On the latest Gun Trade World Podcast, Topple’s CEO sat down for our first in-person podcast with Richard Hefford-Hobbs and Adam Anthony to pull back the curtain on Gallyon Guns, England’s oldest continuously operating gunmaker (founded in 1784), and the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers, the world’s oldest chartered firearms authority, established by King Charles I in 1637.
Together, Richard and Adam own Gallyon Guns, with Richard serving as the Gunmakers’ outgoing Master. In this episode, Topple’s CEO and newly minted liveryman Brian Aitken explores how these ancient British institutions still actively shape gunmaking, proof, and craftsmanship today.
Listen on Spotify: Blending high-tech with heritage: Gallyon and the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers
Craft, History, and a Living Legacy
When it comes to British gunmaking, few names carry as much historical weight as Gallyon Guns. Founded in 1784, Gallyon is England’s oldest continuously operating gunmaker. They are a brand that has quietly endured through revolutions, wars, and generations of shooters.
On this episode, we hear from co-owners Richard Hefford-Hobbs and Adam Anthony, two men with very different paths that converged on one shared mission: keeping a centuries-old craft alive and relevant.
Richard is not just a gunmaker — he’s a manufacturing engineer with experience that spans bench work, formal engineering training, and academic research into the evolution of sporting firearms. That background gives him a practical, systems-level view of guns, where safety, materials, tolerances, and real-world use all matter as much as craft and tradition.
As outgoing Master of the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers, Richard brings a rare perspective shaped by responsibility, not ceremony. He speaks directly to how skills are learned, how standards are upheld, and why apprenticeships, accreditation, and proof still play a critical role in keeping gunmaking viable today. His contribution grounds the conversation in experience, judgment, and a clear-eyed view of what it takes for the craft to survive into the future.
Adam’s path into gunmaking wasn’t a conventional one. After a career in financial services, he chose to step away and commit fully to a lifelong connection with country sports and shooting. That shift brought a different kind of discipline to Gallyon—one rooted in long-term thinking, stewardship, and building a business meant to endure rather than chase trends.
Adam approaches Gallyon with the mindset of a custodian as much as an owner, focused on ensuring that a nearly 250-year-old name continues to stand for quality, performance, and relevance. His contribution to the conversation highlights what it takes to carry a historic brand forward responsibly, balancing commercial realities with respect for craft, customers, and the generations that will follow.
What You’ll Hear on the Podcast
If you think this episode is just “history,” think again. Listeners are in for a conversation that blends centuries of institutional knowledge and tradition with modern precision engineering.
Here’s what to expect:
- Why Britain’s proof system still exists, how it works, and what it really means for every firearm sold in the UK.
- What the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers actually does today, from providing bursaries to gunmaking apprentices to ensuring the safety of modern firearms.
- The realities of running a heritage gun brand today and how Gallyon’s embrace of Formula 1 level engineering to traditionally handmade guns is bringing reliability and precision to the future of British gunmaking.
- What the future holds, including Gallyon’s plans to step into the American market and how craftsmanship may be one of the most resilient career paths in an age of automation.
Whether you’re deeply embedded in the firearms world or simply interested in how a 250-year-old brand adapts to the modern era, this episode delivers insight, story, and perspective you won’t hear anywhere else.
Want More Conversations Like This?
We’ve curated a Spotify playlist featuring this episode plus discussions with leaders across firearms, hunting, and outdoor brands — including Magpul, LandTrust, Spartan Precision, and more.
Listen to the Full Playlist: Topple’s Spotify Podcast Playlist
