FN/Browning Model 1900 - any experiences?
 

I've owned two Browning model 1910's, one dating back to the 40's (IIRC), and the other a 1970 import...I liked them...They were "improved" versions of the 1900...

Recent references to the 1900 has piqued my interest...

Has anyone owned one??? What were your experiences with it???

I bid on a rather worn example on GB but the Reserve is too high, IMO...(no, not the one below!)...

I have never owned one but have always found them interesting from a design perspective. It has always fascinated me that some of the Smith and wesson .22 autoloaders look to be direct decendents in appearance.

Obviously, I am interested in them - http://luger.gunboards.com/showthread.php?t=24141 - and own a couple.

Thanks for the link! :thumbup: (I didn't think to check Gunboards...)

Can you share any of your impressions of them???

Found this interesting tidbit at -

http://www.fn-browning.com/fn.htm

FN Browning Model 1899 vs. FN Browning Model 1900: The Model 1899 was first produced in January 1899 and closely resembles John Browning's prototype. It can be differentiated from the FN Model 1900 by the following features: There are no safety markings and no lanyard ring, the frame has small side-plates. The grips are secured with studs and nuts. The FN Browning 1900 was introduced in 1900 after Belgian military trials requested changes to the Model 1899. The Model 1900 has larger grips which are secured with screws, has French language safety markings (Feu & Sur), a lanyard ring and larger frame side-plates.

Another 1899 better showing the "small grips"...

Also seems to have a more rounded frame at the rear...I think this may be an early model 1899 (or even one of the prototypes), but the page is in Russian and I can't read it...maybe one of the pages from an FN book???

Hmmmm...I see my old friend katyusha has one of these for sale on GunsAmerica...Too nice for me; a collector grade pistol + holster...

I have owned this example for a number of years. Some time ago I posted photos on one of the forums seeking to identify the right side inscription, but without success. Anyone care to give it a go here?

Can't help with the inscription Ron, but the Crown looks very much like the crown on the Erfurt Toggle marking of Lugers. Perhaps it is some kind of acceptance by the Erfurt State Armory of this pistol into official service? (just a theory!)

Regarding experiences with this type of pistol, a very close friend of mine bought one in a private sale in 1966 (OH MY GOSH that was FOURTY FOUR years ago!) for $20 from one of his neighbors and I believe that it had been brought back from WW1 by a grandfather in the sellers family.

It had not been fired since the end of WW1, and was wrapped in a rag and covered in congealed grease. My friend enlisted my assistance in determining how to disassemble it for cleaning. This is way before the internet, and the only exploded diagrams available at the time were in the NRA books, Shooters Bible, and the Numerich Gun Parts catalog. Luckily, my young gun library had one or more of those.

I was able to decipher the disassembly procedure and we got it apart and cleaned well and back together... then took it to the range. It was LOUD, and had about a 25 pound trigger pull as I recall. After working with it for a while with some good arkansas stones, we got the trigger down to about 7 pounds and we figured that this was good enough.

I never like the gun but appreciated the experience... it was one of my first gunsmithing "adventures"

For those interested in these pistols, Anthony Vanderlinden's book FN Browning Pistols is a "must have."

My first impression of the crown was of some British/English regimental marking...Especially the "4" underneath...The stylized "S" (if that is what it is) doesn't ring a bell, but I am not familiar with Royal regimental markings, whether English or European...

Maybe something like "Queen's Own Fusiliers, 4th Regiment"...

BTW: I think I read on one of the FN sites that the "w" (or maybe "m") on the trigger guard indicates something relevant also...(But you must already know that!)... ;)

But the engraving is exceptionally well executed and detailed... :thumbup:

I asked her this question: by selling this one, then, where would you put those money? will you buy another gun? if that's the case, then, "why didn't you simply keep this one?"..... she never listens to me.

Probably cycling brings in some fun. I don't know.

+1 I just got done reading it cover to cover some very interesting history there.

She will likely buy you a nickel plated pre-war Bolo with ivory grips... :)

Gary, please see this post for an update of my modest contribution to Vanderlinden's book: http://luger.gunboards.com/showthread.php?t=24141.

I will engrave her image on the magazine well :)

Really want to get a Large Ring Bolo, but before there is a good one available, a small ring will do. Need a small ring version anyway.

Ron, The beautifully engraved C/S 4 on your FN1900 appears to be an enlarged verison of the German WW1 imperial inspector's C/S. If I were to guess, or create an interesting tail, I would suggest that it was gun #4 from the Imperial Guard for a Bavarian ruler (see the C/L for Leopold on a lot of WW1 Bavarian PO8 holster) who's name started with S. TH PS: I do have some FN1900 parts in stock.

Just guessing, but an elaborate royal engraving such as the one seen, along with an inventory number could have come from the palace guard of a royal house such as Saxony or Savoy.

Remember that the use or abuse of royal insignia were taken very seriously back in this era.

Thanks for the guesses guys. It makes for interesting speculation but I doubt that I will ever really know. It is so nicely done that I have kept it for a good many years, plus it is a pretty nice example of a 1900.

I commented in the other FN 1900 thread that there was a seller on GB with a pitted 1900 with a bulged barrel...It's still there; has been for about a year (I think)...Price still too high...For that condition; otherwise, it's in my ballpark...

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=207220115

I commend this seller for being honest about the bulged barrel, and for showing *all* the pits (28 pics of pits!), but, really...$250 starting price??? :eek: And it has the "large" grips...

I have a tool for straightening out squibbed barrels, and even if it didn't work, Numrich has barrel(s) listed right now in stock for $60...

But those pits...[sigh]... :crying:

The $490 1900 is still there, too...and it doesn't look all that much better...(only 3 pics)...and it has the "small" grips... :mad:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=206917049

Here's a comparison of the two...Pic attached...

Katyusha's 1900 is looking better all the time... ;)

We received a querying message suggesting its BB value being $600. I have not looked up BB yet, but probably that's right. We paid a couple of hundred more. But that's back a few years ago when 1 oz American Eagle silver coin was ~$10.... say it cost 80 coins. Now, each coin asks $30 after Fed's QE2.... if we bought it for 80 coins but sell it for only 20 coins, that would not be good :) So it stays.

Did I use wrong emoticon??? Sorry... :(

Yours is the best looking I have seen...but I have no interest in holsters/rigs, and a shooter would be acceptable to me...besides, I am broke...literally...

I was hoping Ron Wood would buy yours and sell me one of his shooters... :thumbup:

No, I was not unhappy. It's not a life essential item. Under current economical condition, buyers have many choices.

Have you noticed the "French Gardame C96" on Greg Martin? Looks great, except the crack on one grip panel. Otherwise, it's very attractive.

I did not study that past auction...but it is very nice; a snub-nosed C96... :p

Did you win that auction???

No. Not that one. I don't have one yet. Waiting my instance. Probably won't be the the following one either.... but this one is a good one. In case you're interested, take a look. No stock.

http://www.gregmartinauctions.com/Au...x?LotID=142079

This is the one I found - Lot #2099. *French Gendarme Broomhandle Mauser Semi-Automatic Pistol

http://www.gregmartinauctions.com/au...px?LotID=34204

They are both nice... :p

Here's my 1900, all original except for the grip panels:
http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/4...900done018.jpg
Got it in a trade for about $200 as it didn't work properly, but come to find out it was just a $6 spring missing so I guess I did pretty good. :) I was actually thinking about refinishing it, but after a complete disassembly and a good clean-up I found that it was way to nice to screw around with so I just lubed and assembled it again.

This is a nice little shooter, the barrel sits very low in the frame so the recoil doesn't feel as snappy as in other straight blowback .32s. It's a bit cumbersome to disassemble due to the design, but the craftsmanship is outstanding. You just gotta love the fit and finish on these, makes you wonder how much it would cost to produce it today...

Looks pretty nice!!! I'm hoping to find one in as good condition as yours!!! ;)

Why do you say the grip panels aren't original??? I know there were two different types (I call them wide vs narrow); I like the narrow ones like on yours... :thumbup:

Which spring was it that was missing (or broke)???

They may be reproductions, which are available since the originals cracked so easely..

Do you know where??? I found this site...but the quality makes me want to puke... :mad:

http://vintagegungrips.net/ao-b9.html

Rich,

I know Sarco has the repros. I have no idea of quality but you can call them and they may send a photo or two.

http://www.sarcoinc.com/1900browning.html

Gun parts corp may offer these as well.

Good luck!

They are reproductions. The old ones were deteriorated and had those funky "worm holes" you can find in some early hard rubber grip panels, but the previous owner had already bought repros and included them in the deal. He had also tried to put them on, and managed to put a big dent in the magazine in the process by not checking the depth of the screw hole. I have fixed the dent, but if anybody has a spare mag, I'd like to buy it. BTW, while tinkering with some other guns, I found that this mag also fits 1907 Dreyse. I suspect that smaller manufacturers saved some money by building their guns around larger brand mags, so the FN 1900 mag could possibly fit other pistols as well.

I have tried repros from http://www.vintagegungrips.com and http://www.gungrip.com, and they are both like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates. Some grips have been so-so, some have been excellent but in their defense, their products can only be as good as the master they use. If they only have worn and scuffed grips to make molds from, their repros will also look worn and scuffed. They do have good pictures on their web site though, so you'll know what they'll look like before you order. The grips are cheap and their S&H is very reasonable, so I think it's a very good alternative to overpriced originals (or while you're looking for originals). The ones I have used required some fitting, but it was fairly easy to do. In short, they are a very good resource when you want to get a gun up and running without breaking the bank.

I know that the repros Numrich sells are from Vintage Gun Grips, but I'm not sure about Sarco. The only manufacturers I have found are the ones mentioned above, but it would be really interesting to know if there are other sources.

The flat trigger bar/mag catch spring. Not sure how it could go missing like that, but I suspect that it just broke right at the pin and fell out through the magazine well. I just looked it up on Numrich's web site, and it was obviously $8.25, not $6. Still ain't a bad price, especially when it's right there at the time you need it.

I own a FN Browning 1900 pistol. They are pretty cool little guns...

I got interested in these whan a coworker asked if I could take one apart..his fathers gun. He brought it to work..and I found a disassembly diagram for it..and we scattered it and cleaned it up.

His father's pistol was pretty rough..as in about zero original finish.

Not long after that...I bought one on Auction Arms for $62 or $65! A new seller had it..nobody bid against me..I paid and he duly sent the pea-shooter.

The mainspring was a replacement..and it had no mag..but otherwise is in credible shape..with maybe 70% original blue.

Wolff Gunsprings had a mainspring...Gun Parts Corp had a reproduction mag..I stuck it all together..and it works great.

These only hold 7 shots in the mag..triggerpull is quite heavy..reliability is excellent...mine has two different style of 'FN' grips (not the 'pistol' style grips).

They are good little pistols..and about all the info I could find was that Belgum issued these for awhile...that they were quite popular in Europe..popular enough in China and other Aisian countries that 'Kyber pass' style handmade copies show up about as frequently as original FN made guns...somewhat scarce in the US as the pistol was never marketed here.

An interesting website used to exist with some info on these..and their use in Belgium...shows different style grips..types of markings and such.

Some difference of opinions on just how long they made the 1900..some sources stating made until 1910..other's claim made until 1914.

Supposidly the style of peashooter used to start WWI..But I've found that's probably not so..Most sources state it was an FN Browning 1910 used to assassinate the Arch Duke Ferdinand and Sophie..May have been the style gun used by old west assassin Tom Horn in his failed escape, recaptured because he did not understand how it worked..but again..sources differ..unlucky Tom may have had a Luger..

That's all I know about the FN Browning 1900. Hard to see the 'Browning' in it...but mine works like a champ.