7# vs 6#? Parker VHE vs. British Boxlock 16 ga Shotgun Comparison

February 18, 2026

I recently came across a surprising 16 ga British (B Halliday and Co) boxlock from the Sheriff’s annual disposition of accumulated firearms to a local pawn shop.  It had been through a fire and though intact was covered in soot and stained.  Short story I cleaned it up some, everything worked mechanically but the barrel solder was mostly gone and needed bluing.  It came home recently from Bill Schwarz Firearm Restorations cleaned and restored, looking at 6# as a lighter iteration of the #1 frame VHE 16 ga Parker at 7# I’d had for years.  Same barrel length, stock and forend style, brothers from other mothers.

Curious to see where the Parker’s weight was, I broke the gun down into 3 components, stock and action, barrels, and forend.  Weights over the British gun were 15.4 oz, 1.6 oz, and 1.6 oz respectively, clearly pointing to the Parker’s bigger steel action as the main difference (a #0 frame Parker would have been a fairer comparison but none was handy).

So adding a leather sling at 4.6 oz and a couple of shells at 2.7, each gun blows up to 6#7.3 oz and 7#7.3 oz.  The British gun is looking the more shootable for grouse and quail for a 70 yr old hunter, the Parker hitting the same weight as my 12 ga Beretta O/U with 30″ barrels and a couple of shells.