FN M1900

M1900/Browning No.1
Type	Semi-automatic pistol
Land of Origin	Belgium
Specifications
Length	172 mm
Barrel length	102 mm
Weight	625g (unloaded)
Cartridge	7.65x17mm Browning SR (.32 ACP)
Action	Blowback-operated
Rifling/Twist	5 grooves, right twist
Feed	7+1
Sights	fixed iron sights
Production History
Designer	John Browning
Design Date	1896
No. Built	~700,000
Variants	Modele 1899, Mle.1900

The FN Browning M1900 is a single action, semi-automatic pistol designed ca. 1896 by John Browning for Fabrique Nationale de Herstal (FN) and produced in Belgium at the turn of the century. It was the first production handgun to use a slide.

History

The design was presented to arms manufacturer FN Herstal in 1898, with production commencing the following year (then under the designation Modele 1899). In 1900, an improved design featuring primarily a shorter barrel was introduced as the M1900. Production ceased only 11 years later, with a total of about 700 000 units having been produced.

United States President Theodore Roosevelt owned an M1900, which he regularly kept on his person and in his bedside drawer (see video). Eugen Schauman used an M1900 (serial number unknown) in his 1904 assassination of the Russian Governor-General of Finland at the time, Nikolai Ivanovich Bobrikov. Contrary to many reports from various sources, an M1900 was not used to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914; the handgun used by Gavrilo Princip in that notorious incident was instead a FN 1910.

Ammunition

The weapon is chambered for the .32 ACP, also known as 7.65x17mm Browning SR, "SR" referencing semi-rimmed.

Synonyms

This model is known by several names, including:

• FN M1900
• FN Mle.1900
• Browning M1900
• Browning No.1

See also

• FN Model 1903
• Colt M1900

Resources

Parts view of the M1900, with parts list

This article has no links to any manuals whatsoever! This article needs more input to fill in those missing bits. You (yes, you!) can help Gunsopedia provide more comprehensive information to our users by submitting a manual that you might have. See this page to find out how you can contribute a manual to the Gun Owners' Resource Online Library and help your fellow gun owners. With your help, we really can make this a one-stop resource for all gun owners!