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The Magnum Opus of John Browning

  • The 1911...

    Votes: 42 54.5%
  • The Auto 5....

    Votes: 1 1.3%
  • The 1894....

    Votes: 5 6.5%
  • The BAR......

    Votes: 1 1.3%
  • The Superposed.....

    Votes: 1 1.3%
  • The Model 12......

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • The "Ma Deuce" M2.....

    Votes: 15 19.5%
  • The 1886....

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • The Hi-Power....

    Votes: 10 13.0%
  • Other......

    Votes: 2 2.6%

  • Total voters
    77
  • Poll closed .
Messages
2,553
Reactions
6,178
The thread posted up about the Hi-Power got me to thinking......"What was John Browning's greatest Firearm achievement?"

My vote would be the M1911 followed by the 1894.

E
 
Agreed, they are all great. But my vote went to the 1911. I think it can be argued that of all his great guns, the 1911 has had more impact, became more ubiquitous, been copied more often, been carried and used by more people. It's just a real classic, one that has very well stood the test of time.
 
Consarn it ... impossible vote. I couldn't decide between the 1911 and Winchester 1894. Since I see the 1911 is getting sufficient love, I had to throw one to the '94. But pretty much all of them on that list are a classic to one degree or another. :)
 
Before the turdstrom starts, let's agree that a lifetime of innovation cannot be summed up in one achievement. To choose one would be a disservice to the greatness of the others. Also a couple of your choices are derivatives of others both on and off the list. The M2 is derived from the earlier machine guns of 1917 and 1919. The hi power (in its originally designed single stack configuration) is derived from the 1911, but as an improvement with half the parts, and bowing to the call for a 9MM. Personally I would choose them all.
 
How in heck am I supposed to choose from such a great list, and even worse, there were many more that are not on this list that deserve equal lovin! Still, etrain16 nailed it with the 1911, one of the greatest firearms of all time and there has never been any thing to come after that even comes close to the shadow cast by that iconic pistol!
 
My vote went to the 1911....Defender of Home , Self and Country... Winner of many a pistol match and a pistol that I know I can depend on.
That said , I wonder just how much game has fallen to a hunter with a 1894 rifle or a Model 12 shotgun ?
Andy
 
94..followed by 1911,Model 11 /Auto 5, 1903,BAR,BHP.
Of course these are personal opinions..Its like asking which of the 10 Commandments is best?
All are equally necessary and perfect in their own way.
 
When the widow of my late friend asked me one day to go in her backyard and dig up an ammo can that had been buried by her late husband, I had no idea what I would find.
She told me that there was some cash inside that she wanted, but I could keep anything else that I found.
To my utter amazement, I retrieved a plastic bag with a 1911 Colt pistol all covered up in brown wheel bearing grease.
The wood grips were in a separate bag. As I started to wipe off the grease I discovered a 1968 Colt National Match.
It was my first 1911 that I had ever held and remains my most coveted, as it brings back great memories of my late friend.

eddystone & national match 004.JPG
 
Sorry folks, but the High Power doesn't belong on the list!!! JM Browning didn't actually design it, and he passed away before the designs had even been completed and tested! It was his idea as an improvement of the 1911 that he felt would make a better pistol then his earlier design for which he was never quite satisfied with, especially after the Army requested significant changes to his pure design!
 
Uri, to a degree you are correct. Concept wise I would give that to JMB, the final execution, sadly, was left to others. The drawings are out there, other than the magazine capacity, it stayed pretty true to his vision.

Still a Damn fine pistol.
 
I cast my vote for the 1911, it's certainly his most prolific design, still being mass produced some 106 years later...

But honestly, the list would make a most complete collection for any firearms aficionado...

The genius of John Moses Browning, his impact on the firearms industry and his continuing impact nearly a hundred years after his death cannot be denied.

image.jpeg

Edited to correct 116 years to 106 years, evidently I can't seem to do mental mathematics anymore...
 
Last Edited:

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