This is another "sneak peek" at a future article. As always, comments welcome.

John





The FN Browning Model 1922 pistol

The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later called Yugoslavia) was formed after World War I, or “the Great War.” After the Balkans Wars and WWI, the country’s stock of rifles and pistols was severely depleted, and it sought a new standard pistol. Inasmuch as the majority Serbs in the country had a relationship with the Belgian firm Fabrique Nationale de Arms de Guerre (FN) as customers dating back to the 1890s, this gunmaking colossus was an obvious choice for help. FN’s Model 1910, a John Browning design, was an early contender. This was a blowback semiautomatic design chambered for the .32 ACP or .380 ACP. It had no external hammer, and was a popular gun in Europe, quite similar to the Colt-manufactured Model 1903 pocket pistol. The Model 1910 was somewhat famous (or notorious) for setting off World War I in 1914. It was used in the Sarajevo assassination of the Austrian archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. Some selling points were its lower price, and the fact that it could chamber the Serbs’ large stocks of 9mm Short (.380) cartridges. However, that gun was considered to be lacking in accuracy, and the Kingdom thought that a similar pistol incorporating a longer barrel would make for more precise shooting. FN really needed more business at that time, and was very interested in satisfying this potential customer.

Accordingly, knowing that the newly-formed Kingdom could not afford new development costs and tooling, FN figured out an economical way to lengthen the slide and barrel of the Model 1910 without materially increasing production costs. The solution was a forged extension cap on the slide that could accommodate a longer barrel. A number of prototypes were crafted and tested between 1921 and 1922. Experimentation was carried out with longer grip frames giving increased ammunition capacity. What resulted and became officially adopted was the Model 1922, and it was to become an extremely popular gun in many countries around the world. This model became the European handgun for several decades. It was selected as a standard military pistol not only with Yugoslavia, but also with Holland, Greece, Finland, Turkey, Romania, France, Denmark, and most notably, Nazi Germany. It was manufactured by FN until the early 1980s, and a modified version was imported by the Browning Firearms Company into the United States in the post-war years.

Variously known as the Browning 1922 or 10/22, the FN Model 1922, or the Pistole 626(b) as made for the Germans, its specifications are as follows. It was chambered either for the .380 ACP (9x17mm Browning Short) or the .32 ACP (7.65x17mm SR Browning). It was a blowback striker-fired design with a magazine capacity of 8 or 9 rounds depending on caliber. It had an overall length of 7.01 inches and a barrel length of 4.49 inches. It weighed 1.61 pounds empty. The sights were fixed non-adjustable, with the rear driftable for windage. The trigger’s face was flanged, wider than its sides. The pistol was equipped with a manual safety located at the left rear of the frame, and a grip safety which ensured that the gun could not be fired until gripped securely. There was also a magazine safety that prevented firing the piece when the magazine was removed. Field stripping involves first removing the magazine and clearing the chamber. Then slide the release catch on the extension cap forward. Rotate the cap ¼ turn counterclockwise (as viewed from the front), and carefully remove the cap, which is under heavy recoil spring pressure. Then the slide must be retracted and the manual safety engaged in the forward notch in the slide. The barrel is then grasped and rotated counterclockwise out of its seat in the frame. Following disengagement of the safety, the slide and barrel can be removed from the front of the pistol.

The most interesting part of the gun’s history occurred during WWII when the FN plant in Herstal was overrun by the Germans in May of 1940. Many of the company’s senior staff evacuated prior to the German invasion and found refuge with the Allies where they assisted in the Allied war effort. It’s well known that the Germans manufactured the Model 1935 High Power pistol when FN was under its control, but not quite as well known is that the Model 1922 was the most produced FN gun for the Nazis. Initially, most of these pistols went to the Luftwaffe, or German Air Force. A lesser number were issued to government officials and the SS. Earlier-manufactured and captured wartime pistols were also popular with partisans in occupied countries. Although the pistols produced during the occupation had a German designation (Pistole 626(b)), that marking was never stamped on the pistols. They retained only their standard FN markings. The (b) suffix in the official German term stood for Belgium, the pistol’s country of origin. This was standard German practice at the time. Pistols made during the takeover by the Germans will bear one or more waffenamt inspection stamps, which will be, in successive chronological order of their application, WaA613, WaA103, and WaA140. All were chambered in .32 ACP, which was a standard round in Germany at the time. Curiously, some commercial production continued during the occupation years.

The pistol illustrated is an interesting German gun in that its frame is marked with the first and last of the waffenamt stamps mentioned. This indicates that it has an earlier frame (possibly pre-war), but was assembled and accepted for use in mid-1942, considering its serial number. The slide on the pistol has several of the later WaA140 marks only. Although later guns often employed substitute wooden grips, this piece retains its earlier FN-logoed synthetic grip panels. The finish is quite decent also. In the later stages of the war, pistols made under German occupation showed declining attention to fit and finish. These also eventually dispensed with the trigger flange.

Following the war, the Model 1922 was issued to West German troops when Germany was divided into zones of occupation. In the 1950s, the Browning Arms Company, headquartered in Utah, marketed a number of John Browning’s FN-manufactured pistols in the United States. The Browning Model 1971 (1971 – 1974) was a deluxe offspring of the original Model 1922 that was modified by using adjustable sights.

Often overlooked in the U.S., the Model 1922 is a “sleeper” on the collector market. Most are still available at semi-reasonable prices. A premium price would be reserved for the original Yugoslav contract pieces and the earlier Nazi-proofed specimens in excellent condition. Both of these types are getting quite hard to find now, but when encountered, should not be ignored. They are historically significant firearms and well worth having. No WWII collection would be complete without one of the German occupation specimens.

(c) 2015 JLM

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -