FN Browning Model 1900

Larry Potterfield • February 21, 2022
Guns

John Browning's first successful semi-automatic pistol wasn't made by Colt, but rather it was produced by the great FN plant in Belgium. This model was used to assassinate Austria's Archduke Ferdinand in 1914 in Sarajevo, thus starting World War 1. I've got an FN Browning model 1900. The magazine release is on the bottom of the grip. Just press it with your thumb and pull on the lip of the magazine. There's no magazine safety, which allows the gun to fire with the magazine removed. It has a cocking indicator that, when up and in the line of sight, indicates that the pistol is not cocked. When it's down, that means the pistol is cocked. This is a single-action, hammerless design. The magazine holds seven rounds. The slide doesn't lock open after the last shot, so it's necessary to pull it to the rear to chamber a round. The thumb safety shows SUR for safe and FEU for fire--these are French words, of course. It has a four-inch barrel with fixed sights. The model 1900 was actually introduced in 1899, with production continuing through 1912. They were chambered for the 32 ACP cartridge. Field stripping this gun for cleaning requires the use of a screwdriver, which is quite unusual, but remember; this was 1900. For a demonstration, be sure to check out the video above.

--Larry Potterfield

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Larry Potterfield

Larry Potterfield is the Founder and Chairman of the Board of MidwayUSA. He and his wife Brenda, both country kids from Missouri, turned their passion for shooting sports into a career by opening a small gun shop in 1977 that would eventually become the industry-leading internet retailer it is today. For over 45 years, MidwayUSA has maintained an unyielding focus on Customer Satisfaction and continues to offer JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING® for Shooting, Hunting and the Outdoors.

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