The12g Boss OU see here is built on one of the most important shotgun designs of the 20th century. It’s also an absolute bargain.
The UK’s Gavin Gardiner is selling it in his Fine Modern & Vintage Sporting Guns Auction on 12 December 2018. Check out his video of it below to see just how nice it is.
Built on a design patented by Boss & Co in 1909, the Boss OU introduced the world to the low-profile OU. Up until 1909, breech-loading OUs had lumps on the bottom of the barrels like a side-by-side. This made them thick through the action and clunky looking.
Boss & Co go rid of lumps by mounting “trunions” on either side of barrels. This slimmed down the action, lightened the guns, and made Boss OUs look as sleek as their SxSs.
Today, most modern OUs owe a huge debt to Boss’s design, from a Beretta Silver Pigeon and a CSMC’s A10 to a Fabbri
Boss & Co is still in business and they’re still building their legendary OUs today. I think prices start at around $240,000. So if you can buy this gun for anything less than $100,000, you’re getting a fantastic deal.
LOT 332: BOSS & CO. A FINE 12-BORE SINGLE TRIGGER SIDELOCK EJECTOR OVER AND UNDER GUN, NO. 9990: 28-inch barrels with 2 3/4-inch chambers, about 1/4 and 1/2 choke borings, the frame, locks and top lever engraved with fine bouquet and scroll engraving and retaining almost all of its original hardening colour, the maker’s name signed within a scrolling banner, gold line cocking indicators, 14 1/2-inch well-figured stock and Boss half pistol grip, nitro proof, 7lb., in its maker’s lightweight case with canvas outer cover S2 The maker confirms that the gun was delivered in 1995. The gun remained in store with its maker for a number of years and remains virtually as new and unused.
