Greener GP
W.W. Greener Ltd · Shotgun · Discontinued · 1922
Also known as: Greener Police Gun, Greener Martini Shotgun, Greener EG
Overview
The Greener GP is a single-shot, falling-block (Martini-action) shotgun produced by the British gunmaker W.W. Greener. Chambered in 12 gauge, it uses a hinged breechblock operated by an underlever to extract the fired shell and reload one round at a time. Introduced in 1922 as a general-purpose sporting and pest-control gun after the success of Greener's Egyptian police shotguns, it earned a reputation for rugged simplicity and was widely used across the British Empire.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3500 g (123.5 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1175 mm (46.26") |
| Barrel Length | 762 mm (30.00") |
| Action Type | Falling Block |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Muzzle Velocity | 400 m/s (1312 fps) |
| Effective Range | 40 m (44 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Smoothbore |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 12 Gauge · primary — also known as 12ga, 12 Bore
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Round Breech Loading
- Features: Martini Action, Single Shot, Full Choke, Bead Front Sight, Straight Grip Stock
Variants
- Greener Police Gun Mark III - Police
Service history
Operators
- Egyptian Police · adopted 1921 · as Greener EG
- Royal Hong Kong Police
Production
Estimated total produced: 60,000 · Production years: 1922-1980
Approximately 60,000 GP shotguns believed produced by W.W. Greener (to 1965) and Webley & Scott thereafter; serial numbers were not reliably recorded before 1968.
Origin
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Designer: William Wellington Greener
Discontinued: 1980
Notes
The military and law-enforcement Police Gun variant (notably the Mark III) was chambered for a proprietary bottlenecked 14-bore brass shell and used a trident-shaped striker so that ordinary commercial 12-gauge ammunition could not be fired in it, an early example of engineered ammunition control for colonial police service.
Background
Designed around the Martini falling-block action, the Greener became the archetypal colonial police shotgun. Its purpose-built non-standard ammunition meant a stolen Police Gun was useless without Greener's own shells, making it as much a tool of gun control as of policing.