Browning Brothers gun shop, Ogden, Utah Territory, 1882. From left to right: Thomas Samuel Browning, George Emmett Browning, John Moses Browning, Matthew Sandefur Browning, Jonathan Edmund Browning, and Frank Rushton
Initially, the company marketed the sporting (non-military) designs of John Browning, one of the world's most influential and prolific firearms inventors. Nearly all of John Browning's innovative designs have been manufactured under license by other companies, including Winchester, Colt, Remington, FN Herstal, and Miroku. Browning is currently a wholly owned subsidiary of FN Herstal.
Browning introduced a line of hunting boots in 1968 and continued to design and manufacture footwear through outside vendors until 2001. In that year, Browning reached a license agreement with Connecticut-based H.H. Brown Shoe Company, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, to manufacture Browning Footwear.[citation needed]
The product line included the John M. Browning collection, Field and Game series, and sporting and waterfowl lines. The line has grown to include kangaroo leather boots, rubber boots and waders, and upland game boots.[8]
Knives
In 1968, Browning introduced a line of cutlery in the form of three fixed-blade hunting knives and a folding knife designed by the custom knifemaker Gil Hibben. Over the years, the lineup has grown, and Browning has teamed up with other knifemakers such as Jerry Fisk, Bailey Bradshaw, John Fitch, Joseph Keeslar, and James Crowell of the American Bladesmith Society.[9] In 2004 Browning partnered with several custom knifemakers to produce a series of "Living History Knives" honoring famous American generals and battles. The lineup included a Liberty Tree Knife made by Larry Harley; a Robert E. Lee Knife and an Alamo Knife honoring Jim Bowie designed by Jerry Fisk; an Ike Knife honoring Dwight David Eisenhower designed by Jim Crowell; and a Crazy Horse Knife by Brent Evans.[10] Browning has recently partnered with big-game hunter, Russ Kommer as their knife designer.[11]
In popular culture
Browning was the make of pistol initially depicted in the Nazi propaganda play Schlageter, from which the quote "when I hear the word culture, I reach for my gun", often associated with Nazi leaders, originates. The actual line from the play is slightly different: "Wenn ich Kultur höre ... entsichere ich meinen Browning!" "Whenever I hear of culture... I unlock my Browning!" (Act 1, Scene 1).[citation needed]
Browning is the sponsor of the hunting show Goin' Country hosted by Kristy Lee Cook, which the Versus channel aired before it became the NBC Sports Network. The relationship between Cook and Browning started after she wore a Browning hat on American Idol.[12]
A Browning shotgun appears in the Turnpike Troubadours song "The Housefire"[13] and "The Bird Hunters".[14] The latter specifies that the gun was manufactured in Belgium.
See also
FN Model 1910 (designed by John Browning, built by FN)
