FN Browning 1922

H

Hardcase

New member
I picked up a Browning 1922 this afternoon from my friendly neighborhood enabler. It seems like it's in pretty good shape and all the numbers match. The one thing that surprised me is that there are no German marks on it - I had thought that serials 25,000-60,000 or thereabouts were seized by the Nazis. Anyway, it's a nice little police or commercial pistol, I guess, and a nice companion to my Ortgies.

1922_1.jpg


1922_2.jpg
 
They're neat. I personally like the look of the M1910 better, but anything FN is good for the most part. Regarding waffenamts on these, I would think that anything made before the Belgium invasion may or may not have waffenamts since invariably some guns must have escaped them for their own use. Many of the waffenamt M1922s that I have seen also have brown checkered grips. I believe your grips to be earlier, probably because your gun is earlier, which also can help explain the lack of waffenamt.
 
Serial numbering on the M1922 is chaotic. Regular series production started at 200,000, but many contract purchasers insisted on their own serial number range for inventory control. (The low number pistols seized by the Germans at the factory were from a Dutch contract.) There were also post-war guns made for the French and German police with low numbers.

Are there any other markings on the gun that would indicate contract production?

Jim
 
It's my understanding that your gun in the 30,000 range is a post WWII Danish contract. Guns in that particular range sometimes also sport checkered wooden grips like those used on WWII guns. I own several examples and have seen them in the 20,000 to 40,000 SN range.

I believe that guns with only 16 slide serrations are post war, while WWII Nazi Occupation guns have 17 serrations and pre-war guns have 18. Another post war feature is the slide extension with no "scallop" where it meets the slide.
 
Spent the weekend in the frozen north of the Central Idaho Mountains where we were blissfully free of telephones and the Internet. Here is a closeup of the markings on the frame:

marks_2.jpg


I tried to get a picture of the marks on the barrel, but I just couldn't get focused on it with my cheap camera. They are, though, pretty much the same as you see above the trigger with the addition of the Belgian proof symbol (the crown with the circled letters).
 
Just to let everybody know, the fellas over at luger.gunboards.com figured out that it's a 1946 model. The 6 in the square on the trigger guard is the clue. Apparently when FN started producing new post-war models, they restarted the serial numbers and created some sort of dating code. That the number 6 coincided with 1946 was coincidence. Subsequent numbers may not match the year.
 
FN 1922 collection

For those who appreciate FN 1922 pistols, here is my collection of pre-war or wartime pistols:

Dutch, complete rig all pictured items have stamped matching numbers:
https://picasaweb.google.com/dhsass/FN1922Dutch?authkey=Gv1sRgCPGg3djCn9uRTA&feat=directlink

Turkish
https://picasaweb.google.com/dhsass/FN1922Turkish?authkey=Gv1sRgCLKj_Pr3ysC1nQE&feat=directlink

Waffenamt marked WaA613
https://picasaweb.google.com/dhsass/FN1922WaA613?authkey=Gv1sRgCPr9vNy2lI6ViAE&feat=directlink

Greek
https://picasaweb.google.com/dhsass/FN1922Greek?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ2YwbLA7ef83wE&feat=directlink

French Navy
https://picasaweb.google.com/dhsass/FN1922FrenchNaval?authkey=Gv1sRgCLevxMvP5crRNw&feat=directlink

Shangai police
https://picasaweb.google.com/dhsass/FN1922Chinese?authkey=Gv1sRgCKGpu6_KxOf_Og&feat=directlink

Serbian
https://picasaweb.google.com/dhsass/FN1922Serbian?authkey=Gv1sRgCKyJ4Ouq2c2bmAE&feat=directlink

Waffenamt marked, WaA140 later model
https://picasaweb.google.com/dhsass/FN1922WaA14080490a?authkey=Gv1sRgCOO2sJni9rai7gE&feat=directlink

Waffenamt marked, WaA140 not-as-late model, complete rig
https://picasaweb.google.com/dhsass/FN1922WaA140Early?authkey=Gv1sRgCLWD2aTQ3cPCngE&feat=directlink


And a few other FN pistols:

FN 1900, Factory nickel
https://picasaweb.google.com/dhsass/FN1900NickelPlated?authkey=Gv1sRgCPvxpcjjmfXVOg&feat=directlink

FN 1906 vest pocket, Imperial Russian
https://picasaweb.google.com/dhsass/FN1906Russian?authkey=Gv1sRgCM_559LB-qLexAE&feat=directlink

FN 1903, Swedish
https://picasaweb.google.com/dhsass/FN1903Swedish?authkey=Gv1sRgCM-ihvXD_tK5fw&feat=directlink

FN High power, WaA140, complete rig
https://picasaweb.google.com/dhsass/FNHighPower?authkey=Gv1sRgCPWj8_KpzonPXw&feat=directlink

FN 1910, with capture papers
https://picasaweb.google.com/dhsass/FN1910?authkey=Gv1sRgCNDE4YjeoYoo&feat=directlink
 
"Darwins," if I'm not mistaken, we met at a gun show in Phoenix some years back and discussed 1922's.

I, too have a French Navy piece with the peculiar finish, as well as several Serbian and Croatian pieces that I have decided to sell as of late. Also a Koninklijke Marichausee "M1925" Dutch pistol, a Greek Army, a horrible T.C. Subay that I have to keep in the garage at night so the howling doesn't keep me awake, and various other Nazi, Danish, Dutch, French Army, etc..

The one that I am particularly proud of is the Toulouse Police pistol as I understand that that particular contract was only about 200 or so pieces.
 
You have some nice pieces too. Some I've only heard of and never seen. They are a fun pistol to collect. I may be selling some of my pieces as well though as I consider other interests. Unfortunately, I don't think we have met. I've not been to any guns hows in Phoenix.
 
Sorry Bill, I'm gonna have to disagree with you about the plating. It's a post War .380 and F&N did produce them. Another example is is located at
Click to expand...

All factory plated 1922's I have ever seen have blued triggers and thumb safeties. Also, the "custom" FN factory grips in the photos in your link really appear to be Franzite knockoffs since, if you look closely, the molded checkering on them is not in a straight line.
 
The only pictures I've been able to find of them, the trigger was silver as was the safety. You did cause me to go to the safe to look at the grips. They aren't pebbled and do make straight lines (poor photography on my part - angle), though they're not horn or ivory, and certainly are molded and not cut. It is however the spitting image of the one pictured here;
http://www.olarmyjoel.com/Virtual ...ing 1922.htm
Though I would contend mine's in better shape. To be truthful, any picture of one, other that the one pictured in the link above, would be welcomed. The FN 1922 is wonderful shooter overlooked quite a bit in documentation or history. If anyone has Browning research material I would be willing to give the serial number to get a definative answer. The ol-timer I bought it from said he had bought it over 50 years ago and it just sat in his safe.

I guess my Lugers have spoiled me in so far as documentation, if there's any out there, or on line sources for the 1922, I sure would like to see them.
 
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