The Browning Over/Under Shotgun
John Moses Browning - Designer
Often referred to as the "father of modern firearms", John Moses Browning was born in Ogden, Utah on January 21st, 1855. Besides designing his own line of rifles and shotguns, Browning's designs inspired the guns manufactured by companies whose names whisper the history of America's West. Winchester, Colt, Remington and Savage firearm designs were all based on those created by John Browning.
At the young age of 24, John Browning received his first patent for a rifle that was manufactured by Winchester as its Single Shot Model 1885. Browning so impressed Winchester that he was asked to design a lever-action-repeating shotgun. He was able to and did so, but the design convinced him that a pump-action mechanism would work better. He patented his first pump model shotgun in 1888.
At the core, all of Browning's manually-operated repeating rifle and shotgun designs were aimed to one end: improving the speed and reliability of which gun users could fire multiple rounds - whether shooting at birds or people. Lever and pump actions allowed the shooter to fire a round, use the lever or pump to eject the spent shell quickly, insert a new cartridge and fire again within seconds.
The Superposed Over/Under Shotgun
The last firearm designed by John Browning was the Superposed over/under shotgun which he began to design in 1922. As with all of his designs, this one had a purpose and it was not only a labor of love, but he thought of it as the last gun that would be banned from private ownership by the government. It is a complicated design that is very reliable - as is common with Browning firearms. The Superposed over/under shotgun was also intended to be affordable to the average man, unlike the previous over/under designs that were built to order for men of means. He met his goal when the gun was introduced and it remained relatively affordable until the 1960's when rising labor costs in Belgium (where the gun is produced) drove the price up. Inflation forced the Browning Company to stop offering it in their catalogue and in 1975 it was dropped. However, you can find it in a wide variety of grades or as a bespoke gun from the Custom Shop of FN in Belgium.
Son Val Takes Over
Before some of the finer details of the shotgun could be completed, John Browning passed away in November of 1926. He had wanted a single selective trigger mechanism for the Superposed over/under shotgun, but the gun was introduced in 1931 with double triggers. Browning's son Val took over the design and continued working on a single trigger design that was finally perfected and incorporated as the standard trigger for the Superposed shotgun in 1939. To this day, the Browning SST holds the place of being one of the best and most reliable such triggers ever designed.
Firing Mechanisms and Loading Features
The barrel selector is part of the safety, incorporated into the mechanism. Sliding the safety to the right allows the shooter to fire the under barrel first, and by sliding it to the left, the over barrel fires. Once a barrel has been selected with the safety on, the slider is simply moved straight forward to the "fire" position when it is time to shoot. The ejectors eject fired cases from the gun while raising unfired shells for easy hand removal. The action is kept closed with the under-bolt that bites into the machined in tandem lumps that are under the lower barrel. Loading is not interfered with and a clean breech face is provided.
It's not a very lightweight shotgun and neither is it shallow, but it is very solid and built to last. The beautiful, highly polished barrels and the engraving make the gun look rich and lavish. French Walnut stocks are hand rubbed and gleaming. This shotgun is an heirloom piece, something that can be handed down through a family.