Although all patents are available online from the U.S. Patent Office, those before 1976 are not searchable and can only be accessed by entering their patent numbers.
What are the numbers of John M. Browning's patents?
| Number | Filed | Granted | Title & note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 220271 | May 19, 1879 | October 7, 1879 | IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
falling block single shot rifle; became the Winchester 1885 High Wall and Low Wall |
| 261667 | March 20, 1882 | July 25, 1882 | MAGAZINE FIRE-ARM
bolt-action repeating rifle with a tubular magazine[1 BrHT] |
| 282839 | September 13, 1882 | August 7, 1883 | MAGAZINE-GUN
lever action, exposed hammer, tubular magazine rifle[1 BrHT] |
| 306577 | May 26, 1884 | October 14, 1884 | MAGAZINE FIRE-ARM
lever action repeating rifle that employed sliding vertical locks; to become the famous Winchester Model 1886[1 BrHT] |
| 324296 | March 5, 1885 | August 11, 1885 | MAGAZINE-GUN
lever action rifle |
| 336287 | June 15, 1885 | February 16, 1886 | MAGAZINE FIRE-ARM
lever action repeating shotgun. Known as the Winchester Model 1887, it was the first successful repeating shotgun.[1 BrHT] |
| 367336 | July 12, 1886 | July 26, 1887 | MAGAZINE FIRE-ARM
lever action rifle |
| 385238 | December 13, 1887 | June 26, 1888 | MAGAZINE FIRE-ARM
22 caliber pump action repeating rifle; First marketed as the Winchester Model 1890[1 BrHT] |
| 441390 | June 30, 1890 | November 25, 1890 | MAGAZINE-GUN
Winchester 1893 and 1897 pump action shotguns[10 WP] |
| 465339 | August 3, 1891 | December 15, 1891 | MAGAZINE-GUN
Winchester 1892 lever action rifle[10 WP] |
| 471782 | January 6, 1890 | March 29, 1892 | AUTOMATIC MAGAZINE-GUN
cap over barrel(?!), repeating, gas-operated rifle |
| 471783 | August 3, 1891 | March 29, 1892 | MACHINE-GUN
gas-operated machine gun |
| 471784 | August 3, 1891 | March 29, 1892 | MACHINE-GUN
gas-operated machine gun |
| 524702 | January 19, 1894 | August 21, 1894 | MAGAZINE-GUN
Winchester 1894 lever action rifle[10 WP] |
| 544657 | November 7, 1892 | August 20, 1895 | GAS-OPERATED MACHINE-GUN
Colt Model 1895 Automatic Machine Gun. Earned the name[1 BrHT]Browning Peacemakerduring the Spanish-American War |
| 544658 | March 15, 1893 | August 20, 1895 | GAS-OPERATED MACHINE-GUN |
| 544659 | June 17, 1893 | August 20, 1895 | GAS-OPERATED MACHINE-GUN |
| 544660 | September 11, 1898 | August 20, 1895 | GAS-OPERATED BREECH-LOADING GUN |
| 545671 | April 29, 1895 | September 3, 1895 | MAGAZINE-FIREARM
lever action rifle |
| 549345 | November 19, 1891 | November 5, 1895 | BOX-MAGAZINE FIREARM
Winchester 1895 lever action rifle[10 WP] |
| 550778 | April 29, 1895 | December 3, 1895 | MAGAZINE-FIREARM
shotgun(?) |
| 552864 | November 19, 1894 | January 7, 1896 | MAGAZINE-FIREARM
lever action repeating rifle with a non-detachable box magazine designed for jacketed sharp-nosed bullets. Marketed as the Winchester Model 1895.[1 BrHT] |
| 577281 | March 16, 1896 | February 16, 1897 | MAGAZINE-FIREARM
pump action shotgun? |
| 580923 | September 14, 1895 | April 20, 1897 | FIREARM
pistol |
| 580924 | October 31, 1896 | April 20, 1897 | FIREARM
Colt 1900 automatic pistol[10 WP] |
| 580925 | October 31, 1896 | April 20, 1897 | FIREARM
pistol |
| 580926 | October 31, 1896 | April 20, 1897 | FIREARM |
| 632094 | February 17, 1899 | August 29, 1899 | BOLT-GUN
single shot 22 caliber plinking rifle known as the Winchester Model 1900[1 BrHT] |
| 659507 | February 8, 1900 | October 9, 1900 | RECOIL-OPERATED FIREARM
revolutionary autoloading shotgun. It would be manufactured by Fabrique Nationale in 1903 and by Remington Arms Company in 1905.(Model 11) [1 BrHT] FN/Browning Auto 5 shotgun, also Remington Model 11[10 WP] |
| 659786 | June 6, 1900 | October 16, 1900 | RECOIL-OPERATED FIREARM
first successful autoloading high-power rifle[1 BrHT]; Remington Arms Company in 1906 as Model 8 |
| 660244 | November 15, 1899 | October 23, 1900 | MACHINE FOR LOADING FEED BELTS FOR MACHINE GUNS |
| 678937 | June 19, 1900 | July 23, 1901 | AUTOMATIC GUN
His next design, the Model 1917, US patent #678,937 was a recoil-powered automatic gun like the Maxims. It was called Model 1917 because in that year, on the verge of entering the war in Europe, the Army found itself completely lacking in modern automatic weapons. In February, 1917, Browning performed a demonstration at Congress Heights for the benefit of the press, members of Congress, and various foreign representatives. He brought the recoil operated gun he patented in 1901, and also a gas-operated automatic rifle, the BAR. Both weapons were successfully demonstrated, and began production shortly before the war's end.[4 Pulse] |
| 689283 | March 18, 1901 | December 17, 1901 | AUTOMATIC FIREARM
shotgun |
| 708794 | November 7, 1901 | September 9, 1902 | AUTOMATIC FIREARM
pistol |
| 710094 | January 11, 1902 | September 30, 1902 | MAGAZINE-GUN
rifle or shotgun |
| 730870 | May 6, 1899 | June 16, 1903 | RECOIL-OPERATED FIREARM
shotgun |
| 747585 | April 3, 1902 | December 22, 1903 | AUTOMATIC FIREARMS
Colt 1903 automatic pistol[10 WP] |
| 781765 | July 10, 1903 | February 7, 1905 | MAGAZINE-GUN
pump action shotgun that would become the Stevens Model 520[1 BrHT] |
| 808003 | May 25, 1905 | December 19, 1905 | FIREARMS
Colt Model 1905 in 45 ACP (predecessor to the M1911)[10 WP] |
| 812326 | June 30, 1904 | February 13, 1906 | RECOIL-BRAKE FOR AUTOMATIC GUNS |
| 818739 | August 18, 1905 | April 24, 1906 | FIREARM
pistol |
| 947478 | June 21, 1909 | January 25, 1910 | SAFETY DEVICE FOR FIREARMS
FN Model 1905 and Colt Vest Pocket in 25 ACP[10 WP] |
| 984519 | February 17, 1910 | February 14, 1911 | FIREARM
Model 1911 .45 caliber pistol |
| 1065341 | March 20, 1913 | June 24, 1913 | TAKE-DOWN CONSTRUCTION FOR FIREARMS
Browning .22 Automatic Rifle[10 WP] |
| 1083384 | November 19, 1912 | January 6, 1914 | FIREARM
semi-automatic 22 caliber rifle. Remington also produced this rifle as the Model 24.[1 BrHT] |
| 1143170 | November 26, 1913 | June 15, 1915 | FIREARM
pump shotgun that would be marketed as the Remington Model 17. It was John M. Browning's last repeater-type shotgun.[1 BrHT] |
| 1202024 | August 18, 1914 | October 24, 1916 | FIREARM
rifle |
| 1276716 | March 30, 1917 | August 27, 1918 | FIREARM
Colt Woodsman[10 WP] |
| 1293022 | August 1, 1917 | February 4, 1919 | AUTOMATIC MACHINE-RIFLE
Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) |
| 1372336 | April 27, 1920 | March 22, 1921 | FIREARM
rifle |
| 1424553 | July 26, 1919 | August 1, 1922 | FIREARM
FN "Trombone" pump action .22 cal repeater (Rare in USA)[10 WP] |
| 1464864 | September 27, 1921 | August 14, 1923 | FIREARM
rifle |
| 1525065 | December 15, 1923 | February 3, 1925 | AUTOMATIC FIREARM
37mm automatic cannon[10 WP] |
| 1533966 | December 6, 1922 | April 14, 1925 | AUTOMATIC RIFLE |
| 1533967 | December 29, 1922 | April 14, 1925 | AUTOMATIC RIFLE |
| 1533968 | January 6, 1923 | April 14, 1925 | AUTOMATIC RIFLE |
| 1578638 | October 15, 1923 | March 30, 1926 | FIREARM
Browning Superposed over/under shotgun[10 WP] |
| 1618510 | June 28, 1923 | February 22, 1927 | AUTOMATIC FIREARM
led to the Browning Hi-Power 9mm short-recoil, locked-breech, exposed-hammer semi-automatic pistol. This was John M. Browning's last pistol development.[1 BrHT] |
| 1628226 | July 31, 1923 | May 10, 1927 | AUTOMATIC FIREARM
M2 machine gun in 50 caliber[10 WP] |
He obtained 128 patents
[5 L/DD].
220271, 261667, 306577, 336287, and 385238 came from [1 BrHT]. 580923 was found in [2 Syd]. 678937 came from [4 Pulse]. 1293022 came from [3 RKM]. 660244 is thanks to Mr. Pinto; he got it from [9 DLG]. 441390, 465339, 524702, 549345, 747585, 808003, 947478, 1065341, 1424553, 1525065, 1578638, and 1628226 came from [10 WP]. The rest came from digging through the Patent Office image collection. See also [6 AM] and [7 Stempel].
Val A. Browning was John M. Browning's son. Among other things, he was president of Browning Arms Company and created several patents of his own, including 2788714, 3018694, 3105411, and 3115063. [8 UMFA]