Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns Greener lever action trap gun

I've the opportunity to pick up a really nice example of a Greener lever action single shot trap gun chambered for 12 ga. and 2-3/4" shells.
My question to you guys is this. Could this be converted to a rifled slug gun. Do any of ya'll know whether these were threaded sae or Whitworth?

GWB

Those guns are built on a large Martini rifle action that is hell for strong. Some are takedown and you could (with some $$$) add a rifled barrel to it. PERSONALLY I wouldn't rebarrel a nice example of the solid frame version; they're not making any more of them, and you could probably find a large Martini action to rebarrel cheaper and easier. Model 12 Winchestr semi-finished stocks are very easy to convert to large Martini stocks. Just avoid any large Martinis from Afghanistan; lots of modern (and older) fakes coming out of there with "railroad track" iron!

The only thread specs I could find for these is in Frank de Haas' "Single Shot Rifles and Actions" where he shows a diagram of the large Martini action (rifle) and says the barrel thread is "16 tpi v-thread." In the back of the book, he shows the later .303-chambered Enfield Martini as "14 tpi v-thread." My GUESS is that the shotguns are of the later standard, but that's just a guess. That book briefly discusses converting a .577 Large Action to 12 guage.

There's a Martini Forum on www.gunboards.com/forums that will answer all your Martini questions, I think.

I wouldn't mess with an original Greener 12 ga either. There are plenty of large Martini actions around to serve as a donor.

If the price was right, I'd buy it, put a Winchester Model 12 field stock on it (carefully preserving the original) and use it for a turkey or called coyote killer! Or just leave it as-is and kill some clays....

The "field grade" version of that Greener was a common shotgun in British colonies for a long time, used by those who couldn't finance a "classic double" or preferred not to drag one through swamp and jungle. And their colonial police used them for riot guns, right up until the end of the Empire in the early 1950s.

Well an update on the Greener Trap.
Went and put the Greener on Lay-aways. I found a 12 bore Hastings Blank and bought it. The seller of the rifled blank gave me a referral on having the work done. Briley's is in Houston and about 30 miles from my door step. I'm going to talk to them also. Anyway, a some pix taken on my I-phone. Not up to my usual standards, but better than no pix.











I'm thinking a rifled barrel +/- 26, 3" Chamber, iron sights. I'll probably strip the finish and refinish with tru-oil. Should be just right for pokin' Texas porkers at 75 yds. or so.

Any suggestions or input would be welcome.

Best

GWB

Damn that nice and unique.
How does it handle and how much does it weigh ???

Have you checked to see if it's takedown or not?

I can't tell just by looking at it, but that big-ass screw right next to the barrel threads makes me wonder. If it is, you'd be having an extra barrel built, not a permanent re-barrel. And you would be adding resale value, not reducing it.

Thanks for the advice. I appreciate the input.
I will check out a number of things before I do anything to it.


Best

GWB

Just my opinion but I'd also slap a set of the removable iron sights on that rib and try it with rifled slugs before I went wild rebarreling it. Might surprise you.

Just for the record, the "Field Grade" version of the Greener Martini trapgun discussed here was called the " Greener GP" or General Purpose Model. These were sold as cheap all-purpose shotguns for settlers and farmers, and were used with both shot and ball loads for small and big game and for "things that go bump in the night."

They were also used by colonial police as issue guns for native officers and prison guards. Many Brits and their subjects were very proficient with these guns, having used Martini service rifles in military service or military training rifles with Martini actions.

They were well-loved, even in the land of Purdey and Holland and Holland. Never saw one in any guage except 12 or the special guard ctg. in 12/14 ga., but I have heard of them in 16 guage.

If you have one, hang onto it! They are classics and they last forever.