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Company History and Manufacturing Philosophy
Company History - the Brown family’s saga from gunsmith to firearm manufacturer.
For nearly 40 years, the Brown family has been famous for innovative engineering, precision manufacturing, and quality hand craftsmanship in the firearms industry.
Ed Brown received his FFL and began business as a part-time gunsmith in 1968 under the name “Brown’s Gun Shop”. For 20 years on evenings and weekends, he honed his skill, experience, and reputation as one of the world’s finest pistolsmiths, while during the day he worked as a tool and die maker, CNC programmer, and CAD/CAM designer. Many remember some of his early innovations such as the Maxi-comp recoil reduction system, and his contributions to the 38 Super integral feedramp barrel design for competitive shooters. Ed began shooting IPSC and Bianchi Cup in 1980, and was ranked in the Top 16 of the World as a championship combat shooter.
Frustrated over the years by the second-rate quality of 1911 parts he had to work with, he began to envision a full line of quality aftermarket parts of a completely new design. On March 30, 1988, this vision became reality when he quit his day job as a tool and die maker to launch his parts business. Within months, the world’s largest firearm components distributor, Brownells, added Ed Brown’s famous beavertail, maxi-well, and hammer to their catalog. Parts production began to take off, while demand for Ed’s gunsmithing work continued to increase. His gunsmithing career peaked in 1991, and he was awarded “Pistolsmith of the Year” by his fellow Guild members, a prestigious honor awarded only to those who have shown the highest degree of honesty and craftsmanship in their work. That same year, Ed announced he was changing his focus from gunsmithing to parts manufacturing exclusively, as time was too limited to effectively do both.
Ed Brown Products, Inc. incorporated June of 1992 to manufacture a complete line of 1911 components and accessories. Custom pistol work was no longer being accepted.
In 1998, after manufacturing all the major components of the 1911, Ed’s two sons Travis and Wade joined the business full time. A new direction was established - the design and manufacture of a complete line of Ed Brown firearms, to include not only the 1911 but also a proprietary line of bolt-action rifles. The next few years were invested in plant expansion and R&D for the design and manufacture of the Ed Brown 1911 frame, slide, and bolt-action. Years of intensive prototype development and testing required the Brown family to fire thousands of rounds through their new line of 1911's, and hunt hundreds of game animals across the world with their new line of bolt-action rifles.
In January of 2000, the final versions of the Ed Brown frame, slide, and action were ready for manufacture. Ed Brown Custom, Inc. incorporated January of 2000 to manufacture and sell the complete line of Ed Brown bolt action rifles.
In 2001, after selling primarily direct to retail customers, the Brown family began to selectively establish a dealer network across the country for Ed Brown firearms.
Today, Ed Brown Products, Inc. and Ed Brown Custom, Inc. operate together in a state-of-the-art 10,000+ square foot facility. We have invested over two million dollars in the latest, high-tech CNC equipment which turns forgings and bar stock steel into some of the world’s finest firearms. Leading edge technology is gracefully combined with traditional, old-world craftsmanship under the direct supervision of the Brown family.
Be sure to take the online virtual tour of our high tech manufacturing facility. If you are interested in working for a leading edge company in the firearms industry, with an impeccable reputation for excellence and quality, please visit our employment opportunities page.
Our Manufacturing Philosophy
Ed Brown firearms are engineered, machined, and handcrafted for performance by the legendary Brown family. At our company, it’s all about the product. We strive to make the very best high grade, high performance firearms, at a reasonable price and delivery, using our own innovative designs, superior components, and hand craftsmanship.
Making the right decision about a high-end firearm is not easy. There are many
competitors offering a slew of choices. You make the right choice by picking
the manufacturer whose philosophy best fits your needs. Our firearm manufacturing
philosophy rests on 3 pillars, upon which we have built our 40 years of success.
1. Ed Brown firearms are engineered for performance.
Engineering consists of the design of the product, and the materials specification.
The Brown family is well-known for their innovation and excellence in engineering
designs of superior performance. We broke all the rules, and originally conceived
and CAD/CAM designed each model to be a complete custom firearm. Every part
on our firearms has been redesigned, enhanced, or more closely toleranced for
one thing: Performance. Only the finest materials are called for to meet our
engineering specifications. In most cases this means forgings, or pre-heat treated
steel for precision machining. Certain components, such as fiberglass stocks,
are outsourced to the "best in class" name brand vendors with long
histories of excellence. All other components are machined in-house by Ed Brown
Products, Inc.
Each model firearm consists of a specific configuration. Years of experience
and testing have gone into these specific configurations, each having been extensively
tested under a wide variety of conditions to ensure performance. Our rifles
have taken game of all types in nearly all weather conditions across the world.
Our handguns are used in competition, carry, on the range, and for home protection
by thousands of people, many of them law enforcement professionals and industry
experts. If you will depend on your firearm as a serious tool, you don't have
the luxury of experimentation. You need to know that your firearm has been proven
in the field with a strong track record. We feel there is only one way to reach
perfection and attain confidence in a firearm's reliability, and that is to
build many guns exactly the same and test them extensively under a variety of
conditions over time. This provides the highest degree of confidence and reliability
attainable.
2. Ed Brown firearms are precision manufactured for performance.
We’ve invested millions in state-of-the-art CNC manufacturing technology
specifically for the firearms industry. Housed inside our 10,000+ square foot
facility, you find the latest in horizontal machining centers, swiss type turning
machines, precision broaching, and fine polishing equipment. It is this investment
of resources that has made us one of the leaders in the field, and will keep
us at the leading edge in the future. While competitors either outsource to
the cheapest bidder, or buy generic mass market components that are readily
available, the Brown family refuses to compromise their quality and control.
All of the main components in our firearms are manufactured in-house on CNC
machinery by Ed Brown Products, under direct supervision of the Brown family.
This means that we have virtually complete control over the quality and delivery
of the final product. None of our competitors can match this claim.
3. Ed Brown firearms are hand-crafted for performance.
Often it’s the little things that make the difference. The Brown family
has built a reputation for the highest degree of quality firearm craftsmanship.
The philosophy of most manufacturing companies is to make “good enough”
parts that are interchangeable, and use cheap labor to assemble them with no
hand finishing. Ed Brown firearms are different, and it shows. We go that extra
mile by putting more hand fitting and finishing into our firearms than any other
manufacturer, resulting in some of the most attractive firearms available anywhere
at any price. It’s another thing that separates an Ed Brown firearm from
the rest. Each firearm is carefully finished and inspected by one of the Brown’s
before it leaves our facility. Other’s say they’ve got it, but all
you have to do is compare.
Ed Brown Products/Custom, Inc. | P.O. Box 492 | Perry, MO 63462 | Phone: 573-565-3261 | Fax: 573-565-2791
Copyright 2008©. All rights reserved by Ed Brown Products, Inc.®