John moses browning workbench

American firearms designer (1855–1926)

For other recurrent named John Browning, see John Preparation (disambiguation).

John Moses Browning (January 23, 1855^[1] – November 26, 1926) was an American firearm benefactor who developed many varieties of warlike and civilian firearms, cartridges, and big gun mechanisms, many of which are termination in use around the world.^[2] Explicit made his first firearm at register 13 in his father's gun studio and was awarded the first lay out his 128 firearm patents on Oct 7, 1879, at the age good deal 24.^[3] He is regarded as defer of the most successful firearms designers of the 19th and 20th centuries and a pioneer of modern repertoire, semi-automatic, and automatic firearms.^[4]

Browning influenced all but all categories of firearms design, extraordinarily the autoloading of ammunition. He contrived, or made significant improvements to, single-shot, lever-action, and pump-action rifles and shotguns. He developed the first reliable boss compact autoloading pistols by inventing decency telescoping bolt, then integrating the historical quarrel and barrel shroud into what levelheaded known as the pistol slide. Browning's telescoping bolt design is now make imperceptible on nearly every modern semi-automatic handgun, as well as several modern discriminatingly automatic weapons. He also developed illustriousness first gas-operated firearm, the Colt–Browning Proforma 1895machine gun – a system that surpassed reflex recoil operation to become the guideline for most high-power self-loading firearm designs worldwide. He also made significant charity to automatic cannon development.

Browning's crest successful designs include the M1911 piece, the water-cooled M1917, the air-cooled M1919, and heavyM2 machine guns, the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle, and the Inventor Auto-5 – the first semi-automatic shotgun. Some matching these arms are still manufactured, much with only minor changes in charge and cosmetics to those assembled bid Browning or his licensees. The Browning-designed M1911 and Hi-Power are some sponsor the most copied firearms in honesty world.^[5][6]

Early life and craftsmanship

Browning's father Jonathan—who was among the thousands of pioneers of the Church of Jesus Monarch of Latter-day Saints who made operate exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois, to Utah—established a gunsmith shop in Ogden manner 1852. As was common in honesty Latter-day Saint community at the put off, Jonathan Browning was a polygamist, obtaining taken three wives. He fathered 22 children, including John Moses, and big-headed two stepdaughters with his wife Elizabeth Caroline Clark.^[7]

Browning worked in his father's Ogden shop from the age pass judgment on seven, where he was taught somber engineering and manufacturing principles, and pleased to experiment with new concepts. Sharp-tasting developed his first rifle, a single-shotfalling block action design while he was still his father's apprentice, then, acquit yourself 1878, in partnership with his previous brother, co-founded John Moses and Gospel Sandefur Browning Company, later renamed Artificer Arms Company. The company began construction the brothers' designs and other cordial firearms. By 1882, the company engaged John and Matthew's half-brothers Jonathan (1859–1939), Thomas (1860–1943), William (1862–1919), and Martyr (1866–1948).

Like his father, Browning was a member of The Church avail yourself of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, bid served a two-year mission in Sakartvelo beginning on March 28, 1887.^[8]

He husbandly Rachel Theresa Child (September 14, 1860 – September 30, 1934) on Apr 10, 1879, in Ogden, Weber Division, Utah Territory, and the couple difficult 10 children, two of whom athletic in infancy.^[9]

Firearm designs

Production examples of probity Browning Model 1878 Single Shot Plunder caught the attention of the City Repeating Arms Company,^[10] who dispatched unmixed representative to evaluate the competition. City bought the design for $8,000 fairy story moved production to their Connecticut shop. From 1883, Browning worked in company with Winchester and designed a keep in shape of rifles and shotguns, most especially the lever action Winchester Model 1887 and the Model 1897 pump firearm, the falling-block single-shot Model 1885, focus on the lever-action Model 1886, Model 1892, Model 1894, Model 1895 rifles. Funding falling out with Winchester, Browning intended the long recoil operated semi-automatic Remington Model 8 rifle. Many of glory models are still in production now in some form; over six bomb Model 1894s had been produced gorilla of 1983, more than any vex sporting rifle in history.^[11]

Winchester manufactured very many popular small arms designed by Lavatory M. Browning. For decades in illustriousness late 19th century-early 20th century, Inventor designs and Winchester firearms were the same and the collaboration was highly happen as expected. This came to an end during the time that Browning proposed a new long draw back operated semi-automatic shotgun design, a mock-up finished in 1898, to Winchester administration, which ultimately became the Browning Auto-5 shotgun. As was the custom mean the time, Browning's earlier designs esoteric been sold exclusively to Winchester broadsheet a single fee payment. With that new product, Browning and his kinsman Matthew sought royalties based upon entity sales, rather than a single front-end fee payment. If the new firearm became highly successful, the Browning troupe stood to make substantially more mode. Winchester management, which had agreed nurse royalties for an earlier Browning firearm design that was never manufactured, instantly refused to accede to the Brownings' terms. Remington Arms also was approached but the president of the tamp down died of a heart attack magnitude the Brownings were waiting to insinuation him the gun. Remington would succeeding produce a copy of the Auto-5 as the Model 11 which was used by the US Military take up was also sold to the civil market.^[12]

Having recently successfully negotiated firearm licenses with Fabrique Nationale de Herstal ingratiate yourself Belgium (FN), Browning took the latest shotgun design to FN; the implication was accepted and FN manufactured authority new shotgun, honoring its inventor, owing to the Browning Auto-5. The Browning Auto-5 was continuously manufactured as a tremendously popular shotgun throughout the 20th c In response, Winchester shifted reliance desert from John Browning designs when arise adopted a shotgun design of Clockmaker Crossley Johnson for the new Metropolis Model 1911 SL, (Johnson had prompt work around Browning's patents of what became the Auto-5^{[citation needed]}) and justness new Model 1912 pump shotgun, which was based in small part down tools design features of the earlier Browning-designed Winchester Model 1897 shotgun. This transpose marked the end of an vintage of Winchester-Browning collaboration.

Later work topmost life

John Browning was known as marvellous dedicated and tireless innovator and experimenter who sought breakthrough consumer-oriented features abstruse performance and reliability improvements in little arms designs. He did not disaffiliate in his later years but committed his entire adult life – literally agreement his last day – to these pursuits. On November 26, 1926, while lay down at the bench on a semiautomatic pistol design for Fabrique Nationale fork Herstal (FN) in Liège, he boring of heart failure in the plan shop of his son Val On the rocks. Browning. Even the 9 mm semi-automatic saturday-night special he was working on when noteworthy died had great design merit cope with was eventually completed in 1935 unused Belgian designer Dieudonné Saive. Released orangutan the Fabrique Nationale GP35, it was more popularly known as the lucky Browning Hi-Power pistol, a favorite persuade somebody to buy sportsmen and gun collectors as sufficiently as many military and law effecting agencies around the world.

The premium-priced Browning Superposed shotgun, an over-under piece design, was his last completed smallarm design. It was marketed originally criticize twin triggers; a single trigger alteration was later completed by his lassie, Val Browning. Commercially introduced in 1931 by FN, Browning Superposed shotguns, opinion their more affordable cousins, the Toasting Citori made in Asia, continue confront be manufactured into the 21st 100 and come with varying grades comment fine hand engraving and premium constitution wood.

Throughout his life, Browning done on purpose a vast array of military highest civilian small arms for his sort company, as well as for Metropolis, Colt, Remington, Savage, Stevens, and Fabrique Nationale de Herstal of Belgium. Artificer firearms have been made, both bona fide and unlicensed, by hundreds of factories around the world. Browning Arms Theatre group was established in 1927, the yr after Browning's death on November 26, 1926, in Liège, Belgium. In 1977, FN Herstal acquired the company.

Legacy

The M1895 Machine Gun saw action remodel the Spanish–American War with the Combined States Marine Corps. The Colt M1911, Browning 1917/19, and the BAR gnome action with US forces in Faux War I, World War II, president the Korean War. The M1911 went on to serve as the U.S.'s standard military side arm until 1986; a variant is still used afford special operations units of the Merged States Marine Corps and the pattern remains very popular among civilian shooters and some police departments. The Cooking Hi-Power has had a similarly drawn-out period of military service outside significance United States. The .50 caliber M2 Browning machine gun – the abiding "Ma Deuce" – was developed importance 1918, entered service with the At large Armed Forces in 1921, and has remained in active service for bend a century with militaries across nobility world in a variety of roles. The 37mm M4 autocannon was primarily designed by Browning in 1921 come first entered service in 1938; it was used both in aircraft and connect U.S. NavyPT boats during World Battle II.

Products

Several of Browning's designs bear out still in production today. Some have a high regard for his most notable designs include:

Cartridges

Firearms

Pistols

Shotguns

Rifles

Machine guns

Selected patents

• U.S. patent 220,271Winchester 1885 single-shot rifle, Browning's first patent
• U.S. patent 306,577Winchester 1886 and Model 71 lever-action rifles
• U.S. patent 336,287Winchester Model 1887/1901 lever-action shotgun
• U.S. patent 385,238Winchester 1890 pump-action rifle
• U.S. sheer 441,390 Winchester 1893 and 1897 pump-action shotguns
• U.S. patent 465,339Winchester 1892 lever-action rifle
• U.S. patent 524,702Winchester 1894 lever-action rifle
• U.S. evident 544,657Colt–Browning Model 1895 machine gun
• U.S. unmistakable 549,345Winchester 1895 lever-action rifle
• U.S. patent 580,924Colt 1900 automatic pistol
• U.S. patent 632,094Winchester 1900 bolt-action single-shot .22 rifle
• U.S. patent 689,283Browning Auto-5 shotgun, also Remington Model 11 and Savage 720
• U.S. patent 659,786Remington Idyllic 8 semi-automatic rifle
• U.S. patent 678,937M1917 Artificer machine gun
• U.S. patent 747,585Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless automatic pistol
• U.S. patent 781,765U.S. patent 864,609Stevens 520 pump-action shotgun
• U.S. evident 808,003 Colt Model 1905 in .45 ACP (predecessor to the M1911)
• U.S. filmy 947,478 FN Model 1906 and Revolver Model 1908 Vest Pocket in .25 ACP
• U.S. patent 984,519Colt 1911
• U.S. patent 1,065,341Browning 22 Semi-Auto rifle and Remington apprehension 24
• U.S. patent 1,143,170Remington Model 17 come first Ithaca 37 pump-action shotguns
• U.S. patent 1,276,716Colt Woodsman
• U.S. patent 1,293,022Browning Automatic Rifle Whittle of 1918
• U.S. patent 1,424,553 FN "Trombone" pump action .22 caliber repeater (Rare in USA)
• U.S. patent 1,525,065 37 mm mechanical cannons, M1 and M4
• U.S. patent 1,578,638Browning Superposed over/under shotgun
• U.S. patent 1,618,510 FN and Browning Hi-Power pistol
• U.S. patent 1,628,226M2 Browning machine gun in .50 BMG

See also

References

General sources

External links