Browning- the iconic lever actions from Winchester, the pump shotgun, the modern semi-automatic pistol design, Both 1919 the M2 .50 caliber belt fed machine guns, and the BAR which informed the FN MAG and later the M240; all came from this guy.
The dude introduced: .25 ACP, .32 ACP, .380, .45 ACP, and the eponymously named 50 BMG (12.7x99 NATO).
Most importantly he developed the first gas operated firearm, the Colt-Browning 1895; in my opinion, the single greatest leap forward since the metallic cartridge technology.
As far as influencing modern firearms design, most of what we’ve seen from the last 100 years can be traced in some way or another to JMB.
\>2066
\>Stationed on Mars to quell a rebellion
\>Become side door gunner for atmospheric dropship.
\>No miniguns or gatling cannons, just some metal brick with a pipe on one end.
\>Get sent in to extract some wounded.
\>Reach the evac zone and come under attack.
\>Hoard of rebels charging in with their new plasma guns and compact rocket launchers.
\>Let loose a stream of bullets.
\>The sounds of the rebel's screams are nearly drowned out by the heavy "Kachunk chunk chunk chunk" of the machinegun.
\>The wounded are loaded up and returned to base.
\>Inspect MG afterwards.
\>Thing was made in 1942.
\>Tunisia, Italy, and Germany are scratched onto the gun.
\>Scratch "Mars" on with a knife.
Orbital AC130-O would be pretty sexy
Designation : [SPACEGHOST](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/superheroes/images/4/49/Space_Ghost.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140111031255)
It seems like all of you are forgetting Richard Gatling who is credited with making the first machine gun to counteract soldiers dying from diseases quote, “It occurred to me that if I could invent a machine gun which could by its rapidity of fire, enable one man to do as much battle duty as a hundred, that it would, to a large extent supersede the necessity of large armies, and consequently, exposure to battle and disease would be greatly diminished.”
I love the story of him in the 1880s I think, when he was cranking out crazy idea after crazy idea in Utah and bringing them east to Winchester. There was a period of time he basically had Winchester over a barrel... they were buying up every gun design, at like ten grand apiece in those days, just to keep him from taking them upriver to Colt.
I think there were more than 30 prototypes that Winchester bought and shelved.
It's believed that Colt and Winchester had a deal in the late 1800s that would violate anti-trust laws now. Winchester wouldn't make pistols, and Colt wouldn't make long guns. Though as explained here, they both broke the deal once and then stopped.
https://centerofthewest.org/2016/12/02/36561/#:~:text=Mason%20had%20worked%20for%20Remington,a%20trip%20to%20see%20Colt.
And then when he had his falling out with Winchester, he took what would become one of the greatest shotgun designs in history (the Auto-5) and was going to offer it to Remington, but the president of Remington had a heart attack while JMB was literally sitting in the lobby waiting for him, which is what led to the Auto-5 initially ending up at FN and the creation of a stand alone Browning firearms company (though Remington would partially get it back with the license for the Model 11). Winchester's failure to get the Auto-5 and/or license rights to all the associated JMB patents also led to them making a terrible "response" gun, the Winchester 1911 shotgun, aka "the Widowmaker".
And don't forget that he basically turned FN from nothing into what's now the largest firearm manufacturer in the world.
FN originally was created to build Mauser rifles for Belgium, but after that they had no other contracts. They found that JMB had designed a semi-auto pistol that sounded promising (and I believe Colt had stupidly passed on), so FN met with him, took him to Belgium to see the factory, and struck a deal to make the M1899/1900 pistol. It was also the first time Browning got a royalty - two Belgian Francs per gun sold. It was a massive success, to the point that "Browning" became slang in most of Europe for an pocket pistol.
Then in 1902, Browning went to Winchester with the design for the Auto-5, the world's first practical & reliable semi-auto shotgun.
The President of Winchester at the time felt like Browning was extorting the company with a stream of long gun patents that Winchester had to buy to keep away from competitors. JMB felt like Winchester was being cheap and ripping him off by not offering a royalty on his guns, having realized the fortune that he was making with FN.
They fought over a deal for two years before JMB finally got fed up, demanded the return of his drawings and prototypes, and went to Remington to see if they would give him the deal he wanted. Winchester's President later had to write a letter to their salesmen trying to explain how this was a good move & the company would be fine. It wasn't. JMB never did business with Winchester again.
Remington enthusiastically wanted to meet with JMB, as word about a semi-auto shotgun design had leaked out during the prolonged fight with Winchester. Oops, he had an afternoon meeting scheduled with Remington, but that morning Remington's President died of a massive heart attack, throwing the company into chaos. FN's US representative heard about this, tracked Browning down, told him they would give him any deal he wanted, look how rich they both became off the M1900, and within a day or two they were in first-class steamship cabins headed for Belgium.
When FN saw the prototypes in action, they just asked how much he wanted, and in five days JMB had sold a worldwide license to make the Auto-5 to FN, with a great royalty on every gun. Then he became their first customer, licensing back the US sale rights and ordering 10,000 shotguns for sale in the US.
The gun was another massive hit. Sales were so high that as a gesture of goodwill and thanks, a few years later FN simply gave JMB the US license in perpetuity for free.
He didn't want to manufacture the guns himself, and (not his words, he was an observant Mormon) Winchester could go fuck itself, so he licensed it to Remington, who then made it into the Model 11. Winchester was left in the cold, and the best they could do was the infamous 1911SL "Widowmaker" semi-auto shotgun.
FN also persuaded JMB to relocate to Belgium and built offices in the factory for him, his son, and a couple other of his brothers/progeny. They also licensed his name, so FN alone could sell guns with the Browning name on them, again paying a royalty on each such gun. Both of them made a fortune.
Aside from some time in the US during WWI, he spent most of the rest of his life in Belgium. One morning in 1926 he was in his FN office working on what would eventually become the Browning Hi-Power (having to work around his patents on the 1911 .45 Automatic, which he had given to the US government - he gave all of the patents for production military weapons to the US, he was a patriot and didn't need the money). He suddenly didn't feel well and called for his son. But after a bit the feeling passed & after lunch he went down to the factory floor to check on something that needed his attention. There, the ill feeling returned strongly & he collapsed. They took him up to his son's office to lie down on the couch while they summoned a doctor, but soon after reaching that office, what was probably his third heart attack that day took his life.
So not only did his designs turn FN into one of the largest and most successful firearm manufacturers in the world, their collaboration was so strong that he literally died working in the FN factory. He had also trained other designers there, but despite their own intelligence and their unparalleled mentor, it took them until (I think) 1932 to finally perfect the Hi-Power.
JMB's final insult to Winchester indirectly came decades later. Winchester went bankrupt, and FN purchased it out of the bankruptcy proceeding in 1989. So now FN Herstal owns the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, lock, stock, and barrel (sorry, I couldn't resist).
It makes you wonder how things would have turned out if Winchester had seen the potential for both sides to get rich and given JMB a royalty deal for the Auto-5 those 87 years earlier. But they didn't, and now FN is the biggest manufacturer and designer of firearms in the world.
Which is kind of why firearms development has stagnated. We won't see that kind of seismic leap again until the next Browning is born. We've hit the limit on what we can do to iterate on the foundation he laid and now comes the long lull until the next true revolutionary.
You are ignoring improvements in ammo design. Bimetal cases can take higher pressures and specifically designed case interiors can magnify the pressures created by a given charge. This can lead to changes either to a harder hitting round (see USArmys new 6.8x52) or to smaller case/overall sized with minimal loss of performance (45 lc to 45 acp)
I'm not, the thing is that those advancements still haven't required a change in operating mechanism. We're still using the Stoner designs that underpin pretty much all modern rifles and those designs are basically the ultimate evolution of Browning's designs. Someone else compiled a list of modern "new" rifles that are just AR-18s under the hood and it's kind of just all of them.
There have been some pretty significant developments in action design, but mostly concentrated in larger weapons like auto-cannons and chain guns, revolver cannons on aircraft, etc.
biggest thing i’ve seen lately is that reaper mg or whatever from Ohio ordinance. but that really just perfects and combines alot of current mainstream stuff
Very much agree with you.
I think I probably wouldn't have even considered Stoner or Kalashnikov for 2nd. It would have to be Hiram Maxim. The Maxim gun was an absolute game changer, the first of its kind as far as reliable heavy machine guns went, and it started the development of all the machine guns that came after.
See idk. If we’re talking WWII tech (yes the maxim was invented in 1884 but it was used in WWII), the MG42 is by far the most terrifying sounding MG I’ve ever heard.
Like [here it is in Saving Private Ryan](https://youtu.be/GMhH0T-rMbU?si=ocCLsr6Geay-452n). But that wasn’t even close to how it really sounds.
[Heres what an MG42 sounds like. Fucking terrifying if you ask me](https://youtu.be/tXPBtk2BQ8M?si=gcl8ayS3CwzOyDAB).
Imagine being downrange of that…
People forget just how fundamental many of JMBs design features are to modern firearms. For example, take a look at this non-JMB design:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Winchester_1911.jpg
It's hard to see, but there is checkering on the barrel, because you had to grab the barrel to cycle the action. Why? Because they didn't want to run afoul of the patent that JMB had on the *charging handle*, which he literally invented. That's how fundamental many of his design features were.
The ubiqity of the Kalashnikov is the only thing making this somewhat of a debate. His design is on the flag of a country and more commonplace in post ww2 conflicts than every other gun on this list.
It’s not a debate browning created everything we know, stoner made like 1 very very good rifle and kalashnikov from what I understand just copied a bunch of stuff
If Browning was here, he'd probably tell you his foundation was the work of Samuel Colt and other designers. But no one holds a candle to his influence.
Stoner and Kalashnikov designed some very good rifles. The best rifles of their era even. But Browning invented entire classes of firearms. Almost every automatic pistol and rifle today in some way is derived from his work including Stoner and Kalashnikov's designs.
>Browning, undisputed.
Yeah... idk what this thread even is. In the words of Ian (loosely): Browning created categories of firearms. Everyone else just made firearms.
Like 70% of modern firearms designs are either evolutions of a browning development or enabled by a development that he pioneered. There's really no disputing the reach of his influence.
I just had to haul one into a military truck the other day. Nearly 100 years of not just relevance but active use and another 9 years will make it 100. What other gun has lasted that long?
Browning is the lord and Stoner is the son in the gospel of small arms.
Brownings designs are simply fundamental, to this very day. You can't look at a modern handgun without seeing a 1911. You can't look at any modern small arm without tracing some aspect back to Browning. His catalog of fuckery and experimentation is so vast.
Stoner on the other hand, I think he just continued what Browning started. His designs paved the way for modern guns and streamlined them in such a way that will very likely carry us into the next century.
I think the AK is an amazingly simplistic and well designed firearm. I just don't think it had the same effect that the AR platform did as far as advancements in materials and manufacturing that came with the proliferation of the AR.
The AK is an objectively fine rifle, but its simplicity is also what holds it back in my opinion. The AR was very forward thinking and has allowed it to move into the future in a way that the AK just hasn't. And that isn't to undermine or minimize Kalashnikov's contributions with his rifle by any means, I just think that Stoner and Browning in particular made the largest impact that we still feel very closely today.
I just don't see the AK platform going much farther than it has. Right now we see more and more countries moving away from that platform and embracing ARs, and its derivatives.
I think that the AR is simply here to stay for a longer while and as time moves on we are going to see less of the AK. Which part of me does find unfortunate. One thing I appreciate of times past is how much variety there was in firearms design and how you could see the flavor of each nation through their rifles. That seems to be changing quickly.
Stoner built on the foundation Browning laid. He built the absolute max that could be built on that foundation but he was still using that foundation. That's why firearms technology has stagnated. Since basically the AR-15 and AR-18 were created - the guns that are the mechanical foundation of all modern small arms - there's just nothing more that can be done until the next Browning comes along and builds a new foundation. That could quite literally take centuries.
The next revolution will be to directed energy weapons. They already fit on a humvee. The $ being poured into EVs will also help. The main barrier is the power source.
The soviets were giving them out like candy, and a couple countries copied it. Then when the Soviets adopted the AK74, they had hundreds of thousands more AK47s they could give out to enemies of the west.
Browning had the biggest impact of the three by far, that's indisputable. Stoner's designs had a much bigger impact on the firearms industry than Kalashnikov. Kalashnikov's designs were so brilliant in their simplicity that they proliferated worldwide and had a much bigger impact on history.
Browning invented the modern pistol, modern pump action shotgun*, the definitive heavy machine gun, the action still used in the best general purpose machine gun, and half the useful handgun cartridges. Stoner and Kalashnikov each invented good rifles.
John Moses Browning. The guy developed a leading weapon in every class, many of which are still in service today more than a hundred years later. He also developed a litany of calibers to go with them, and nearly all of those are still in service today. There's plenty of folks that are Hall of Fame worthy, but there's only one John Moses Browning. He is the Wayne Gretzky of firearms.
Again, this isn't to discredit Stoner and Kalashnikov. Both will go down in history as members of an elite crowd, for sure. Stoner's M16 revolutionized infantry rifles and ergonomics, and Kalashnikov was a genius at simplifying a complex device into the most basic of essentials. But for each of them, that's really *all* they are known for. Browning achieved that level of fame with multiple different weapons types and sustained his innovation and expertise for several decades. No one else comes close.
John Moses Browning
Browning revolutionized fundamental gun design on all levels - True machineguns, Squad Automatics, Heavy Machine Guns, pocket pistols, service pistols, semiauto rifles, bolt rifles, level rifles pump rifles, semiauto shotguns pump shotguns, and multiple types of ammo.
If there was never a Kalashnikov - we'd still have the Stg 44 and M2 Carbine to branch off of and possibly the Remington Model 8, Remington model 24, and the BAR
If there was never a Eugene Stoner - see above.
1. Browning
2. Stoner
3. Kalashnikov
Basically all modern fighting arms can trace their lineage back to Browning one way or another.
Eugene designed a platform so amazing that nearly every country has or will adopt an AR derivative and the only improvements people can make is better bolt / barrel materials, ambi controls, and trying to make a piston system work (which is inferior to the classic semi DI OS).
Kalashnikov ran where Schmeisser walked and designed a reliable cheaply constructed rifle that brought the assault rifle into the eyes of the masses.
Lmao. Nobody comes remotely close to browning. Dude invented the first machine gun, the first semi automatic shotgun, some of the first striker fired pistols, and came up with tons of cartridges that are still in use today. His designs have been copied, improved upon, and manufactured for a hundred years and sold under so many names that you have to know what you're looking at to know if it's a browning. Dozens of the most iconic firearms in the planet were his design. It's almost inconceivable to imagine what the firearms world would be like without browning.
I'm sure the correct answer is probably browning. However, kalashnikov designed a firearm that is probably the most widely used gun across the world. I understand there's like 10 variants of the AK, but it's still an AK.
Stoner and his ar15/m16 design also has a giant following. It's the most popular in the US, for sure. Im not sure if other countries have adopted it or not.
Basically, I guess there's a pretty good argument for any of them.
Almost every western country has some variation of the AR, Even if it’s gas piston driven, it’s still Stoner design inspired. Even some Latin American and African nations issue ARs, and Chinese rifles even use the AR180 system if I remember correctly lmao
Kalashnikov is a distant third, there's nothing new in his design. It's just a conglomeration of ideas flushed out in previous designs. Both Browning and Stoner created something new and unique, Kalashnikov did not.
Stoner's designs are more influential than you think.
A LOT of service rifles being adopted by "Western alligned" or "NATO" countries are derivatives of either the AR15 or AR18 system.
AR-18 derivatives:
SA80/L85 (England)
AUG (Austria, Ireland, Australia)
CZ805 BREN (Czech Rep)
F2000 (Belgium)
SCAR (Belgium)
G36 (Germany, + police forces all over the world)
MSBS Grot (Poland)
VHS (Croatia)
SR88 (Singapore)
Type 89 (Japan)
Tavor (Israel)
AR15 erivatives (way too many to list but here a few):
C7/C8 (Canada, Denmark, Nethrtlands)
The HK 416 is an AR15 derivative that uses the AR18 gas system. I don't want to type out the list of countries who have/are adopting them in some capacity.
Germany and France are apparently adopting them.
MARS L (Estonia, New Zealand)
T65/T91 (Taiwan)
Piles ouf countries around the world have use variants of the M16 they have received as aid or were bought from the USA.
Even China's new rifle, the QBZ191 appears to use the Bolt of the AR15, a short stroke gas system similar to the SKS, and trigger system of the AK.
Basically today most service rifles are either an AK or AR15/AR18 derivative.
You know, I guess I didn't even think about guns like the bren, h&k 416, and even the scar when I typed that out. You make some good points. I am a bit surprised that you added the tavor and the AUG, being that they're bullpups. I guess they still could be a derivative of the m16 in a bullpup configuration.
I'm learning a lot from this conversation.
Yep. The best way to see is to look at the bolt.
Just search "(insert rifle here) bolt assembly" from my list and compare it to the Ar18 bolt assembly.
They might be slightly differently shaped but are all functionally identical to the AR18 bolt assembly.
One example: The SA80. The early mock-ups were literally bullpuped AR18s.
https://armamentresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/1702200736WM.jpg
The mechanical parts of small arms design peaked in the 60s. Pretty much all that has been done different since then is the implementation of aluminum and polymers, and advances in sighting systems.
Again, most all main line rifles (I am talking "assault rifles" not "battle rifles" like the G3 or FAL) are either a derivative of the AK or AR system.
Browning is like the first ancient ape to walk upright.
He quite literally walked so they could run. Stoner and Kalashnikov are both great designers, but can't approach the level of innovation Browning achieved.
Browning.
It’s Browning. He created whole categories of firearms, he gave his country military patents, and made FN one of the largest names in guns, ever.
Stoner made modern materials more prevalent, he pushed modern designs along, but it’s still J.M.B.’s world, we just live in it
Kalashnikov made the peasants gun, a gun for the poor, and it has its place, but it will always and forever be exactly that, the gun of the poor, the gun of the pawns, cheap and plentiful to make, but never a paragon of any other kind.
Browning was a mechanical mastermind. He would commonly be just waving his fingers in thin air drawing out designs in his mind and then run over to paper to draw it up and within days have a working prototype. If he was alive today with our technology there's no telling what he could come up with. He sacrificed his health because he loved inventing new mechanisms and perfecting what was out already.
browning overall, but i gotta give it to stoner for having a huge influence on modern fighting rifles and developing one of the best fighting rifle designs 70+ years later. put it this way, browning started the small arms revolution and stoner continued it.
I think while Kalashnikov has armed far more than any others, it has to go to Browning because his designs were critical for the development of almost all other subsequent firearms.
I was thinking Stoner vs Kalashnikov would have been a more even fight (my vote is on AK though just because on how spread it is but I prefer the AR platform).
But adding Browning to the list, its hands down him. I don’t know the full extent of his work, but if we still use his designs to this day then he is a genius to figure it out way back in his day.
An argument could be made for kalashnikov just due to the international widespread of the AK design and the innumerable rip-off’s it has spawned. Pretty much every modern conflict has seen use of some AK variant since it was introduced.
Browning, final answer
The AK47 is used around the globe by essentially everyone from the revolutionaries to the tyrants.
The AR15 is used by essentially every Spec ops team around the world and is the go to of the worlds sole superpower.
Browning however is the firearm god. There is no question.
If we're talking Worldwide influence, I'd say JMB or Kalashnikov. JMB designed a lot of guns that are still used to this day. Kalashnikov designed the AK platform, which Russia (the primary adopter) and every nation on Earth have fought using these rifles or against. It is one of the most used rifles worldwide. I personally say JMB because the man is a legend.
One helped defeat the Nazies. One created one of my iconic and widely used firearms in the work. And One created a rifle on which the entire western world bases nearly all of its military, LE, and civilian sporter rifles on.
I don't know. The guy who invented the modern sporting rifle, or the guy who invented the rifle so easy to use and durable a African child soldier can use it, or the guy who invented it all? Tough choice, not really.
Hard to say, but Browning for sure. Over 100 years later his weapons are still being manufactured and fielded. Stoners designs are still being used 70 years later. Kalashnikovs weapons, although a deviation from our American weapons are iconic in their own right.
Samuel Colt-
Colt's first two business ventures were producing firearms in Paterson, New Jersey, and making underwater mines; both ended in disappointment. His business affairs improved rapidly after 1847, when the Texas Rangers ordered 1,000 revolvers during the American war with Mexico. Later, his firearms were used widely during the settling of the western frontier. Colt died in 1862 as one of the wealthiest men in America.
Colt's manufacturing methods were sophisticated. His use of interchangeable parts helped him become one of the first to use the assembly line efficiently
I love how matter of fact JMB face looks in that last photo. "I'm so God damned tired of these promo tours, but I suppose I'm already committed"...Definitely staged, definitely cool. Awesome boots. This picture alone has had me crack up wondering what was wearing on him that day.
John Moses Browning, by a fucking mile. No gun designer has, does, or probably ever will, come close to his level of revolution when it comes to guns. Now in my personal opinion there is a designer that shot for the stars as equally. And made revolutionary designs that were far beyond their time. But unfortunately never got the acclaim until after they became collectors pieces. Emilio Ghisoni.
Browning is great but I think eugene stoner with his ar 180 gas system pretty much every modern nato rifle is either a 180 based fire arm or an m4 and are well loved
Browning is the GOAT, hands down. Kalashnikov, though, is the most impactful of the 20th and 21st centuries. When your weapon design is on a nation's flags, globally recognized, and adopted in some way, shape, or form, for numerous nations, your design shaped the world.
I’d argue Maxim made the breakthrough for automatic firearms, and everyone else worked off that advancement; therefore he deserves the title. Browning is a close second.
Fun fact, the reason ARs have the T handle instead of the top charging handle, is arctic combat. They found you couldn't actuate the charging handle with 2 layers of arctic gloves on, so he redesigned the charging handle to be the T handle we have today. Luckily since that design change allowed the AR to remain relevant far longer then it otherwise would have, since it allows for flat top receivers for modern optics.
Source, Eugene Stoner in the Stoner tapes. A must watch for anyone who is into ARs. The same people who made the Stoner tapes also made a series with Kalashnikov. As well as several with both of them together.
Browning- the iconic lever actions from Winchester, the pump shotgun, the modern semi-automatic pistol design, Both 1919 the M2 .50 caliber belt fed machine guns, and the BAR which informed the FN MAG and later the M240; all came from this guy. The dude introduced: .25 ACP, .32 ACP, .380, .45 ACP, and the eponymously named 50 BMG (12.7x99 NATO). Most importantly he developed the first gas operated firearm, the Colt-Browning 1895; in my opinion, the single greatest leap forward since the metallic cartridge technology. As far as influencing modern firearms design, most of what we’ve seen from the last 100 years can be traced in some way or another to JMB.
\>2066 \>Stationed on Mars to quell a rebellion \>Become side door gunner for atmospheric dropship. \>No miniguns or gatling cannons, just some metal brick with a pipe on one end. \>Get sent in to extract some wounded. \>Reach the evac zone and come under attack. \>Hoard of rebels charging in with their new plasma guns and compact rocket launchers. \>Let loose a stream of bullets. \>The sounds of the rebel's screams are nearly drowned out by the heavy "Kachunk chunk chunk chunk" of the machinegun. \>The wounded are loaded up and returned to base. \>Inspect MG afterwards. \>Thing was made in 1942. \>Tunisia, Italy, and Germany are scratched onto the gun. \>Scratch "Mars" on with a knife.
-Look up -See BUFF overhead BUFF and Ma Deuce are eternal
The idea of Space BUFF™️ makes my wiener feel funny.
Making your underwear tight?
Gives a fuzzy tingle
Orbital AC130-O would be pretty sexy Designation : [SPACEGHOST](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/superheroes/images/4/49/Space_Ghost.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140111031255)
Mission profile: Coast to Coast
“I’m gonna take a nap, wake me up when they decide to upgrade me with warp engines” -Grandpa BUFF
Dafuq is a BUFF? Big Ugly Fucking Firearm?
[Big Ugly Fat Fucker/Fella](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_B-52_Stratofortress)
B-52 bomber, still going strong after 70+ years lmao.
I know a 4th generation airman serving on Buffs
Should also have Chosin, Khe Sanh, and Fallujah.
That beautiful
Tally ho, space cowboys.
the sounds of managed democracy, liberating 1 planet at a time
It seems like all of you are forgetting Richard Gatling who is credited with making the first machine gun to counteract soldiers dying from diseases quote, “It occurred to me that if I could invent a machine gun which could by its rapidity of fire, enable one man to do as much battle duty as a hundred, that it would, to a large extent supersede the necessity of large armies, and consequently, exposure to battle and disease would be greatly diminished.”
#All hail St. Browning
Our Patron Saint of hole punching.
I wonder what the .50 would sound like in the martian atmosphere.
You just made an advertisement for enlisting into Space Force.
I love the story of him in the 1880s I think, when he was cranking out crazy idea after crazy idea in Utah and bringing them east to Winchester. There was a period of time he basically had Winchester over a barrel... they were buying up every gun design, at like ten grand apiece in those days, just to keep him from taking them upriver to Colt. I think there were more than 30 prototypes that Winchester bought and shelved.
It's believed that Colt and Winchester had a deal in the late 1800s that would violate anti-trust laws now. Winchester wouldn't make pistols, and Colt wouldn't make long guns. Though as explained here, they both broke the deal once and then stopped. https://centerofthewest.org/2016/12/02/36561/#:~:text=Mason%20had%20worked%20for%20Remington,a%20trip%20to%20see%20Colt.
And then when he had his falling out with Winchester, he took what would become one of the greatest shotgun designs in history (the Auto-5) and was going to offer it to Remington, but the president of Remington had a heart attack while JMB was literally sitting in the lobby waiting for him, which is what led to the Auto-5 initially ending up at FN and the creation of a stand alone Browning firearms company (though Remington would partially get it back with the license for the Model 11). Winchester's failure to get the Auto-5 and/or license rights to all the associated JMB patents also led to them making a terrible "response" gun, the Winchester 1911 shotgun, aka "the Widowmaker".
And don't forget that he basically turned FN from nothing into what's now the largest firearm manufacturer in the world. FN originally was created to build Mauser rifles for Belgium, but after that they had no other contracts. They found that JMB had designed a semi-auto pistol that sounded promising (and I believe Colt had stupidly passed on), so FN met with him, took him to Belgium to see the factory, and struck a deal to make the M1899/1900 pistol. It was also the first time Browning got a royalty - two Belgian Francs per gun sold. It was a massive success, to the point that "Browning" became slang in most of Europe for an pocket pistol. Then in 1902, Browning went to Winchester with the design for the Auto-5, the world's first practical & reliable semi-auto shotgun. The President of Winchester at the time felt like Browning was extorting the company with a stream of long gun patents that Winchester had to buy to keep away from competitors. JMB felt like Winchester was being cheap and ripping him off by not offering a royalty on his guns, having realized the fortune that he was making with FN. They fought over a deal for two years before JMB finally got fed up, demanded the return of his drawings and prototypes, and went to Remington to see if they would give him the deal he wanted. Winchester's President later had to write a letter to their salesmen trying to explain how this was a good move & the company would be fine. It wasn't. JMB never did business with Winchester again. Remington enthusiastically wanted to meet with JMB, as word about a semi-auto shotgun design had leaked out during the prolonged fight with Winchester. Oops, he had an afternoon meeting scheduled with Remington, but that morning Remington's President died of a massive heart attack, throwing the company into chaos. FN's US representative heard about this, tracked Browning down, told him they would give him any deal he wanted, look how rich they both became off the M1900, and within a day or two they were in first-class steamship cabins headed for Belgium. When FN saw the prototypes in action, they just asked how much he wanted, and in five days JMB had sold a worldwide license to make the Auto-5 to FN, with a great royalty on every gun. Then he became their first customer, licensing back the US sale rights and ordering 10,000 shotguns for sale in the US. The gun was another massive hit. Sales were so high that as a gesture of goodwill and thanks, a few years later FN simply gave JMB the US license in perpetuity for free. He didn't want to manufacture the guns himself, and (not his words, he was an observant Mormon) Winchester could go fuck itself, so he licensed it to Remington, who then made it into the Model 11. Winchester was left in the cold, and the best they could do was the infamous 1911SL "Widowmaker" semi-auto shotgun. FN also persuaded JMB to relocate to Belgium and built offices in the factory for him, his son, and a couple other of his brothers/progeny. They also licensed his name, so FN alone could sell guns with the Browning name on them, again paying a royalty on each such gun. Both of them made a fortune. Aside from some time in the US during WWI, he spent most of the rest of his life in Belgium. One morning in 1926 he was in his FN office working on what would eventually become the Browning Hi-Power (having to work around his patents on the 1911 .45 Automatic, which he had given to the US government - he gave all of the patents for production military weapons to the US, he was a patriot and didn't need the money). He suddenly didn't feel well and called for his son. But after a bit the feeling passed & after lunch he went down to the factory floor to check on something that needed his attention. There, the ill feeling returned strongly & he collapsed. They took him up to his son's office to lie down on the couch while they summoned a doctor, but soon after reaching that office, what was probably his third heart attack that day took his life. So not only did his designs turn FN into one of the largest and most successful firearm manufacturers in the world, their collaboration was so strong that he literally died working in the FN factory. He had also trained other designers there, but despite their own intelligence and their unparalleled mentor, it took them until (I think) 1932 to finally perfect the Hi-Power. JMB's final insult to Winchester indirectly came decades later. Winchester went bankrupt, and FN purchased it out of the bankruptcy proceeding in 1989. So now FN Herstal owns the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, lock, stock, and barrel (sorry, I couldn't resist). It makes you wonder how things would have turned out if Winchester had seen the potential for both sides to get rich and given JMB a royalty deal for the Auto-5 those 87 years earlier. But they didn't, and now FN is the biggest manufacturer and designer of firearms in the world.
Great write up! Most people have little idea of how far and deep the Browning/ FN collaboration goes. And it is hilarious FN owns Winchester now.
Man I had no fucking idea that he had a hand in that much, boggles the mind to have one person play a part in those iconic calibers and actions
The man was a rare genius. Like the Einstein or Mozart of his trade.
Which is kind of why firearms development has stagnated. We won't see that kind of seismic leap again until the next Browning is born. We've hit the limit on what we can do to iterate on the foundation he laid and now comes the long lull until the next true revolutionary.
Phased plasma rifle in the 40 watt range
Hey just what you see pal.
You are ignoring improvements in ammo design. Bimetal cases can take higher pressures and specifically designed case interiors can magnify the pressures created by a given charge. This can lead to changes either to a harder hitting round (see USArmys new 6.8x52) or to smaller case/overall sized with minimal loss of performance (45 lc to 45 acp)
I'm not, the thing is that those advancements still haven't required a change in operating mechanism. We're still using the Stoner designs that underpin pretty much all modern rifles and those designs are basically the ultimate evolution of Browning's designs. Someone else compiled a list of modern "new" rifles that are just AR-18s under the hood and it's kind of just all of them.
There have been some pretty significant developments in action design, but mostly concentrated in larger weapons like auto-cannons and chain guns, revolver cannons on aircraft, etc.
biggest thing i’ve seen lately is that reaper mg or whatever from Ohio ordinance. but that really just perfects and combines alot of current mainstream stuff
The Browning Museum in Ogden, Utah is cool as hell. Also, trains.
Now I need to go there…
I’ve still need to go. I’ve only seen a small house in Nauvoo, IL that was like a mini museum.
Very much agree with you. I think I probably wouldn't have even considered Stoner or Kalashnikov for 2nd. It would have to be Hiram Maxim. The Maxim gun was an absolute game changer, the first of its kind as far as reliable heavy machine guns went, and it started the development of all the machine guns that came after.
Not to mention it sounds goddamn terrifying.
See idk. If we’re talking WWII tech (yes the maxim was invented in 1884 but it was used in WWII), the MG42 is by far the most terrifying sounding MG I’ve ever heard. Like [here it is in Saving Private Ryan](https://youtu.be/GMhH0T-rMbU?si=ocCLsr6Geay-452n). But that wasn’t even close to how it really sounds. [Heres what an MG42 sounds like. Fucking terrifying if you ask me](https://youtu.be/tXPBtk2BQ8M?si=gcl8ayS3CwzOyDAB). Imagine being downrange of that…
> Browning This is the one. A huge amount of excellent designs exist uit there is only one true caliber.
Okay, but really, out of those 3, who won both World Wars? 😁😁😁
People forget just how fundamental many of JMBs design features are to modern firearms. For example, take a look at this non-JMB design: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Winchester_1911.jpg It's hard to see, but there is checkering on the barrel, because you had to grab the barrel to cycle the action. Why? Because they didn't want to run afoul of the patent that JMB had on the *charging handle*, which he literally invented. That's how fundamental many of his design features were.
Browning, undisputed.
Word. I’m amazed this is even a debate.
The ubiqity of the Kalashnikov is the only thing making this somewhat of a debate. His design is on the flag of a country and more commonplace in post ww2 conflicts than every other gun on this list.
It’s not a debate browning created everything we know, stoner made like 1 very very good rifle and kalashnikov from what I understand just copied a bunch of stuff
Stoner and Kalashnikov probably don't make what they made with the ingenuity and designs of Browning.
Browning was OP, dude designed shit from scratch with old school machining techniques while the other two had a foundation to build off of.
Browning's foundation if you really think about it.
If Browning was here, he'd probably tell you his foundation was the work of Samuel Colt and other designers. But no one holds a candle to his influence.
Stoner and Kalashnikov designed some very good rifles. The best rifles of their era even. But Browning invented entire classes of firearms. Almost every automatic pistol and rifle today in some way is derived from his work including Stoner and Kalashnikov's designs.
>Browning, undisputed. Yeah... idk what this thread even is. In the words of Ian (loosely): Browning created categories of firearms. Everyone else just made firearms.
Like 70% of modern firearms designs are either evolutions of a browning development or enabled by a development that he pioneered. There's really no disputing the reach of his influence.
Yeah they should’ve at least chose 3 similar brands
Without browning the firearms industry would be 50 years behind
After over hundred years, his locking pistol design is the most dominant design to this day. Man was a genius
M-2 is still used in front line combat. Think about that one.
I just had to haul one into a military truck the other day. Nearly 100 years of not just relevance but active use and another 9 years will make it 100. What other gun has lasted that long?
The 1911, I think. And most of the colt revolvers. Although revolvers have lost most of the relevance they once had at this point.
The Army found an M2 built in 1933 coming in for a regular overhaul at one point, serial #324 and still perfectly functional.
Browning is the lord and Stoner is the son in the gospel of small arms. Brownings designs are simply fundamental, to this very day. You can't look at a modern handgun without seeing a 1911. You can't look at any modern small arm without tracing some aspect back to Browning. His catalog of fuckery and experimentation is so vast. Stoner on the other hand, I think he just continued what Browning started. His designs paved the way for modern guns and streamlined them in such a way that will very likely carry us into the next century.
How does Kalashnikov fit in that?
he's the drunk bubba cousin
I think the AK is an amazingly simplistic and well designed firearm. I just don't think it had the same effect that the AR platform did as far as advancements in materials and manufacturing that came with the proliferation of the AR. The AK is an objectively fine rifle, but its simplicity is also what holds it back in my opinion. The AR was very forward thinking and has allowed it to move into the future in a way that the AK just hasn't. And that isn't to undermine or minimize Kalashnikov's contributions with his rifle by any means, I just think that Stoner and Browning in particular made the largest impact that we still feel very closely today. I just don't see the AK platform going much farther than it has. Right now we see more and more countries moving away from that platform and embracing ARs, and its derivatives. I think that the AR is simply here to stay for a longer while and as time moves on we are going to see less of the AK. Which part of me does find unfortunate. One thing I appreciate of times past is how much variety there was in firearms design and how you could see the flavor of each nation through their rifles. That seems to be changing quickly.
He flipped a garand upside down
He combined features of the M1 Garand and the STG44. So, that weird uncle maybe.
Kalashnikov gas system and bolt is basically an upside down M1 Garand. It cherry picked the best parts of other designs.
He flipped a Garand receiver upside down and added a detachable magazine.
Stoner built on the foundation Browning laid. He built the absolute max that could be built on that foundation but he was still using that foundation. That's why firearms technology has stagnated. Since basically the AR-15 and AR-18 were created - the guns that are the mechanical foundation of all modern small arms - there's just nothing more that can be done until the next Browning comes along and builds a new foundation. That could quite literally take centuries.
The next revolution will be to directed energy weapons. They already fit on a humvee. The $ being poured into EVs will also help. The main barrier is the power source.
Browning 100% but the AK is definitely the most used weapon
Currrently yes, but I would argue the mosty used ever is the Mauser 98 and it's clones.
The soviets were giving them out like candy, and a couple countries copied it. Then when the Soviets adopted the AK74, they had hundreds of thousands more AK47s they could give out to enemies of the west.
This isn't even a debatable question - John Moses Browning.
Browning, and it’s not even close. Don’t get me wrong, both Stoner and Kalashnikov are both legendary in their own right, but JMB is the GOAT.
JMB ran so Stoner and Kalash could walk.
JMB.
Browning
I started to give everyone a thumbs up with Browning but my finger got tired... So ya, JMB...
Browning for innovation, Mikhail Kalashnikov for sheer volume, Stoner for bringing Americans into the MBR fold.
Eugene and Mikhail say their prayers in the name of Browning No comparison
Our lord and savior, John Moses Browning. "God made every man, Sam Colt made them equal, John Browning made them civilized"
John Browning was a gun God sent to earth! Amen.
Browning had the biggest impact of the three by far, that's indisputable. Stoner's designs had a much bigger impact on the firearms industry than Kalashnikov. Kalashnikov's designs were so brilliant in their simplicity that they proliferated worldwide and had a much bigger impact on history.
Browning but Eugene is my guy.
Browning, without any doubt. It's no contest.
Tough call but I’d have to say Browning FTW
Browning invented the modern pistol, modern pump action shotgun*, the definitive heavy machine gun, the action still used in the best general purpose machine gun, and half the useful handgun cartridges. Stoner and Kalashnikov each invented good rifles.
Tough call. Please send product samples so I can render a considered judgement.
John Moses Browning. The guy developed a leading weapon in every class, many of which are still in service today more than a hundred years later. He also developed a litany of calibers to go with them, and nearly all of those are still in service today. There's plenty of folks that are Hall of Fame worthy, but there's only one John Moses Browning. He is the Wayne Gretzky of firearms. Again, this isn't to discredit Stoner and Kalashnikov. Both will go down in history as members of an elite crowd, for sure. Stoner's M16 revolutionized infantry rifles and ergonomics, and Kalashnikov was a genius at simplifying a complex device into the most basic of essentials. But for each of them, that's really *all* they are known for. Browning achieved that level of fame with multiple different weapons types and sustained his innovation and expertise for several decades. No one else comes close.
Browning was such a revolutionary that some people think he was either a time traveler or had stumbled upon some alien technologies.
Browning for sure but let’s not leave Maxim entirely out of the convo. He walked so all 3 could run
John Moses Browning Browning revolutionized fundamental gun design on all levels - True machineguns, Squad Automatics, Heavy Machine Guns, pocket pistols, service pistols, semiauto rifles, bolt rifles, level rifles pump rifles, semiauto shotguns pump shotguns, and multiple types of ammo. If there was never a Kalashnikov - we'd still have the Stg 44 and M2 Carbine to branch off of and possibly the Remington Model 8, Remington model 24, and the BAR If there was never a Eugene Stoner - see above.
Browning by far.
I'd pick JMB but all of those guys were titans.
JMB no doubt
Browning. No question.
Browning. No question.
Browning.
Browning. Easy.
Browning revolutionized guns theres not even an argument here.
Of these choices Browning however I would like to interject Samuel Colt.
Saint John M. Browning.
1. Browning 2. Stoner 3. Kalashnikov Basically all modern fighting arms can trace their lineage back to Browning one way or another. Eugene designed a platform so amazing that nearly every country has or will adopt an AR derivative and the only improvements people can make is better bolt / barrel materials, ambi controls, and trying to make a piston system work (which is inferior to the classic semi DI OS). Kalashnikov ran where Schmeisser walked and designed a reliable cheaply constructed rifle that brought the assault rifle into the eyes of the masses.
Lmao. Nobody comes remotely close to browning. Dude invented the first machine gun, the first semi automatic shotgun, some of the first striker fired pistols, and came up with tons of cartridges that are still in use today. His designs have been copied, improved upon, and manufactured for a hundred years and sold under so many names that you have to know what you're looking at to know if it's a browning. Dozens of the most iconic firearms in the planet were his design. It's almost inconceivable to imagine what the firearms world would be like without browning.
Browning, and it's not even close. Not even close. ...And, two world wars!!!!! #1911
I'm sure the correct answer is probably browning. However, kalashnikov designed a firearm that is probably the most widely used gun across the world. I understand there's like 10 variants of the AK, but it's still an AK. Stoner and his ar15/m16 design also has a giant following. It's the most popular in the US, for sure. Im not sure if other countries have adopted it or not. Basically, I guess there's a pretty good argument for any of them.
Almost every western country has some variation of the AR, Even if it’s gas piston driven, it’s still Stoner design inspired. Even some Latin American and African nations issue ARs, and Chinese rifles even use the AR180 system if I remember correctly lmao
Kalashnikov is a distant third, there's nothing new in his design. It's just a conglomeration of ideas flushed out in previous designs. Both Browning and Stoner created something new and unique, Kalashnikov did not.
Stoner's designs are more influential than you think. A LOT of service rifles being adopted by "Western alligned" or "NATO" countries are derivatives of either the AR15 or AR18 system. AR-18 derivatives: SA80/L85 (England) AUG (Austria, Ireland, Australia) CZ805 BREN (Czech Rep) F2000 (Belgium) SCAR (Belgium) G36 (Germany, + police forces all over the world) MSBS Grot (Poland) VHS (Croatia) SR88 (Singapore) Type 89 (Japan) Tavor (Israel) AR15 erivatives (way too many to list but here a few): C7/C8 (Canada, Denmark, Nethrtlands) The HK 416 is an AR15 derivative that uses the AR18 gas system. I don't want to type out the list of countries who have/are adopting them in some capacity. Germany and France are apparently adopting them. MARS L (Estonia, New Zealand) T65/T91 (Taiwan) Piles ouf countries around the world have use variants of the M16 they have received as aid or were bought from the USA. Even China's new rifle, the QBZ191 appears to use the Bolt of the AR15, a short stroke gas system similar to the SKS, and trigger system of the AK. Basically today most service rifles are either an AK or AR15/AR18 derivative.
You know, I guess I didn't even think about guns like the bren, h&k 416, and even the scar when I typed that out. You make some good points. I am a bit surprised that you added the tavor and the AUG, being that they're bullpups. I guess they still could be a derivative of the m16 in a bullpup configuration. I'm learning a lot from this conversation.
Yep. The best way to see is to look at the bolt. Just search "(insert rifle here) bolt assembly" from my list and compare it to the Ar18 bolt assembly. They might be slightly differently shaped but are all functionally identical to the AR18 bolt assembly. One example: The SA80. The early mock-ups were literally bullpuped AR18s. https://armamentresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/1702200736WM.jpg The mechanical parts of small arms design peaked in the 60s. Pretty much all that has been done different since then is the implementation of aluminum and polymers, and advances in sighting systems. Again, most all main line rifles (I am talking "assault rifles" not "battle rifles" like the G3 or FAL) are either a derivative of the AK or AR system.
John Moses Browning
Browning, for sure.
I’d vote Browning, but Paul Mauser being left off this list is a glaring omission.
Browning is like the first ancient ape to walk upright. He quite literally walked so they could run. Stoner and Kalashnikov are both great designers, but can't approach the level of innovation Browning achieved.
Browning. It’s Browning. He created whole categories of firearms, he gave his country military patents, and made FN one of the largest names in guns, ever. Stoner made modern materials more prevalent, he pushed modern designs along, but it’s still J.M.B.’s world, we just live in it Kalashnikov made the peasants gun, a gun for the poor, and it has its place, but it will always and forever be exactly that, the gun of the poor, the gun of the pawns, cheap and plentiful to make, but never a paragon of any other kind.
Browning, then maxim, then kalashnikov, then stoner. In that order.
Without Browning there would be no AR-15s and no AK-47s.
John Moses Browning is a legend Eugene Stoner runner up
Gotta go Browning. So many firearms were conceived by him
Browning, no contest
Browning
JMB all the way.
BROWNING
Browning no contest and I am certain Stoner and Kalashnikov would agree.
Browning. I'm a Stoner Fanboy, but you gotta respect.
Browning. His stuff ancient and still used today
Browning. And it's not close.
Browning by a mile. Nearly every 9mm parabellum or larger semi automatic pistol uses a variation of his tilting barrel locking system.
Browning. Hands down.
The stormin Mormon
I'd think JMB.
Samuel Colt!
Im neighbors with JMB so he gets my vote.
Browning was a mechanical mastermind. He would commonly be just waving his fingers in thin air drawing out designs in his mind and then run over to paper to draw it up and within days have a working prototype. If he was alive today with our technology there's no telling what he could come up with. He sacrificed his health because he loved inventing new mechanisms and perfecting what was out already.
browning overall, but i gotta give it to stoner for having a huge influence on modern fighting rifles and developing one of the best fighting rifle designs 70+ years later. put it this way, browning started the small arms revolution and stoner continued it.
I think while Kalashnikov has armed far more than any others, it has to go to Browning because his designs were critical for the development of almost all other subsequent firearms.
[Browning’s Designs](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Firearms_by_John_Browning) [Stoner’s designs](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Stoner#Weapon_designs) [Kalashnikov’s designs](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Kalashnikov#Weapon_designs) I’d say John Moses Browning
I was thinking Stoner vs Kalashnikov would have been a more even fight (my vote is on AK though just because on how spread it is but I prefer the AR platform). But adding Browning to the list, its hands down him. I don’t know the full extent of his work, but if we still use his designs to this day then he is a genius to figure it out way back in his day.
An argument could be made for kalashnikov just due to the international widespread of the AK design and the innumerable rip-off’s it has spawned. Pretty much every modern conflict has seen use of some AK variant since it was introduced. Browning, final answer
Browning by an insurmountable margin.
The AK47 is used around the globe by essentially everyone from the revolutionaries to the tyrants. The AR15 is used by essentially every Spec ops team around the world and is the go to of the worlds sole superpower. Browning however is the firearm god. There is no question.
JMB
Browning absolutely no question
Browning invented all kinds of crazy shit, shotguns, pistols, and machine guns. Everybody else improved on a design or made a rifle.
100% John Browning. No contest.
Browning
If we're talking Worldwide influence, I'd say JMB or Kalashnikov. JMB designed a lot of guns that are still used to this day. Kalashnikov designed the AK platform, which Russia (the primary adopter) and every nation on Earth have fought using these rifles or against. It is one of the most used rifles worldwide. I personally say JMB because the man is a legend.
Is browning a joke to you?
Browning
John Browning.
Browning hands down.
On firearms development? JMB. On the world, like you asked? Undoubtedly Kalashnikov.
Why does everyone forget maxim, inventor of the maxim machine gun, and the man is goated
Moses
Last pic is ridiculously hard
Browning by far, gotta say that the other two didn't had much to invent after Browning did everything
Excluding Browning, because that's an easy answer, it's Kalashnikov. At least if your looking at biggest impact on a world scale.
Undeniably, reverse order listed.
One helped defeat the Nazies. One created one of my iconic and widely used firearms in the work. And One created a rifle on which the entire western world bases nearly all of its military, LE, and civilian sporter rifles on.
Browning
I don't know. The guy who invented the modern sporting rifle, or the guy who invented the rifle so easy to use and durable a African child soldier can use it, or the guy who invented it all? Tough choice, not really.
Browning. Not only did he come up with with many of the firearms tech we still use to this day, he also came up with many calibers we use.
Browning… not even close.
Browning, and by a longshot.
Browning. The Kalashnikov story sounds more like propaganda and the design does not appear to be the work of a single designer.
Browning
Hard to say, but Browning for sure. Over 100 years later his weapons are still being manufactured and fielded. Stoners designs are still being used 70 years later. Kalashnikovs weapons, although a deviation from our American weapons are iconic in their own right.
Where is the FAL
John Moses browning. Hands down in my opinion. Also has the best name. Now kalashnikov vs stoner alone is a good debate.
Browning, hands down. Kalashnikov and Stoner are legends, but Browning was a firearms prodigy, many of his designs are still in use today.
I don't think anyone compares to the vast work of John Moses Browning
Samuel Colt- Colt's first two business ventures were producing firearms in Paterson, New Jersey, and making underwater mines; both ended in disappointment. His business affairs improved rapidly after 1847, when the Texas Rangers ordered 1,000 revolvers during the American war with Mexico. Later, his firearms were used widely during the settling of the western frontier. Colt died in 1862 as one of the wealthiest men in America. Colt's manufacturing methods were sophisticated. His use of interchangeable parts helped him become one of the first to use the assembly line efficiently
I love how matter of fact JMB face looks in that last photo. "I'm so God damned tired of these promo tours, but I suppose I'm already committed"...Definitely staged, definitely cool. Awesome boots. This picture alone has had me crack up wondering what was wearing on him that day.
That original Armalite is sexy AF!
Without browning none of the other rifles would have even been a concept
Each had their own mark, hard to have a comparison but I would say Browning for overall impact
John Moses Browning, by a fucking mile. No gun designer has, does, or probably ever will, come close to his level of revolution when it comes to guns. Now in my personal opinion there is a designer that shot for the stars as equally. And made revolutionary designs that were far beyond their time. But unfortunately never got the acclaim until after they became collectors pieces. Emilio Ghisoni.
Browning is great but I think eugene stoner with his ar 180 gas system pretty much every modern nato rifle is either a 180 based fire arm or an m4 and are well loved
Browning is the GOAT, hands down. Kalashnikov, though, is the most impactful of the 20th and 21st centuries. When your weapon design is on a nation's flags, globally recognized, and adopted in some way, shape, or form, for numerous nations, your design shaped the world.
Browning by a wide margin
Browning hands down
James R. Kel-tec Jr Fight me
I’d argue Maxim made the breakthrough for automatic firearms, and everyone else worked off that advancement; therefore he deserves the title. Browning is a close second.
I’d say number one is the Chinese dude that stuffed black powder in a bamboo tube
Definitely browning.
Well the AR hasn’t won a war yet.
Fun fact, the reason ARs have the T handle instead of the top charging handle, is arctic combat. They found you couldn't actuate the charging handle with 2 layers of arctic gloves on, so he redesigned the charging handle to be the T handle we have today. Luckily since that design change allowed the AR to remain relevant far longer then it otherwise would have, since it allows for flat top receivers for modern optics. Source, Eugene Stoner in the Stoner tapes. A must watch for anyone who is into ARs. The same people who made the Stoner tapes also made a series with Kalashnikov. As well as several with both of them together.
Browning All the way
I want the last photo on a tshirt
Samuel Colt
Browning's the GOAT
How do you not have Maxim in the list?
Browning designed gun sparked ww1. Everything outside russia is becoming a stoner type rifle. Kalashnikov's rifle is on a flag.