Browning firearms have been traditionally made in locations world-wide. John M. Browning's first rifle, the Single Shot, was made in Ogden, Utah. The next guns carrying the Browning name were manufactured in Belgium. This continued for many decades. This was the result of John M. Browning's lasting relationship with Fabrique Nationale, in Herstal, Belgium. Today, Browning is part of the greater Herstal Group, which brings together worldwide resources for Browning firearms.

For many Browning customers knowing the country of origin is very important. Being consumers ourselves, we understand. For this reason, we try to be open about the country of origin for all our products. If you choose to not purchase due to a Browning's country of origin, we fully understand, and wish you the best in search for your next firearm. But please know that we will continue to remain true to our goal of producing the best quality products at appropriate prices no matter where we must go to have them made.

Most Browning guns were made in Belgium by Fabrique Nationale (FN) until the mid 1970s when some production was shifted to Miroku in Japan. Today's Browning firearms are made in either Belgium, Portugal, Japan or in the United States. 

The original Browning & Brothers store in  Ogden, Utah. Photo was taken after production of the "Single Shot" had started.

WHERE ARE CURRENT BROWNING FIREARMS MANUFACTURED?
The first way to know the manufacturing location of your Browning firearm is to look on the barrel inscription (or on the slide, for pistols). If you don't already know, this is something you will want to do before you purchase your new Browning. Although production locations may change over time, the list below is accurate as of 2018. For older Browning firearms, no longer in production, the way to know the place of manufacture is to read the barrel inscription (or on the slide, in the case of pistols).

Belgium (Custom)
The Superposed and other special high grade firearms are still manufactured at the Browning Custom Shop as part of the John M. Browning Collection, in Herstal, Belgium. Guns at this facility are not really manufactured -- they are meticulously crafted. And much of the work -- a huge amount -- is hand work. To learn more about guns made at this special little custom gun factory go to our John M. Browning Collection page right here on Browning.com. Owning one of these guns, like a custom Superposed, is not a purchase. It is an event of a lifetime. These are exclusive guns that you and your family will consider treasures for generations. Other guns produced in this facility are current production of other models that are custom fitted, tuned and highly embellished.

The historic front gates to the Browning factory in Herstal, Belgium.  John Browning himself walked through these gates to his design workshop when on visits to the factory. 

Made in Belgium
John Browning took several of his greatest designs to FN in Belgium for production over 120 years ago. This is part of the great Browning tradition. Today, a significant level of design work is still done by the Browning R&D team in Herstal, in the Liege region of Belgium. But only a few Browning firearms are considered "Made in Belgium." This includes some custom guns (above) and the Browning BAR centerfire rifle. As indicated on the barrel inscriptions, the BAR is "MADE IN BELGIUM -- ASSEMBLED IN PORTUGAL BY BROWNING VIANA." The BAR is the only current production Browning firearm falling into this category. 

The Belgium facilities have been part of the Browning tradition for over 120 years. The Viana, Portugal plant (shown) has been a primary Browning facility for over 30 years.

Made in Portugal (Assembled in Portugal)
Over the past 30 years, a large portion of Browning production has gradually shifted to the state-of-the-art Browning -Viana factory, an advanced facility located in Viana, Portugal. This factory relies on R&D support from our Belgium and Utah R&D design teams, in addition to its own onsite team. The list above shows current firearms that are made at the Viana factory. When reading barrel inscriptions, the terms Made in Portugal and Assembled in Portugal are synonymous.

NOTE: Check the barrel inscription to confirm where any Browning is manufactured. 

Aerial view of the Browning/Miroku factory in Kochi, Japan.

Japan
Citori, Cynergy, BLR, AB3, X-Bolt, BT-99, BL-22 Rifle, Auto-22 Rifle, T-Bolt, BPS, and Gold 10 ga. (production for these firearms have been at the Miroku factory in Japan starting with the BT-99 in the late 1960s. In 1970 the over and under Citori (made by Miroku) would gradually replace John M. Browning’s Superposed model as the the key product in the Browning line. In about 1973 the Browning Pump Shotgun (BPS) began production at the Miroku factory, and in 1976 production of the legendary John M. Browning-designed Auto-5 shotgun made the move from Belgium factories to Miroku, in Japan. The others followed as they were introduced.

United States / Salt Lake City, Utah
Buck Mark 22 Pistols, Buck Mark 22 rifles, 1911-380 and 1911-22 are made at the Browning partner facility in Salt Lake City, a few miles south of or corporate offices in Morgan, Utah. This highly sophisticated manufacturing plant gets very little attention. Yet it is a highly efficient operation making quality 22 caliber and 380 caliber pistols -- clearly some of the most interesting and desirable Browning firearms being made today. 

R&D — Utah and Around the World
We also have sister R&D departments at each factory and at the world famous Fabrique Nationale factory in Liege, Belgium. This brings to bear a combined expertise for design and quality manufacturing that is unequaled in the world.

Historic
Over the years a few guns have been made elsewhere, for example, the BDA 380 Autoloading pistol (which is no longer in production) was made in Italy. 

Missouri.
Our Arnold, Missouri facility is our primary warehouse and distribution center. If you own a Browning it was handled by one of the men and women who prepare and ship Browning firearms and other products all across the U.S. and to Canada. Arnold, Missouri is also where our Service Center resides. If you have ever sent in a Browning firearm to us for service or restoration, one of our expert gunsmiths or technicians working in Arnold did the job.

Canada. Our Canadian facility serves the special requirements of the huge numbers of hunters and shooters in Canada. The facility includes normal business functions such as customer service, some warehousing and shipping. The staff at the Canada office works with dealers all across Canada.  

The Browning / FN Connection. 

We often get questions about the origin of the relationship between Browning and Fabrique Nationale. You may find this overview interesting.

2014 marked the 125th anniversary of the creation of one of the greatest firearms manufacturers in the world. Fabrique Nationale (FN) began in 1889 in the small Belgian city of Herstal, near the larger city of Liege. It began as a cooperative business arrangement founded by several smaller arms makers in the region near Liege joining together to deliver an order of bolt action rifles to the Belgian government. This tradition of cooperation continues today as FN has grown into a world leader in both sporting and defense products.

Over time FN grew into a group of companies and brands which eventually became the “Herstal Group.” Today’s Herstal Group is comprised of several strong entities, including the world famous brands of Browning, Winchester Repeating Arms, FN Herstal and FNH USA.

The history of FN was altered forever by its long term arrangement with John Moses Browning in 1897. The exclusive agreement gave FN the opportunity to produce Browning-designed firearms under license worldwide. The gun design genius of Browning combined with the FN’s commitment to manufacturing innovation and excellence has resulted in many of the most famous and beloved firearms of all time. Through all this, the goal of the evolving group has been to exceed the expectations of its customer and its partners.

Over the years the design expertise of FN expanded to provide many of the most famous defense-related firearms to the world market. In fact, at various times throughout its history FN has been the dominant provider in national defense for many countries and it’s superb FAL battle rifle was often called “The right arm of the Free World.”

The famous Herstal factory is still in operation today and the factory campus includes state of the art facilities for testing, research and development as well as manufacturing, yet it still maintains a number of historic buildings where John Browning himself worked on many projects including his now legendary Superposed over and under, his last firearms design. In fact, it was at the Factory in 1926 while working on the Superposed that “the greatest gunmaker the world has ever known” passed away. In his lifetime he had made over 60 transatlantic voyages from Ogden, Utah to Herstal working on various firearms being produced at the FN factory. He had loved his time in Belgium and at FN and was revered by the people of Belgium.

Browning has been part of the Herstal group since 1977 and Winchester Repeating Arms joined in 1990. Factories are positioned around the world, with the Herstal factory still being the anchor of worldwide production.

Today FN’s firearms are used by the armed forces of over 100 countries and the Group is a primary provider of light machineguns to the U.S. armed forces. Continuing John Moses Browning’s legacy, the Browning brand remains a leader in innovative sporting arms design and is appreciated throughout the world as “The Best There Is.”

John M. Browning's workbench in Ogden, Utah.