THE DEFINTION OF CUSTOM

Words and phrases like “bespoke”, “true custom”, and the like are often bandied about in the world of firearms, most often when describing a gun or rifle made on a once-off basis for an individual customer featuring that customer’s individual tastes and preferences. Although beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder and there can be no accounting for taste, it is true that the products of a select few makers have, over time, become synonymous with the best that can be produced and are regarded as true reflections of the finest workmanship.

In the world of double rifles and shotguns, Boss & Co in London have proclaimed for many years that they are makers of “best” guns only. Boss even went so far as to market their boxlock-actioned guns under a different name (they were branded as “John Robertson” guns, Boss’s owner at the time) to distinguish them from their much-acclaimed sidelock-actioned guns. Certainly, the upper-crust British makers are most often associated with the manufacturing of magnificent, once-off examples of the gunmaker’s art for members of the Royal family or some long-forgotten Indian Maharaj. These priceless guns show up every now and then, before disappearing just as fast into someone’s collection.

With single-shot and bolt-action rifles the playing field is much larger, and many