founded in 1880
Ogden, Utah
- 1880 founded by brothers John Moses Browning (1855-1926) and Matthew Browning (1859-1923) in Ogden, Utah
- Oct. 7, 1879 Patent granted to the single shot rifle
- Spring, 1883 Vice-President of Winchester comes to Ogden and forms an alliance
- October 1884 – Winchester Model 1886
- Feb. 16, 1886 – Winchester Model 1887
- Mar. 28, 1887 two years as a Mormon missionary
- Dec. 13, 1887 Winchester Model 1890
- Feb. 17, 1910 45 caliber semi-automatic pistol patented
- so much more, stay tuned
Browning
One Browning Place
Morgan UT 84050
800-333-3288
browning.com
About Browning Arms Company
Browning traces its roots to the Ogden, Utah gun shop of brothers John Moses Browning and Matthew Sandefur Browning, who began producing John’s single-shot rifle in 1878, about 600 of them. That rifle was licensed to Winchester as the Model 1885, the start of a long partnership that produced the Winchester Models 1886, 1887, 1892, 1894 and 1895. John Browning went on to design the 1911 pistol, the Browning Automatic Rifle and the M2 machine gun, firearms that shaped American military and civilian shooting for more than a century.
Browning’s relationship with Fabrique Nationale of Belgium grew until FN became Browning’s chief manufacturer, and John Browning died at the FN factory in 1926. FN acquired the Browning company outright in 1977, and Browning remains a wholly owned subsidiary of FN Herstal. As of 2026 the company is headquartered at One Browning Place in Morgan, Utah, and markets shotguns such as the Citori and A5, BAR and X-Bolt rifles, Buck Mark pistols, and Winchester-brand firearms, along with knives, apparel and accessories.
Key Facts
- 1878: The Browning brothers begin producing John Browning’s single-shot rifle in Ogden, Utah
- 1885: Winchester adopts the design as the Winchester Model 1885
- 1926: John Moses Browning dies at the FN factory in Belgium
- 1977: FN acquires the Browning company
- 1987: FN acquires U.S. Repeating Arms Co., maker of Winchester guns
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Sources
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