Browning 1900 (brevette)
Action​
Calibre
​
Magazine
7.65
Semi-Auto
Seven Rounds
1896 by John Browning for Fabrique Nationale de Herstal (FN) and produced in Belgium at the turn of the century. It was the first production handgun to use a slide. Presented to arms manufacturer FN Herstal in 1898, with production commencing the following year (then under the designation Modele 1899). In 1900, an improved design featuring primarily a shorter barrel and wider grips was introduced as the M1900. These designations were applied retroactively after FN began manufacture of other Browning pistol designs; initially the M1900 was marketed as simply the "Pistolet Browning" (Browning Pistol). Production ceased only 11 years later, with a total of about 700,000+ units having been produced. The example is marked Brevet SGDG The term stands for "Breveté Sans Garantie Du Gouvernement" and means: "Patent without guarantee of the government". This suggests that it may be a manufacture outside the FN factory