The FN 1903: Browning’s long lost 9mm
Everyone knows that John Moses Browning begat the 45ACP Colt 1911 and then later helped give the world the P-35 Browning Hi-Power. What you may not know is that he tried these waters first with a long slide 9mm pistol years before either of these better-known designs. This forgotten Browning is the FN M1903, and, despite its obscurity, it’s a solid addition to the library.
In the early 1900s, Fabrique Nationale de Herstal (FN) was just a Belgian-based clearinghouse for small arms and their favorite designer was the American firearms guru, John Browning. He had collaborated with them to sell his very popular Model 1900, a small semi-automatic that was superbly reliable and some would say the preeminent pocket pistol of the time. The thing is, FN wanted to make large quantity military sales and the 1900 was a mouse gun. They wanted something bigger, and Browning set out to deliver on this request.
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