How Much Do You Know About Famous Gun Makers?


By: John Miller

5 Min Quiz

Image: Shutterstock

About This Quiz

From Remington to Ruger, Marlin to Mossberg, the world of firearms manufacturing is full of legend and lore. How much do you know about the world's most famous gun makers?

Smith & Wesson is a famous gun company founded in _____.

Smith & Wesson was founded in 1852 in Connecticut. Since then, it has become one of the best-known brands on the planet.


Smith & Wesson is particularly well-known for which sort of firearm?

Smith & Wesson's pistols and revolvers are the company's core business. These sidearms are standard issue for many forces around the world.


Which man founded Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company?

Samuel Colt was a 19th-century inventor and businessman who helped to revolutionize weapons manufacturing. His name is now one of the most famous in the gun business.


Samuel Colt revolutionized the manufacturing of which item?

Colt was a visionary who understood the power of assembly line manufacturing. His factories efficiently cranked out thousands of revolvers bearing his name.


What is America's oldest gunmaker?

Remington Arms is the oldest gun manufacturer in the U.S. The company was founded in 1816 in New York.


The Model 19 is a famous revolver made by which company?

Smith & Wesson introduced the Model 19 revolver in the late '50s. It was the first revolver to use .357 Magnum cartridges, which police forces requested.


Richard Gatling is best known for making which sort of weapon?

Gatling invented a multi-barreled, hand-cranked weapon that historians call one of the first machine guns. Once the hand crank was replaced by an electric motor, the weapon could fire up to 3,000 rounds per minute.


The Gatling gun was first used in which conflict?

The Gatling gun was deployed for the first time during the American Civil War. But it was especially useful just after the war, as U.S. troops used it against Indian tribes in the West.


What is NOT one of the primary products made by Remington Arms?

Remington makes a lot of rifles and shotguns. It dabbles in smaller weapons, but rifles and shotguns are its core business.


Which company is largely famous due to its guns that are made primarily out of plastics?

Glock makes a large range of handguns, some of which feature largely plastic components. The plastics make the guns lighter but don't adversely affect functionality.


Samuel Colt brilliantly exploited mass manufacturing to build revolvers. He was also great at which other aspect of business?

Colt sold a lot of his revolvers, and not just because they were reliable. He was a savvy marketer who knew how to sell his products through celebrity endorsements and other gimmicks.


Which company makes a rifle called the Mark V?

The Weatherby Mark V has an air of prestige that other rifle makers yearn to emulate. The Mark V is the top product from the Weatherby, built to withstand the power and pressure of very powerful loads.


Weatherby is particularly well known for which kind of product?

Weatherby makes some of the world's best rifles. It is also recognized for its high-quality, high-powered magnum cartridges, which are suitable for long-range big game hunting.


Which company manufactured the legendary Hi-Power pistol?

The Browing Hi-Power is a famous pistol that was designed in the early 20th century. This semi-automatic gun was called "Hi-Power" due to its increased cartridge capacity.


In 1847, Samuel Colt's business took off thanks in part to which conflict?

In the 1840s, America's conflict with Mexico over lands in the Southwest began to boil over. The Texas Rangers ordered at least 1,000 guns from Colt's factory, an act that helped boost the blossoming business.


Which company made the Model 3, which became a staple revolver in the Old West?

The Smith & Wesson Model 3 revolver was an important fixture in the Old West. Many famous men, such as Billy the Kid, Jesse James, Pat Garrett and other Western stalwarts reportedly used this model during their adventures.


Which company manufactured a pistol called the .22 Brownie?

In the 1920s, Mossberg unveiled the Brownie, a four-shot .22 pistol. The gun's success helped Mossberg spread its .22 line to rifles, and then other types of weapons.


Mossberg is famous in part for its ____.

Mossberg has made a name for itself, particularly with is dependable shotguns. The company was founded by a Swedish gun maker who immigrated to the United States in the late 1880s.


John Garand created a weapon that became widely used in which conflict?

Garand designed the M1 Garand, a semi-automatic rifle widely used in World War II. The rifle became enormously successful and its fast action gave the Allies an advantage over the bolt-action dinosaurs used by the Axis.


A company called Walther was the first to put which feature in handguns?

Walther handguns paved the way with regard to notable features, such as the double-action trigger. The company also innovated firing pin block safeties and decocker levers.


The gun company named Beretta was founded in which country?

Beretta is a company with Italian roots. It's old, too -- Beretta has been around for nearly five centuries.


In the '80s, Beretta's 92 pistol became the official service sidearm for which military?

In the '80s, American military officials adopted the Beretta 92 -- or M9 -- as the standard service sidearm. It officially began its service in the U.S. armed forces in 1990.


Which company makes a famous auto-loading shotgun called the 1100?

The Remington 1100 is the best-selling auto-loading shotgun in American history. It was introduced back in 1963.


Mikhail Kalashnikov designed which weapon?

Kalashnikov is responsible for one of the deadliest weapons in history -- the AK-47 machine gun. Introduced in the '40s, it is one of the most common assault rifles in the world.


Mikhail Kalashnikov designed the AK-47 for which army?

Mikhail Kalashnikov created his famous gun for the Soviet Union. The gun was approved by the authorities and became renowned for its durability in even the harshest conditions.


Eugene Stoner is famous for designing which weapon?

Stoner is famous for designing the AR-15. As a weapons engineer, he built other notable weapons, too, but none as successful as the AR-15.


Eugene Stoner's AR-15 rifle was adopted by the U.S. army under which model name?

Stoner's AR-15 was accepted as a standard American rifle called the M16. The M16, of course, made a name for itself during the Vietnam War.


In 2007, Remington bought out which famous gunmaker?

In 2007, Remington bought Marlin, a famous rifle maker. Now, Remington makes Marlin-branded guns at two American production facilities.


John Browning is known for which of the following accomplishments?

Browning had a brain made for firearm innovations. He was credited with nearly 130 patents related to firearms and helped make the first auto-loading pistols.


Which company makes a rifle called the Model 60?

Marlin makes the Model 60, which debuted in 1960. The company boasts that this .22 rifle is the most popular rifle of its type anywhere in the world, with more than 11 million sold.


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