US Patent: 220,271
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| Improvement in breech-loading firearms
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Patentee:
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| John Moses Browning (exact or similar names) - Ogden City, UT |
| USPTO Classifications: |
| 42/23 |
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Patent Dates:
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| Applied: |
May 12, 1879 |
| Granted: |
Oct. 07, 1879 |
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Jeff Joslin
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Description: |
| Witness Jonathan Browning was the father of the inventor and the man who taught him the gunsmithing trade; the senior Browning died before this patent was issued. This patent represents Browning's first foray into designing firearms. He would ultimately be granted a total of 128 patents.This patent covers what is now known as the "falling block", a breech block for a single-shot rifle that drops down as the lever is operated, which made loading and unloading easier. The resulting mechanism was not only convenient, it was stronger and more reliable than its predecessors.This weapon was manufactured by the inventor and a couple of brothers but demand far exceeded their limited ability to make them. In 1883 the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. acquired the rights to this patent, for whom this rifle was a tremendous success as their Model 1885, and versions are still being manufactured today. The money from that deal gave Browning the freedom to spend much more time designing further improvements to firearms, though it did not gain him any fame, as the Winchester version of his design did not bear his name.As part of the contract with Winchester, Browning agreed to develop an improved version of their lever-action rifle, the current version of which could not use larger (i.e., containing more powder) cartridges. The resulting improvement can be seen in patent 306,577. |
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