FN Model 1910

Lore & Background

The FN Model 1910 incorporated Browning's standard striker-firing mechanism and a grip safety along with a magazine safety and an external safety lever, collectively known as the 'triple safety,' in a compact package. It was offered in both .380 ACP (6-round magazine) and .32 ACP (7-round magazine) calibres, and it remained in production until 1983. It is possible to switch calibres by changing only the barrel, though FN never offered packages containing a single pistol with both calibre barrels.

The FN Model 1922, a variant, was used by the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, which imported 60,000 pistols designated Automatski pistolj (Brauning) 9mm M.22 between 1923 and 1930. The M1910 and M1922 saw use by numerous countries, including Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Nazi Germany, the Netherlands, and others. Finland bought 2,500 M1910 and 2,500 M1922 pistols in February 1940 for use in the Continuation War.

Reader's Guide

The FN Model 1910 holds a significant place in history due to its use in several notable assassinations. An FN M1910, serial number 19074, chambered in .380 ACP, was the handgun used by Gavrilo Princip to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914, an act that precipitated the First World War. Earlier sources erroneously cited the FN Model 1900 in .32 calibre as the weapon, leading to confusion over the calibre actually used. Paul Doumer, President of France, was assassinated on 6 May 1932 with a Model 1910 in .32 ACP by Russian emigre Paul Gorguloff; the pistol is now in the Musée des Collections Historiques de la Préfecture de Police. A Model 1910 was also allegedly used to assassinate Huey Long, governor of Louisiana, on 5 September 1935; physician Carl Weiss bought the pistol in Europe for $25 in 1930, and it is now on display at the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge. Hannie Schaft used a model M1922 during her assassinations as part of the Dutch communist resistance against German occupation of the Netherlands. The pistol's design influence, particularly its spring location, set a standard for future compact pistols.

Did You Know?

• The FN Model 1910 introduced a novel operating spring location surrounding the barrel, later used in the Walther PPK and Russian Makarov.
• The pistol was produced from 1910 until 1983.
• It is possible to switch between .380 ACP and .32 ACP calibres by changing only the barrel.

Engineering a European-Only Masterpiece

John Browning's career had long followed a predictable pattern: his pistol designs were split between Fabrique Nationale in Belgium and Colt Firearms in the United States. The Model 1910 shattered that routine. When Colt declined to manufacture the new design, Browning made the deliberate choice to patent and produce it exclusively in Europe, entrusting the entire run to FN. The result was a blowback-operated, semi-automatic pistol that introduced a genuinely novel feature: the operating spring was positioned around the barrel rather than in the conventional location. This arrangement would go on to become the standard approach in later compact pistols such as the Walther PPK and the Russian Makarov. Browning also packed his familiar striker-firing mechanism into a small frame and layered on three distinct safety devices—a grip safety, a magazine safety, and an external lever—earning the design the nickname "triple safety." Available in .380 ACP with a six-round magazine or .32 ACP with seven rounds, the pistol could be converted between calibres simply by swapping the barrel, though FN never sold a single pistol bundled with both barrels. Production continued for an extraordinary seventy-three years, ending only in 1983.

The Pistol That Changed History

Few sidearms in history can claim to have altered the course of world events, yet the FN Model 1910 appears in the records of at least four of the most consequential assassinations of the twentieth century. On 28 June 1914, Gavrilo Princip fired a .380 ACP Model 1910—serial number 19074—at Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in Sarajevo, an act that set the stage for the First World War. For decades, older sources mistakenly identified the weapon as a .32-calibre FN Model 1900, seeding persistent confusion about the true calibre involved. The pistol's dark reputation continued: French President Paul Doumer was shot dead on 6 May 1932 by Russian émigré Paul Gorguloff using a .32 ACP Model 1910, now preserved in the Musée des Collections Historiques de la Préfecture de Police. In 1935, Louisiana Governor Huey Long fell to a Model 1910 allegedly purchased in Europe for just twenty-five dollars in 1930 by physician Carl Weiss; the gun is displayed at the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge. Even in the Dutch communist resistance against German occupation, Hannie Schaft wielded the closely related M1922 variant during her operations.

A Global Standard: Military Adoption Across Continents

The Model 1910 and its 1922 successor found buyers on nearly every inhabited continent, serving governments, militaries, and police forces from the 1910s through the 1940s and beyond. The list of users reads like a tour of the era's major powers and smaller states alike: Belgium, France, Denmark, Finland, Poland, Romania, Turkey, Venezuela, Bolivia, Peru, the Republic of China, the Kingdom of Greece, and the Spanish Republic all placed orders. Yugoslavia committed to a massive purchase of sixty thousand Model 1922 pistols between 1923 and 1930, designating them Automatski pistolj (Brauning) 9mm M.22. Finland acquired 2,500 M1910s and 2,500 M1922s directly from Belgium in February 1940 for use in the Continuation War. The Netherlands adopted the pistol in two designations—Pistool M.25 no.1 in 7.65mm and Pistool M.25 no.2 in 9mm—and saw it in service during the Battle of the Netherlands. After Belgium's fall, Nazi Germany had FN continue production of M1910/M1922 pistols for police use, while some officers in the Empire of Japan also purchased the design. The Spanish Republic imported two hundred M1922s specifically for its air force.

Seventy-Three Years of Production and a Lasting Design Legacy

Introduced in 1910 and kept on the line until 1983, the FN Model 1910 enjoyed a production run of seventy-three years—a remarkable span for a semi-automatic pistol of that era. Its longevity owed much to a design philosophy that balanced compactness with reliability. Browning's decision to route the entire European production through a single manufacturer, rather than splitting it between FN and Colt as he had done with earlier models, gave the pistol a consistent identity and a dedicated support infrastructure on the continent. The most enduring technical contribution was the placement of the operating spring around the barrel, a layout that departed from prior conventions and was subsequently adopted as the standard approach in the Walther PPK and the Russian Makarov, both of which became iconic in their own right. The "triple safety" arrangement—grip safety, magazine safety, and external lever—set a benchmark for user protection in small handguns. Even the practical option of switching between .380 ACP and .32 ACP by replacing only the barrel, though FN never offered a dual-barrel package, demonstrated a flexibility that kept the design relevant across decades of changing tactical requirements.

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