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There was a strange Boss O/U at Morphy�s last week. 12ga Boss O/U was anyone able to handle it in person? Here are my armchair observations:

1. The barrels seem too thick at .047. I have never seen Boss barrels struck that thick. Factory?
2. The maker�s name on the barrels is a little odd. Look also at the proof stamp.
3. There are strange voids/pits on the exterior of the receiver in the engraving.
4. The stocking job is poor.
5. Obvious mechanical issues per description.
6. Sizable gaps in the foreend metal fit.

Nonetheless it exceeded the high estimate handily. I would welcome any comments others have.

Look for proofmarks and look at the address on it. There are fakes out there. I've seen a badly done almost new "H&H" that had proofs from Spain.

There was an extremely low Estimated price on that gun for it being a BOSS O/U. The reason being - the gun had some issues.

The gun was not a fake. The same person that wrote the descriptions for English made guns for Julia's wrote up the descriptions for English made guns at this Morphy auction.

Also just noticed the interesting choking. The upper barrel, which should fire first, is XF and the lower, second barrel, is mod. Of course Boss would bore the chokes to order, so either grouse choking was specified, or perhaps we have a reverse firing sequence on the single trigger.

As for the metal issues, what could have caused the etching and gaps?

Bottom First, Top Second is the normal firing order on an Over/Under. Many have stated on this account they should really have been called Under/Overs.
Non selective single triggers on an O/U will normally be built to fire the bottom barrel first. With a selective trigger you can of course set it to whichever barrel first you should desire.

Rode hard and put away wet. Look how deep the pitting is...heavily re-finished. While a very low dollar Boss O/u, that is the kind of gun to run from unless you are able to ave it inspected before purchase.

Miller, I am still learning the idiosyncrasies of these Boss O/U's, but my understanding is that they were generally set to fire the top barrel first (per mel5141). Apparently Robertson believed that it afforded easier re-loading and ballistic benefits, although those points are certainly debatable.

It is interesting that the barrel walls remain as thick as they measure if in fact original while being ridden as hard as the exterior pitting appears to indicate. Most guns of this era appear to have been more extensively honed.

If your gun is pitted on the outside you can�t do too much honing on the inside. I wonder how much honing is needlessly done. I�ve owned and shot guns for decades with zero bore pitting. Maybe it�s just better ammo, better cleaning chemicals and better oil protection.

I�d never run away from a Boss. I might worry about how much it would cost to repair or rebarrel one. But everything can be fixed, if you can afford it. Micro welding and laser welding can make moon craters into glass smooth surfaces for reengraving. It might cost you 20-30k or more to make a basket case into a great looking gun but Boss O/U are never cheap and a mint one will just about break you gun spending account even in a tall cotton year.

Exactly right. Bottom should be fired first. There is less muzzle rise when the bottom is first. Recoil is more inline. All great comp guns that do not have a barrel selector fire the bottom barrel first unless ordered otherwise.

SRH

Off topic to the op's post, but one thing I have noticed about my 32" Kolar Max Lite I ordered last year and have put about 4,000 rounds through since, is the lack of awareness of the firing order between the top and bottom barrel.

I am constantly changing the firing order as I progress through an SC course, as each station dictates choke selection for the presentation. I never notice any difference in muzzle jump regardless of which barrel is selected to fire first. Perhaps it's there, but I don't notice it

But then this is a very specifically designed and dedicated clays gun.
JR