The 1812 Edition, a triumph for Boss & Co

With a side-lever that fits to right or left, this ambidextrous over-and-under writes a new chapter in the history of London Bests

- DONALD DALLAS

Boss & Co, London’s oldest gunmaker, has announced its new ‘1812 Edition’, introducing an innovation that has never been seen in gunmaking before. The result of four-plus years and the development of a purpose-built action, this is Boss & Co’s first ever side-lever over-and-under gun, and the world’s first to include two side-levers in the presentation case. Uniquely, it is a gun that can be changed and adapted for a left or a right-handed shooter.

This bespoke gun takes Boss & Co’s iconic over-and-under shape – which first appeared in 1909 and is, arguably, the most copied in the world, regularly praised for its elegance – and introduces a new, purpose-built action, incorporating a side lever rather than a top lever. Another side lever for the opposite side of the gun is handmade and engraved at the same time to be included in the presentation case. This eliminates the challenge of a left-handed shooter inheriting his right-handed grandparent’s or parent’s guns and having to request a new lever be made and engraved. This also negates the possibility of the gun’s original engraver having since retired or passed on.

What’s more, all top lever guns traditionally open to the right and all previous side-lever guns have had the lever mounted on the right side of the gun, with few exceptions. That means there has never truly been a gun that works for both ‘lefties’ and ’righties’. Boss’s 1812 Edition is finally that gun, taking its name from the date when founder Thomas Boss completed his apprenticeship.