Greener Shortgun Info

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DE44

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My father has a WW greener that belonged to my great uncle. It was purchased in the 30's by my uncle from another gentleman. It wasn't new at the time and we would like to find out some info. It is a SXS, I would say it is in very god condition with +95% blueing. Engraving is very good shape, furniture same. All in all a nice example. Addittional info I can provide:
Grade FH-25
Maker 68
Serial number - Please direct me to a source or I will provide privately.

Dad would like to get an idea of it's age and value. etc. He has the original case as well but my uncle decided to re-finish it some 30-40 yrs ago.

Pics can be viewed here.

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u92/Brackrab/IMG_0546.jpg
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u92/Brackrab/IMG_0545.jpg
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u92/Brackrab/IMG_0541.jpg
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u92/Brackrab/IMG_0539.jpg

Thanks for the help. Any information would be appreciated.

Rich
 
Send a PM to Sharptail if he doesn't come by soon. He's the best resource on the site for guns like this.

It looks like a very nice mid-grade Greener Facile Princeps and a gun any double gun fancier would be proud to own. IIRC, the FH25 was an ejector gun. The recoil pad doesn't look original and the mid-bead might not be either. A very nice gun indeed.

BTW, if you do contact Greener and use the term "furniture" to discuss the stock they might not know what you are talking about. Furniture means the trigger guard, safety, top lever and other small parts.
 
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Nice waterfowl gun by standards of that golden age of Shikar (hunting) .....looks like 30" bbls?

CB is right......first time I have noticed a mid bead on such a shotgun.
 
DE44, Claybuster is correct, it is a mid grade Facile Princeps. My guess is that it was professionally refinished some time ago, as the barrel blue and wood finish look fine, but there is no case colour left. The pad is not original. Overall, the gun looks like a really nice shooter, but it should have 2 1/2 inch chambers, so you will need to use ammo such as Gamebore Pure Gold. To me the gun looks like a 1920's edition, but that is just a guess. Here are some Greener dates of production with serial numbers, stolen brazenly from the doublegunshop site.

1878 Serial No. 19304
1880 Serial No. 22860
1895 Serial No. 38917
1902 Serial No. 50911
1915 Serial No. 58536
1920 Serial No. 62621
1930 Serial No. 68635
1967 Serial No. 79259

The value of the gun is what the market will bear. One factor in determining value will be the bore diameter and barrel wall thickness remaining. Try and find someone who can make those measurements and you will then have a better idea of the gun's condition (and therefore value). The minimum wall thickness should be greater than 0.020 inches. The bore diameter will tell you if the gun has been honed. A little mild pitting in front of the chambers won't hurt value substantially, but anything more will.

Greener will answer questions, and you should ask, you never know what interesting tidbit you could discover. It is a very nice shotgun, I do hope you have the opportunity to shoot it. Try and memorize the feel and balance of the gun, it will serve you well when evaluating other shotguns.

Both W. Greeners were prolific authors and Graham Greener has written a history of the company, all are fascinating reading for the gun nut.

Sharptail
 
Thank you all for your info. CB my misunderstanding on the use of the term “furniture”. From surfing this site I was under the impression that this referred to the wood on a gun. You are right regarding the recoil pad it is in fact an Elwood Epps product. Serial number is a 56###X so I gather that is somewhere around 1910. There is some very minor pitting in front of the left chamber but the right is like new. I will have to have it measured to see if it has been honed but Unc didn't use the gun much so I doubt it was and I know dad hasn’t done anything in the 20yrs he’s had it. I am not sure how to measure the chamber. Do I measure from the start of the barrel to the step? If so it looks like it is around 4 inches so would that make it a 3 ½? It is a 1 1/4 choke. I shot the gun about 4 years ago before I got into firearms so I didn’t really appreciate it for what it is. I knew Greener’s were a quality firearm but not much more. It feels nice up against the shoulder, well balanced, and I have a greater appreciation for it these days. I am sure it will be a treasured item in my family for years to come. Thank you again for the help.

Rich
 
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Don't worry about the misinterpretation of the term "furniture." I made the same mistake years ago and was politely corrected by an English gun dealer.

There are chamber length and barrel gauges that can be bought but for the price I'd take the gun to a good double gunsmith such as Les Paul in Oshawa or Nick Makinson near London and have them measure and appraise the gun's condition.
 
DE44 said:
There is some very minor pitting in front of the left chamber but the right is like new.
Click to expand...

I guess the previous owner was a good shot since the right barrel saw more oil than the left one.:) Thanks for bringing up this interesting subject. It is such a pleasure to read and learn about old, quality guns.

Cheers

Martin
 
Lucky stiff .... still waiting for some obscure relative to turn over
a high grade 20 or 28 SxS to me !!!! Until then, there's still 6-49 !

Hope you & Dad get along well & you have screwed up your inheritance.
 
beretta boy said:
Lucky stiff .... still waiting for some obscure relative to turn over
a high grade 20 or 28 SxS to me !!!! Until then, there's still 6-49 !

Hope you & Dad get along well & you have screwed up your inheritance.
Click to expand...

Well there is 6 of us but I am the only one that hunts and has a PAL. :dancingbanana: Not in a hurry for it to become mine though. :)
 
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