Boss & Co.
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| Boss & Co. | |
|---|---|
| Type | Gunmaker |
| Founded | 1812 |
| Headquarters | London, England |
| Industry | Firearms |
| Products | Firearms |
| Website | www.bossguns.co.uk |
Boss & Co. is an English bespoke gunmaker established in 1812 by Thomas Boss in London. Thomas Boss worked before that for Joseph Manton, one of the greatest gunmakers of that period, before leaving and starting his own business. At the beginning 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 triggers to be made anywhere.[citation needed]
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. In the late 1990's 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 who sold it again in less than a year to Keith Halsey, the current owner who also owns controlling shares in the German weapon manufacturer Heckler and Koch.
Recently, the company eased their policy of making only best guns and introduced a line of lower priced boxlock guns under the name "Robertson". H&K produces some major parts for those guns.
Their present factory is by Kew Bridge, and their shop is located steps away from James Purdey and Sons at 16 Mount Street, London.
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