Browning Arms Company (originally John Moses and Matthew Sandefur Browning Company) is an American marketer of firearms and fishing gear. The company was founded in Ogden, Utah, in 1878 by brothers John Moses Browning (1855–1926) and Matthew Sandefur Browning (1859–1923). The company offers a wide variety of firearms, including shotguns, rifles, and pistols. Other products include fishing rods and reels, gun safes, sport bows, knives and bicycles.[1]
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | |
| Founded | 1878 in Ogden, Utah, United States |
| Headquarters | Morgan, Utah , United States |
| Products |
|
| Parent | Groupe Herstal S.A. |
| Website | browning |
Initially, the company marketed the sporting (non-military) designs of John Browning, one of the world's most influential and prolific firearms inventors. Nearly all of John Browning's innovative designs have been manufactured under license by other companies, including Winchester, Colt, Remington, FN Herstal, and Miroku. Browning is currently a wholly owned subsidiary of FN Herstal.
Browning Arms Company is best known for the A-Bolt and X-Bolt bolt-action rifles, the BAR semi-automatic rifle, the BPR pump-action rifle, the BPS pump-action shotgun, the Auto-5 semi-automatic shotgun, and the Hi-Power pistol. Browning also manufactures a set of trap shotguns such as the 725 Pro Trap, Citori CX series, and the Cynergy series.
Archives
editThe company's factory collection is owned by the Browning Firearms Museum at Union Station in Ogden, Utah.[2]
Products
editFirearms
edit
Pistols
edit- Browning BDM
- Browning Hi-Power
- Browning Buck Mark
- Browning 1911-22
- Browning 1911-380
- Browning BDA 45 (SIG-Sauer P220)
- Browning BDA 380 (manufactured by Beretta)[3][4][5]
- Browning BDA9 (FN HP-DA)
Rifles
edit- Browning X-Bolt
- Browning A-Bolt
- Browning BLR
- Browning BAR
- Browning BPR
- Browning BBR
- Browning BL-22
- Browning Semi Auto 22 (SA-22)
- Browning T-Bolt in .22LR, .22 WMR and .17 HMR (introduced in 1965 and discontinued in 1975, reintroduced in 2006)[6]
- Browning B-92 lever-action
Shotguns
edit- Browning A-Bolt Shotgun
- Browning Auto-5
- Browning A5
- Browning A5 20 gauge [7]
- Browning B-2000
- Browning Silver
- Browning Maxus
- Browning Maxus 2
- Browning BPS
- Browning BSS
- Browning Cynergy
- Browning Citori
- Browning Superposed
- BT-99
- BT-100
- Browning Recoilless
- Browning Gold
- B-80
- A-500
- Lightning
Footwear
editBrowning introduced a line of hunting boots in 1968 and continued to design and manufacture footwear through outside vendors until 2001. In that year, Browning reached a license agreement with Connecticut-based H.H. Brown Shoe Company, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, to manufacture Browning Footwear.[citation needed]
The product line included the John M. Browning collection, Field and Game series, and sporting and waterfowl lines. The line has grown to include kangaroo leather boots, rubber boots and waders, and upland game boots.[8]
Knives
editIn 1968, Browning introduced a line of cutlery in the form of three fixed-blade hunting knives and a folding knife designed by the custom knifemaker Gil Hibben. Over the years, the lineup has grown, and Browning has teamed up with other knifemakers such as Jerry Fisk, Bailey Bradshaw, John Fitch, Joseph Keeslar, and James Crowell of the American Bladesmith Society.[9] In 2004 Browning partnered with several custom knifemakers to produce a series of "Living History Knives" honoring famous American generals and battles. The lineup included a Liberty Tree Knife made by Larry Harley; a Robert E. Lee Knife and an Alamo Knife honoring Jim Bowie designed by Jerry Fisk; an Ike Knife honoring Dwight David Eisenhower designed by Jim Crowell; and a Crazy Horse Knife by Brent Evans.[10] Browning has recently partnered with big-game hunter, Russ Kommer as their knife designer.[11]
In popular culture
editBrowning was the make of pistol initially depicted in the Nazi propaganda play Schlageter, from which the quote "when I hear the word culture, I reach for my gun", often associated with Nazi leaders, originates. The actual line from the play is slightly different: "Wenn ich Kultur höre ... entsichere ich meinen Browning!" "Whenever I hear of culture... I unlock my Browning!" (Act 1, Scene 1).[citation needed]
Browning is the sponsor of the hunting show Goin' Country hosted by Kristy Lee Cook, which the Versus channel aired before it became the NBC Sports Network. The relationship between Cook and Browning started after she wore a Browning hat on American Idol.[12]
A Browning shotgun appears in the Turnpike Troubadours song "The Housefire"[13] and "The Bird Hunters".[14] The latter specifies that the gun was manufactured in Belgium.
See also
edit- FN Model 1910 (designed by John Browning, built by FN)
- M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle
References
edit- ^ "Outdoor Gear - Browning". www.browning.com. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ Nicholson, Ben. "21. John M. Browning Firearms Museum, Ogden, UT". Ben Nicholson. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
- ^ "Browning BDA 380" (JPG). Flickr. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
- ^ A.E. Hartink, Encyklopedia pistoletów i rewolwerów, DEBIT 2002. ISBN 83-7167-181-4
- ^ Ian Hogg & Rob Adam, Jane's Guns Recognition Guide, HarperCollins, 1996 ed., 512 p. (ISBN 978-0-00-470979-6)
- ^ New Left-Hand Browning T-Bolt Rimfires - Rifle Shooter
- ^ "It's Finally Here: Browning A5 Shotgun in 20 Gauge". Game & Fish. 7 February 2024.
- ^ "Browningfootwear.com". Archived from the original on 16 February 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
- ^ "Browning Introduces Master Knifemaker Series Collection for 2006" (Press release). 1 January 2006. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
- ^ Miller, David (2008). The History of Browning Firearms. Globe Pequot. pp. 124–125. ISBN 978-1-59228-910-3.
- ^ "Russ Kommer Builds a Custom Knife for Browning TV Show Host, Stephen LeBlanc" (Press release). 22 February 2011. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
- ^ Freeman, Mark (26 August 2010). "Kristy Lee Cook is on the Hunt". Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ Turnpike Troubadours – The Housefire, retrieved 13 April 2021
- ^ Turnpike Troubadours – The Bird Hunters, retrieved 13 April 2021
External links
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