The allure of the British gun

Thank you, Steve, for sharing your extensive knowledge and years of painstaking research into how the British industry and the guns it produced evolved. It would be a blow to the senses if this were to be the final curtain. However, I suspect that your book will outlast anything published only in digital form. Forums and online magasines can disappear overnight for a variety of reasons/causes, but books, despite being considered obsolete by some, can stand the test of time. I will be watching intently for its publication.

It’s a relief to hear that you have travelled the road to recovery. May you enjoy a long retirement punctuated by lingering, warm days hunting with your favorite guns, perhaps a loyal dog, and lively conversations with friends, old and new. I hope our paths will cross, possibly at the Double Gun Classic (although I’ve yet to attend the event).
 
W.W. Greener in 10ga with Canadian twist in history. W.W. Greener. St Mary's Works Birmingham. Macnab & Marsh Canadian Agents.
What model is it?

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I have enjoyed learning about the evolution of sporting shotguns in Britain during the important pinfire period from this thread and appreciated meeting Steve and seeing some of his collection at this year's Classic.
Today this BBC article popped up which shows that Annie Oakley was also drawn by the allure of the British gun, namely a pinfire rifle! It failed to meet reserve at a recent auction.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crl29464nnjo.amp
 
Horilka said:
W.W. Greener in 10ga with Canadian twist in history. W.W. Greener. St Mary's Works Birmingham. Macnab & Marsh Canadian Agents.
What model is it?

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Well, if you live long enough... everything eventually comes around again. I'm pretty sure I owned that very gun in 1987. Or 1983 (I can't find my hand-written notes). Yep.

The local seller identified on the rib is Mcnab and Marsh, hardware dealers/importers that were located at 5 Front Street, Toronto. In 1871, the firm was known as John Mcnab & Co., though T. Herbert Marsh was mentioned in Mcnab's advertisements, possibly as a junior partner (see below). The name did subsequently change to Mcnab & Marsh, and changed again in July 1876 to Macnab, Marsh & Coen. News travelled slowly across the Atlantic in those days, and this gun, made in 1877 according to the serial number (the year Greener made 1,500 shotguns), still carries the earlier importer's name.

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I don't have any information on grades and models of Greener guns from the 1870s, but if someone has a copy of The Greener Story, the information might be found there.
 
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straightshooter said:
It’s good to see the Vintage Gun Journal firing out of both barrels again!
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Indeed. Diggory Hadoke's FREE monthly online journal is a wonderful resource. The journal offers good reads on a variety of subjects, and scrolling through past articles is easy (there is also a search option). I value it greatly because it has not succumbed to the AI slop that pervades the Internet. Fellow CGNer Big Bad thoughtfully provided a link to a new article on British gunmaking and patents in another thread, which I turned to with anticipation. Unfortunately, the article in the link is a hodgepodge of incomplete and partial information and oft-repeated summaries from vested interests that do not survive serious fact-checking; if it was not written by AI, I'll eat my hat.

The art and practice of gun writing has changed a lot in these past decades. Everything is starting to read like AI-driven YouTube scripts pushed by sponsors. Many outdoor magazines offer little more than padded-out advertising fluff. For a serious writer/researcher, even an amateur one, the fine print of writing for some of these magazines is a deterrent: the magazine owns the article and photos forever more, and has the right to rewrite or change any part, without the author having a say. Obviously, the publisher has a say in what gets provided to their readership, but the level of control can be too much.

The Vintage Gun Journal provides a vehicle for writers to reach a knowledgeable audience, and is run by people who really know their subject. May it continue for many years to come.

I was prompted to write a few thoughts as this thread was started exactly one year ago today. It would be great if it were to continue (I didn't know about that Westley Richards safety either).
 
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