Posted on 01/21/2012 8:14:24 AM PST by JRandomFreeper
In 1855, John Browning was born. He was a gifted gunmaker that gave us many great weapons that survive to this day.
Happy Birthday!
Browning took a royalty of only a dollar for his .30 caliber machine gun. According to the book, it was worth literally millions but Browning said something like those boys were giving their lives over there and he could not see charging for a gun which was to help win the war. bingo... never happen again
I can think of one (actually two - they tend to come in pairs) other “object” (given being of the proper caliber)....
To be fair, the "Gun that Won the West" was the 1873 Winchester repeating rifle based on the "Volcanic" pistol which was developed when Browning was only 3 years old. Browning took that design and made it stonger, more able to handle large caliber rounds.
I guess I should have specified perfect man-made object.
You are right that the 1873 was the real gun that won the West but it is not very similar to the Browning lever actions at all.
The 1873 was a weak action using a toggle lock. The various Browning lever actions such as the 1886, 92, 94 and 95 all used a locking block similar to falling block single shot rifles except they locked in back. A far stronger system.
Most of Browning’s designs were never manufactured because Winchester (or Colt) would buy the patents just to keep other companies from using them.
It is amazing when you realize that most guns on the market today are based on 1890s designs. The period from the 1850s to 1890s saw an incredible evolution in gun design and manufacturing. In 1867, the muzzle loading cap and ball revolver reigned supreme, yet just 30 years later, Browning had designed the automatic pistol which later became the model 1911.
I'm looking for good prices on components.
My brother, doing his part for JMB day, was hitting most of the gun stores, and he called me to say that 30-30 was going for as much as $2/round. Given that I've got an old box of Winchester marked $8.99, I demured, and told him I would reload.
He did say that Cabella's had good prices on reloading supplies. But that the price on ammo at Cheaper Than Dirt was really high right now.
/johnny
Two of Brownings inventions are almost totally dominant in all modern firearms. Gas operation and the pistol slide.
I was telling my brother to look for lead soft points. And they have that big flat face that measures about .15
Looks like time for me to hit the books and research what is new in the world of 30-30s.
/johnny
The guys at chuckhawks.com were getting 1” groups at 100 yds. with a Win94, and 3/4” groups with a Marlin 336 with the 160 gr. .30-30 Flex-Tips....
Don’t forget his Browning Auto 5 shotgun!
Mine was made in 1930 and is in beautiful shape! Shoots good too!
Don’t forget the Browning Automatic Rifle. The third of the deadly trio. If you get a chance to see, or have seen, Charlton Heston’s private gun vault, you would see near a dozen BARs.....
I never could get used to that round end of the action when I was shooting on the wing. It stopped my eye for just long enough to screw up my shots. I'll stick with my model 12 for bird hunting. ;) Maybe if I had started with the Browning, it wouldn't be a problem. Grandad was tough on the ducks with it. But I can't shoot it worth a darn.
/johnny
"From my cold dead hands"
I believe that I'll be reloading with those.
Thanks again.
/johnny
Not only the 1894 but the Browning Auto 5, one of the great shotguns of all time.
Well, to give them credit they did have the Henry Repeater to work from. Of course that one was invented by B. Tyler Henry, so they can’t actually claim that one either. I am not sure if the 1866 winchester was their design or not, I think it was simply an improvement on the Henry.
Check out the Leverevolution(spelling?)ammo with the flex tip that does the same as the flat tip(keeps the rounds from going off in the mag)plus gives them better ballistics and better accuracy. Cheaper than dirt and MidwayUSA both have them, good places to read up on them.
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