Type Gunmaker Founded 1812 Products Firearms | Industry Firearms Headquarters London, England Website www.bossguns.co.uk | |
Boss & Co. is an English bespoke gunmaker established in 1812 by Thomas Boss in London. Thomas Boss previously worked for Joseph Manton, one of the greatest gunmakers of that period, before leaving and starting his own business. Initially he did most of his work for James Purdey, who had already established a name for making only best quality guns and rifles. Then he started producing his own branded guns which were an instant success.
When Thomas Boss died, the company was acquired in 1891 by John Robertson, a gunmaker who used to work for Boss as an outworker in assembling and finishing guns.
John Robertson, originally a stocker by trade, was responsible for two of the greatest creations by the firm; in 1909 the Boss low profile Over and Under shot gun, and in 1894 the Boss single trigger which was one of the first truly reliable single selective triggers to be made anywhere.
It was long rumoured that Ernest Hemingway committed suicide with a Boss shotgun, but recently it has been proven by the authors of "Hemingway's Guns" that the gun he used was a W&C Scott.
When asked by one of the Robertson family if he had ever considered a Boss, King George VI replied, “A Boss gun, a Boss gun, bloody beautiful, but too bloody expensive!”.
The company faced hard times in the late 1980s, and production of the very expensive and labour costly O/U gun became greatly reduced. Tim Robertson, the great, great grandson of John Robertson, joined the firm in 1990 to become the Managing Director in 1993 after which production increased. This increase in gun production became possible by Tim Robertson harnessing the skills and enthusiasm of the gunsmiths whilst at the same time managing the business more effectively. In the late 1990s, Tim Robertson proudly announced the making of the firms first .470 Over and Under Double rifle. At the end of 1999, the Robertson family sold the company to a small group of businessmen and Tim Robertson left the company. Boss was managed for a short period by Gavin Gardiner during which time the Business was moved to new modern premises in Mount Street in late 2000. The business was sold again in late 2001 to Keith Halsey with the Mount Street shop being closed in 2008 allowing the company to operate exclusively from its factory on Kew Green, London. The present owner, Arthur S. DeMoulas, acquired the business in 2015.
Their present factory and showroom is by Kew Bridge, in West London Previous addresses and approximate dates:
73 St James Street, London W1 (1862-1908)
13 Dover Street London W1 (1908-1930)
41 Albermarle Street London W1 (1930-1960)
13-14 Cork Street London W1 (1960-1982)
13 Dover Street London W1 (1982-2000)
16 Mount Street London W1 (2000-2008)