Boss &
Co, 73 St James’s Street, London
12 bore Toplever Bar Action
Hammergun
No. 3374
Year of manufacture: 1877
Click on these images for more detail.
Heritage
Guns' Comment
When this lovely old Boss hammergun came to us it was in rather
sad condition with breech face heavily corroded and thin and
pitted barrels. However, sensing that the basic structure was
still sound under all the rust, we got to work on it and now have
this lovely, possibly unique Boss toplever hammergun to offer to
our discerning customers! The work has been a great success: the
barrels were TIG sleeved to their original length, breech face
laser repaired and wood given a new lease of life. The really
interesting and novel feature of this particular gun is that
Edward Paddison, the sole proprietor of Boss & Co from 1873 to
1891, used the patented bolting and forend catch of
well-established Birmingham gunmakers, rather than the ubiquitous
Purdey Bolt, Scott Spindle and Anson push rod. One can only assume
that this was a cheaper alternative: paying the royalty fees of a
provincial gunmaker rather than London prices! The highly
figured wood now glows with fabulous condition and with its 2 ¾”
chambers, fresh nitro proof and great dimensions, it will be
particularly desirable to any connoisseur of fine English
hammerguns who wishes to shoot their pride and joy.
WE REGRET THAT THIS GUN IS NOW
SOLD. IF YOU ARE SEARCHING FOR A SIMILAR GUN, PLEASE CONTACT
US.
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The action
is of traditional bar action design and features:
Double triggers;
Brazier rebounding, bar action locks;
High level ‘Dolphin’
hammers;
Finely chiselled percussion fences;
Broad toplever
operating a single bite bolt;
Patent snap lever forend catch.
There are laser repairs to the breech face.
The gun balances just in
front of the hinge pin.
Gun
weight 7lb 5oz
Engraving style Best foliate scroll by Sumner. Locks signed ‘BOSS
& CO’.
Trigger pulls measure approximately: Front trigger 3 ¾
lbs Rear trigger 4 ¼ lbs
The TIG sleeved barrels
are 30" in length, chambered for 2 ¾” (70mm) cartridges and are of
brazed 'dovetail' lump construction with soft soldered ribs. Top rib is
of the smooth, concave, game type.
Birmingham
reproof for 70mm nitro powder cartridges in 2019.
Approximate barrel measurements
at date of publication:
|
Nominal Proof Size
|
Bore Diameter 9" from Breech
|
Minimum Wall Thickness
|
Choke Constriction
|
Right Barrel |
18.4mm (0.724")
|
0.727+"
|
0.038"
|
0.015" (IC)
|
Left Barrel |
18.4mm (0.724")
|
0.727+"
|
0.038"
|
0.022" (Mod)
|
Straight Hand Stock and Splinter Forend
are crafted from highly figured walnut. The stock is cast off for a
right-handed shot, features a gold oval engraved with Old English
initials, well-defined drop points and is finished with a 1” leather
covered ‘Silver’s’ recoil pad.
|
Highly Figured Walnut Stock &
Forend
|
|
The approx. 22 lines per inch chequering
has been refreshed to its original design. The stock is finished with
a traditional linseed oil based preparation as used on best guns by
one of the top English makers. This finish uses no grain fillers to
achieve its deep, smooth lustre, only many hours of alternate build
and flatting off of the surface.
Approximate stock
measurements at date of publication:
Pull to Heel
|
Pull to Bump
|
Pull to Centre
|
Pull to Toe
|
15"
|
15 1/8"
|
15"
|
15 1/2"
|
Drop at Comb
|
Drop at Face
|
Drop at Heel
|
1 1/2"
|
1 3/4"
|
2 1/2"
|
Cast at Comb
|
Cast at Heel
|
3/16" (approximate)
|
1/2" (approximate)
|
For the purposes of these measurements,
'Drop at Face' is the 'drop' measurement taken on a line perpendicular
to the
line joining the trigger and centre of the butt at approximately 8"
from the trigger (front trigger on a double trigger gun).
Patents Exhibited include:
J
Thomas bolting patent no. 3091 of 1871;
Stanton's rebounding lock
patent no. 367 of 1867;
E Hollis forend catch patent no. 953 of
1873.