While I have seen some very old Greener guns in India, the website of the revived company speaks of their "Facile Princeps" actions and their "Unique ejectors" designs that have been revived after WWII and are now being offered once again. The site doesn't explain what these are - could anyone please explain what these are and how different (better) they are than comparable designs from competing British firms like Holland and Holland etc? Thanks.

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Thank you Alf, I have some drawings of the Holland Southgate and other more familiar designs, though none of the Facile princeps and Unique types. I shall dig my old drawings out and try to visualise these two newly revived designs from the information that you have given me.

M/

mehulkamdar,
Thanks for the enlightening topic.

Alf,
Thanks for the explanation. Where can one find any information and/or diagrams such as you describe?

Geoffrey Boothroyd's book, _Sidelocks&Boxlocks,the Classic British Shotguns_, described W.W. Greener's "Facile Princeps" gun in passing, but no real details. I did not know it had been used in double rifles, or was this strictly a shotgun action?

Boothroyd did say that Westley Richards sued W. W. Greener for patent infringement over this gun, in 1880, but they got nowhere, Greener won.

By 1890 Greener's factory was the largest in Britain, and by 1923, it was claimed to be the largest sporting gun firm in the world. The Birmingham gun trade must have ruled the roost at one time. Greener's ideas (which were many) were very influential, obviously.

William Greener begat William Wellington Greener in 1834. Son W. W. Greener died at the age of 87 in 1921.

W. Greener also published his book, _The Gun_ in 1834. He dedicated it to the Duke of Wellington, and christened his son Wellington.

The father (W.G.) despised the new fangled breech-loaders. The son (W.W.G.) would have nothing to do with the muzzle-loader, and advertized that he had no business association with his father. W.G. died in 1869, and the "Greener" factories were united, and flourished under the son.

It is interesting to note that W.W.G. patented an over/under gun with laterally opening barrels.

Maybe not all of his ideas were so great, but he certainly was an inventive and productive fellow. The Greener genius lives on in a lot of guns today.

[ 06-12-2002, 00:44: Message edited by: DaggaRon ]

Mehul,

I have a copy of WW Greener's The Gun and its development, ninth edition of 1910.

This is a reprint published by Bonanza Books, a division of Crown Publishers, Inc (USA).

It has good drawings of the Greener''s Treble Wedge-fast Hammerless Gun, the "Facile Princeps" in the chapter on Hammerless Guns. Externals and internals are shown with discussion.

Bookfinder.com shows copies for sale for US$25 to $50.

My wife gave me my copy, and I use it for a reference frequently. It would be worth your while to track one down. Let me know if I can help.

jim dodd

Thanks, Jim.

Thank you very much, Alf, Dagga Ron and Hunter Jim. I shall check with the bookfinder.com website rightaway. I am about to order the Ninth edition with additional illustrations. Thank you very much, all of you.

Good shooting!