Whilst idly browsing the shotguns at Collectors, I happened upon this wonderful piece:
Now, one might balk at paying $27,500 for a gun made in 1907, but one would run the risk of being called ignorant of Boss & Co.’s storied heritage. And unlike some other marquee shotgun brands (Purdey coff coff ) who are part of the Beretta conglomerate, Boss is independently owned. And as Boss has been in existence since 1812, one might assume that the London-based gun company is well-known to many discerning gun owners because of the excellence (“Best”) of their products. And one’s assumption would be correct:
It should be remembered, by the way, that it was Boss & Co. who designed and made the very first over-and-under shotgun, back in 1909 (okay, I’ll forgive them this heresy) so in this, at least, John Moses Browning was a copier and not an originator.
And Boss haven’t made only long guns, either:
Boss & Co. are unashamedly devoted to making a premium product, and only a premium product — hence the term “Best Only”. And yes, that premium comes at a steep price; but to own a Boss shotgun is to own a work of art and a piece of history and heritage like few others.
And that’s the reason why I think that the old 1907 shotgun at Collectors is an absolute bargain.
What is that lever-like doohickey coming up from underneath, and why does it keep switching sides in the pictures?
That’s the device to break open the breech — a lever action, if you will — which replaces the more-common switch behind the breech on most shotguns.
The reason that lever appears to switch from side to side is that, uniquely, the Boss 1812 lever is ambidextrous, i.e. it’s on both sides of the gun.
Personal confession: I love engraved firearms, and engraved everything else too. I’m not alone in this or the practice would have died out.
But I also did woodcarving back in the day and wanted to learn how to engrave…which I didn’t. Then watching the forgettable show “American Guns” on Disco, and seeing the dopey kid do engraving….it was the only good part of the show (other than Renee).
I guess I don’t have a point, other than a regretted road-not-taken, but I have enough half finished hobbies that I dont need another one.