Читать книгу Gun Digest 2011 онлайн

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This leads to some interesting speculation. Oscar Mossberg began production of the Brownie in 1919, before receiving the patent he had applied for in August of that year and which was not granted until nearly a year later, on July 27, 1920. Now, do the math. For Oscar to have produced my estimated 33,404 units from 1919 to 1932, as reported, the output of his shop facilities would have to have averaged 2,569 units annually. That averages out at 214 units per week, or 31 units per day. Therefore my Brownie numbered 212 could conceivably have been produced the first or second week of production and was handled by Oscar himself!

However, when one considers the amount of time Oscar probably spent on preparation and experimentation with various production methods, it’s doubtful #212 left his shop until sometime in perhaps the first month. Previous reports are not clear on how many helpers, if any, Oscar hired at the very beginning. Though the name of the company includes “& Sons,” his boys were aged 21 and 23 at the time, so is very probably that he hired some more experienced help for his assembly process.