About 10 years ago I found a FN Browning 1903 at my regular LGS. It was still chambered in 9x20mm Browning long and was slotted for a shoulder stock. From the serial number, it was either made right before WWI in 1914 or right after, 1919-early 1920’s.
I already had two 07 Swedish Husqvarna's , which are 1903 Brownings made under license by Husqvarna. These had been converted to .380ACP. FN came out with the 1903 in hopes of wining some lucrative military contracts, but the timing was a bit off and many nations were a bit reluctant to go with a blowback and the 9x20 cartridge which was not as powerful as the 9mm Luger. Sweden tested the 03 and adopted it as the 07, they put a contract in for 10,000 pistols. Turkey(the Ottoman Empire) bought quite a few, several South American countries bought them and Imperial Russia bought 5000 or so for police use. When the Germans invaded Belgium and occupied the FN plant in 1914 production stopped. Sweden still needed more and worked out a deal to make them under license. They produced them until 1942 and made a little over 100,000 07 Browning pistols. None of the Swedish 07's were slotted for shoulder stocks.
After WW1 FN produced a few more 1903's before ending production in the late 1920's. The last large FN contract was to Estonia for 1903's slotted for shoulder stocks, all the Estonia 1903's would be sold and went to Spain during the Spanish Civil War. The total FN production was about 86,000 1903 Browning's, about 30-40% of those are thought to have been slotted for shoulder stocks, of those it is thought that maybe about half were actually shipped with shoulder stocks. A special long 10 round magazine was used with the shoulder stock. I had always kept my eye out for one of these stocks but really never thought that I would find one, until two weeks ago.
I was just looking around GB and happened to wonder what 1903 Browning's were going for. The first one that I saw was a complete set, pistol, shoulder stock, 10 round magazine, starting bid $5000. There was a page of 07 Swedes and then I saw the shoulder stock. No reserve, private seller with a decent rating. I emailed him a few questions and he responded quickly and I thought about it and put in a bid. The seller is a collector of stocked pistols and was selling his extras. There were no other bidders and I won. It turned out the seller was local and we met and I picked it up.
It is very nice and looks like it should. There were several varieties , different metal fittings that were made for these. There were even reproductions available in Europe for a while. I think that this one is original, when and for who, no idea. I had to do some hand fitting to make it work for my pistol, no big deal just something to take my time with. There was no special 10 round magazine. Most stuff that you read on these states that the extra length magazine helps hold the pistol on the stock, this is not really the case as there is a catch on the stock and a notch on the pistol that lock the stock and pistol. I modified a standard 7 round magazine so that the pistol will slide onto and lock on the stock with the mag in place. It should shoot fine that way. I will have to take the pistol off the stock to take the mag out, no big deal at the range. I really enjoy these guns from the early 20th century, they went through so much history.
My two 1907 Swedes, My 1903 FN and a cousin, a 1903 Colt in .32 ACP
I already had two 07 Swedish Husqvarna's , which are 1903 Brownings made under license by Husqvarna. These had been converted to .380ACP. FN came out with the 1903 in hopes of wining some lucrative military contracts, but the timing was a bit off and many nations were a bit reluctant to go with a blowback and the 9x20 cartridge which was not as powerful as the 9mm Luger. Sweden tested the 03 and adopted it as the 07, they put a contract in for 10,000 pistols. Turkey(the Ottoman Empire) bought quite a few, several South American countries bought them and Imperial Russia bought 5000 or so for police use. When the Germans invaded Belgium and occupied the FN plant in 1914 production stopped. Sweden still needed more and worked out a deal to make them under license. They produced them until 1942 and made a little over 100,000 07 Browning pistols. None of the Swedish 07's were slotted for shoulder stocks.
After WW1 FN produced a few more 1903's before ending production in the late 1920's. The last large FN contract was to Estonia for 1903's slotted for shoulder stocks, all the Estonia 1903's would be sold and went to Spain during the Spanish Civil War. The total FN production was about 86,000 1903 Browning's, about 30-40% of those are thought to have been slotted for shoulder stocks, of those it is thought that maybe about half were actually shipped with shoulder stocks. A special long 10 round magazine was used with the shoulder stock. I had always kept my eye out for one of these stocks but really never thought that I would find one, until two weeks ago.
I was just looking around GB and happened to wonder what 1903 Browning's were going for. The first one that I saw was a complete set, pistol, shoulder stock, 10 round magazine, starting bid $5000. There was a page of 07 Swedes and then I saw the shoulder stock. No reserve, private seller with a decent rating. I emailed him a few questions and he responded quickly and I thought about it and put in a bid. The seller is a collector of stocked pistols and was selling his extras. There were no other bidders and I won. It turned out the seller was local and we met and I picked it up.
It is very nice and looks like it should. There were several varieties , different metal fittings that were made for these. There were even reproductions available in Europe for a while. I think that this one is original, when and for who, no idea. I had to do some hand fitting to make it work for my pistol, no big deal just something to take my time with. There was no special 10 round magazine. Most stuff that you read on these states that the extra length magazine helps hold the pistol on the stock, this is not really the case as there is a catch on the stock and a notch on the pistol that lock the stock and pistol. I modified a standard 7 round magazine so that the pistol will slide onto and lock on the stock with the mag in place. It should shoot fine that way. I will have to take the pistol off the stock to take the mag out, no big deal at the range. I really enjoy these guns from the early 20th century, they went through so much history.
My two 1907 Swedes, My 1903 FN and a cousin, a 1903 Colt in .32 ACP
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Rolling my own is a project for this Summer. 
