ocabj
Member
Haha. So much for Communism.
Who was the greatest gun desinger?
- Thread starter Michigander
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Haha. So much for Communism.
cracked butt
Member
Any contest with JMB in it is unfair.
Samuel Colt had fewer votes than Bill Ruger?
Same with Paul Mauser??
Those two would have been a toss up for me if JMB wasn't on the list.
Samuel Colt had fewer votes than Bill Ruger?
Same with Paul Mauser??
Those two would have been a toss up for me if JMB wasn't on the list.
Eskimo Jim
Member
All of the people on that poll definely made some very important contributions to firearm development however, I looked at the diversity of each person's designs.
Browning:
Pistols, machine guns, shotguns, and rifles?
Mauser: rifles, pistols. Sure his bolt action rifle is the basis of most modern rifle design but how diverse was he?
Ruger: pistols, rifles, shotguns, revolvers (did he do all the design or did he have a staff of engineers?) Took a revolver design (Colt's SAA) and made it better/stronger (blackhawk)
Sam Colt: invented SAA, but really became a producer of someone else's designs
Stoner: primarily machine guns I think. What could I own that he designed?
That's my take on the poll.
-Jim
Browning:
Pistols, machine guns, shotguns, and rifles?
Mauser: rifles, pistols. Sure his bolt action rifle is the basis of most modern rifle design but how diverse was he?
Ruger: pistols, rifles, shotguns, revolvers (did he do all the design or did he have a staff of engineers?) Took a revolver design (Colt's SAA) and made it better/stronger (blackhawk)
Sam Colt: invented SAA, but really became a producer of someone else's designs
Stoner: primarily machine guns I think. What could I own that he designed?
That's my take on the poll.
-Jim
williamcrane
Member
SAA and Samual Colt
Samual Colt received a patent for a revolving cylinder firearm. However, Colt died in 1862, eleven years before the introduction of the SAA. The SAA was actually designed by a Colt employee, William Mason, who was granted a patent for improvements on the revolver.
Samual Colt received a patent for a revolving cylinder firearm. However, Colt died in 1862, eleven years before the introduction of the SAA. The SAA was actually designed by a Colt employee, William Mason, who was granted a patent for improvements on the revolver.
Sleeping Dog
Member
AR15, AR10
But, I'd still vote Hiram Maxim before Stoner.
This thread made me sit down today and re-view a video tape I purchased at the Browning museum in Ogden Utah. Below are just SOME of the highlights of Brownings career and life.
1885 Winchester (single shot rifle)
1887 Winchester (lever action shotgun)
1892 Winchester
1894 Winchester (still available at most Wal Marts today with over 5 million manufactured)
1895 Winchester (of Teddy Rosevelt fame; Big Medicine)
Colt 1895 Potato Digger Machine Gun
Colt 1900 Semi-Auto Pistol/FN Pocket Pistol which put FN on the map as the largest firearms manufacturer in the World; over 500,000 manufactured)
Browning Auto Five/Reminton Model 11 Semi-Auto Shotgun
FN 1903 Semi-Auto Pistol
FN Vest Pocket Pistol (eventually there were over 125 different knock offs of this pistol)
Colt 1911 (who knows how many have been made and how many copies of it exist) During the US Military trials in March of 1911 each 1911 pistol was fired 6000 times; when they got too hot they were dipped in a bucket of water. The 1911 became the first auto pistol to achieve a perfect score in the tests. Served as the standard US Military sidearm for 74 years. The US Military purchased 2.7 million of them.
Colt Woodsman (developed for the military as a trainer for the 1911. The military never produced it, but Colt did).
Browning Automatic Rifle
Browning Water Cooled Machine Gun (during the military trials the machine gun was fired for over 48 minutes without a stoppage). 43,000 manufactured during WW I.
Browning sold 1911, BAR, and the Water Cooled Machine gun for $750,000-standard royalties would have been over 13 million. When asked why he settled for 750k he said that if he was younger, he would be over in the mud.
Browning .30 air cooled macine gun (1919 ?) (patent 1901)
Browning M2 Machine Gun. (7 variations) (patent 1927 - still in use today)
37mm Rapid Fire Cannon
Browning Superposed O/U Shotgun
Browning died at the FN plant in 1926
Through WWI, WWII, and Korea every machine gun used by US troops were Browning designs
Every British Spitfire and Hurricane was mounted with eight Browning 50 cal machine guns.
"... if the German Airforce had had the Browning .50 Caliber, the Battle of Britain would have turned out differently." Herman Goering
It was estimated over 10 years ago that the number of firearms manufactured based on his designs is over 30 million.
During his heyday, he averaged a new patented firearm design every three months.
This isn't even all the Browning designs that achieved huge commercial success.
1885 Winchester (single shot rifle)
1887 Winchester (lever action shotgun)
1892 Winchester
1894 Winchester (still available at most Wal Marts today with over 5 million manufactured)
1895 Winchester (of Teddy Rosevelt fame; Big Medicine)
Colt 1895 Potato Digger Machine Gun
Colt 1900 Semi-Auto Pistol/FN Pocket Pistol which put FN on the map as the largest firearms manufacturer in the World; over 500,000 manufactured)
Browning Auto Five/Reminton Model 11 Semi-Auto Shotgun
FN 1903 Semi-Auto Pistol
FN Vest Pocket Pistol (eventually there were over 125 different knock offs of this pistol)
Colt 1911 (who knows how many have been made and how many copies of it exist) During the US Military trials in March of 1911 each 1911 pistol was fired 6000 times; when they got too hot they were dipped in a bucket of water. The 1911 became the first auto pistol to achieve a perfect score in the tests. Served as the standard US Military sidearm for 74 years. The US Military purchased 2.7 million of them.
Colt Woodsman (developed for the military as a trainer for the 1911. The military never produced it, but Colt did).
Browning Automatic Rifle
Browning Water Cooled Machine Gun (during the military trials the machine gun was fired for over 48 minutes without a stoppage). 43,000 manufactured during WW I.
Browning sold 1911, BAR, and the Water Cooled Machine gun for $750,000-standard royalties would have been over 13 million. When asked why he settled for 750k he said that if he was younger, he would be over in the mud.
Browning .30 air cooled macine gun (1919 ?) (patent 1901)
Browning M2 Machine Gun. (7 variations) (patent 1927 - still in use today)
37mm Rapid Fire Cannon
Browning Superposed O/U Shotgun
Browning died at the FN plant in 1926
Through WWI, WWII, and Korea every machine gun used by US troops were Browning designs
Every British Spitfire and Hurricane was mounted with eight Browning 50 cal machine guns.
"... if the German Airforce had had the Browning .50 Caliber, the Battle of Britain would have turned out differently." Herman Goering
It was estimated over 10 years ago that the number of firearms manufactured based on his designs is over 30 million.
During his heyday, he averaged a new patented firearm design every three months.
This isn't even all the Browning designs that achieved huge commercial success.
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Here is some stuff I have seen on the net.
"As of 1990, more than 70 million Kalashnikov automatic rifles of various designs had been produced. "
" Between 1950 and 1970, a series of unified small arms weapons developed by Kalashnikov-AKM, AKMS, AK-74, AKS-74, AK-74U, RPK, RPRS, RPK-74, RPKS-74, PK, PKS, PKM, PKSM, PKT, PKTM, PKB, PKMB-were adopted."
Were these just variations of the same design ?
"As of 1990, more than 70 million Kalashnikov automatic rifles of various designs had been produced. "
" Between 1950 and 1970, a series of unified small arms weapons developed by Kalashnikov-AKM, AKMS, AK-74, AKS-74, AK-74U, RPK, RPRS, RPK-74, RPKS-74, PK, PKS, PKM, PKSM, PKT, PKTM, PKB, PKMB-were adopted."
Were these just variations of the same design ?
Dean Speir
Member
Azrael sez…
But, assuming arguendo that the man whose name is on those pistols did invent them, the Glock is but one firearm design… Stoner, Ruger, et al, are each responsible for multiple designs, and Browning's patents are legion!
BTW, as the 1911 was adopted on 28 March 1911, today is a Holy Day of Obligation among my Lodge 1201 brothers.
Not bad, Dave… I'm not so sure about the "H&K design" part, but my information is that Gaston is "more like an idiot savant with pistols," and that Reinhold Hirschheiter, one of the gnomes of Deutsch-Wagram, is the actual inventor.
But, assuming arguendo that the man whose name is on those pistols did invent them, the Glock is but one firearm design… Stoner, Ruger, et al, are each responsible for multiple designs, and Browning's patents are legion!
BTW, as the 1911 was adopted on 28 March 1911, today is a Holy Day of Obligation among my Lodge 1201 brothers.
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