Parker Hale Safari 1200

The History of Parker Hale

The company’s beginnings go back to the year 1880 when the founder A.G. Parker discovered the demand for the supply of shooting equipment. A well-known rifleman of the 1st Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment at the time, he decided to meet this demand by establishing his own business in 1890. As the new century began, Mr. Parker expanded the company by bringing his nephew, A.T.C. Hale, on board as a partner.

By 1914, Parker-Hale had set up a successful small-scale manufacturing plant. Soon after, they were commissioned by the Ministry of Munitions to produce training equipment, which boosted production and benefited the business. Ten years later, in 1924, Arthur, Hale's son, joined the family business. Arthur's achievement of winning the King’s Prize at the National Shooting Center in Bisley in 1928 led to his appointment as a director of the company.

The Second World War saw the mobilization of gun industry resources and the formal establishment of the Parker-Hale Arms subsidiary brand in 1940. Under Arthur Hale's leadership, they executed a significant reconditioning program. This was followed by a series of war contracts, focusing mainly on the production of .30-06 Spr. and .303 British drill cartridges.

The end of the war marked a period of transition for Parker-Hale. The drop in production contracts and the bombings during the war left the company without a permanent manufacturing site, leading them to set up a small factory with government assistance. Consequently, Parker-Hale Arms moved its small-bore gun manufacturing to the Birmingham Proof House and continued to exist until all contracts were completed.

Post-war material shortages initially hampered the company's progress. However, by 1948, Parker-Hale managed to increase its export trade and performed well on the international market in subsequent years. The company maintained stability from the 1960s to the 1980s, selling a variety of guns, ammo, and related accessories like cleaning kits and knives. Following the retirement of John Breton, the company's managing director, the founder’s grandson, Roger Hale, assumed leadership. Insufficient investment led to Parker-Hale's eventual sale to an engineering group called Modular Industries. In 2000, the company was acquired by John Rothery (Wholesale) Co. Ltd. While the production of accessories and care items continued, the manufacturing of rifles ceased completely.

Parker Hale Safari 1200 Rifle Review

The Parker Hale 1200 is a series of bolt-action rifles using the Mauser 98 actions. The 1200 models have blued actions and blued cold forged barrels. They were mostly built around Monte Carlo stocks with a cheekpiece.

The rifles feature an internal box magazine, which holds up to three standard and five magnum cartridges. The 1200C variants came with a detachable steel clip magazine and steel trigger guard. All Parker Hale 1200 rifles come equipped with an adjustable single-stage trigger system.

The safety mechanism also evolved throughout the years of production. Early models used a Mauser-like flag-type safety positioned on the bolt shroud whereas the newer versions came with a three-way silent safety on the right side of the receiver, behind the bolt handle.

Moreover, the rifles are equipped with a rubber-ventilated recoil pad and have the upper part of the receiver drilled and tapped for scope mounting. They feature flip-up rear and ramp-mounted bead front sights with a hood and have preinstalled sling swivels.

Different configurations of the 1200 series are available, differing in detail such as fine checkering, wood type, stock design and caliber size. Despite these variations, all 1200 models have their actions based on the Mauser 98 design. This allows them to fit the same scope mounts popular at the time due to the widespread use of the Mauser 98 action system.

Parker Hale 1200, chambered for .308 Win.

Figure 1: Parker Hale 1200, chambered for .308 Win. (Source: https://greatnorthgunco.ca/product/parker-hale-1200c-308/)

Parker Hale 1200 Calibers

The rifle is available in the following calibers:

.22-250 Rem.
.243 Win.
6mm Rem.
.270 Win.
.308 Win.
7mm Rem. Mag.
.30-06 Spr.
.300 Win. Mag.
.308 Norma Mag.

The caliber choice depends on the variant of the rifle.

Parker Hale 1200 Variants

The rifle is available in the following variants:

Parker Hale 1200 Super Varmint
Parker Hale 1200 Deluxe
Parker Hale 1200 Super Clip
Parker Hale 1200 Magnum
Parker Hale TX (target version)

The receivers of Parker Hale 1200 models come with four drilled and tapped holes which can be used for optics mounting purposes. There are two holes on the front and two on the rear mounting surface.

the receiver of Parker Hale 1200, chambered for .308 Win.

Figure 2: the receiver of Parker Hale 1200, chambered for .308 Win. (Source: https://greatnorthgunco.ca/product/parker-hale-1200c-308/)

Parker Hale Safari 1200

A: 22 mm

B: 97 mm

C: 12.7 mm

BHU: 4 mm

Ø: M3.5

R1: R14/30°

R2: R18

Parker Hale 1200 rifles use the same mounting hole spacings as used on older Mauser 98 actions, meaning that they will fit the same scope mounts.

Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Parker Hale 1200

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Parker Hale 1200

The necessary condition for rifles to have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable is that the mounting surfaces of these rifles match in every dimension. Rifles that have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable with Parker Hale 1200 are the following:

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Parker Hale 1200

For two-piece scope mounts to be interchangeable, the mounting surfaces of the rifles must match in every dimension except the action length which can vary. This is because the distance between the two pieces of the mount is not fixed. Rifles that have two-piece scope mounts interchangeable with Parker Hale 1200 are the following:

Best Scope Mounts for Parker Hale 1200

Fixed Scope Mounts for Parker Hale 1200

If you are looking for a fixed mounting solution for your Parker Hale 1200 rifle, you might consider these MAK rings with bases. They are manufactured by the German company MAK and come with a 30-year warranty.

Detachable Repeatable Scope Mounts for Parker Hale 1200

Quickly detachable scope mounts manufactured by the German company EAW allow you to easily attach and detach optics on your Parker Hale 1200 rifle while retaining zero on the scope. This two-piece pivot mount is manufactured from high-quality steel and comes with a 30-year warranty.

Picatinny Rails for Parker Hale 1200

Although Parker Hale 1200 rifles come with the Mauser 98 style action, we kindly ask you to measure the holes on your receiver before purchasing one-piece scope mounts such as Picatinny rails. If the spacings between the mounting holes match the ones used on the Mauser 98 actions (shown above), then this Picatinny rail produced by the American manufacturer EGW is a suitable choice for Parker Hale 1200 models.

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

If you happen to own this or any other rifle, we would appreciate it if you could help us expand our database by sending us some photos of the rifle receiver (the bare mounting surface of the rifle without the scope mounts installed). For your help, our company offers a fair return in terms of practical rewards.

Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: info@optics-trade.eu