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?

1762381180988.jpeg
1762381203008.jpeg
1762381221037.jpeg
1762381232091.jpeg1762381252596.jpeg1762381260131.jpeg
 
Last edited:
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
 
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?

View attachment 1035096
View attachment 1035097
View attachment 1035098
View attachment 1035099View attachment 1035100View attachment 1035101
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.

rk4iHgx.jpg


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.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom