St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1918-05-18
JOHN N. BROWNING
INVENTOR OF GUNS

sporting goods dealers shonld he
privileged to take a special pride and
interest in the fame that has de-
scended upon John NJ. Browning. In
feator of the nov famous Browning
aachine gun. upon which the Unit
co States Is placing its chief depend
eaee Tor success In the war in Europe.
because MT. Browning is. himself. a
sporting goods dealer as well as an
inventor. He is a member of the
prominent firm of Browning Bros.
Company, 2449-2453 Hudson avenue.
Ogden, Utah, and his interest in his
business is said to be as great,
though less profitable, as his inter
est In his inventions OF ef-
fectiye firearms,
Mr.. Browning is a man in whom
modesty and retirement have become
almost an obsession, consequently the
public has had the opportunity
to know much about him as an indi-
yidual, although the products OF his
inventive genius are so widely known
as to be almost household words
throughout the world. Guns and re-
YoIvers Of his invention have been
considered standard firearms for
years, masquerading, albeit, under
such well known trade marks as
Colt" Winchester. and "Reming-
ton" The Browning machine gun, to
the invention of which Mr.. Browning
owes his rapid rise to public favor, is
only the climax OF a long series of
firearm inventions which have made
him perhaps the foremost inventor in
his Line.
Since Mr.. Browning's great fame,
as a result of the adoption of his gun
by the government for use in the
world war, many stories have ben ap-
bearing in the press, some of which
are far from accurate and consequent
ly the history Of the inventor as re-
lated by an associate in the Ogden
business is certain to be Of special
interest.
Jonathan Browning. father of the
inventor. operated a small gun shop
in Council Bluffs. Iowa, from 1847 to
1852, making guns for the pioneers In
those adventurous days in search Of
gold. Business was good but later the
owner of the little gun-shop also be-
came adventurous and moved his
family and his shop equipment to
Ogden, Utah, at that time on the far
away edge of civilization. Ogden be-
came the. permanent home Of this
branch of the Browning family.
John M. Browning, the inventor,
grew up in his fathers little shop and
as a boy took great delight in build
ing gums from the discarded parts
which he found on the scrap-heap.
With these -fruprsvseed gans he was
able to bag rabbits, wild chickens
and other varieties of game, plenti-
in those early days of the west, Be
fore he was IA years old, he became a
designer of firearms, whiting out
of wood two or three models for
breech mechanisms of original de-
sign. The utility of these designs
appealed to the father and they were
incorporated in the guns which he
manufactured.
In this little shop of his fathers,
the boy found an opportunity to put
into effect some of his early ideas
regarding firearms. Working with
inadequate tools and with a small
lathe that had been transported by
ox-cart from Iowa, the boy made a
model Of his first gun that was to
become a commercial success. This
was a single shot rifle, simply and
solidly constructed. With the assis-
lance Of his brothers, the inventor
turned out about five hundred Of these
simple guns, but the boys in their
small way were able to keep
pace with the demand for the product.
The plainsmen eager to buy the
guns and the market could not be
supplied. This rifle was so effective
that its fame was heralded broadcast
and at last came to the attention of
the Winchester Company which pur
chased the patents from the boy in
ventor. The rifle was thereafter
manufactured by the Winchester
Company and came tt be known al
the Winchester single shot rifle, be-
ing made in calibres from % up to
45. Thus early in his cereer the in
yentor began to veil his ability, mod
estly, behind the name of the manu-
facturers.
With the funds obtained from the
successful sale Of his patent, the gun
shop was moved. greatly enlarged and
Mr.. Browning, hardly more than a
boy. was well started on his inven- {
tive career. j
In the coming years he invented j
many Improvements in guns, both {
and shctguns. Among these /
inventions may be mentioned the {
1856 model rifle, the lever shotgun, S
The 1890 model rifle, the 1892 model {
rifle, the 1894 model rifle, the 1895