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From rocks and clubs to firearms, man has always carried weapons as
a vital necessity and inherent right. As he approached a state of
civilization, a happy condition he has yet to fully achieve, man
became a gregarious creature. But the welcomed proximity of his
fellow non-enemies has not completely obviated man’s need for a
personal, self defense weapon. From the flint blade, dagger and
sheath knife to the pepperbox, derringer and revolver, small
concealable but deadly survival weapons have always been and will
remain in demand.
The superior reliability, effectiveness and capacity for rapid
multiple discharge of a self-loading handgun was recognized long
before the first “automatic” pistols were perfected in Europe in the
1880-1890 period. The names Schonberger, Shwarzlose, Bergmann and
Mannlicher are associated with the earliest of this new breed of
firearms, large, heavy and intended primarily for military use.
It
remained for a self-taught, modest and unsophisticated Mormon
gunsmith from a small town on the edge of the great American Wild
West to bring to the waiting world its first successful small
automatic pistol, one of a series which became known as “pocket
pistols”.
This is a necessarily brief history of John Moses Browning’s
earliest pocket pistols.
It
is a wry commentary on the much-touted “Yankee Ingenuity” and the
burgeoning U.S. arms industry of the 1890’s that three great
American inventors of automatic weapons found it necessary to travel
to Europe to find a market for their inventions. Hugo Borchardt,
Hiram Maxim and John M. Browning, all of whom made major
contributions to automatic weapons design and the technology of
their mass production, could not at first gain acceptance of their
ideas in the United States.
Borchardt was a naturalized American citizen, born in Germany, whose
1893 toggle-action military pistol was first made by Ludwig Loewe &
Co. of Berlin. His original design was refined by George Luger and
became the renowned Parabellum P08. Relations between Borchardt and
the Loewe firm deteriorated to the point that Borchardt finally
offered his massive toggle-action pistol to Fabrique Nationale
d’Armes de Guerre of Belgium, where it was rejected. Borchardt left
the offices of FN in a rage, leaving behind a pre-production
prototype, Serial No. 27. The unique collector’s item is now in the
private collection of Val A. Browning, the American inventor’s son,
to whom it was given many years later when he was working with his
father in the FN plant.
Hiram Maxim found a market for his machine gun in England, where he
also developed an automatic pistol intended for use with the now
obsolescent British .455 rimmed cartridge, as well as the 7.65 mm
Borchardt and the 8mm Schonberger rounds. Maxim’s pistol was one of
the simplest ever invented, but it had a tendency to spray hot gases
on the shooter’s hand and was never produced commercially.
John M. Browning (whose name customarily includes the middle initial
“M” to distinguish the inventor from his eldest son, John Browning),
the most innovative and prolific inventor the world has ever known,
was approached by Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Co., which
had purchased his Model 1895 machine gun, with a request to design a
military semi-automatic pistol for submission to the U.S. Army. In
just two years, from 1894 to 1896, Browning created and patented
five different large automatic pistols in .38 caliber and one in the
new .32 caliber. Colt bought all of the .38’s but no the .32,
believing, rightly, that the Army would not consider such small
caliber weapon.
Perhaps because of his own love for shooting, Browning applied the
principles used in the military .32 model to a smaller and simpler
pistol, the prototype of which was also completed in 1897. The
inventor was fond of the little gun and was accustomed to carrying
it in his pocket during hikes on spring evenings in the foothills of
the Wasatch Mountains near Ogden, Utah. The pocket model .32 was
also offered to Colt, but it too was rejected. Colt’s pre-occupation
with the promise of the lucrative commercial market in conjunction
with rich military contracts for the big pistol, and its already
popular line of small revolvers, blinded it to the potential sales
of Browning’s little .32 caliber pocket-sized automatic.
A
representative of Fabrique Nationale (FN), Hart O. Berg, who was
visiting Hartford, Connecticut in connection with new developments
in the manufacture of bicycles, met Browning and convinced him of
the advantages of offering his .32 pistol to FN. Berg took one of
the handmade prototypes back to Herstal, on the outskirts of Liege,
Belgium, and showed it to FN’s management.
Fabrique Nationale had been formed in 1889 as a syndicate of some 13
Liege gun makers to undertake the production of the 7.65 mm Model
1889 Mauser rifle for the Belgium Army.
Production rights and the machinery needed to make the rifle were
obtained from Ludwig Loewe & Co. of Berlin. In 1896, Loewe purchased
more than half of FN’s stock, and in the following year consigned
its controlling interest in FN to Deutsche Waffen und
Munitionsfabriken (DWM). By 1894, the Belgian Army’s rifle orders
had been filled and FN began work on a small number of Mauser rifles
as authorized by DWM for the German Army. Limited production of
sporting arms was also begun, but the capacity of the large FN plant
was not being fully utilized; therefore, FN turned to the
manufacture of automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles and ammunition.
The opportunity to resume increased arms production in an almost new
factory equipped for that purpose, and the obvious superiority of
Browning’s .32 caliber handgun over any other then in existence,
delighted FN’s management.
After exhaustive trials proved the worth of Browning’s designs, FN’s
general manager, Henri Frenay, recommended their purchase. On July
17, 1897, the president of FN, Baron Charles De Marmol, and John M.
Browning signed a contract giving FN exclusive rights to make and
sell the .32 (7.65mm) pistols outside the United States, Canada,
Ireland and Great Britain. By 1912, this agreement had been revised
to include provisions for giving Colt exclusive rights to sell FN’s
Browning-patent pistols in Greenland, Newfoundland, St. Pierre,
Miquelon, Mexico, Central America (including the Panama Canal Zone)
and the Antilles in the West Indies. These rights included all sales
to governments, institutions, dealers and individuals. Colt and FN
were allowed to compete for sales in England and Ireland, with FN to
pay a license fee of 1.5 Belgian francs to Colt for every pistol
sold there during the life of the applicable patent.
Browning’s original Model 1896 military .32 caliber model was
modified slightly by FN technicians to facilitate production and was
designated the “Modele 1899 Browning.” Several thousands of the 1899
and the smaller version, which came to be called the Model 1900,
were produced for Belgian Army trials in 1900. The Belgian War
Department rejected the Model 1899 pistol but approved the purchase
of an initial order for 20,000 of the Model 1900 for issue to
Belgian Army commissioned and non-commissioned officers.
Although the two .32 caliber Browning pistols look somewhat alike,
the Model 1899 is easily identified by its larger size and greater
weight (see table).
The Model 1899 was never produced for commercial sale and quietly
disappeared into the hands of museums and collectors. The inventor’s
model is displayed in the Browning Firearms Museum in Ogden with the
five .38 caliber prototypes purchased by Colt. The florid letterhead
used by the Browning Brothers Co. in 1899 showed an illustration of
the big .32 prototype, an indication of John M. Browning’s
confidence in its design even before it had been put into
production.
The Model 1900, identical to the small prototype carried to Belgium
by Berg, became the first of Browning’s small automatic pistols made
for commercial sale and the first commercially successful automatic
pistol of its kind in the world. The handmade prototype remained in
Belgium until April 1978, when it was returned to Utah by Dr. Claude Gaier, FN’s public relations manager, who accompanied the exhibition
of Belgian arms, “Belgian Gun Making and American History, “shown in
Salt Lake City that year.
Model 1899
Model 1900
Length:
183 mm (7.2 inches)
162mm (6.4 inches)
Barrel:
122 mm (4.8 inches)
102 mm (4.0 inches)
Weight:
765 grams (27 ounces)
625 grams (22 ounces)
One of the attributes of genius which characterized John M. Browning
was his ability to create many separate and distinctly different
firearms designs almost simultaneously. In the peak years of his
incredible productivity, from about 1890 to 1910, he worked on new
mechanisms for application to machine guns, semi-automatic rifles
and shotguns, as well as semi-automatic pistols in both large
calibers for military and police use and small calibers for sporting
and self-defense handguns. The firearms he designed in his small
shop in Ogden included lever-action repeating rifles and shotguns,
slide-action repeaters (called trombones), and both full automatic
and semi-automatic types.
Although the first Browning pistol was gas operated, all the rest of
his nine successful semi-automatic pistols (five sold to Colt, four
to FN) were recoil operated, either blowback or locked-breech
designs.
Many of Browning’s guns were conceived before suitable cartridges
were available: therefore he designed his own. Colt’s request for a
larger caliber pistol in 1905 led to Browning’s development, with
Winchester’s help, of the .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) cartridge.
Similarly, Browning and Winchester brought forth the .32 ACP
(7.65mm) cartridge for the Model 1900 pistol. Both the .45 and .32
cartridges proved their worth and are still widely used eight
decades after their birth.
The Model 1900 FN/Browning was an instant success. Hundreds of
thousands were sold commercially, and it was also adopted for
military and police use throughout Europe. Belatedly, Browning was
asked by Colt to design a similar pocket pistol. With customary
aplomb, Browning invented the Model 1903 .32 ACP (7.65mm) Pocket
model, later also made in caliber .380 ACP (9mm short). The Model
1903 Colt closely resembles the Model 1903 9 mm Browning Long Grande
Modele which Browning had designed at the request of FN for military
sales in Europe. It appears that Browning satisfied both Colt and FN
by submitting to them at about the same time in 1901, two automatic
pistols that were basically of the same design but intended for
entirely different use.
Sales of the FN/Browning Model 1900 were booming in 1905 when
Browning patented in Belgium another pocket pistol. It is not known
whether FN suggested that a still smaller pistol would sell well or
whether Browning originated the idea himself. At any rate, in 1905,
the same year in which Colt introduced in the United states the
first .45 ACP pistol (a Browning design) the .25 ACP (6.35mm) “Vest
Pocket” pistol was sold to FN, which designated it the Browning
Automatic Pistol caliber 6.35mm (.25 caliber).
While the little gun is referred to on FN ledgers as the Model 1905,
its patent year, as well as the “VP .25”, many collectors and
authors came to identify it as the Model 1906. Offering still more
confusion was the European practice, at least in Germany and
Czechoslovakia, for example, of identifying the Vest Pocket as the
“Baby” or “Le Bebe”, a name more firmly attached to its .25 ACP
successor and the topic of the second planned installment of this
story.
By
whatever name it is called, production of the 6.35 mm Vest Pocket
(VP) model commenced at FN in 1905, and like the Model 1900, it was
an immediate hit in Europe. Its popularity, in fact, spawned
literally dozens of copies by other European makers.
Once again Colt saw the glint of gold in the FN/Browning Vest Pocket
pistol and purchased from Browning the rights to make and sell the
gun in the U.S. The Colt version had a small but useful
modification, a safety lever that also served as a slide holdback to
facilitate disassembly. Officially the Pocket Model, Caliber .25,
Hammerless, but better known as the Model 1908 Vest Pocket Pistol,
the Colt was further modified with a magazine safety in 1916 after
about 141,000 had been made. The slide hold-back safety lever was
covered by an earlier Browning patent; the magazine safety was
designed and patented by G.H. Tansley, a Clot employee. Shortly
after the appearance of the Colt version, FN also modified its Vest
Pocket model to provide for a safety lever and slide hold-back
notch, but Tansley’s magazine safety was not adopted.
Like the Model 1900, the first FN VP pistols were made in standard
blued finish with black hard rubber grip panels. Nickel plated
models were also offered from the first. In keeping with the
traditional use of engraving on arms made in the Liege area, many
ornately embellished, nickel plated VP’s were made for normal sales,
in addition to those even more elaborate pieces specially ordered.
The 1927 FN catalog illustrates available engraving patterns
designated as Type I (deep-cut engraving, blued or nickel finish,
grips of black rubber, ivory or pearl); Type II (delicate gold
inlays, special blue finish, optional grips); Type III (fine English
pattern, special blue or nickel finish, optional grips); Type IV
(deep-cut Renaissance pattern, blued or nickeled, optional grips);
Type V (ribbon pattern, blued or nickeled, optional grips); and type
VI (modern style, heavy gold inlaid, special blue finish, optional
grips).
The tiny 6.35 mm pistol was a natural candidate for presentation to
important visitors or as a gift for friends and relatives. One such
specially engraved piece was made for Val A. Browning, the only
surviving son of the inventor. It was set in a satin and
velvet-lined case bearing the Fabrique Nationale label, Serial No.
778226, made in 1926 (the year Val cared for his father on his
deathbed in the FN plant). The piece is embellished with a heavily
gold-inlaid floral pattern executed by famous Belgian engraver Felix
Funken, has the initials “V.A.B.” on the slide and carries ivory
grips.
Another VP pistol, also with brown-veined ivory grips, was given to
George Emmett Browning, one of the three half-brothers who assisted
John M. and his brother, Mathew Sandifur Browning, in the operation
of the Browning Brothers store in Ogden. This presentation piece,
Serial No. 10587 (circa 1907) in blue finish is covered with
delicate engraving in the FN Type III English style and is
accompanied by a suede leather purse with snap-top closure (a
standard case of the time) resembling a coin purse.
Among the most significant of the special order breed of Vest Pocket
pistols is a quartet of standard blue pieces: Serial Nos. 456188,
456354, 456XXX, and 456602, with the gold-inlaid inscription on the
left side of the slides: “Un million”, surrounded by a simple
curving gold line. These pieces were made up at the order of the FN
management to be used for presentation during the celebration of the
production of the one millionth FN/Browning pistol in 1912. The
actual one millionth piece to come off of the line cannot be
identified. It could well have been Model 1900 7.65 mm; 1903 Grande
Modele; Model 1910 7.65 mm (the successor to the Model 1900); or a
VP 6.35 mm. All of these pieces were being manufactured in 1912 when
the one millionth mark was reached.
FN
management decided to commemorate this landmark with a lavish
banquet to which, according to a local newspaper account at the time
were invited many public officials including King Albert and members
of his cabinet. The engravers finished the four VP pistols on
January 31, 1914, just in time for the ceremony held that evening.
Two of them were to be given to the two most important attendees,
the King and John M. Browning. The King sent his regrets, but after
the speeches were finished, M. Andri, FN’s Director General,
presented one of the little pistols to M. Berryer, the Belgian
Minister of War, who accepted it on the King’s behalf. A second
commemorative pistol was presented by Andri to John M. Browning in
recognition of the tremendous impact his inventions had on the
fortunes of the Company.
Val A. Browning, the inventor’s son, remembers the evening very
well. “I was a bit nervous because I was wearing my first tuxedo,”
he told the author. At 18 years, he was probably the youngest guest
at the table.
The next evening, at a private dinner given by Andri, Val Browning
was presented with the third commemorative VP Pistol, No. 456354, in
a presentation case lined with green velvet and gold satin. This
piece was donated to the City of Ogden by Val Browning many years
later with the rest of the Browning collection, and it now may be
seen in the Browning Firearms Museum in Ogden, Utah.
The fourth gold-inscribed pistol, No. 456188, was retained by FN for
its Salle d’Exposition at the plant in Herstal, where it may be seen
today. Records of the serial numbers of the pistols given to the
King and John M. Browning have been swallowed up in FN’s cavernous
archives.
At
this point, the story of the four gold-inscribed Vest Pocket pistols
begins to read like a mystery novel. Early in 1982, the author
learned that an arms dealer in New Jersey had for sale a gold-inlaid
Browning .25 caliber pistol NO. 456602. He stated that he had bought
it in England from the well known firm Parker-Hale of Birmingham in
the 1950’s. He had been told that the pistol had been obtained from
an English officer who admitted having taken it from the FN plant in
Herstal while on duty with the Allied Forces during World War II.
According to the U.S. dealer, Parker-Hale had contacted FN regarding
ownership of the piece and had been told that it was one of the
commemorative pistols made in 1914, and that FN would take no action
to recover it. Attempts to document these statements with
Parker-Hale have been unsuccessful; after all, it would be most
unusual to find details of the sale of one small pocket pistol in a
firm of that size after some 40 years.
Dr. Claude Gaier of the FN staff confirms that four specially
prepared Vest Pocket pistols came off the production line January
31, 1914, with the serial numbers mentioned above. Dr Gaier suggests
that one of the four pistols may still be in the Royal Belgium Arms
Collection, but he did not recommend that we call the King’s armorer
for confirmation!
The whereabouts of the pistol given to John M. Browning that night
in 1914 has been a mystery for many years. It has been the belief of
members of the Browning family that it had been lost or stolen after
the inventor’s death in the FN plant November 26, 1926. The author
discussed the discovery of pistol No. 456602 with Val Browning who
said that he could not prove its identity. “My father was not very
much interested in guns per se,” he said. “If he wanted a gun, he’d
make one.” Browning agreed with the hypothesis that his father may
have tucked the presentation case and its pistol in a desk drawer in
his office at the FN plant after the banquet, where it may have
remained forgotten for many years until WWII.
Dr. Gaier wrote about the “lost or stolen” pistol: “…Unit S/N 456602
will remain a riddle. All that can be said is that the chances are
that it was the one given to John M. Browning.” Whatever may be
learned by further research into the history of this mysterious VP,
it now rests in the Browning Firearms Museum besides its sibling,
the piece given to Val A. Browning on February 1, 1914.
The inventor’s hand-made prototype Vest Pocket pistol has
disappeared. It may have been swallowed up in the clutter of some
workbench in the FN plant, its parts used to dimension new tooling
and never reassembled. An unmarked but clearly machine-made factory
reproduction prototype may be seen in the Browning Firearms Museum
in Ogden.
Fabrique Nationale’s early production records have been lost, but by
July 1913 a hand-scribed account shows that 451,310 Vest Pocket 6.35
mm pistols had been made. When WWI halted the wheels in the FN
plant, the total production had climbed to 503,434 units. Production
resumed in 1918, but only 200 were made that year. Production
increased steadily to number more than one million by mid 1940.
Commercial production was again stopped in May 1940, but during
WWII, from May 1940 until June 1944, the records show that 2,633 VPs
were requisitioned by the armed forces of the Third Reich.
Most references on the subject state that FN ceased making the VP
after 1940, but actually a few more were made, probably on special
order or for presentation purposes. The hand-scribed account
mentioned above shows the following data: 1944: 45 pieces; 1945: 46
pieces; 1946: 13 pieces; 1947: 1 piece; 1948-1949: none; 1950: three
pieces; 1951-56: none; 1957: 14 pieces; 1958: none; 1959: 22 pieces;
Total production from 1905 to the end of 1959 is recorded as
1,080,439 units. These data do not however reflect serial numbers
accurately. A member of the U.S. Browning Collectors Association in
California owns a FN Vest Pocket pistol bearing Serial No. 1086133,
possibly one of those reportedly made in 1959.
By
agreement between Browning, FN and Colt, the FN made Vest Pocket
pistol was never imported for sale in the U.S. but many were brought
home from Europe by travelers and members of the U.S. Armed Forces.
They are prized by collectors as basic models in the field of
automatic pistols.
FN’s Baby .25 ACP, currently being put back in production by
Virginia firm, proved a worthy successor to the popular Vest Pocket
model.
Fabrique Nationale’s production of the John M. Browning designed
6.25 mm Vest Pocket Pistol, which had risen to an annual high of
54,500 in 1928, began dropping off to match declining sales in the
1930’s. By 1939, the last full year of production before World War
II, only about 5,500 were made, 10 percent of the 1928 record.
While other factors contributed to this drop in sales, FN’s
management realized that the design was obsolete and directed its
chief of weapons design and development, Dieudonne Saive (later to
become better known for his FN "FAL") to come up with a new 6.35 mm
model incorporating many of Browning’s patented features but simpler
and lighter (and therefore cheaper to make), in order to compete
with the successful German subcompacts. An FN photograph of a
prototype of the new pistol is dated April 9, 1927.
The new FN/Browning 6.35 mm pistol was first marketed in Europe in
1931 under the nickname “Baby”. Saive eliminated the VP’s grip
safety and slide hold-back features, relocated the safety lever and
added a magazine safety, a feature more popular in Europe than in
the U.S. The new BABY weighed less and was smaller than its
ancestor, but its functional specifications, i.e., barrel length and
cartridge capacity, remained unchanged.
Vest Pocket
BABY
Weight:
340 grams (12 ounces)
275 grams (9.7ounces)
Height:
76 mm (3 inches)
72 mm (2.8 inches)
Length:
114 mm ( 4.5 inches)
104mm (4.09 inches)
Barrel:
53.6 mm (2.1 inches)
53.6 mm (2.1 inches)
Magazine Capacity:
6
6
FN
made 1,096 BABY pistols in 1931, the first year of production. By
1939, production totaled 50,134. Only 13 units were made in 1940
before Department of War Management (DWM) took over the FN
operations at Herstal. During World War II, from May 1940 until June
1944, only 129 BABY pistols were made, probably for important
members of the occupying German Army or other officials. The BABY
production line was not restarted for commercial sales until 1946,
with 6,999 units made that year. By 1950, 49,694 more units had been
made for a total of 106,969. 1951-1952 production totaled only 3,296
pieces.
The output of BABY pistols continued at a steady rate after 1953
until 1969, the year the U.S. Gun Control Act of 1968 took effect.
The 1968 law, passed in the emotion-charged atmosphere resulting
from the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy and the Reverend Martin
Luther King made illegal the import of small, personal handguns
which could not meet a point system imposed by the Treasury
Department. Along with the FN BABY, many other high quality handguns
of foreign manufacture were forbidden to enter the U.S. The
importance of U.S. sales, where the guns were marketed under the
Browning name, is shown by the drop in BABY production from 42,588
units in 1968 to 1,957 units in 1969.
The original FN BABY made for the European market can be recognized
by the usual Fabrique Nationale slide markings with the familiar
legend: “BROWNING’S PATENT DEPOSE”, and the name “BABY” at the
bottom of each grip panel. Very few of these FN-marked pieces are
seen in the U.S. as they were never imported under the FN name, no
doubt because of the longstanding agreement between Colt and FN.
At
some time in 1952, Val A. Browning, who was at work in the FN plant
at the time, ordered a BABY Pistol for his personal use. “Just to
carry in my pocket,” he told the author. Serial No. 104102 was
delivered October 15, 1952. It is delicately engraved with the FN
type III English style and has ivory grip panels. The only markings
are the hand cut name BROWNING, encircled in an oval wreath on the
left side of the slide and the usual “MADE IN BELGIUM” also hand
cut, just above the trigger guard, along with the Liege proof marks
on the left side. This was probably the first of the BABY pistols to
bear the Browning name in lieu of the FN markings.
The full line of FN/Browning pistols had been introduced for sale in
the U.S. under the Browning Arms Co. name in 1953, with the first
pistol, No. 116251, standard blue, shipped from Belgium on September
9, 1953. The BABY was then called simply “Browning .25 Automatic
Pistol.” Browning advertising in 1954 listed the blued .25 Browning,
the Lightweight model, with satin finish alloy frame and chromed
steel slide, and deluxe Renaissance model with full coverage in an
engraving pattern similar to the old FN Type IV. The early
Renaissance pieces are finished in high polish chrome plate, called
the “coin” finish by collectors. By 1966, the polished finish had
been replaced by a satin finish, not as attractive to some eyes, and
commanding a price on the collector’s market lower than the “coin”
finish pieces.
The BABY pistols imported by Browning are marked on the left side of
the slide either BROWNING ARMS COMPANY, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI and MADE
IN BELGIUM into two lines, or with the shorter legend BROWNING ARMS
COMPANY and MADE IN BELGIUM. The change was approved December 8,
1958, and was put into effect early in 1959. The slide marking used
on other, larger-caliber FN/Browning pistols which includes instead
of ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, the address MORGAN UTAH AND MONTREAL P.Q.
was never placed on the .25 Browning.
To
illustrate the difficulties attendant upon the research of
FN/Browning arms in general, take the case of the first .25 Browning
Renaissance model shipped to the U.S., No. 122021. It left Herstal,
Belgium, on February 17, 1954, but bears the short slide markings
approved in 1958, according to FN’s records. Another early piece,
No. 140650, shipped on August 29, 1955, has the long markings
including the ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI address. This is not an uncommon
anomaly in the identification of FN/Browning arms, which arises not
from any intent to obscure production data, but more probably
because of assembly inconsistencies in the gargantuan FN plant. It
is quite conceivable that already numbered frames in a stock bin
from which workers gathered parts on the assembly line could have
been made in more than one year. It is reasonable to assume that a
frame with serial number belonging in any one year could be
assembled and shipped in a later year. But the opposite, a unit
shipped in 1954 with slide markings not approved until four years
later is a stickier wicket.
This particular early renaissance piece was traded to Guns Unlimited
Co., in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1969 by Clayton Moore, for many
years famous as a TV personality, the Lone Ranger. The Long Ranger’s
.25 in its black leatherette case now rests in a private collection
in Toledo, Ohio, where its present owner resists all efforts to
dislodge it!
Both the Lightweight and Renaissance models were adopted by Browning
Arms Co. as standard catalog items. A prototype Lightweight model,
No. 124402, was made up by FN and submitted to Browning for sales
evaluation in 1953. This piece has the satin-silver-colored frame
made of Hiduminium (an alloy developed by Rolls-Royce of England for
aircraft application). The steel slide and other exterior steel
components are blued. According to John V. Browning, (Val A.
Browning’s eldest son who was the company’s president at the time),
the sample was not approved for production, and the example in the
author’s collection is unique. A skeptic, especially if he were
interested in acquiring this delectable collectible might say,
“Anyone can put a blue slide on an alloy frame!” true, but this
piece is authenticated by the factory marked serial number on both
frame and slide.
On
October 9, 1953, FN shipped another sample .25 Browning to the
company’s Morgan, Utah, offices for evaluation. This pistol, No.
329251, is all steel in a bright satin finish that looks like
stainless steel, but it is not. It has the “nacrolac” imitation
mother-of-pearl grip panels like those on the Renaissance model.
Slide markings are of the type used since 1959, BROWNING ARMS
COMPANY and MADE IN BELGIUM, in two lines. This proposed variation
was also rejected by Browning’s board of directors and now resides
contentedly among the other 6.35 mm/.25 ACP FN/Colt/Browning
automatic pistols in the author’s collection. This model, with FN
slide markings and black plastic grips, was adopted by FN for sale
outside the U.S.
The FN/Browning BABY .25 Automatic has been produced in several
deluxe variations in addition to special order pieces. Several
engraving patterns were available at extra cost, and a very few
super deluxe gold-plated pieces were made for personages of high
rank. An example of a deluxe piece embellished with the Type I
engraving pattern of grape leaves. No. 64142 was made for a Col.
Armstrong, an acquaintance of John V. Browning, and was delivered in
nickel plate with genuine mother-of-pearl grip panels on May 8,
1950.
The earlier deluxe models of the Models 1900, 1905, 1906, 1910, 1922
and 1935 FN/Browning pistols were nickel plated. In 1953, FN
discontinued the use of nickel in favor of the more durable and
attractive chrome plating, both in the highly polished and brushed
“satin” finishes.
The advanced gun collector, like those in other collecting fields,
has one of his primary objectives, the acquisition of at least one
example of every variation of the model he has chosen as his
specialty. By this definition, variations include changes in factory
model design designations, mechanical features and dimensions,
finishes, engraving patterns, grip designs, proof marks and other
factory markings, extending even to the precise location and type of
lettering used in the roll marks usually appearing on the slides of
automatic pistols. One such collector of FN/Browning 6.35 mm/.25 ACP
pistols in the U.S. claims to have 31 “variations” of the BABY
model. It is patently impossible to find and obtain every variation
of an FN/Browning in any caliber because of the great number of
“special order” pieces involving countless styles of engraving and
finish.
Another goal established by serious gun collectors is to date
exactly the start and finish of production runs of the varieties of
his chosen specialty. This, too, is most difficult to accomplish
with FN/Browning pistols. Apparently neither FN nor Browning Arms.
Co. ever had any need to record such data in detail. Moreover, many
changes in such areas as grip materials and patterns, engraving,
designs, etc., as well as a few mechanical changes, may have been
phased in over a period of time. We have previously mentioned one
such example in the case of the Renaissance BABY model marked with
the Browning Arms. Co. name but produced before Browning introduced
the BABY line in the U.S.
In
contrast, known variations in the Vest Pocket model are limited to
the versions with and without slide hold-back, and blued and nickel
finishes. Few differences have been observed in details such as
changes in slide markings. One example in the author’s collection
does have in addition to the usual FN markings, the legend,
Manufacture Francaise d’Armes et Cycles de Saint-Etienne on the
right side of the slide, indicating not that the piece was made in
France, but that it was sold by one of FN’s agents of the time.
Another Vest Pocket pistol had the hand cut mark “AKAH” on the front
grip strap, probably placed there after delivery of the piece to
Albrecht kind, GmbH & Co. of Nurnberg in 1930.
Thus there are in existence more collectible variations of the FN
and Browning-marked BABY models than Vest Pockets. The basic Saive
design has not been changed since 1931, but other differences of
significance to the collector are worth noting. In addition to the
prototype pieces mentioned above (and without listing either the
three cataloged standard variations or special order pieces), the
following interesting mutations have been observed:
1.
Serial No. 226995 (1961), standard blue finish; marked on the left
side of slide BROWNING ARMS COMPANY/MADE IN BELGIUM in two lines;
marked on the right side of the slide in small letters FABRIQUE
NATIONALE D’ARMES DE GUERRE HERSTAL-BELGIQUE in one line; has
standard Belgian proof marks on slide only and is equipped with the
old-style black grips with the initials “FN” in an oval at the top
and the name BABY at the bottom.
This piece was shipped in a white plastic box with an owner’s manual
printed in German. On the front bow of the trigger guard is stamped
the name GECO (Geschow, Hamburg).
2.
Serial No. 484320 (1976), standard blued finish; marked on left side
of the slide FABRIQUE NATIONALE HERSTAL BELGIQUE/BROWNING’S PATENT
DEPOSE in two lines, the top line in large letters and the lower
line in much smaller letters; the familiar PV Liege proof mark on
the front of the slide only with black grips marked with the name
BROWNING in an oval at the top. The frame is blue anodized alloy,
probably Hiduminium like that used in the pre-1969 Browning .25
Lightweight model.
The piece was sold to the author in a Browning zippered pouch
containing an owner’s manual printed in Spanish. Fabrique Nationale
records show that this piece was one of a lot of 25 sold to the
Dominican Republic on June 25, 1976. This Lightweight model was
never listed by Browning for sale in this country, and the author
has no authenticated explanation for the presence of Browning-type
grips on a piece marked with the FN name in 1976.
3.
Serial No. 205 PM4176 (1980), standard blued finish, all steel
construction; marked on the left side of the slide FABRIQUE
NATIONALE only; has the French St. Etienne crown proof mark on the
front of the slide only and has the Browning type grips which have
been used on other FN pieces made for sale outside the U.S. after
the acquisition by FN of controlling interest in the Browning
Corporation.
This piece was contained in a Styrofoam box with a cleaning brush
and was imported by a firm in California for re-sale to police or
security forces as permitted in an exemption to the import
restrictions of the 1968 Gun Control Act. After disassembly, there
can be seen the U.S. company’s abbreviated name INTER AMERICAN and
the abbreviation SACTO CA (Sacramento, Calif.) on the left side of
the frame, and the markings BELGIUM ST. ETIENNE and the French proof
mark on the right side.
Another category of “variations” is mentioned only to recognize its
existence and as a warning to collectors, to whom the old adage
caveat emptor is all too familiar. The author was once offered a .25
Browning tastefully engraved in a pattern much resembling
Renaissance. It sported ivory grips, carved in an odd design, and
was guaranteed by the seller to be a factory original. The serial
number will not be mentioned to protect the innocent owner; upon
checking with a representative of FN, it was found not to have been
engraved there. Several other larger FN/Browning pistols have been
engraved in the U.S. with the well-known Renaissance pattern.
It
is a simple matter to strip the blue finish from a standard model
pistol without harming the markings or sharp edges. With a pistol
“in the white” in the hands of a capable engraver, it is not
difficult to produce a very close replication of the Renaissance
model. There are a number of engravers at work in the U. S. some of
them being former employees of FN, whose works is extremely
difficult to tell from the factory product.
To
the purist, this sort of piece is a counterfeit and should have no
place in an honest collection. But to many other gun buyers, such an
embellished piece is simply a beautiful gun worth a lot of money, so
in spite of the existence of ways to authenticate the originality of
these bad apples, there is a market for them in the U.S. and the
practice will probably continue. Examples have been brought to the
attention of both the FN and Browning staffs, but no legal action
can be taken against the counterfeiters because the products have
not been advertised as factory originals, and the name “Renaissance”
is a generic term that cannot be copy righted.
Shortly after the elimination of .25 Browning imports by U.S.
legislation, much to the confusion of lawmakers and collectors
alike, there appeared on the American market an exact “copy” of the
FN BABY made by Bauer Firearms of Frazier, Michigan. Nothing in the
1968 law prohibits U.S. manufacture of the same kind of handgun
which was prohibited from import. Today, nearly 20 years after the
effective date of the ill-conceived law, hosts of small .25 caliber
pistols are being made in the U.S., many of them direct copies of
the foreign models declared illegal to import in 1968. Some are
being assembled in the U.S. with some parts made abroad.
John M. Browning, whose innovative pistol designs have endured in
the factories of countless arms makers for almost 100 years and who
gave unselfish service to his country in times of military
emergency, would be puzzled and hurt if he knew that some of his
most popular and successful handguns had been declared illegal by
the elected representatives of the American people in the congress.
While the VP .25 auto and the BABY were intended as personal or
“last ditch” defense arms, they are only marginally effective in
lethality because of their miniscule caliber and light projectiles.
Both models are surprisingly accurate in the hands of an experienced
shooter, but their chief value lies not in their power but in the
sense of security they bring to their owners.
In
today’s restricted market, both are considered collectibles, the FN
BABY and the .25 Browning version being more sought after than the
FN Vest Pocket. The charm of the BABY/.25 Browning lies in its sleek
lines, beautiful finish and precision workmanship. It is possible to
find in American pawnshops and gun stores some of the early and
countless foreign copies of the Browning Vest Pocket, but the
original FN guns and the BABY models are rarely seen for sale in any
variation.
Production of the BABY 6.35 mm was transferred to the Manufacture
d’Armes de Bayonne, France (“MAB”), an FN subsidiary, in November
1979. Units made at Bayonne were proofed by an inspector from the
French arms facility at St. Etienne and bear the crown St. Etienne
proof on the face (muzzle end) of the slide. The only other marks
observed on a 1980 example are the two words FABRIQUE NATIONALE on
the left side of the slide and the serial number in the usual place
on the left side of the frame just above the trigger guard.
FN
catalogs of 1979-1981 illustrate only the standard blued model,
although we have been told that some of the satin chrome units were
available on special order. In 1982, FN announced a limited edition
of 1,000 pieces, chrome plated with Renaissance (Type III) engraving
and selected figured walnut grips. These pistols carried the serial
number 1/1000, 2/2000, etc., on the underside of the frame ahead of
the trigger guard. Serial numbers are in the 1979 (RN) series. This
model appeared in the 1983 FN catalog as the BABY DELUXE.
Although the sales of the little pistol were reported as about 16,000
in 1983, the MAB plant was shut down, halting production of the BABY
6.35 mm pistol at 527,482 units. At about the same time FN received
an offer from an American company, Precision Small Parts, Inc. of
Charlottesville, Virginia, to purchase manufacture and sales rights
for a version of the BABY to be made in this country. Agreement was
reached for PSP to buy the remaining spare parts, and to make two
models of the BABY, a standard, FN-marked model for export and a new
variation to be called the “PSP 25/22” for sale in this country. It
was advertised in a PSP flyer in 1985 as “…the most advanced and
versatile small caliber automatic pistol on the market today.” The
new name reflects a major change in design, one that many BABY
devotees have advocated for years, that is the capability to change
from .25 to .22 short caliber. This can be done with the PSP pistol
without tools merely by switching barrels, firing pins and
magazines.
According to Bruce D. Norris, PSP’s general manager, some difficulty
was encountered in finding a source of barrels. This problem has now
been solved. PSP has tooled up to make the barrels itself.
First Article inspection was performed by FN personnel at the PSP
plant in September 1987, with the first export expected that month.
These pieces, which are being made in 6.35 caliber only, will carry
Browning marked grips. Standard FN markings will be rolled on the
sides, but the pistols will not be marked to indicate place of
manufacture, nor will they carry Belgian proofs.
PSP expected to ship 1,000 pistols to FN by the end of the year, and
to accelerate that schedule in 1988. The export units will be
numbered in the standard FN system, with the product code “205”
followed by the last two digits of the year of manufacture and five
digits constituting the sequential number, starting with some such
combinations as “00001”, “00010”, “001000”, etc. It is expected that
the U.S. version of the PSP 25/22 will be numbered in its own range.
So
much for good news, Norris tells us that the company has hit a snag
in its preparations for the introduction of the 25/22. The product
liability bugaboo in the form of exorbitant insurance rates is
delaying introduction of the pistol into the U.S. PSP still expects
to make the U.S. model as soon as a solution to the insurance
problem can be found.
Collectors of Browning pistols will welcome the opportunity to add
the U.S. made BABY to their want list, although it will not be sold
in this country through normal distribution channels. In the eyes of
both collectors and buyers having a need for a small defense weapon,
the convertibility of the PSP to .22 short caliber gives it a
decided advantage over other .25 caliber pieces in that sub-compact
category.
Reprinted with
permission from Colonel W. R. Betz
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