Most of you reading this article are probably somewhat familiar with John Moses Browning. If not, here’s the skinny: Browning was the most prolific and influential firearms designer of his time. Maybe…probably…of all time. We don’t have the space to address all of Browning’s designs. Just listing them would make an article by itself. So, today we focus on the FN Model 1900, a Browning gun that was the first semi-automatic pistol to feature a slide. Sort of. It also kicked off the concealed carry pistol industry.
A Firearm Looking for a Market
Browning filed the patents for what would become the FN Model 1900 pistol in 1897. It was a simple blowback design chambered in Browning’s new .32 ACP cartridge. It was only 6.75 inches long and weighed about 1.4 pounds. The four-inch barrel and overall slimness made it easily concealable, and the seven-round single-stack magazine provided considerable firepower for its day.
That same year, Browning traveled from his Utah home to Connecticut, hoping to sell the design to Colt. The gunmaker, however, wasn’t interested because they believed Browning’s gun had no military application, being so small. Military contracts were the big-ticket items for manufacturers and there was no civilian concealed carry market yet. Disappointed, Browning had to find another buyer for his design.
A Company Looking for a Product
Meanwhile, after a fast start, Belgian gunmaker Fabrique Nationale (FN), had fallen on hard times. The company was originally a joint project between smaller gunmakers to facilitate the volume generated by government contracts. The first such was the Model 1889 Mauser. But the individual members soon felt threatened by FN’s success, causing many to pull their resources from the venture.
Despite having a reputation for quality products, FN’s future was uncertain. The company started looking for products they could manufacture in their large and modern facility. FN already produced bicycles and motorcycles and looked to possibly expand those endeavors. The company dispatched Hart O. Berg, an American-born businessman who was living in Belgium, to Connecticut with instructions to learn about new trends in bicycle making.
A Serendipitous Meeting
Berg, who had previously lived and worked in Connecticut, also had ties to Colt, and it seems he was involved in that company’s development of Browning’s M1889 revolver and M1895 machine gun. While in Connecticut, Berg met Browning, though the circumstances of that meeting are unknown. It may have been that Berg heard from his contacts at Colt that Browning had a design to sell.
However it happened, Browning allowed Berg to take his prototype back to Belgium. It wasn’t a bicycle, but Berg and FN had found the product for which they were looking. The new pistol also marked the beginning of Browning’s long and fruitful association with FN, a legacy that still resounds today.
FN Births the Concealed Carry Market
FN immediately grasped the new pistol’s potential, especially after it fired 500 rounds without a malfunction in their tests. 500 rounds seems like nothing special to us today, but it was all but unheard of for a semi-automatic pistol in 1897. The company offered Browning a contract, which he signed in July of that year.
FN offered the initial product, the FN Model 1899, to the Belgian and British militaries. The Brits passed, not liking the small caliber, but the Belgian Army accepted an upgraded version, now designated the Model 1900. Production of the Model 1899 soon ceased, though that firearm has the distinction of being the first production pistol with a reciprocating slide and to be chambered in .32 ACP. The Model 1900 was technically the second in both those categories, even though it’s really just a better Model 1899.
The firearm was very popular in Belgium, leading many police forces to adopt the Model 1900 as well. Eventually, police agencies across Europe, as well as the militaries of Greece, Austria-Hungary, Russia, France, and Germany, at least partially equipped themselves with Browning’s pistol.
Civilian sales were also brisk. For the first time, a quality, concealable firearm was publicly available. Keep in mind that European gun laws were very different from what they are today. Despite the Model 1900’s popularity in Europe, few were sold in the United States. Part of that was FN’s lack of American market presence, but what market existed was mostly dominated by the Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless pistol.
One notable American Model 1900 owner, however, was US President Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt’s one-of-a-kind pistol featured fine engraving and pearl grips. The gun was reportedly Roosevelt’s nightstand gun in the White House. Times sure have changed, haven’t they?
FN Model 1900 Specifications
- Caliber: .32 ACP (7.65mm Browning)
- Capacity: 7+1
- Magazine: Single Stack
- Barrel Length: 4 inches
- Overall Length: 6.75 inches
- Weight: 1.4 pounds
- Operating System: Straight Blowback
- Trigger: Approximately 10 pounds
- Finish: Blued or Nickel Plated
Notable Features
The FN Model 1900 was popular for a reason. First, it was simple and reliable. Simple designs are likely to be less expensive too. But the gun included some novel features that made it more attractive than many competitors, along with a couple that weren’t so good:
Low bore axis. The Model 1900 looks like an over/under design, but it’s not. What looks, at first glance, like the top barrel is actually where the recoil spring is located. The “bottom barrel” is the real barrel. Combined with the soft shooting .32 ACP cartridge and its 1.4 lb. weight, the Model 1900 had little muzzle flip and felt recoil. It was, and remains, a pleasure to shoot.
Simple design. The Model 1900 was easy to operate and easy to maintain. The straight blowback action and the slide mechanism meant there was little to go wrong. Disassembly, though not as easy as today, was still straightforward. Remove two screws on the slide and the rest is similar to modern pistols. Pull off the slide and there are the barrel, recoil spring, and breech block.
The stiff recoil spring also operated the trigger, all but eliminating light primer strikes and, again, fewer parts mean a simpler design.
Easy cocking. The textured cocking ears are easy to grasp, making slide manipulation easy indeed.
Cocking indicator.
Empty magazine indicator. The slide does not lock back on an empty mag, but a rounded pin rises to block the rear sight when the gun is empty, thus alerting the shooter.
Easy to reach safety mechanism. The frame-mounted thumb safety is convenient and positive. The gun was stamped “Feu” for “fire,” and “Sûr” for “safe.” That’s French in case you didn’t know. There are no known Model 1900s with equivalent English words since the gun was not in widespread use in Britain or the United States.
The Model 1900’s worst feature is the sighting system. The small, rounded blade paired with a shallow rear groove is hard to pick up and leaves much to be desired.
The heel magazine release is also less than ideal. It’s small and hard to access, being described as a “fingernail bender” by at least one commentator.
Influence
Few handguns have been so influential as the FN Model 1900. The gun kicked off a concealed carry trend across Europe and North America. Sadly, that trend only continues in the US. But the Model 1900 was the first real semi-automatic concealed carry pistol. We still use many of its innovations today.
FN manufactured the Model 1900 until 1914, by which time over 700,000 were made. Not bad for a gun initially rejected because there was supposedly no market for it. Browning followed the Model 1900 with the sleeker FN Model 1910, another successful design based heavily on the Model 1900.
Browning maintained a productive relationship with FN until he died, perhaps culminating in the outstanding Browning Hi-Power in 1935. Versions of that legendary firearm are produced by FN to this day. Even if they don’t know it, modern semi-automatic pistol manufacturers and enthusiasts are heavily indebted to John Browning, who designed the FN Model 1900, and Hart O. Berg, who saw its potential. So, if you see one of these rarities in a pawn shop or gun store, you might consider picking up a piece of history. They aren’t all that expensive and they’re fun to shoot. Think about it.
