Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Excellent article on John Browning

It's worth a bookmark.

https://www.range365.com/story/range-life/guns-of-john-browning/

The book - John M. Browning, American Gunmaker by his son (also John) and Curt Gentry is a great read. It is one of those rare books that I enjoy reading every 3 or 4 years.

“He was to firearms what Mozart was to music.“

Good article, B!

Prolific doesn’t begin to describe his work. Fella was an artist.
Kinda rediscovered some old favorites over the last year that had sat dormant for too long. An old Model 94 and a Belgium A5 in 20 ga.

Still looking for a mid 80’s production Browning 1895 in 30 40!

Reading over the article, it occurred to me that the Ma Deuce might have contributed more than any other of his designs. On the ground they were too large and heavy for a lot of infantry applications. But put eight of them in a P-47 and they would command a lot of attention from anybody that got on the wrong end of one.

Browning gave America had a hell of a tool to mount in their aircraft.

I think a fella would have to dig deep to find something they haven’t mounted a M2 on. Whether it flies, floats, or runs on the ground.

Very nice article. It got me to thinking about how many Browning designed firearms I own.

1911 Colt
1893 Winchester pump shotgun
1906 Winchester 22 pump
Astra 25 ACP (copy of Baby Browning)
Winchester 94
Remington 241 (copy of Browning 22 auto rifle)

Also had a Winchester Model 12 pump, and a Browning A5 at one time. Probably a few more that escape my memory.

Notice the Pitbull?

Is there an American manufacturer who hasn't benefited from his designs?

Good lord!

Those men are lucky to have survived!!!!!!

Oh wait, I guess they didn't, they're all dead.

Just the 1911 alone puts him at the head of the pack add in all the others designs and he was a fugging genius.

M-2 machine gun, 1917 and 1919 machine guns, BARs, 1911s, 1886, 1892, 1894, 1885 Winchesters, (excluding the rimfires!) Browning Auto 5 and all its copies/clones, Browning Superposed, the list is pretty long. I don't think the M12 is a Browning gun, though. Almost forgot the 1895 Colt Potato Digger machine gun, it was his, too. All the little pocket pistols could fill a textbook, for Colt, FN, and others.

Terrific article. Getting my first Superposed next week and can’t wait to add another John Browning design.

Great article. Add the High Power to the mix.

My wife is a descendant of his. We have a couple of his gunsmithing tools around here somewhere.

Good Lord, man. Are you trying to start a CF riot?

Winchester 1887

I’ve got an 1892, 1894, 1911, A-5, High Power, and a SA-22 just off the top of my head.

There ain't many things cooler than an old A-5. I was hoping to get dads when he passed but my oldest brother got both the 12 and the 20. Sucks big time.

Dad was going along atop a ridge when they spotted a company of Germans about a mile away down in the valley. They opened up on them with jeep-mounted M-2s. Dad said they went down to evaluate the damage. The Germans were contorted messes, with legs flopped over shoulders, etc.

I've always enjoyed reading about JMB. Two most remembered by me that I don't think were mentioned;

Winchester so desired his designs, or, feared competitors would get them, that for a time, they pretty much bought everything he drew. Many of JMB's designs were never produced.

My favorite story; Winchester wanted a new lever. JMB says 100K. Win says that's expensive, JMB says I'll make you a deal. I'll have a working model in 30 days & the design will be 100K. If I go over 30 days the design is free. Win sys go for it. JMB drew the prints while on the train back to Utah, & started shaving metal the day he got home. In less than 30 days he arrived back at Winchester, by train, with the first ever working model of the '94.

If any designers or machinist have idols, JMB should be very near the top of the list.

Quite a nice bit of history. Thanks for sharing that