doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Old Greener takes Bobwhites

My shooting student Joe Wood and I went hunting yesterday. He took his really cool WW Greener hammergun with the firing pin retractors. It is a twelve gauge in extremely high original condition, regardless of it's age.

Joe managed to bag some Bobs with it thanks to all the expert instruction he has been receiving from me.

You can sort of see the firing pin retraction mechanism in this picture:



Here is another shot of the gun:



Here is Joe in his West Texas Vintager's get up with my Brittany Dubya who did an excellent job finding, pointing, finding and retrieving those birds:



I was supposed to go again today but the weatherman dissuaded me.

Best,

Mike

Mike, Greener patented this action March 7, 1868 and called it his "Self-Acting Striker". A small projection on the breast of the hammer engages a similar projection on the firing pin and lifts the striker when the hammer is brought to half cock. Graham Greener's book suggests this gun was built during 1872. I just pulled the locks for the first time and they are very nice. Marked "B. Fisher" inside. (I'll research him). There is no evidence of anyone fiddling around with them. Lots of old dryed out oil. I'm not going to dismantle them but plan to find a ultrasonic cleaner to do the job. The fit of the stock to the action is incredible--even under strong magnification I can't see any gaps! I admire this high level of workmanship on a gun that's several notches down from their best. Oh, not a drop of oil has seeped into the lock recess'. I love this old gal.

I am having to go through a learning curve with it--bringing the hammers back to half cock before opening the Jones lever.

Great pics, Mike.....And nice Greener, Joe...

Hi Joe, congrats on a very nice and interesting Greener. I think you will learn to like the non-rebounding action from a cocking standpoint, as it is much easier and quicker to cock from the half-cock safe position to full, than fully cocking a rebounder.
I have a Purdey 16 non-rebounder that is a joy to use in the field because of this.A quick and easy 1/4" between half cock and full.
I didn't make it to Vegas either this year.Had to cancel at the last minute due to a family bereavement.Hopefully we can rendezvous
next year and swap a few lies. Best, Terry

Joe, did Mr. Greener tell you why they quickly quit making that model ?

Terry, I already prefer the non-rebounders from a cocking standpoint....they're very quick! And very gentle on these arthretic hands of mine. Certainly slower to reload but what the heck--birds seldom wait around for the next salvo!

Daryl, I have no idea why or when Greener stopped making the gun. I would think that the rebounding lock quickly came to dominate the market. The gun was probably outmoded when it was made--the 1870 W.&C. Scott you sold to me already had rebounding hammers (original), Purdey double underbite,and Scott toplever. This was two years before Greener made this gun!

Odd looking gun, Great looking pooch!

very interesting action on that greener. Learn somethin' new everyday.

Joe, I give up. I want that gun back.

O.K., Daryl.....out of my cold, dead hands....

You know, there's something very satisfying to know there hasn't been one iota improvement in shotguns since that Scott was made 140 years ago. Oh, of course the hammers have gone undercover and the barrels are whacked out of steel and the empty hulls get shucked all over the landscape but real improvements are nada. They all blast chunks of lead into the sky through a smooth bore. That old Scott has been my "go to" shotgun for dove. I'd be embarassed to admit how many dove have fallen to it. Enduring tools like this help me keep balance in a world that has spun completely away from me.....