GUN FALL 2016
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/4/2016
LOVELY HIGH ORIGINAL CONDITION BOSS & COMPANY JONES UNDERLEVER HAMMER GUN.BOSSSXS276410GA(ca 1869) Cal. 10 ga. 31" Fine Damascus bbls are engraved "Boss & Co 73. St James's Street. London." on narrow, swamped game rib, which is also engraved "1". Bbl flats are stamped with London black powder proofs for 10 bore. SNs are on bottoms of bbls along with "JP". (Thomas Boss had a long association with Purdey's and most likely sourced his bbl tubes from them.) Round bodied, Jones underlever action with deeply filed fences, is fitted with peninsula back locks having round bodied, serpentine non-rebounding hammers with dolphin heads and tall spurs. Action is engraved with 80% coverage exceptionally well cut medium shaded scroll. Lockplates and hammers are engraved with scroll which is considerably smaller. "Boss & Co" is on each lockplate. Case hardened trigger guard has SN on tang. Dark and dense, finely marbled and lightly figured European walnut straight grip buttstock measures 14-1/4" over checkered steel buttplate with short top spur. Broadly spaced point pattern checkering with mullered borders is at grip. A vacant silver oval is on toe line. Matching splinter forend is near fully checkered, has inlet steel tip, and attaches to bbl with side nail through oval engraved steel escutcheons. Bore diameter: left -.785, right - .785. Bore restrictions: left - .000, right - .000 (gun was made before choke came into general use). Wall thickness: left - .026, right - .027. Drop at heel: 2-5/16", drop at comb: 1-7/16". Cast: neutral. Weight: 7 lbs. 12 oz. LOP: 14-1/4". PROVENANCE: Monty Whitley, 1990. CONDITION: Excellent, original, as found. Bbls retain approx 90% orig dramatic brown, with some areas of thinning and cleaning, mostly on side of left bbl. Action retains 85 - 90% orig case hardening color, thinning and silvering around bottom and fences, as well as sharp edges. Lockplates retain about 90% of their orig color, silvering at tails. Stocks retain most of their orig hand rubbed oil finish, a bit dry, with open grain, and a number of light scratches and marks. Checkering is slightly worn. Head of side nail is chipped due to difficult removal. Nail is no longer captive. Bores are excellent with one or two scattered pits and some light striations. Action is tight. Bbls are on face. Locks are crisp. A truly fine early Boss, probably one of the highest condition examples extant. 51006-2 MGM248 (8,000-12,000)