Here we are, more than a century later, and some are still decrying the claim of design genius because this or that in a 1911 "could have been done better".
It is easy to see what might have been done better, when you have decades, or a CENTURY of seeing what was done and how it worked, THEN design something "better".
Even if you only look at his military designs, the genius of Browning is clear. And the military designs were only a small part of what Browning did.
The 1911 pistol, the BAR, and the .30 and .50 cal machineguns, all Browning. These designs work, work well, and break seldom. Compared to everything else in the world of the same era, Browning designs were are good as any, and better than most.
While the 1911 design is tremendous, I don't think it was his best work, in terms of historical impact. I give that honor to Ma Duce. Followed by the .30 cal in its variations.
It was Browning machineguns that gave our WWII fighter planes their teeth. It was the M2 that made the Flying Fortress a fortress. Browning machineguns on or in all our tanks, and just about every other military vehicle that had a gun mounted on it. Jeeps, trucks, halftracks, all mounted Brownings.
The .303 guns in RAF planes were Brownings. Hell, even our submarines had Browning machineguns, for surface actions. I'm not certain, but I think the M2 is the single longest serving machinegun in history. It is still in service!
I think using the "flaws" you can find in the 1911 as basis for criticizing Browning's genius is like saying Michelanglo wasn't a genius because the Sistine Chapel ceiling is a painting and not a hologram!
It is easy to see what might have been done better, when you have decades, or a CENTURY of seeing what was done and how it worked, THEN design something "better".
Even if you only look at his military designs, the genius of Browning is clear. And the military designs were only a small part of what Browning did.
The 1911 pistol, the BAR, and the .30 and .50 cal machineguns, all Browning. These designs work, work well, and break seldom. Compared to everything else in the world of the same era, Browning designs were are good as any, and better than most.
While the 1911 design is tremendous, I don't think it was his best work, in terms of historical impact. I give that honor to Ma Duce. Followed by the .30 cal in its variations.
It was Browning machineguns that gave our WWII fighter planes their teeth. It was the M2 that made the Flying Fortress a fortress. Browning machineguns on or in all our tanks, and just about every other military vehicle that had a gun mounted on it. Jeeps, trucks, halftracks, all mounted Brownings.
The .303 guns in RAF planes were Brownings. Hell, even our submarines had Browning machineguns, for surface actions. I'm not certain, but I think the M2 is the single longest serving machinegun in history. It is still in service!
I think using the "flaws" you can find in the 1911 as basis for criticizing Browning's genius is like saying Michelanglo wasn't a genius because the Sistine Chapel ceiling is a painting and not a hologram!