FN Model 1903

FN Model 1903
A FN Model 1903 from the collections of the Swedish Army Museum.
TypeSemi-automatic pistol
Place of originUnited States (designed)
Belgium (manufactured)
Service history
Used bySee Users
Wars
Production history
DesignerJohn Browning
Designed1902
ManufacturerFabrique Nationale
No. built153,173
Specifications
Mass930 g (32.8 oz) unloaded
Length205 mm (8.07 in)
Barrel length127 mm (5 in)

Cartridge9×20mmSR Browning Long, in the US, some pistols were rechambered in .380 ACP; Some Chinese copies chambered in .32 ACP.[4]
ActionBlowback
Feed system7-round (9mm) box magazine, 9×19mm m/39B (Trials with the m/1907)[5]
SightsIron sights

The FN Model 1903 (M1903, FN Mle 1903), or Browning No.2 is a semi-automatic pistol designed by John Browning and manufactured by Belgian arms manufacturer Fabrique Nationale (FN). It was introduced in 1903 and fired the 9×20mmSR Browning Long cartridge. It should not be confused with the US-made Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless (in .32 ACP), nor with the Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammer (in .38 ACP). The FN Model 1903 is based on the same mechanical design as the Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless, which Browning sold to both companies (and others as well), but enlarged to handle the more powerful 9mm Browning Long cartridge. The M1903's reliability, accuracy, light weight, and quick reloading made it a popular service pistol for many police forces and militaries. The pistol was initially introduced by FN as the Browning Modèle de Guerre (Browning War Model) or Browning Grand Modèle (Browning Large Model).[6]

  1. ^ Jowett, Philip (2012). Armies of the Balkan Wars 1912-13 : the priming charge for the Great War. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-299-58155-2. OCLC 842879929.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Chaco was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Small Arms Survey (2007). "Armed Violence in Burundi: Conflict and Post-Conflict Bujumbura" (PDF). The Small Arms Survey 2007: Guns and the City. Cambridge University Press. p. 204. ISBN 978-0-521-88039-8.
  4. ^ McCollum, Ian (2021). "Other Chinese Copies". Pistols of the Warlords: Chinese Domestic Handguns, 1911 - 1949. Headstamp Publishing. pp. 496–499. ISBN 9781733424639.
  5. ^ "The Swedish pistol m/1907 or Browning M1903 i 9 mm Browning Long". Archived from the original on February 11, 2022.
  6. ^ Vanderlinden, Anthony FN Browning Pistols: Side-Arms that Shaped World History pp.158-181