitted to mine
Geordie

 

[flytie]

I do..

Although mine is plain black, with no decoration like yours.

Brit I also notice that your rifle dose not have a one piece mount like mine...

Do you know where I can get some mounts like yours from?

Gary, Brit has very kindly run through this with me about a month ago, finding mounts for my M.81 Classic;

"The Weaver bases you require are nos 45 & 46. Midway UK stock them the alloy ones (normal type) #45 are £3.26 the Weaver Grand Slam steel type are £10.16 each. You use the bases for the normal P-H 1200 on yours".

I am pleased to be able to pass on this info as it is spot on! I went for the Grand Slam's, they are robust to say the least!

Simon

 

[garyb]

Thanks all

If I order the Weaver bases as described above, am I right in thinking that I can then use normal Medium Weaver-style Leupold rings with these - or would I need extended?

The scope is a S&B 6x42 if that makes any difference.

 

[flytie]

Thanks all

If I order the Weaver bases as described above, am I right in thinking that I can then use normal Medium Weaver-style Leupold rings with these - or would I need extended?

The scope is a S&B 6x42 if that makes any difference.

Gary, I would say you would be fine. I bought high ones and they easily fit my 7x50, in fact I would think the 8x56 would fit too. However my rifle has had the Williams rear ramp site removed, I have one now, but it will not fit under my 7x50, it does when fitted under my friends 6x42 that I borrowed.

Atb, Simon

 

[garyb]

Slight change of plan

I've ordered some Std Leupold bases, that will (apparently) fit a PH 1200... A friend of mine has some Leupold 1inch Std rings that he we gift me for the price of a pint or two!

Works out at £24 + beer - in order to swap from the current 1 piece rail, to a 2 piece base/ring setup.

The rifle is very accurate, and will shoot under an inch with my homeloads - but after I took it out for a play yesterday and found the POI was 2-3 inches off my previous zero, I have lost a little confidence! which I hope will be restored after replacing the mounting system for a known good one.

 

[Brithunter]

Sorry a bit late on this one. Now with leupold you have to be careful as it seems they make more than one type of base for the 1200 depending if it has a Spanish action or not. On my 1200 Super with the Leupold Q/R mounts:-

They had to be fitted as the coutours did not match. Oh yes for that short tubed Leupold scope I needed the step back front ring. This was BEFORE I found out Leupold made more than one type for the P-H's and the 1200 Super in 8x57 Mauser has a Spanish action. The 1200C has a Leupold one piece base for the Std leupold rings (actually Redfield Junior pattern) but I must admit I am not reall happy with them and will change them one day to something better but they came fitted and so much Locite was used in fitteng them I will have to use heat of drill one screw out. I had to scrape off the Loctite around the bases where it had been slathered all over the place..

Now I have Apel Roll offs (what The Sportsman called Fixed) mounts on the 1100 Lwt now and they are very good but of course expensive. I see that The Sporstman is advertising them in Gunmart at £195 a set but have not enquired if that actually have any or not.

Simon wanted some mounts on a limited budget which is why I suggested the Weaver ones. Two of my P-H's have them at the moment they work OK but are nott he best looking mounts IMHO. Although the Grand Slam steel bases do look better than the cheap alloy ones.

Seeing as how the Parker-Hale's normally use a Mauser 98 action mounts are not really a problem. The Spanish actions are usually marked "Spain" on the left side of the tang although is can be very faint as it was stamped before they were were finish polished.

This was the 1100 Lwt fitted with a Nikko Sterling 4x32 Special scope just after I got it:-

and before the stock re-finish and later swop to the Apel mounts. Notice that even with the P-H rings and bases there is still tube space left and a S&B 6x42 has a fairly long tube.

 

[garyb]

Brit..

AFAIK my PH 308 is not a Spanish action model... I can see no mention of spain on the gun at all ?

FYI - I have purchased these bases ( Leupold 2-Piece Standard Scope Base Mauser FN Matte 50026 from JJK Shooting Supplies )

Which according to the Leupold site will fit - Parker Hale Models 1000, 1100, and 1200

 

[Brithunter]

Of my own Parker-Hale's several have no marking "Spain" on the tang but several do and of those that do two are very faint. You have to pull the stock to see it as it's on the side. As Parker-Hale never made their own actions they used several suppliers. The Spanish ones are believed to be Santa Barbara, the original Safaris were built on German actions that were found in storage in the tunnel range when they moved to their new site in 1963 or so I ahve been told. Those actions were snatched at the end of the war from German factories as war reparations and stuck in storage at BSA's Sparkbrook plant which later was sold to Parker-Hale.

It's also claimed by some that they purchased actions from FN. It's known that they did build at least one model on a Brno action the Hussar. Hence there are variations on the action countours so check carefully that they do fit properly with no gaps under the bases of sides.

 

[Brithunter]

Maverick has a Scout he might sell. It's in lovely condition.

Thank you of thinking of me. Right now I am unable to make any moves on another rifle as I have the .280 to finish. Once that is all done and paid for I can think of other things .