doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com A Cameleopard from E. M. Reilly

I have now taken delivery of the Greener built J.V. Needham gun pictured above and find that it is another early model Facile Princeps action with the swinging cocking hook on the front lump, albeit in this case incorporating the Needham/Greener ejectors.

The photo of the water table shows the stamp for the Greener Patent number 930/1880 for the Facile Princeps action. Situated below it in the bolt release stud which holds the top lever and bolts open. Necessary in guns fitted with a Greener cross bolt, less so in this case with a dolls-head to extension.

J.N. Patent 676 - I can’t match this to a particular Needham Patent and take it 676 could be a use number.

I assume the 1881 U.S. patent was Greener getting protection for his 1880 Facile Princeps patent.

The ejector operates as follows. On firing the cocking dog drops to press down under tension on the upper projection on the cocking hook.

As the gun opens it slips off and strikes the ejector kicker before engaging and being re-cocked by the rising lower part of the hook.

It is a wonder that they worked at all, let alone (at least in this case) more than 130 years later.

Although a well used gun it does not appear to have been externally abused, and the action still bears traces of a dried grease coating which doubtless helped preserve it.