unusual shotgun

[pohill]

I saw an antique shotgun in NH today and I'm trying to find some info on it. It is single shot, with a lever action (rolling block?) and a Damascus barrel (I think, anyways). There is a small thumb switch on the right side (safety?) but there are no markings on it other than a serial number on the lever (I couldn't take it apart).
I'm not sure if it's 12 gauge, 20 gauge or what.
Any ideas?

[Pete44ru]

It might have been a Greener GP shougun, based on the Martini-Henry action.

Click on this hyperlink, and scroll down to the GP model pics, to see if the one you saw resembles any:

http://www.martinihenry.com/mycollection.html

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[pohill]

That looks like the gun - I wish I had taken a pic of it. They were asking $195 for it and it needed some work.
Thanks for the info.

[KCSO]

If it was a Martini Greener it will be 14 Gauge with a special protected fring pin that will only let you shoot British shells. The breech block and the firing pin can be changed and the barrel bored to standard 12 Ga but all that will cost you .

[pohill]

I collect and shoot black powder revolvers, but this shotgun intrigued me (I know little about shotguns). I'd like to take it apart just to see what makes it tick, but not for that price. The hammer and trigger did not work (broken springs?) and the firing pin prevented the lever from being worked unless the gun was tipped up so that the pin fell downwards. I'm guessing that the toggle on the side works the safety/firing pin?
What year would you say it was made? (if that's possible with the little info I gave)
Thanks.

[Pete44ru]

My WAG is pre-1900.

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[Doc Hudson]

If it is a 14 gauge Greener/Martini-Henry, I remember seeing some ads for them dating back in the 1950's where they were selling them for about $15.00. And I think I've seen some in Gun List or Shotgun News in recent years advertised for around $100.00.

The ones I saw advertised had been used by Egyptian Police under the British Protectorate.

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

Did it look like this one?



That's a Zulu era martini greener the Brits later converted to a 14 gage proprietary cartridge and send out to the various colonies as police riot guns. The round was a bottle neck design with an annular ring around the primer so that it would work with a three prong firing pin design. This prevented the use of normal shotgun ammo.
The one pictured above has been rechambered for 2 3/4" 12ga. and the firing pin modified to work.

[gamekeeper]

Did it look like this one?



That's a Zulu era martini greener the Brits later converted to a 14 gage proprietary cartridge and send out to the various colonies as police riot guns. The round was a bottle neck design with an annular ring around the primer so that it would work with a three prong firing pin design. This prevented the use of normal shotgun ammo.
The one pictured above has been rechambered for 2 3/4" 12ga. and the firing pin modified to work.

Westley Richards sold a lot of these converted to 12GA, They had "Police Riotgun" stamped on the reciever. They used to be issued to British as well as colonial police forces in 14GA. The idea was to stop anyone grabbing one off a copper in a riot and using it with commercial ammo.

[pohill]

I'd say the pic of the Greener GP Gun Take-Down Shotgun in the above link is the closest. Why is it called a "take-down"?
I noticed on the gun that I saw that the hammer, when lowered, just barely hit the edge of the firing pin.
I'm guessing there'd be some markings hidden if I took it apart.

[Doc Hudson]

If that old shotgun had an exposed hammer, it was not a Greener-Martini shotgun.

The Martini-Henry action was a striker fired action with no exposed hammer.