Double Automatic John Val Browning _ August 3, Page Two 1954 sometimes wondered if the F.N. patience has not been tested severely in the process. Aliso, I have got to be entirely convinced of the regularity of functioning of that gun before I will consent to any further shipments. On the other hand, I am willing to consent to shipping at once if I can have that feeling of confidence in the functioning of the guns, The guns in St. Louis are being tested. We are sending samples to people in whom we have confidence for testing. This takes some time, especially since the guns were a long time in getting to St. Louis. Even in your above mentioned memo you suggest the possibility of cutting back ejection openings in receivers, and such modifica~ tions are almost out of the question now in St. Louis or in Ogden. You can take that to be a fact although I will not go into detailed explanation. I do not want to get any more guns over here upon which any modification, even the slightest, would require unpacking, handling, repacking, etc., ina shop already so over burdened that it is deplorable. If F.N. cannot make the guns so they will work at a price which they can afford to sell them, we might as well drop it, but I know they can. This brings me to some questions which have entered my mind on statements which you have made. For example, you say: "The direct responsibility of getting this gun into production is mine". Have you taken over this responsibility from F.N.? This could put us in an embarrassing situation if it were the case unless there were understandings such as the fact that F.N. cannot blame you if parts do not work which were dimen Sioned by Marquet and made, even if they are according to his drawings. F.N. Should not ever be able to say: “Here, you are responsible for getting this gun out. Now start shipping so we can start getting a return on our investment". They should be entirely responsible for the quality of production of that gun. I think the chrome plating of the tubes is an excellent thing if enduringly done and if it is not too costly. I am not positive that your limitations aS to the acceptable recoil distance of the barrel with different loads is entirely a good thing, but at this distance I cannot say. I have said before that maybe with the heavy loads we will have to let the barrel extension frankly hit the shoulder in the receiver, especially when there is oil on the tube. If the tubes are chrome-plated, the existence or non-existence of oil on the tube would doubtless have much less importance. I would like to know just how far you have taken over the responsibility in the production of these guns, not that I probably will have any especial criticism, but there can be some pitfalls which you should be put on your guard against and some other considerations. It maybe that your meaning is that you are responsible to Browning Arms Company, which is true, but I know who will be blamed if the gun were to be a flop. I will cable you first known results of trials of guns already shipped and expect to either send over or take over myself the new three shot model which has all of the recoil mechanism contained within the magazine tube and makes a Sleek forend possible. The springs I requested for this gun arrived, and