| Type | Gunmaker |
|---|---|
| Industry | Firearms |
| Founded | 1812 |
| Headquarters | London, England |
| 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 selective triggers to be made anywhere.
The favourite shotgun of the author Ernest Hemingway was a Boss & Co., which he used in his 1961 suicide.
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, the current owner who also owns controlling shares in the German weapon manufacturer Heckler and Koch. The Mount Street shop was closed in 2008 and the company operates exclusively from its factory on Kew Green, London.
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 and showroom is by Kew Bridge, in West London Previous addresses; St James Street, London W1 13-14 Cork Street London W1 Albermarle Street London W1 13 Dover Street London W1 16 Mount Street London W1