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This Week 165 Years Ago...

Smitty500mag
John Moses Browning was born on January 21, 1855. The father of modern firearms. "Amazingly, since Browning’s death in 1926, there have been no further fundamental changes in the modern firearm industry."

To bad he wasn't born a little later in the century when more modern tooling and machinery was available or at least electric lights. Edison didn't get a patient for the modern light bulb until November 1879. By that time Browning already had his first gun patient when he was 24 years old. The man was a genius. Working by gas light or candle light at night he came up with designs that were far ahead of their time. It would be hard to imagine what he might have come up with if he had a team of scientist and engineers working for him like Edison did.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/gun-designer-john-browning-is-born

Below is just a partial list of his designs.  




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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • select-fire
    The Man
    0
  • dreher
    I'm looking at his picture, he reminds me of someone I know.  I have this mind that will not remember names but never forget faces.  This will be driving me crazy over the next few days!  I scrolled back up to look again and it almost popped into my thick skull.
    0
  • bigal125
    So ... which was it, the 21st or the 23rd?

    Big Al (Hmmm, what do you think his reaction would be to the "anti-gunners" of today?)
    0
  • dpmule
    He came from gunsmithing lineage.
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Browning_(inventor)
    I visited the recreation of his gun shop in Nauvoo Illinois at the Mormon settlement, unfortunately haven't visited JMB's firearm museum in Ogden, yet.

    Mule
    0
  • Sam06
    Don't forget
    1886 Winchester
    1894 Winchester

    My only beef with JMB is his stuff was complicated. 

    0
  • Smitty500mag
    Sam06 said:

    My only beef with JMB is his stuff was complicated.  

    It probably wasn't to him. 
    0
  • Sam06
    Sam06 said:

    My only beef with JMB is his stuff was complicated.  

    It probably wasn't to him. 
    Your probably right.  The difference of taking apart a M94 Winchester and a M336 Marlin is huge.  Same thing with a BAR and a M2 both are a PITA and why put fixed timing and headspace?

    But then he invented those a long time ago.  I would say the 1911 is about his most uncomplicated thing.

    One hell of an inventor though.

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  • gearheaddad
    Sam06: 31534976554907/comments/31534977133083
    Don't forget
    1886 Winchester
    1894 Winchester

    My only beef with JMB is his stuff was complicated. 

    Dont forget the 1885, 1892 and 1895

    Winchesters.

    Not to mention the Superposed. His final project........

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  • NeoBlackdog
    I was humbled standing in the JMB Museum in Ogden, UT. that showcased his inventions.
    I hope to return in the near future.
    Forge, I'll bet he would have been proud to have had a gunsmith/metalsmith of your caliber working with him.  
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  • NeoBlackdog
    I was humbled standing in the JMB Museum in Ogden, UT. that showcased his inventions.
    I hope to return in the near future.
    Forge, I'll bet he would have been proud to have had a gunsmith/metalsmith of your caliber working with him.  
    Well, the most I could have contributed would be to fetch coffee,,,,,,,,,wait, no coffee, he was a Mormon. 😳

    Don't sell yourself short, pard.   We've all seen your work, I'm sure his first 1911's would have been even better with your help.   
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