Browning Manufacturing Location

[Tnichols00]

I know all of todays Brownings are made in Belgium or Japan right?
My dad has 5 Citori's that are all made in Japan by buddy has a browning pump made in Japan and I have a Gold hunter that says Made in Belgium assembled in portugul.

My questions are, what percentage are made in Japan?
Are the Belgium made worth more?
Whats with the portugul assembly?
When were the last Brownings made in the US?

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Categories:

Made in Japan
Made & Assembled in Belgium
Made in Belgium & Assembled in Portugal.

Don't know the % of stuff made in Miroku.

The wholly Belgian guns seem to command a slight premium over the guns assembled in Portugal. (Note - my only frame of reference for this are the HiPower pistols)

I believe that the firearms assembled in Portugal were done so in order to escape certain taxes in Belgium - IE the company would be taxed on each completed unit. It was evidently less expensive to ship all the parts to Portugal to be completed - in a country that didn't have a similar tax structure.

Don't know that there were ever any Browning firearms made in the USA other than JMB's prototypes / examples.

 

[snapping turtle]

Browning the company now hires out manufacure and in a way always has even in the begining Winchester did the production.. Mariko, japan is not the maker but the city they are made in but I do not know the accual company name and FN make them in belgium. The assembled in XXX. has to do with items compleated in belgium with tax and there is also cheaper labor in south american countries. SEE below Many forgien firearms companies as looking into american assembly like FNX.

Browning catalogs are always fun to look in. Browning never made a Binoc, bow, scope, gun, arrow, fishing pole, hats, pants, shirt,jacket, coat, gun bag, soft/hard case, lure, socks, pencil, pen,flashlight, cleaning kit, safe, or knife but that catalog has all of them available marked browning. They all all made to spec by others. A great way to brand things. I have never really seen browning marketed items that were not well made for the dollar. High dollar but still a good value.

I do think they have some engineers, gun smiths and bookkeepers and the catalog guys who get the company catalog ready are the Browning employess. (well i bet they are subed out also as contractors.)

Older belgium made guns and pistols will always be worth more. They are also the older models. I think the High Power was the last line totally made by FN marked browning. I think most were phased out to japan starting in the mid 1970's and the High Powers leaving around 1984. That is if you consider a FN high power a browning or not.

Miruko japan will always be worth less. Many WWII vets would never have anything made in Japan, gun, car radio TV, or even girlfriend.(Thus the first bad reaction when they started making them in japan)These Vets are now fewer and newer buyers always had Sony tv's and radios, and hinda cars. Somehow people think they as less well made in japan than FN. I think they are as good or better that the belgiums (Standard models) myself plus no japan made brownings have salt wood. I hate a salt wood gun. That era almost did browning under.

That said there were graded guns back in the day that only true craftsmen given time and product can make. That does not happen in Japan I mean even the Medallion a-bolts have CNC engraving. Japan has the best of the tool machines for higher quality CNC work at lower price.

The made here and assembled there ones arn't as respected as the made in japan or FN ones. Browning most likely said we need A shotgun that retails for 699 (price point) has the following features using the following metal and wood and the only way FN or Miroku can meet the price is to sub the assembly out.They just could not meet the price browning needed to sell them for without outsourcing. Some would question QC but I do believe that browning has good quality control even on the socks they buy.

 

[Hookeye]

http://www.browningint.com/miroku/homepage.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miroku_Corp.