Although this experimental pistol did not progress further, its general layout and fire control group design were reused in three other designs he developed in the following year. Patents for them were filed in October 1896, and two out of three later became Colt M1900 and FN M1900. All four prototypes were chambered in .38 caliber and are currently exhibited at the Browning Firearms Museum in Ogden, Utah. Browning licensed the rights to produce and sell them to Colt within the US and Canada in July 1896, but it's believed at the time Colt was mainly protecting its revolver market. In 1896 or 1897 Browning also scaled the .38 blowback pistol down to .32 caliber to use as a pocket pistol.
Berg presented a draft of the license agreement to the FN board in June 1897 and then traveled to Hartford to finalize it with John and Matt Brownings in July 1897. The agreement granted FN the rights to manufacture and sell what became the M1899 in France, Belgium, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Spain. In 1898 Berg was unsuccessful in attempting to persuade Browning to supervise the pistol’s production in Belgium, but its manufacture by FN transformed the fortunes of that company and laid the foundation for its long-term relationship with Browning (who died on FN’s premises in 1924).
Serial production started in January 1899, but the M1899 nomenclature postdates it. FN originally called M1899 “modele de présérie”, approximately 14,400 of them were made in total.
In 1900, driven by feedback from the Belgian military, FN introduced what was later called M1900, an improved design based on the M1899. 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).
A shorter barrel reduced the overall length by less than a millimeter while maintaining the same caliber and magazine capacity. The grip plates were made 1 mm wider, offering a more comfortable and secure hold for shooters with larger hands.
In addition to these external changes, M1900 incorporated several internal improvements. The reinforced area of the frame above the trigger guard was enlarged and thickened, enhancing the pistol's durability (cf. the image comparison above). The diameter of the breech block screws was increased, further strengthening the action. A cocking indicator, visible as an extension of the internal cocking lever, was added, providing a visual confirmation of the pistol's cocked status. Finally, M1900 introduced a slide lock, activated by turning the safety lever upward when the slide was retracted in order to facilitate easier cleaning and maintenance.
Production ceased only 11 years later, with a total of about 725,000 units having been produced by FN only (excluding all the numerous copies).
The North Korean Type 64 pistol [ja] is closely based on M1900 although with modifications to fire 7.62×17mm Type 64. Specimens examined by western authorities were marked with the date of 1964. A silenced variant was produced that featured a shortened slide to allow the threaded barrel to protrude far enough to attach the silencer.
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