Customer Reviews

The History of Browning Firearms: Fortifications Around the World

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I need to stop buying books just because they cover the subject of my interest. This is the second time I got burned recently on a Browning book. There is no HISTORY LESSON here, this is awful. Plagiarism from other authors and images scanned and duplicated out of other publications. No research was conducted, that becomes obvious by the lack of understanding the author has on Brownings. Looks like he used segments out of other books to paste together his text. This was not produced for the love of collecting or the subject matter, this was clearly slapped together for the sake of getting our money! I am a sucker for having ordered this, I wish I could return it... oh well, there is always Goodwill accepting donations!

This is a total waste of money. This author just copied bits of information from notable FN & Browning researchers / authors like Anthony Vanderlinden, H.M. Shirley, Ned Schwing and Curt Gentry. This book does not qualify as an entry-level history book either as it is littered with factual errors. Stick with the experts, the pictures too have all been published previously so there is no advantage in getting this.

Very interesting book about the greatest gun designer ever lived.
As engineer and owner of a 1911 I found this book very interesting. This is a kind of history lesson I like!

The History of Browning Firearms uses a visual approach to capture the history of one John Browning's contributions to gunsmithing - and shows that Browning's efforts, important as they were, reflected a strong family interest in gunsmithing innovation. Chapters tell how Browning inherited the family business and patented unique productions that were to change the design and manufacture of guns decades later. From a general company history to surveys of special innovations, any gun owner must have this.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

The story of John Moses Browning and his inventions.
It gives a clear look on his live, and on his arms.
Most of his inventions are still in use today.
A must have for the one who is interested in the development of the fire arms from the single shot breech loader up till the modern fire arms of the 2000 century

David Miller, the author of this excellent book, is a former British military officer and writer for Janes and other military publishers. His expertise, graceful style, and thorough research are attractively packaged in this beautifully illustrated book on John M. Browning and the firearms he designed.

The book itself has the slick eye-appeal of something designed for a coffee table and its photography is first-rate and full color. In fact, it's almost too pretty to take very seriously.

The narrative, however, is worth the price of the book. Miller has covered all his bases in his research, from the LDS archives in Salt Lake City, Utah, to the factory archives of FN in Herstal, Belgium.

Miller does an impressive job of combining a biography of John M. Browning with a description of the family of firearms he designed, including a couple (like the M-2 .50 caliber machine gun) which are still in use today by American soldiers their allies around the world today. Browning was a patriot and would doubtless be pleased to know the high regard in which some of his firearms are held by American soldiers, police officers and sportsmen.

I enjoyed this book and gave it five stars. If you're interested in firearms and their development, or in Browning's designs, you will like this book. The only thing it lacks is a good bibliography.

This book gives a great overview of Browning firearms and Mr. Browning. It does not give as much detail on specific guns, but overviews them. Still a great gift item for any Browning enthusiast.

I found this book to be well written and lavishly illustrated, an informative history of the man John Browning and his genius in firearms design. It is a library of essential information on production, sales numbers, and brand identification, an important prelude to other books about Remington, Winchester, and other major firearms manufacturers.

As a weapons armorer and gunsmith, learning about John Browning and the evolution of weapons is an outstanding read. You learn about John from the humble beginnings to his legacy as the best weapons designer of all-time. His influence is felt as much today as when his weapons were invented. A must have for gun historians.

The Browning gun design firm was influential in the field of American firearms ever since it was founded in Utah in 1855. For the most part, the history of Browning Firearms is about the founder's son, John Browning (1855-1926), who came into the business in the latter 1800s and headed it for decades until his death. John sold designs for hundreds of firearms to companies which then manufactured them in quantity. Because of the popularity of the Browning firearms both in their design and performance, copies of them were produced by other manufacturers; but these were inferior to authentic Brownings. Beyond the pistols, rifles, and shotguns familiar to many, Browning designed machine guns and automatic rifles for the military since the 1890s, and also knives for outdoorsmen. A complete, mostly photographic, introduction to the history of the famed Browning Firearms and the variety of its products.