Scarce W.W. Greener Humane Cattle Killer Single Shot Obsolete .310 Calibre Bell Gun with Wooden Mallet

Here on offer is a scarce W.W. Greener humane cattle killer, single shot, obsolete .310 calibre bell gun with a wooden mallet.

In 1895 Birmingham the famous gunmaker W. W. Greener invented the world’s first humane animal killer, which was later adopted by the War Office and Admiralty. During WW1, 8 million horses died and countless other maimed or diseased mules, camels, donkeys and oxen had to be destroyed.

These were also used by veterinarians, cavalry soldiers, slaughter houses and were industry standard tools for a long time not only in the cattle, but also in the horse industry.

The bell-gun design has an offset bell-shaped bronze muzzle that is attached to a 6” octagonal steel rifled barrel. Those manufactured between 1893 and 1925 were standardly stamped with Birmingham Proof House black powder proof marks. Because these "Bell Guns" were originally chambered for the unique .310 Greener Cattle Killer cartridge (a low-pressure, black-powder-era case derived from the 7.5mm Nagant), they bypassed the "Nitro Proof" markings found on standard shotguns and rifles of the era.

The top unscrews to insert a cartridge and it has a striker operated firing pin, with return spring. The swivel metal loop at the top acts as a guard for the striker, but I believe on later versions, it was modified to act as a cartridge extractor.

The use, the base would be placed flat against the animal's head (usually just above the eyes) to contain gases and direct the projectile safely and avoid ricochets.

The top firing pin is then struck sharply with a wooden mallet. Please see my last two photos for images of the original instructions from public images on the internet.

Now I believe this fine example is a very early version as the base has the makers details on the top, NOT on the base and they don’t include the patent No. 7040.

The details read as:

GREENER’S PATENT CATTLE KILLER BIRMINGHAM

The barrel is octagonal and smooth sided and later versions seem to be circular with a partial knurled finish, to aid with grip.

The striker mechanism at the top has the loop, but it does not operate as an extractor, like on later versions.

The main barrel and striker body are both marked with a set of three Birmingham black powder marks.

The striker pin still works as it was designed and it comes with a small antique wooden mallet that may not be the original?

The mallet is stamped on one side of the shaft with BERMUDA and looks to have been made from their native cedar wood.

Please note that as it is chambered in an obsolete calibre (Greener .310) it can be owned in the UK, without any form of license and it is being sold as a collector’s piece only.

This rare antique example is in great condition with a lovely patina to the bronze and the steel now shows a dark aged, lightly pitted finish.

The gun measures approximately 10” (25.4cm) long and the base is 3.9” (10cm) diameter.

It weighs a heavy 1.23Kg.

The mallet measures 8.4” (21.4cm) long with a 3.6” (9.2cm) wide head.

It weighs 135g.

Please see my pictures for the details of the condition that complement this description.

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The responsibility lies with the customer to check with your Customs restrictions that this item can be imported into your country.

Code: 52417