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A Tribute to 'John Moses Browning' (heavy w/pics)

297K views 327 replies 280 participants last post by  SmilinJoe 
#1 · (Edited)
I am currently working in Ogden, Utah which is the birthplace of John M. Browning. I had the opportunity to visit the home that was built for JMB at 505 27th Street in Ogden and was built between 1890-1900. The front porch area has been modified but the home in general retains its historic style. It is on the List of Registered Historic Places in Utah.









I also visited the John Moses Browning Museum in Ogden. The Browning Firearms Museum celebrates the genius of John M. Browning, inventor of many sporting and military firearms. Displays feature original prototypes designed in Ogden, Utah by Browning, along with production models manufactured by Winchester, Remington, and Colt. The collection includes the BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle), mainstay of the US Army for 80 years. The museum also features the work of Jonathan, Val A., and Bruce B. Browning (father, son and grandson) representing four generations of Browning inventors. Throughout his life, Browning designed weapons for his own company, Winchester, Colt, Remington, Savage, and Fabrique Nationale of Belgium. In 1977, FN acquired the Browning Arms Company which had been established in 1927, the year after Browning's death.

It's not my intention to tell the story of JMB as that information is better told by books and reading on the internet. I was able to take several photo's of the collection of firearms in the museum and wanted to share them with you. All guns were behind glass and the room is very dark. A flash was required and I appologize for some of the photo's that have glare from the flash on the glass. The room is full of security camera's and all glass cases had break sensors attached. I wanted to get more information from the museum curator but it was a saturday and they were very busy. I have no idea the value of this collection but it is full of originals and prototype guns that John M. Browning designed. I was told by one of the museum guides that this entire collection was donated by Val A. Browning, John M. Browning's Son. The museum is owned by the City of Ogden, UT. I have also added a few photo's of a few of his most famous patents that were on the walls.

As you view the pictures, keep in mind that it was very difficult to acheive a high quality photo. I took over 350 photo's and my wife also took over 200. Feel free to grab any of these photo's for yourselves and if there are any that you may want "full sized", feel free to PM me and I'll do the best I can to email you a few. Please dont ask for my entire collection of photo's as I just do not have the time to respond to that type of request. The museum is a fabulous experience and is extremely cheap to visit. Adult tickets are $5.



"Lets visit the Museum"






Front Entrance









The Original Storefront (notice the glass enclosure to keep the public out)





Inside The Shop (you can see the tools on the benches and the milling machine in the corner)





This is the original lathe that his father, Jonathan, brought across the plains and mountains in a covered wagon to Utah (below)





Continued in next post ----
 
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#3 · (Edited)
The Original 1911







The 1910 Hammerless was never produced (below)



The Patent for the 1911 (below)




A Collection of Colts




A Royalty Statement from Colt to John M. Browning. Colt paid anywhere from $.25 to $1.00 for each gun sold (below)

 
#4 ·
The Machine Guns


















The BAR








"The Tribute"

John Moses Browning 1855-1926







Note to Mods: I have read the forum rules and tried to make sure that I have followed them. If for any reason you need to edit the sizes of these pics, feel free to do so. I wanted to show as much clarity as possible.

I hope everyone has enjoyed the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.


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#9 ·
You just made the Post of the Month. This thread should be a sticky.

Awesome contribution. Thank you. :rock:
 
#19 ·
Great post. Thanks for sharing.
 
#27 · (Edited)
Yes, isnt it? And the 1910 had one but never made production.

The thumb safey was required by the military when they decided to use the 1911 for government use. JMB added the thumb safety specifically for the military and its been there ever since.
 
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