John Moses Browning...GOAT firearms designer?

[1899]

I just cannot help to be impressed by John Browning’s genius. He had 128 patents and designed an unbelievable number of firearms and cartridges. I don’t think anyone else comes even close to his ingenuity. Here are some of the firearms he designed:

Rifles:
Winchester Model 1885 falling-block single-shot rifle
Winchester Model 1886 lever-action repeating rifle
Winchester Model 1890 slide-action repeating rifle (.22 LR)
Winchester Model 1892 lever-action repeating rifle
Winchester Model 1894 lever-action repeating rifle
Winchester Model 1895 lever-action repeating rifle
Winchester Model 1900 bolt-action single-shot rifle (.22 LR)
Remington Model 8 semi-auto rifle
Browning 22 Semi-Auto rifle (.22 LR)
Remington Model 24 semi-auto rifle (.22 LR)
FN Trombone pump-action rifle (.22 LR)

Cartridges:
.25 ACP
.32 ACP
.38 ACP
.380 ACP
.45 ACP
.50 BMG
9mm Browning Long

And a pile of shotguns (including Auto 5 and Superposed), pistols (including M1911 and Browning Hi Power) and machine guns (including M1918, M1919 and M2).

Who else would you say made multiple, long lasting contributions to firearms development?

 

[j2kool]

you've pretty much says it all.... lol

MOUNT GUNMORE ...LOL

 

[Curtis264]

You forgot the 1887 Lever action Shotgun, first repeating shotgun made, also the 1897 Pump action shotgun, the first also

 

[1899]

You forgot the 1887 Lever action Shotgun, first repeating shotgun made, also the 1897 Pump action shotgun, the first also

Yes, there are quite a few more!

Love the Mt Gunmore!

 

[Buckmastr]

The Browning museum in Ogden Utah is worth a stop.

 

[450yukon]

Yes, there are quite a few more!

Love the Mt Gunmore!

I think Arthur Savage should have a spot on the mountain too.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

The Browning museum in Ogden Utah is worth a stop.

This book does a pretty good job if you can't make it there.

https://www.amazon.ca/Browning-John-Book-12980/dp/B0013RB8HS

Grizz

 

[nowarningshot]

Goat......not even close. Coming on a century since his death, many of his designs still in use. Set the Foundation for further development. Everyone else stands on the shoulders of this giant.

 

[mikeyb]

Goat......not even close. Coming on a century since his death, many of his designs still in use. Set the Foundation for further development. Everyone else stands on the shoulders of this giant.

GOAT in this case means "greatest of all time", FYI. Which he is.

 

[tiriaq]

Not to denigrate JMB in any way, but don't overlook Maxim. He had belt fed machine guns in production and on the market years before John Browning attached a flapper and pull rod to the muzzle of a '73 Winchester. As far as patents goes, he had way more than Browning, covering a wide variety of technologies.

 

[slarsen47]

I never cease to be amazed at the great genius of men that lived in that golden era 100+ years ago.

Without benefit of all the things we have at our disposal today what they accomplished is so remarkable.

 

[SuperCub]

Paul Mauser should be mentioned in this thread as well and near the top of the list.

 

[TT1900]

Any list of the greats should include Hugo Schmeisser. Redefined what a modern battle rifle should be.

 

[grauhanen]

Not to denigrate JMB in any way, but don't overlook Maxim. He had belt fed machine guns in production and on the market years before John Browning attached a flapper and pull rod to the muzzle of a '73 Winchester. As far as patents goes, he had way more than Browning, covering a wide variety of technologies.

Indeed. Hiram Maxim was an inventor of many things, including the first automatic gun to go into production, the Maxim gun, but most of his patents were not firearms related. Maxim was advised that if he wanted to make lots of money he should invent something that would allow Europeans to kill each other more efficiently. It's sobering and saddening to note that machine guns based on Maxim's design were responsible for more firearms deaths in all armies in WWI than any other. Only artillery killed more men in action.

Of course disease in the form of the 1918 pandemic killed killed many more people worldwide than the total WWI deaths, miliatary and civilian, due to all causes.

 

[SHELL SHUCKER]

Richard Gatling definitely deserves a place in this group of inventors. His gun (1st developed in 1861) was continually improved by Gatling as ammunition & propellant advanced. Gatling himself also was the 1st to fit an electric motor to his Model 1893, ten barrel gun in .30-40 Krag which could hit 1500 rounds per minute back around the late 1890's.

The Father of the Minigun.

 

[Curtis264]

I told a friend about this thread and he asked where is Bill Ruger in all these names

 

[1899]

I never cease to be amazed at the great genius of men that lived in that golden era 100+ years ago.

Without benefit of all the things we have at our disposal today what they accomplished is so remarkable.

Yes, all of the men mentioned are remarkable. What an era.

 

[Arietta]

Maxim for machine guns. Burgess for lever actions. Peabody for falling blocks. Anson and Deeley for boxlock shotguns. All came before Browning. Not to say Browning wasn't great just not the greatest of all time.

 

[Curtis264]

I have been buying firearms that have some historic meaning, inventors like Browning, Tyler Henry and Christopher Spencer

 

[anglia2]

I'd include Vaclav Holek , Simonov and Tokarev in the list of great designers as well . Not as prolific as JMB , but they definitely had an impact on firearms design .