Look What....
 

....followed me home! I always wanted an English gun, so here she is. It is also my very first 'single select trigger' gun. It is an 'Emperor' by W.W. Greener. It was made in 1894 and is a real jewel. It is the first English gun I have ever seen in person. I can see how people fall in love with them. Plenty of cast-off for me, too. The measurements could not be more perfect. Mr. Greener is writing a letter for me, as the records are complete for this gun. Less than 50 were made before they were discontinued in 1899.

Roundsworth , great find....the side safety will get a little getting used to. The Greener was very popular in this country with the term " greener" being used in some areas of the country as a generic term for shotgun. You might want to check the chamber length to see if it is 21/2 . PGCA seems to be in love with RST 21/2s but you might want to check out B&P ...they are also excellent shells and at times slightly less expensive. Good luck with it. Please post pictures of back of stock...photos are great quality and almost seem like they are from Puglisi's site. Andy

The photos look okay if you do not attempt to zoom in too far. The stock has an old repair in the wrist, but was done up nicely. The barrels are really nice. I like to think they have been re-browned. Every swirl is vivid and the line where the ribbon was wound and welded is very distinct. The bores are perfect. Mr. Greener states that the record shows the barrels as 'Damascus', but that might be a generic term back in 1894. Drew Hause has a lot of info on these barrels. They look like 'Laminated' if you ask me! I am anxious to put a few rounds through her, as well as my new NH 10, seeing as how the snow is finally receding.

Nice what more can you say.

You will find that English guns are superb. And this one is in fine condition. Barrels may have been rebrowned. But who cares.

The key to Greeners is that they must always be maintained/fixed/cleaned by an expert in English guns - especially Greeners. Just any bodger at the local Grander Mountain will ruin them.

Good luck. You are now infected.

I measured the barrels and came up with a minimum of .045" at the halfway point. I ran a handful of RST 3/4 ounce loads through it today. What a jewel! The barrels have only ONE proof, the provisional BP proof. W.W. Greener's records show no retail price or customer. Graham Greener figures it was kept 'in-house' as a prototype of sorts. He recalls seeing it, here in the U.S., about 15 years ago, but does not recall the name of the owner. The gun's origin was a mystery then, but is somewhat solved now. It started life as an Anson and Deeley action, and was finished as an Emperor. I think I will keep her. Cheers!


Afterthought.....The single-select trigger works flawlessly, and does not require recoil/inertia to make it work. It worked fine with snap caps, so I was confident it would work with real cartridges!

Beautiful gun. Congratulations.

Dennis

lovely gun and a rare one to boot..them greeners are fine guns i passed on a 10 ga one time and ive always been sorry... charlie

Very nice.

Hi Mark,
I am 'between' Greeners right now but fully concur with the group. They swing beautifully and almost feel alive in your hands. Enjoy!