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Military Firearm Restoration Corner

Tales Of The Gun. "the Guns Of Browning"


ShooterTom

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THX!! I recall seeing it. I DVR'd the entire series but lost them all when my satellite box crashed.


If you should ever be in or near Odgen Utah the Browning Museum is worth a visit. I've been there three times. Send the wife or female companion shopping they will become quickly bored after the 20 or so minute film and slide presentation. Unfortunately on my 3rd and final visit. I found out after the theft of serial # 1 Colt manufactured 30 cal machinegun and tripod. All the full autos, short barreled rifles and shotguns, shoulder stocked pistols and all class 3 weapons have been removed from the museum to an undisclosed location. The tour guide said the MG's were owned by a family trust and were displayed by invitation only. According to the tour guide the Browning family trust has hundreds, including salesman samples, incomplete engraving projects, prototypes, competitor's firearms Browning suspected of copying his work and many others that were crated up after Browning's death and are (or were on my last visit) still unopened that are not displayed. Don't worry though there are plenty on display and one can easily spend hours there. Nearly every major USA firearm's manufacture's name is on Browning's designs. Best I recall Smith and Wesson was about the only exception. All the biggies from his era. Colt, Savage, Winchester, Remington, H&R, some European companies like FN and probably several I forgot.

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Some one stole the first 30 cal colt?

 

That s u c k s!!!!

 

Nonsense like that just burns my butt

 

I hope its not in the hands of some drug gang

 

Best I remember the MG was unfired after factory test fire. It was in mint condition looking brand new. Serial #1 will make it very difficult to hide. It will stick out like a sore thumb if it winds up with a legitimate dealer or collector. Allegedly taken during a vicious blizzard. No known visitors and the staff were all downstairs in a heated room. It was supposedly partially disassembled to fit through window and lowered with a rope. Everything including the tripod, water tank, hoses, dummy ammo on a belt all gone. Can't recall what else was taken but I do recall a low serial numbered BAR was on display in my previous visits missing and replaced with a large poster on my last visit.

 

Could be a gang but we've probably all heard stories of art collectors paying big bucks for artwork stolen from museums. It is possible a wealthy MG or firearms collector paid some pros to steal it. Seems to me the tour guide mentioned something about whomever took it had to have knowledge of the system to have been disassembled so quickly. Possibly an inside job. Like the stolen artwork it might show up after somebody dies.

 

I AGREE "That s u c k s!!!!" BIGTIME

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I remember this show. Browning was quite the genius

Yes he was!! Another thing Browning rarely gets credit for is the 45 ACP cartridge. Despite the abbreviated ACP "Automatic Colt Pistol". It was the brainchild of Browning not Colt. The very first 45ACP cartridges were manufactured in Browning's workshop.

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  • 3 months later...

Just watched this video again so I thought I'd bring it up again. Has anybody watched Midway's Gun stories on the Outdoor Channel?? Pretty much a re-do of Tales of the Gun reduced to a 30 minute program. I haven't seen a Midway program scheduled and dedicated to Browning. I just can't see a 30 minute program doing justice to Browning's genius.

I thought I have seen all the Tales of the Gun episodes many times over.
Some how I missed this one, so I thought I'd post it in case i'm not the only one. Good stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZxKOBmO4aU


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