Parker Hale

[Simon]

I'm sure most of you have seen these before but interesting just the same.

Archived: Parker Hale Rifles - Birmingham - June 2010

Alfred J Parker Ltd, Armoury Works, Birmingham, Jan 2013 - Derelict Places

Cheers,

Simon.

Information

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[Gingercat]

Unbelievable it was just left like that and not packed up and sold off in some orderly fashion. Or was it ever tidied up after these photos were taken?

I think much of their closing stock is still being flogged off on 'that site' and probably will be for years to come.

[Seaspriter]

Unbelievable it was just left like that and not packed up and sold off in some orderly fashion. Or was it ever tidied up after these photos were taken? I think much of their closing stock is still being flogged off on 'that site' and probably will be for years to come.

Sad pictures -- a formerly glorious company now only in tatters. Apparently Gibbs Rifle purchased some of their stock. From the Gibbs website:
The production facilities purchased from Parker-Hale were ideal for taking worn-out curio and relic firearms and upgrading them to Historical Remake™ arms like the #5 Jungle Carbine and Sport Specialty™ rifles like the Quest™ and Summit™ rifles., all made from the famous British Enfield action. Gibbs historic remakes have been used in several major movies, including "The Last Samurai" starring Tom Cruise.

[Robert303]

Thanks for these I had seen the second set not the first. My first fullbore pistol came from Parker Hale, it was my favourite a Smith and Wesson 586 last used in the last detail of the European 1500 the weekend of Princess Dianas' funeral (I only entered to P--- off my Local Police). I was buying from AJP until near the end then they just stopped. I cannot help thinking that they could have raised some money by better advertising of what they had and even by using 'That Site'. A great shame.

[brnom2]

The old "if only we knew then what we know now" can often nearly bring a tear to the eye. Seeing history lost and items that are now nearly impossible to find or so pricey you dare not want to ask. Being brought up by a 50's/60's Fullbore target shooting family in OZ, nearly all your gear seemed to come from PH or AJP - the majority of items I've inherited from my father and his old shooting mates are mostly from PH. I try not to think about the items that were thrown away or sold of for pittance - but I do remember my father in 80's selling of 2 lee Enfield's for $100 each! - one, a in the grease No1 Mk 111 Lithgow and the other a heavy barrelled No 4 bodied Lee, in 7.62, that had a different looking magazine to the his other No 4, and these 2 odd looking little pads on the side of the action and 2 holes drilled in the top of butt stock - was it a ...........oh well, can only try and forget about it now

[CINDERS]

I have a 1200 PH 22/250 (2nd one I have had) and 4 years ago put a Bartlein barrel on it it has some issues with the left rail letting the round jump out before it is under the extractor claw being a commercial Mauser action this is not a good thing, sadly my brought new original 1200 PH 22/250 well some one else decided they wanted it more than me but that's life. (Never buy a gun without getting it checked over this is what happened to me with this 2nd handy)
I chose the PH for the simple fact of reputation V's affordability (My first one) and I had many a fine Varmit hunting episodes with that rifle, its blueing was a beautiful deep colour and with that heavy barrel with the action tuned up courtesy of a WWII armourer it was deadly proof just how good the PH's are in dispatching pests one story comes to mind of a hunt I had with it about 25 years ago, in culling 3 black buzzards (Birds) out of the same tree at 320 paces.
Was at my Uncles farm in the wheatbelt at Bilbarin, these 3 thought they were immune "In raucous cry together" teasing me to have a go at them so I sat with my back against a tree with long legged Harris bi-pod, No hold over just "Bang" and then look at that ol' mate next to me just blew up, flap around the tree land on same branch then "Bang, jeez he blew up" flap around the tree land on same branch again? "Bang" and "Jeez I ble..... (Must have been the wheat they ate?)
To see something like that company go down is very sad indeed when you think of the tradition which will be gone from our vision forever the only legacy that goes on is those of us who own one, so tonight the red coats are going to have to be very wary of the 55gn Seirras winging their way to them from my Parker Hale "The astute rifleman's choice" (My italics)

[Peter Laidler]

Seeing pictures like that you wonder why/how the place ever survived past 1920. And how it ever got MoD supplier status is quite beyond me. I say no more about the L81/M81 snipers v the L96 sniper.

[Gil Boyd]

Ha Ha............no don't start me off, and it was the M85

[bigduke6]

Think there is some confusion here between AJ Parker and Parker Hale.....

[Peter Laidler]

No....... I was looking at the P-H photos Big Duke. As in P-H, suppliers of the L81 rifle, competitors for the sniper rifle trial (which the nearly got.....) and preferred suppliers of a lot of ancilliaries in the VAOS B2 category. Looking at the first lot of P-H photos puts me in a situation of seeing/eating a nice meal at a restaurant - then going to look at the kitchens. Medieval!