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I opened my May/June �18 SSM this evening to read a nice article by Douglas Tate on the British gunmakers Boxall & Edmiston. The article focused on how the company navigated the convergence of technology and craft manufacturing. About 70% of manufacturing is done by computer and 30% by hand at the company. Somewhat reminiscent of Longthorne.

I went online to view the company website and...they have closed shop and Liquidators have been appointed to disburse company assets. Very ironic.

Boxall & Edmiston website

Tough business to "break into". Weren't they making the O/U barrel set out of a single billet of steel and boring the barrels themselves?

SRH

The gun trade has always been brutal. High end guns are pure luxury items and their commissioning is subject to a lot of factors like fashion, culture, economy status, socioeconomic status, etc. It is very difficult to compete with well established shops. That is one of the very good reasons some shops have a higher Brand Value rating (BV) than others.

I am always sorry for a failed shop. However, the odds were not in their favor.

DDA

Stan you are thinking of Longthorne, who make barrels in the fashion you describe and also famously run over them in a Range Rover, wipe them off, and shoot them. I wonder how long they will survive. Both have offerings in the sub-bespoke market of �25-35k.

Ironic that B&E went into liquidation and nearly all their workforce have been re-employed by the English 'Best' manufacturers. It possibly only goes to show that the wealthy still like to own the best , but are also loathe to invest in new technology or ideas.

They do say hindsight is always done with 50 50 vision. I was very surprised that this new company jumped in at the deep end of the gun price ranges rather than starting with a mid range box lock with less outside embellishment and looks. Better to have a reputation for very well made no frills sound Basic guns and build a business from there. Reputations are built and earned that has never changed.
Just my personal opinion though.

Thanks, Owen. Couldn't remember from the article I read about them.


damascus, I'd say there is a 50/50 chance that you meant 20-20 vision.

SRH

Rocketman has a point, buyers who value brand names are not going to be swayed by technology etc. Those who value technology, the true gun connoisseurs, most likely do not have the money. Therefore coming into the market with a tech heavy imitation "best" is probably not the way to do it.

Personally I see a new paradigm forming, (this is an opinion not gospel), and that is an OU along the Benelli 828 lines but more "real" with steel parts and easy stock adjustment, interchangeable ribs, and single double trigger options. In other words an OU that offers DIY serviceability and can win a share of the autoloader market at comparable prices.

Stan my thoughts where a little tongue in cheek so I was using the binoculars metaphor though I did intentionally leave the X out, maybe I should have put 10X10 to look back.

I have shot both the B&E as well as the Longthorne.

I met the principles of B&E at gun makers night in London, and then shot one of their guns at the WLSS. I shot the Longthorne in Scotland.

The Longthorne�s are definitely for people who embrace the latest and greatest, most modern technology. They clearly are for early adopters. Their barrel making technology, is a side benefit of their super precision aerospace work, so I think their factory probably has a greater base of existing orders for machine time than B&E did. And they are non-lead ready.

The B&E�s however, were more of an extension of the existing best gun marketplace, embracing modern technology and materials, and just enough hand labor to keep the cost down. Beautiful shot guns in all regards.

They were an extension of the existing marketplace with a few refinements. You won�t open, cock, and close, a more smoothly operating side by side ever. But, evidently that wasn�t enough to keep them in business. I wish them well, and as far as the migration of their employees, I think most of them came from Holland and Holland anyway. As I recall in my talks with them, the principles were the former manufacturing directors or lead manufacturing engineers, from Holland and Holland.

The gap between the very best 95% machine made shotguns, and the lowest level handmade shotguns, is so close, that excluding engraving, one is hard-pressed to identify the value difference.

I think it makes the remaining hand made shotguns more cherishable.

I am glad people keep trying their hands in this mature marketplace.