A police dog discovered a sawn-off shotgun hidden under a bush while out for a walk with his handler.
The dog - a cocker spaniel called Buddy - sniffed out the gun on waste behind Manchester General Cemetery, off Rochdale Road in Harpurhey on Monday morning.
A black bin liner of ammunition was also uncovered.
Police are now appealing to anyone with information to come forward.
Det Insp Paul Crompton of GMP's City of Manchester Division said: "Thanks to Buddy's sharp nose and the officers swift action we have been successful in removing a potentially lethal weapon from the streets of Manchester.
"We want to take this opportunity to appeal to any who might have information that could assist us in our enquiries to come forward and speak to police.
"Do you regularly walk through Manchester General Cemetery? Have you seen anything or anyone acting suspiciously in the area recently? Any information, no matter how small could greatly assist us in our investigation.
"Today's recovery highlights the vital role GMP's four legged recruits play in ensuring our communities are kept safe.
"We will absolutely not tolerate the possession or use of illegal firearms and weapons with in our communities and we are committed to ensuring they are removed from our streets and perpetrators are appropriately dealt with."
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 0161 856 1146 quoting incident number 645 of 21/12/20 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
his is our only Cocker Spaniel and he is a drugs/ firearms/ cash detection dog .
