The FN Model 1910, also known as the Browning model 1910, was a departure for Browning. Before, his designs were produced by both FN in Europe and Colt Firearms in the United States.
FN Model 1910 | |
---|---|
FN Model 1910 | |
Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
Place of origin | Belgium |
Production history | |
Designer | John Browning |
Manufacturer | Fabrique Nationale (FN) |
Produced | 1910–1983 |
Variants | See Variants |
Specifications | |
Mass | Model 1910: ca. 590 g Model 1922: ca. 700 g (unloaded) |
Length | Model 1910: 153 mm Model 1922: 178 mm |
Cartridge | 9×17mm Browning 7.65×17mm Browning |
Action | Blowback |
Feed system | Model 1910: 6-round (.380) or 7-round (.32) detachable box magazine Model 1922: 8-round (.380) or 9-round (.32) detachable box magazine |
Sights | Notch and post iron sights |
The FN Model 1910 is a blowback-operated, semi-automatic pistol designed by John Browning and manufactured by Fabrique Nationale of Belgium.
Development[edit]
FN Model 1910 of the Gendarmerie of Vaud, on display at Morges castle museum
Browning M 1910 disassembled
The FN Model 1910, also known as the Browning model 1910, was a departure for Browning. Before, his designs were produced by both FN in Europe and Colt Firearms in the United States. Since Colt did not want to produce it, Browning chose to patent and produce this design in Europe only. Introduced in 1910, this pistol used a novel operating spring location surrounding the barrel. This location became the standard in such future weapons as the Walther PPK and Russian Makarov.
It incorporated the standard Browning striker-firing mechanism and a grip safety along with a magazine safety and an external safety lever (known as the 'triple safety') in a compact package. Offered in both .380 ACP (6-round magazine) and .32 ACP (7-round magazine) calibres, it remained in production until 1983. It is possible to switch calibres by changing only the barrel. However, FN never offered packages containing a single pistol with both calibre barrels.
Variants[edit]
FN Model 1922 7.65mm
A variant of the Model 1910 was known variously as the Model 1922 or 1910/22. This was a larger model with a longer barrel (113 mm), slide extension, and a longer grip frame to accommodate an extra two rounds. This model was aimed at military and police contracts and many examples were produced for various agencies. The FN Model 1910 was initially designed for the Kingdom of Serbia. In 1913, a purchase order for 235, Model 1910 semi automatic pistols was made by the Serbian National Army. The purchase was made for the 1st and 2nd Timok infantry divisions of the first army.
1910/1922 pistols went on to see extensive service in World War Two, and continued to be manufactured by the Germans after their occupation of Belgium and seizure of the FN factory. These examples carry Nazi production stamps, and most have simple chequered wood grips instead of the earlier horn or plastic grips bearing the FN logo.
The FN Model 1922 was also used by the following countries: Yugoslavia (60,000 Automatski pistolj (Brauning) 9mm M.22 between 1923 and 1930),[1] The Netherlands, Greece, Turkey, Romania, France, Finland, Denmark, and West Germany in the post war period. While the Model 1910 was widely sold on both civilian and military markets, the Model 1922 was considered specifically a military and police pistol, with FN offering it to individual civilians only by special order.
In 1955, the Browning Arms Company introduced the Model 1910 pistol for the American market as the Model 1955. Made in Belgium, this model was virtually identical to the European model except for the markings and grips. Importation ceased in 1968 due to the passage of stricter gun-control laws in the U.S.
Another version, the Model 1971, featured a longer barrel and slide (similar in length to the Model 1922, but with a one-piece slide), adjustable sights, a finger-rest magazine, and enlarged 'target' grips. These features were intended to comply with the Gun Control Act of 1968 which had halted import of the Model 1955.
North Korea made copies of the Model 1910 without licence[citation needed] as the Type 70 pistol. The weapon is made not only for domestic use but also for export.
The Hamada Type or Hamada Type Automatic handgun (浜田式 Hamada shiki?) was a semi-automatic pistol developed in 1941 for use by the Empire of Japan during World War II. Developed by Bunji Hamada, the pistol took its basic design from the Model 1910 Browning. Production occurred at the Japanese Firearms Manufacturing Company, with only minor changes made as the war progressed.
Incidents[edit]
Gavrillo Princip's FN M1910, used to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo
An FN M1910, serial number 19074, chambered in .380 ACP[2] was the handgun used by Gavrilo Princip to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, the act that precipitated the First World War.[3] Numerous previous sources erroneously cited the FN Model 1900 in .32 calibre as being the weapon Princip used.[4] This has led to confusion over the calibre of the pistol actually used.
Paul Doumer, President of France, was assassinated by Russian emigre Paul Gorguloff on May 6, 1932 with a Model 1910.[5] The pistol is now in the Musée des Collections Historiques de la Préfecture de Police.[6] A Model 1910 was also used to assassinate Huey Long, governor of Louisiana, on September 5, 1935.[7] During the world wars, the FN 1910 was used by the militaries of Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Finland, Japan (private orders for Japanese officers), and by Peru and Venezuela postwar.
Notes[edit]
- ^Scarlata, Paul (1 October 2017). 'Yugoslav Part II: World War II small arms: an assortment of small arms from friends and foe alike'. Firearms News.
- ^Belfield, Richard (2011). A Brief History of Hitmen and Assassinations. Constable & Robinson, Ltd. p. 241.
- ^Kate Connolly (2004-06-22). 'Found: the gun that shook the world'. The Daily Telegraph.
- ^Kinard, Jeff (2004). Pistols: An Illustrated History of Their Impact. ABC-CLIO. p. 215. ISBN1851094709.
- ^Chibli Mallat (6 December 2014). Philosophy of Nonviolence: Revolution, Constitutionalism, and Justice beyond the Middle East. Oxford University Press. p. 325. ISBN978-0-19-939421-0.
- ^Le Musée de la Préfecture de Police (The webpage photo of the pistol misidentifies it as a revolver.)
- ^http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/12410
References[edit]
- Vojta, Jira T. in AutoMag, Volume XXXII, Issue 10, January 2000, pp. 231–233.
- Henrotin, Gerard - FN Browning pistols 1910 & 1922 - HLebooks.com, 2006.
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=FN_Model_1910&oldid=910913019'
Specifications
Year: 1922
Manufacturer(s): Fabrique National d'Armes de Guerre (FN) - Belgium / Browning - USA
Roles: Close Quarters Battle (CQB)/Personal Security; Sidearm;
Manufacturer(s): Fabrique National d'Armes de Guerre (FN) - Belgium / Browning - USA
Roles: Close Quarters Battle (CQB)/Personal Security; Sidearm;
Action: Blowback
Caliber(s): 9x17mm Browning Short (.380 ACP); 7.65x17SR Browning (.32 ACP)
Sights: Iron front and rear
Overall Length: 178 mm (7.01 in)
Barrel Length: 114 mm (4.49 in)
Weight (Unloaded): 1.61 lb (0.73 kg)
Caliber(s): 9x17mm Browning Short (.380 ACP); 7.65x17SR Browning (.32 ACP)
Sights: Iron front and rear
Overall Length: 178 mm (7.01 in)
Barrel Length: 114 mm (4.49 in)
Weight (Unloaded): 1.61 lb (0.73 kg)
Muzzle Velocity: 875 feet-per-second (267 meters-per-second)
Rate-of-Fire: 9 rounds-per-minute
Rate-of-Fire: 9 rounds-per-minute
Operators: Belgium; Denmark; Finland; France; Greece; Holland; Nazi Germany; West Germany; Romania; Turkey; United States; Yugoslavia
In 1923, the Yugoslavian authorities contracted the Belgian concern of Fabrique Nationale to develop a semi-automatic pistol firing from an eight-round magazine and sporting a 114mm long barrel for accuracy. FN took to reworking their existing Browning Model 1910 (also FN Mle 1910) and lengthening the barrel as such and increased its magazine capacity from seven rounds to eight, extending the pistol grip as a result. The end-product was nothing more than a dimensionally different Model 1910 to suit the Yugoslavian requirement, featuring a longer slide and equally lengthened grip handle. The remaining features of the Model 1910 were left largely intact including the solid trigger facility, ribbed slide sides and iron front and rear sights. The Model 1922 relied on a striker based firing mechanism through the blowback principle and was fitted with a grip safety at the grip rear spine. The weapon was designated as the 'Browning Model 1922' but would also become known by the name of 'Browning Model 1910/1922'. The pistol appeared in two distinct forms chambered for the 9x17mm Browning Short (.380 ACP) cartridge and the 7.65x17SR Browning (.32 ACP) cartridge.With its introduction during the interwar years, the Model 1922/Mle 1922 inevitably went to war during World War 2. It was adopted by several European powers (for military and police use) in the time leading up to war and these included Holland, Greece, Romania, France, Denmark and Finland. After Belgium fell to the German invasion, FN factories continued output of the Model 1922 though this time for their German overseers. These production models were applicably stamped with German markings to indicate their fate and were introduced in 1940 under the designation of Pistole 626(b) - the 'b' signifying their Belgian origins, common practice for the German Army inventory concerning captured weapons. The Pistole 626(b) was largely issued to Luftwaffe personnel as a standard sidearm.
The Model 1922 saw service through the end of the war in 1945 and after. It was further issued to West German troops following the division of Germany in the post-war world. Several attempts were made in the 1950s by the Browning Arms Company (established to market John Browning's military-minded designs to civilians) to bring the Model 1922 to a broader audience. This created the Browning Model 1955 and Browning Model 1971 designations within time.
Variants / Models
• Browning Model 1922 - Base Series Designation
• Browning Model 10/22 - Alternative Designation
• FN Model 1922 - Alternative Designation
• Pistole 626(b) - German Luftwaffe Designation