The 10 most famous weapon makers in history and the weapons they made (With Pics)

2. John Moses Browning – Pistols, Rifles & Shotguns

American firearms designer John Moses Browning is responsible for many of the military and civilian firearms, gun mechanisms, and cartridges that are used around the world today. He is credited with 128 gun patents, made his first firearm at the age of 13, and is considered one of the most successful firearms designers of the 20th century.

Browning influenced every facet of firearms design, including inventing or improving single-shot, lever-action, and slide-action rifles and shotguns. He developed the first autoloading pistols, invented the telescoping bolt, and integrated the bolt and barrel into what is known as the pistol slide.

Browning’s telescoping design is found on nearly every modern semi-automatic pistol, and several fully-auto weapons. He developed the first gas-operated machine gun, the Colt-Browning 1895, which became the standard over mechanical recoil operation across the world. His most famous designs include the M2 Browning .50 caliber machine gun, the Winchester Model 1892, the Browning Hi-Power pistol, the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), the semi-automatic shotgun, the M1911 pistol, helping to create the Colt .45, and many more.