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At 34, Larry Baer has written the definitive book on Parker shotguns; is the owner and operator of a gun shop in Visalia, California, called "Bearcat Sports"; owns an enviable collection of rare Parkers and is considered one of the few Parker experts.
Baer attended the University of Indiana, intending to follow in the footsteps of his father, a medical doctor in Chicago Heights. The collector bug hit him when he was doing a hitch in the Navy, at the time, stationed at the Oakland, California, Naval Hospital.
In 1967, he abandoned his pre-med studies and opened a gun shop in Visalia where he has lived since. He trained himself to become a very adept gunsmith. Business blossomed, and the town population exploded and so has Baer's business. And during the same time, he continued his search for "better and more exciting Parker shotguns."
Baer says the years have taught him more about Parker shotguns much about the people who own, shoot and collect them.
With the knowledge that he had obtained in finding, buying and trading Parker shotguns, it was inevitable that he put his experience into print. This book is the result of all of those years of carefully studying Parker shotguns.
Between the years 1865 and 1945, more than 243,000 Parker shotguns were manufactured.
During that 80 year span, many of the great, most treasured shotguns were porduced by Parker. Several of the engraved specimens are considered among the best guns ever made.
But, there's more to a gun than wood and steel. From the beginning, the company produced advanced, innovative and beautifully made shotguns. The dependability and grace of line created that unique love affair between shooter and firearm that any wing shot understands.
Even though the Parker Gun Company produced the best guns possible, the company still had problems in the later years and finally succumbed to the combined effects of the 1930's depression and, eventually World War II's effect on all quality gun manufacturers.
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