Many hunters think of the iconic boxlock shotgun as an American field gun, but although the design was popularized on American hunting fields, it was initially developed 150 years ago for a renowned gunmaker in Great Britain. In July 1875, two men, William Anson and John Deeley, employees of Westley Richards, filed for a patent on their innovative “hammerless gun.” While it wasn’t the first so-called “hammerless” firearm ever made, the Anson & Deeley action has remained as the most popular version of the design universally known today as the “boxlock.”
Variants of the boxlock remain in production today, with modern guns largely making use of the original Anson & Deeley concept, albeit with later modifications incorporated, such as an 1882 improvement that added a trigger-block safety. Some of America’s most iconic shotgun makers, from Parker to Ithaca to A.H. Fox, built their guns with this innovative action. Many of the arms made during the heyday of the A&D design still see use in America’s hunting fields today, more than 150 years after its inception.
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