LAND•Summer 2017

SPORT
By merging his innovations, Mr. Robertson’s Boss over/under
weighed a sprightly 6½ pounds with its 29-inch barrels. The new
Boss stacked-barrel sidelock design shattered all preconceived
biases of Gilded Age sportsmen who believed it would be
ungainly and sluggish versus earlier, dominant over/unders from
Germany and even the side-by-side, breech loaders of the day.
Mr. Dallas cites in his book a passage from The Country
Gentleman about the new Boss over/under: “A Striking Innovation
in Modern Gunnery. We have seen the same design in German
weapons, but so bulky and clumsy that there was no advantage
shown in them to the user. The neatness of the action and the
barrels together is very marked, the workmanship being in the
usual Boss superior style and finish.”
Mr. Robertson’s
ingenuity made him
a so-called disrupter
in today’s jargon.
His Boss over/under,
single trigger and
locking system have
become the defacto
configuration for
nearly every target
and field gun made
since. The Boss shop
is ground zero for the
modern sporting gun.
Our Chokee guides
signaled again. We
hurried from the
wagon, into the field—
Mr. DeMoulas angling
at a quick pace to the
pointer. He loaded,
watchful, advancing,
following the guide
into the grasses and
shrubs. The birds were on the run and we soon lost them for
good in the understory. The guides watered the dogs. Our break
over, the wagon rolled again.
Our discussion kept pace with the rhythm of the Chokee
Plantation wild quail hunt. Mr. DeMoulas would talk passionately
about his classical vision for Boss until a dog pointed. We’d
rush to the spot with Mr. DeMoulas and Mr. Arrington taking
the ready position. Most flushes showcased abundant coveys
intermingled with singles and doubles. Clearly, the Boss shined
in pursuing quick, acrobatic birds hard-wired for evasion across
their native terrain.
Although our conversation largely concerned the guns and
their heritage, it did turn to the reason why Mr. DeMoulas actually
bought Boss & Co.
“I was over there in 1998 or 1999,” he said. “I went there to
buy a pair of guns. I had some old Boss guns from the 1920s and
knew how rare and beautiful they are. I went into their shop on
Dover Street. It was almost like they couldn’t be bothered. And I
was surprised, as a customer who flew over there, I wasn’t taken
care of in the manner that I thought the customer should. It was
amazing to me. I left, ended up buying two pairs of guns from
one of their competitors, but I thought that company shouldn’t
be run like that. That company could be so much greater if they
took care of their customers. That led me to want to buy the
company. That brand and that name is much greater than that
and they deserve more than that. I said to my friend, I’m going to
buy that company some day, and that’s how I felt every day until
I bought it. I worked
on that for the next
several years. The
passion and the brand
of what Boss needs
and deserves hasn’t
changed for me. And
that’s my whole goal
and mission. Boss
has a lot of potential,
enormous potential,
and it’s only going to
realize that with a lot
of hard work.”
In that vein, Guy
Bignell, CEO of Griffin
& Howe, said of Mr.
DeMoulas “Boss & Co.
now has somebody
who is incredibly
passionate about their
brand and products,
and I believe Arthur
will bring a new
proactive energy and life to the company.” As it turns out, Griffin
& Howe, now located on Hudson Farm in Andover, New Jersey,
has been representing and supporting Boss & Co. in the United
States since 1927.
Lunch time was growing near. We would have soup and
grilled cheese sandwiches with sweet tea on the lodge
verandah. Maybe we had one or two more hunts left when Mr.
DeMoulas asked if I wanted to shoot his Boss. I was hesitant. I
felt reluctant to shoot one of his coveys. But he insisted and of
course I accepted.
The wagon stopped. Mr. DeMoulas handed me his gun. The
guide thrashed the bush when a whopping covey of wild quail
erupted. I comfortably shouldered the Boss and it easily swung
until I triggered the shot. Bird down. It was timeless. °
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