O.F. Mossberg & Sons is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 firearms manufacturer, specializing in shotgun

Shotgun

A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...

s, rifle

Rifle

A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...

s, scope

Scope

The word scope may refer to many different devices or viewing instruments, constructed for many different purposes. It may refer to a telescopic sight, an optical device commonly used on firearms. Other uses of scope or Scopes may refer to:...

s and firearm accessories. From the 1940s through the 1960s, it also produced a line of .22 caliber target and sporting rifles.

Oscar Frederick Mossberg, a native of Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

, came to the United States in 1886. He worked in the bicycle plant of Iver Johnson

Iver Johnson

Iver Johnson was a U.S. firearms, bicycle, and motorcycle manufacturer from 1871 to 1993. The company shared the same name as its founder, Norwegian-born Iver Johnson .- Iver Johnson :...

, a native of Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 who became famous for his revolver

Revolver

A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...

. Together with his two sons Iver and Harold, O.F. Mossberg founded O.F. Mossberg and Sons in 1919.Beginning in 1919, firearm production consisted of a four barreled, .22 caliber handgun known as the “Brownie.” Following the success of the Brownie, .22 caliber rifles, shotguns, and rifle scopes were also developed, spawning a period of diversification within the sporting goods market.

Mossberg was soon producing gun racks, golf clubs, campers and sailboats, while maintaining the core sporting firearms business. The company has remained a family-owned business to this day, and is the oldest family-owned firearms manufacturer in America.

See also

• Mossberg 185
  Mossberg 185
  The Mossberg 185 is a 20-gauge bolt action shotgun, produced between 1948 and 1964 by O.F. Mossberg & Sons in New Haven, Conn.-D:The original model produced from 1947-1950. The gun was distributed with three choke tubes, which mount by screwing to the outside of the barrel, as opposed to the...
  
  
• Mossberg 464
  Mossberg model 464
  Mossberg model 464 is a lever action repeating rifle manufactured since 2008 by the Mossberg firearms company. The style is that of traditional lever action rifles popular since the 19th Century...
  
  
• Mossberg 500
  Mossberg 500
  Mossberg 500 is a series of shotguns manufactured by O.F. Mossberg & Sons. The 500 series comprises widely varying models of hammerless, pump action repeaters, all of which share the same basic receiver and action, but differ in bore size, barrel length, choke options, magazine capacity, and...
  
  
• New Haven 600
  New Haven 600
  New Haven 600 is a series of shotguns manufactured by O.F. Mossberg & Sons on behalf of department stores, most notably the Montgomery Ward Company, Western Auto, and other retail stores. New Haven is one of O.F. Mossberg & Sons' private, promotional brands. The New Haven 600 is identical to the...
  
  
• Mossberg 930
  Mossberg 930
  The Mossberg 930 is a gas operated semi-automatic shotgun. The Mossberg 930 is gas operated, which means that some of the hot gases from the burning gunpowder are used to push a piston that operates the action, ejecting the spent hull and chambering a fresh shell. This gas action reduces the recoil...
  
  
• Mossberg Brownie
  Mossberg Brownie
  The Mossberg Brownie was a four-barreled, .22 Long Rifle pistol, similar to a derringer or pepperbox, produced by O.F. Mossberg & Sons from 1920-1932. The Brownie was based on an earlier pistol patented and licensed to the Shattuck Company by Oscar Mossberg....
  
  
• Mossberg Maverick
  Mossberg Maverick
  The Maverick 88 is a less costly to manufacture, simplified version of the pump action, 12 gauge Mossberg 500 shotgun. Factory Maverick 88's feature a black, synthetic only stock and forearm, cylinder bore , and cross-bolt safety...
  
  
• Mossberg Plinkster

External links

• Mossberg Forum
• A Brief History of O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc.