Any FN 1910/Browning 1955 collectors?

[Me239]

Hey everyone!

So I recently picked up a FN 1910 chambered in .32 ACP and love it! So far I've put 50 rounds through it without a hiccup and was surprisingly accurate for having nearly no sights on it. I thought I could make it a little more utilitarian by buying a .380 ACP barrel for it that's in the mail now. After I receive that, I'll have a pocket pistol that can convert between .32 and .380 ACP in just a few seconds!

All that said, I was also wondering if anyone might have a little more knowledge about the serial numbers and history of this pistol. The serial number is a 480xxx and appears to be parkerized. I've never seen a 1910 parkerized, but the magazine is still blued. It also has a stamp with the text "INTER AMERICAN" on it, which, after researching, seems to have been a small import firm in California that went under in the late 80s.

Anyways, pictures of other people's 1910s and or stories would be appreciated. Thanks!

Link to album (can post images separately too) https://imgur.com/a/oW2n2

 

[H Richard]

Well, I'm not a collector of them, but I have had 3 of them over the years. My current one I picked up about a year ago at an auction. .380, and as you found a very good shooter. When you convert that .32 to a .380 do you have a different recoil spring and magazine? The .380 is considerably hotter that a .32 and I would think you might get frame battering with a .32 spring. I'm also thinking the .380 won't reliably feed from the .32 magazine.

 

[DWalt]

A 1910 in .380 is allegedly the pistol used by Gavrillo Princep to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in Sarajevo, thereby starting WWI. I have only the older Browning-FN Model 1900, and it is one of my favorites. It was made only in .32 ACP.

I don't know, but I'd suspect that you will also need at least a .380 magazine and a stronger recoil spring. I am also not sure if any modifications to the breech face and extractor are needed to accommodate the larger diameter of the .380.

 

[Me239]

Hey guys! Well from all I've read, Browning made the 1910 able to convert between .32 and .380 ACP with just a barrel change. The magazines are also supposed to be interchangeable and I can strip six rounds out easily. Not sure about the recoil spring, but the barrel comes with its original spring too.

EDIT: from what it looks like in the pictures, the .380 barrel has a noticeably thinner barrel wall. Can anyone with a pair of calipers tell me the diameter of their .380 barrel just to check?

Here's a useful article too about the pistol: 1910 FN Browning

 

[DWalt]

I'd suspect that the .32 and .380 barrels would have the same OD but different IDs. If .380 seems to fit OK in a .32 magazine, it's worth a try to see if it functions OK.

 

[italiansport]

If you want more information on these great pistols Anthony Vanderlinden's book on Browning is the definitive source.
Jim

 

[reddog81]

Where'd you find the barrel? I've been looking for a FN 1922 barrel in .380 for about 1 year with no luck. I believe the 1910/1922's are basically the same guns but the 1922 has a longer magazine and a longer barrel.

 

[Me239]

Where'd you find the barrel? I've been looking for a FN 1922 barrel in .380 for about 1 year with no luck. I believe the 1910/1922's are basically the same guns but the 1922 has a longer magazine and a longer barrel.

I found the barrel by chance on eBay. I had been looking for awhile too and just by chance found one for sale and bought it right away. Check eBay and numrich gun parts religiously and I'm sure one will pop up eventually. I did a search and found a couple .32 ACP barrels, so .380 is bound to appear again.

And right you are about the 1922 being basically the same gun. To my knowledge, all that was changed was the barrel was lengthened, grip the same, front and rear sights added, and the new lug on the front for the added barrel length.

 

[alwslate]

I'm not a collector but but I do have four 1910s plus another one that
I bought as a box of parts that is missing the striker and it's spring
and spring guide that I plan to assemble some day. Two of my guns
are marked as Brownings and are in .380 and date to 1968. The other
two are FNs in .32 ACP and are probably pre WW2. I have read that JB
designed the 1910 to be convertable between .32 and .380 by just
changing the barrel and I believe it. Magazines may be marked for
either caliber or unmarked but seem to be identical and will accept
both ctgs. The breech face looks to be the same on my guns and will
accept either ctg. External barrel dia is the same on both ctgs. As to
recoil spring strength, I don't know. I would guess that it's not a
critical issue and that spring compression length prevents battering.
I have never seen a parkerized 1910 and don't think it's original. The
magazine safety is easily removed and I have removed them from my
guns. I have read that some early guns were offered from the factory
with barrels in both calibers and as to buying a barrel in another
caliber for your gun you will likely have to do a little filing or stoning
on the barrel lugs to achieve a proper fit to the lug recesses in the
receiver. Here's my two FN .32s along with a Savage 1908 and one of
my Browning marked .380s.

 

[Me239]

I'm not a collector but but I do have four 1910s plus another one that
I bought as a box of parts that is missing the striker and it's spring
and spring guide that I plan to assemble some day. Two of my guns
are marked as Brownings and are in .380 and date to 1968. The other
two are FNs in .32 ACP and are probably pre WW2. I have read that JB
designed the 1910 to be convertable between .32 and .380 by just
changing the barrel and I believe it. Magazines may be marked for
either caliber or unmarked but seem to be identical and will accept
both ctgs. The breech face looks to be the same on my guns and will
accept either ctg. External barrel dia is the same on both ctgs. As to
recoil spring strength, I don't know. I would guess that it's not a
critical issue and that spring compression length prevents battering.
I have never seen a parkerized 1910 and don't think it's original. The
magazine safety is easily removed and I have removed them from my
guns. I have read that some early guns were offered from the factory
with barrels in both calibers and as to buying a barrel in another
caliber for your gun you will likely have to do a little filing or stoning
on the barrel lugs to achieve a proper fit to the lug recesses in the
receiver. Here's my two FN .32s along with a Savage 1908 and one of
my Browning marked .380s.

Thanks for the info! I expect I'll have to do some fitting to get the barrel just right, but fingers crossed I don't have to remove too much material as the serial numbers and ~100,000 between each other.

As for the parkerizing, I too doubt it's original and wouldn't be surprised if the firm that imported it did the work.

Also, do your barrels all interchange? Since you have 4, just wondering if you were able to swap them between frames with no fitting. Thanks!

 

[alwslate]

I haven't really tried to go so far as swapping barrels and firing the
guns but one day just to satisfy my curiosity with all four guns apart
I tried the barrels of all in the other receivers and some fully seated
and others did not. Also one of my old .32s had a bad barrel when
I bought it. I found a good barrel at a gun show and luckily it fit in the
gun I wanted it for but did not fit in the other old .32. But I think any
fitting issues would be minor and just require a little work. Just take
your time and don't get in a hurry and make sure the new barrel fits
into the receiver just like the old barrel before you try to assemble
the gun or you may end up with a handfull of locked up parts that
are not easy to disassemble. Don't ask me how I know this.

 

[Me239]

I haven't really tried to go so far as swapping barrels and firing the
guns but one day just to satisfy my curiosity with all four guns apart
I tried the barrels of all in the other receivers and some fully seated
and others did not. Also one of my old .32s had a bad barrel when
I bought it. I found a good barrel at a gun show and luckily it fit in the
gun I wanted it for but did not fit in the other old .32. But I think any
fitting issues would be minor and just require a little work. Just take
your time and don't get in a hurry and make sure the new barrel fits
into the receiver just like the old barrel before you try to assemble
the gun or you may end up with a handfull of locked up parts that
are not easy to disassemble. Don't ask me how I know this.

Haha! Sure will do! On a side note, I know people generally shun those who think of refinishing a vintage firearm, but seeing as how this one has already been refinished(?), would it be taboo to file some of the pitting down and reblue?

 

[alwslate]

Opinions vary widely on refinishing vintage firearms but given the
facts that your gun has already been refinished over pitting and is
import marked there is no collector value. The only problem I would
see in having it reblued would be putting money in it that would not
be returned at time of sale. If it's pitted it would require heavy buffing
to get down to a smooth finish which would probably remove all
marking. I think it might be best enjoyed as is and future money
invested elsewhere. Post a pic if you can.

 

[Me239]

Opinions vary widely on refinishing vintage firearms but given the
facts that your gun has already been refinished over pitting and is
import marked there is no collector value. The only problem I would
see in having it reblued would be putting money in it that would not
be returned at time of sale. If it's pitted it would require heavy buffing
to get down to a smooth finish which would probably remove all
marking. I think it might be best enjoyed as is and future money
invested elsewhere. Post a pic if you can.

Thanks for the response! Well the pitting is thankfully on the frame, under the left grip panel so it's not too terrible. It's just something I wouldn't mind fixing. I don't really plan on selling this gun since it's now my only .380 and .32 pistol I own and it carries so well. If I put money into it, it's just for my personal preference and not any collectors value.

In other news, the .380 barrel came into today and fits and functions just fine! I used some 2000 grit sandpaper to polish and clean it up a bit and swabbed the barrel out with a nylon brush. Feed 6 flat nose rounds just fine. The recoil spring it came with is just a tad longer than the one with the .32 barrel, but the friction is unreal and I almost need pliers to get it off of the barrel! So I'm using the .32 barrel spring with it now. I'll give a range report later after I've fired some rounds through it.

Speaking of rounds, I need to find a new .380 carry ammo. All I have right now is some Buffalo Bore 100 grain +P HC rounds that penetrate ~44" from a 3" barrel! Not sure that's really what I want, but it won't be too bad for hiking I guess. Might mess up a coyote's day. I've seen good reports from the Ruger ARX ammo, so I might pick some up.

 

[Texas Star]

Former TX governor Rick Perry killed a coyote with his little Ruger .380. Your larger one will give added power.

Does anyone else here think that Walther looked at the sleek M-1910 when profiling his Model PP pistol? They have much of the same sleek look.

In the movie, "Dr. No", James Bond used a Browning when he shot the crooked chemist with a silencer on the gun. They probably hoped viewers wouldn't notice that it wasn't a Walther. Also, he had a PP in some scenes, not the stated PPK.

 

[Me239]

Hey everyone! Finally got to try the new barrel out today and it works great! Only shot about 40 rounds through it cause that thing kicks hard for such a small cartridge! It fed and chambered Remmington ball, Buffalo Bore FN, and Ruger ARX just fine. Accuracy was a little more spread out than the 32 barrel, save for the ARX ammo that had all but two rounds touching at 7 yards.

I think that I'll be carrying the ARX ammo cause it feeds fine and I shoot it the best, plus it reliably gets ~14" of penetration in tests.

 

[dick723]

I have a 10/71 Browning .380. Anyone know if the 1910 magazine will fit the 1971? I need to replace mine. Duct tape getting weak
Duct tape is a joke but I did have to grind down the bottom half of 1 mag. It was bowing out where the metal meets

 

[robertrwalsh]

I can not claim to be a collector but I have a couple, a .32 and a .380, due primarily to the historical connection. They are fun to shoot.

 

[Alk8944]

I have a 10/71 Browning .380. Anyone know if the 1910 magazine will fit the 1971? I need to replace mine. Duct tape getting weak
Duct tape is a joke but I did have to grind down the bottom half of 1 mag. It was bowing out where the metal meets

The 10/71 on your gun is the manufacture date, it is a Model 1910. Sarco has magazines on this page: Pistols Magazines

Sarco lists both .32 and .380 magazines, but the only difference (very slight) is the placement of the sight holes, the magazines are otherwise identical. A funny note, the pictured .380 magazine was assembled with the magazine tube blank up-side down! I have one of these and it functions fine, but sure looks funny! I believe it came from Triple-K, so this should tell you where Sarco gets theirs.

 

[Absalom]

The 10/71 on your gun is the manufacture date, it is a Model 1910....

I believe dick723 is talking about a legitimate variant. While the 71 does indeed refer to 1971, that was the year this particular variant was introduced. It has nothing to do with a manufacture date.

The Model 10/71 was a version of the 1910 with adjustable sights and longer slide. In Europe it was sold under a different name; I've seen it referred to as a Model 130.