Ed Brown, industry icon and founder of Ed Brown Products, passed away at his home on Sept. 15, after an intense battle with aggressive liver cancer. Brown was born on Dec. 13, 1946. He is survived by his wife of nearly 59 years, three children and six grandchildren.
Brown received his FFL and opened 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. During the day he worked as a tool and die maker, CNC programmer and CAD/CAM designer. He began shooting IPSC and Bianchi Cup in 1980 and was ranked in the Top 16 of the World as a championship combat shooter.
Frustrated by the second-rate quality of 1911 parts, he envisioned a full line of quality aftermarket parts of superior design to meet the needs of the modern combat shooter. On March 30, 1988, this vision became reality when he quit his day job to launch his parts business. Within months, the world’s largest firearm components distributor, Brownell’s, added Ed Brown’s famous beavertail, magazine well and hammer to its catalog. Parts production began to take off, while demand for his gunsmithing work continued to increase.
His gunsmithing career peaked in 1991, and he was awarded “Pistolsmith of the Year” by his fellow American Pistolsmith Guild members, a prestigious honor that, at that time, was awarded only to those who have shown the highest degree of honesty and craftsmanship in their work. That same year, due to time constraints, Brown announced he was changing focus from gunsmithing to parts manufacturing exclusively.
Ed Brown Products incorporated in June of 1992 to manufacture a complete line of 1911 components and accessories. Custom pistol work was no longer accepted.
In 1998, after manufacturing all the major components of the 1911, Brown’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. The next few years were invested in plant expansion and research and development for the design and manufacture of the Ed Brown 1911 frame and slide.
In 2000, the Kobra Carry was introduced. It was the first 1911 available in all stainless with the snakeskin metal pattern. It was equipped with the Ed Brown Bobtail, a design trademarked by Brown earlier that year. It didn’t take long before nearly every 1911 manufacturer was copying it in one form or another.
In 2001, the Brown family began to selectively establish an authorized dealer network across the country for Ed Brown firearms. Within a few short years, Ed Brown firearms were present in high-end retail establishments across the United States, as well as many foreign countries. With his sons taking care of the business, Ed pursued another path—the innovation and design of a new bolt action for hunting and sniper rifles, the M-702, and later, the M-704 controlled feed—the foundation for the newly created line of Ed Brown rifles.
The presidential elections of 2008 and 2012, combined with the 100-year anniversary of the 1911 created an unprecedented demand the company’s 1911 product line. Years of explosive growth followed. Ed Brown retired from the business in 2010 at age 65, leaving the business operations in the hands of his two capable sons. The rifle company was later sold as capacity was too limited to do both pistols and rifles and maintain the quality level the Brown family demanded. Despite Brown’s retirement, the company continues to thrive and innovate.
