- Fn 1922 Pistol Serial Numbers A Prefixes
- Fn 1922 Pistol Serial Numbers A Prefix Number
- Fn Herstal Serial Numbers
- 1966 6-single letter prefix or suffix by Ser. 1967 7-single letter prefix or suffix by Ser. 1968 8-single letter prefix or suffix by Ser. 1969 Single letter (Y, Z, or L) followed by last 2 digits of year of mfg. 1970 “Y70' prefix. 1971 “L71' prefix. 1972 “Z72' prefix. 1973 “Y73' prefix. 1974 “Z74' prefix.
- Mike takes a look at the FN 1922 service pistol, built by Fabrique Nationale in Belgium in both 9x17mm/.380 ACP and 7.65x17mm/.32 ACP. A widely successful, b.
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- FN Browning 1899, 1900, 1903, 1905 - 1906 and Baby pistols: Guide to identification: See below
- Beware of FN marked, Walther style, PP Pistols: See below
- Popular misconceptions on FN and FN Browning Firearms: See below
- Trench Sweepers; Browning & Ruby Pistols in the Great War
Originally published in American Rifleman Magazine -- Click here for NRA article - The FN Browning 1903
Originally published in American Rifleman Magazine --Click here for NRA article - Inside the Pistols of FNH USA
Originally published in American Rifleman Magazine --Click here for NRA article
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Identifying and differentiation the FN Browning Pistols:
FN Browning Model 1899 and 1900,
FN Browning 1903,
FN Browning 1905 (1906) Vest Pocket and Baby Browning pistols
FN Browning Model 1910 and Model 1922
Following is a guide for identifying FN Browning pistol models:
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.
FN Browning Model 1903: The Model 1903 in 9mm Browning Long was manufactured for the military market. It was not a copy of the Colt 1903 as is often reported. FN requested a (military) handgun design from John Browning in 1901. The same prototypes were presented to Colt and FN, Colt opted to manufacture a pocket pistol while FN tried to fill a void in their line by offering the design as a military pistol.
FN Browning Model 1905 / 1906 vs. FN Baby Browning: The Model 1905 is often referred to as the Model 1906, generally in the U.S. it is known for its first patent year '1905' while in Europe, 1906 refers to FN's first manufacturing year. This model is also commonly known as the Vest Pocket model. The Baby Browning was introduced by FN in 1931, the pistol is smaller than the Vest Pocket model. The Baby Browning is a total different design from the earlier Vest Pocket pistol, parts are not interchangeable.
Beware of Walther style PP pistols that are on the U.S. market with FN - Fabrique Nationale - slide legends…