Newcomer with an FN 1900

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ikuturso
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Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by ikuturso »

Dear Sirs,

This is my first entry on this forum and I wasn't quite sure whether I should submit it in the FN 1900 section or here. The moderators are welcome to move it in the appropriate section, if necessary.

There was an FN 1900 rifle listed on a Finnish dealer's website, that had been bothering me for a while. I finally caved in and ordered it. For years, I've shot and hunted with an Auto-5 shotgun. Somehow, my life wasn't complete before I had the logical rifle counterpart.

The rifle seems to be in a decent condition. While cleaning it, I found out that the firing pin tip had broken off, but I managed to fix that. I still haven't got any ammunition for it (.35 Rem is hard to find here in Europe), but I'm working on it. The bore looks bright and crisp, so I'm expecting it to be a decent shooter.

The receiver is drilled and tapped for a Lyman peep sight, but the sight itself is missing. I assume this is an aftermarket modification. There are still traces of the peep sight base on the receiver finish.

The serial no. (36xx) should place the date of manufacture somewhere around 1924, according to the fine article at thegreatmodel8 website.

There's a small silver plate in the wrist, bearing the name "G.A. YORK".

Cheers and enjoy the pics!
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Sport is the backbone of all manhood. It is the hunting instinct inherent in all healthy, normal males; it means the cultivation of skill in shooting and horsemanship, and men proficient in it are ready to rise in the defence of their country.

W. Winans
ikuturso
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by ikuturso »

Oh, sorry about the huge images. Will re-size in the future. :oops:
Sport is the backbone of all manhood. It is the hunting instinct inherent in all healthy, normal males; it means the cultivation of skill in shooting and horsemanship, and men proficient in it are ready to rise in the defence of their country.

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Sarge756
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by Sarge756 »

The BIG pitchers are just fine.All the better to see a beautiful rifle. Wish there was a way to get some 35 Rem ammo to you so we could get a range report. Great find and know our 'Jack' will be along soon to comment on it. The silver name plate is interesting. Think of the story you could have if it was A.C.York.
Alvin Cullum York ( Sergeant York USA) one of the most decorated American soldiers of WWI.
Welcome to the forum from N.Florida.
Joe
".......ain't many troubles that a man cain't fix
With seven hundred dollars and a thirty ought six."
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by ikuturso »

Thanks for your comment. It's really too bad that still, in this day and age, we cannot attach live ammunition to our posts. However, I have located a set of reloading dies and some brass in .35 Rem.

Would have been a nice investment with Sgt. York provenance. However, I'm sure Sir G.A. York will not fail my expectations. Obviously, he had an impeccable taste in firearms.

The dealer had no further information on G.A. York (other than said taste), so I can only assume the following:
He wore a mustache, a pith helmet and a monocle while hunting tigers from an elephant. Enjoyed a glass of sherry in the evening. A piece of shrapnel, souvenir from his days as a young Lieutenant at the Somme still lodged in his shoulder, prevented the use of a bolt-action rifle. A double rifle wasn't an option after a rather hairy encounter with rebel bandits, so he acquired one of these new-fangled Belgian autoloaders that everybody's been talking about.

As I said, this is pure speculation. Just filling the obvious blanks here.
Sport is the backbone of all manhood. It is the hunting instinct inherent in all healthy, normal males; it means the cultivation of skill in shooting and horsemanship, and men proficient in it are ready to rise in the defence of their country.

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Sarge756
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by Sarge756 »

:lol: Love the image of Sir York on the elephant.........As an American country song says.."That`s my Story and I`m Sticking to it".
Joe
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With seven hundred dollars and a thirty ought six."
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by In The Ten Ring »

What a beautiful firearm! Anyone notice the solid rib atop the barrel sleeve? It's like an Auto 5, except it's a rifle. :D

Do enjoy it sir and then give it to me, because giving it to me is just the right thing to do. :lol:

We demand a range report!
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by ikuturso »

A range report will be forthcoming as soon as I have established a supply of ammunition in this silly American caliber. Seriously, what's wrong with plain old 9.3x53R and 6.5x54 Mannlicher-Schoenauer? Well... um... Oh, never mind.

I also heard an American saying, can't quite remember it exactly but it went like: "... from my cold, dead hands!"

It really does look like an A5. Both have the hallmarks of genius written all over them.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand the solid rib was a standard feature on the FN 1900 rifles. It looks cool though, doesn't it?
Sport is the backbone of all manhood. It is the hunting instinct inherent in all healthy, normal males; it means the cultivation of skill in shooting and horsemanship, and men proficient in it are ready to rise in the defence of their country.

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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by jack1653 »

Hey ikuturso,

Welcome to the forum. You have acquired a very fine rifle and like you said, it compliments the A-5. Your epilog about Mr. York was very good. You made it easy to visualize how he must have been.

The solid rib was standard on most of the FN's but there were a few plain barrels thrown in over the years. The solid rib with the embossed finish is typical of the Brownings coming out of Belgium and is a very attractive feature on the rifle. The rear flip sight is unique to the FN 1900's and it is good to see it in place. Many owners removed it and replaced it with the standard Remington rear sights. You are also very lucky to have the bolt handle complete. If there was a flaw in this rifle, it was the design if the bolt bushing. They were notorious for coming loose and losing the internals. You can see some examples in the FN 1900 section.

We will have 81police move the thread to the FN 1900 section so that it can be in good company with it's siblings. My "Dirty Dozen" will welcome it to the section and make it feel quite at home. ;)

Congratulations again on your acquisition and may you enjoy it for years to come.

Regards,

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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by In The Ten Ring »

ikuturso wrote:A range report will be forthcoming as soon as I have established a supply of ammunition in this silly American caliber. Seriously, what's wrong with plain old 9.3x53R and 6.5x54 Mannlicher-Schoenauer? Well... um... Oh, never mind.

I also heard an American saying, can't quite remember it exactly but it went like: "... from my cold, dead hands!"

It really does look like an A5. Both have the hallmarks of genius written all over them.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand the solid rib was a standard feature on the FN 1900 rifles. It looks cool though, doesn't it?
Buddy (a West Virginian term which means "friend") I am right there with you. I couldn't take an honest man's arms and I wouldn't stand by and let it happen either. Again, what a beautiful rifle!
ikuturso
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by ikuturso »

Yes, the bolt handle is original. Thanks for the tip, Jack. I'll keep an eye on the bushing. Do you think a drop of medium-strength Loktite would be in order here? An old gunsmith's trick is to apply a little honey on fine threads that tend to work loose otherwise.

Ten Ring, I know the feeling and take your comment as a compliment. ;)

The only minor "flaws" in my FN were the broken firing pin, drilled and tapped receiver and the silver nameplate. The first one is fixed now (turned a new one), second and third just add character to the rifle. Truly mint specimens are really not my cup of tea, as I would feel guilty shooting them. The bluing seems to be original and has some minuscule rust spots here and there. Overall, it's as close to a mint specimen as I care to even have. The truly mint specimens I will gladly leave for serious collectors to appreciate. As the receiver is already drilled, I can add a Lyman peep without guilt.

The rifle really is a joy to handle. Not only was it at the cutting edge of firearms technology of its day, but the Grand Master did a fine job at its ergonomics, too. This is not the case with every 1st generation self-loader design. The rifle feels solid in the hand, balances nicely and points naturally. The safety lever moves in a positive and smooth manner and is easily reached by the trigger finger. If I ever get invited to a posh Continental boar hunt, the FN will be my #1 choice. Still waiting, though.

Handling these vintage masterpieces makes one appreciate the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the old masters. While some details may seem a little strange in retrospect, one must remember that they had nothing to copy from. It was all ground-breaking design. They had no CAD, CNC, 3D printers, high-speed cameras or other commodities that we take for granted today in the industry. We also have the luxury of learning from past mistakes.
Sport is the backbone of all manhood. It is the hunting instinct inherent in all healthy, normal males; it means the cultivation of skill in shooting and horsemanship, and men proficient in it are ready to rise in the defence of their country.

W. Winans
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Roger
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by Roger »

Sir,
Congrats on your find. This is the true holy grail of our model 8/81 collecting. I was very lucky to acquire an FN 1900 rifle about a year ago. I had lusted after the FN 1900 for 25 years.when it arrived at my friend's gundealership and I went to pick it up, it was like a surreal event for me. I've collected Auto 5 shotguns for around 35 years,so I'm very familiar with Browning/FN firearms. This rifle gives me a great feeling every time I look at it. I can't explain it, but it's almost like I feel a certain kind of reverance for it. To think that the people who built it may very well have worked directly with JM Browning is a weird feeling. I'm quite proud of mine and will probably never be able to afford another one again. For one thing,they just don't pop up too often.Good luck with your range testing. Keep us informed, as I shoot all my guns on a regular basis and am always interested in shooting of old guns.
Thanks for your time,
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by ikuturso »

Thanks Roger. I don't even call myself a collector, as I don't have a specified theme. I just get guns that are technically or historically interesting. The FN is fascinating because of the JMB long recoil system, its quality of manufacture and its significance in the history of self-loaders. It's also fascinating to think that this rifle was possibly made when JMB was still alive and working at FN.

After reading some horror stories on this forum, I decided to take the old pogo stick completely apart. I was relieved to find that both the barrel nut and bushing were relatively easy to remove, there was no rust and everything was assembled correctly. There was a light coat of oil on the internals. I just cleaned and lubed it and put it back together.

Good old Sir York was meticulous about preventive maintenance. While enjoying his sherry, he had young Patak, the loyal elephant driver, clean and oil his guns at camp.

I attached some photos of the internals.

Now that I had a better look at it, the fore-end screw looks a bit odd. Should there be a metal bushing in the recess? Is the screw original?

Got my .35 Rem RCBS dies yesterday. Waiting for the brass...
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Sport is the backbone of all manhood. It is the hunting instinct inherent in all healthy, normal males; it means the cultivation of skill in shooting and horsemanship, and men proficient in it are ready to rise in the defence of their country.

W. Winans
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Roger
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by Roger »

Sir my FN has aknurled bushing/grommet and a much larger headed screw. I can only speculate whether mine is original. I don't know how to post pics on this forum, but I'm sure that there must be a photo of a correct forearm screw some where in this website.
Thanks for your time,
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ikuturso
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by ikuturso »

Roger, does your screw/bushing look like the ones on this page? (scroll down to forearms)

http://thegreatmodel8.remingtonsociety. ... ge_id=1562

Seems like another turning job just came up. The recess in my forearm looks like there was a bushing with parallel knurling. Presumably, this was to prevent rotation and keep it in place.
Sport is the backbone of all manhood. It is the hunting instinct inherent in all healthy, normal males; it means the cultivation of skill in shooting and horsemanship, and men proficient in it are ready to rise in the defence of their country.

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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by Roger »

Yes, mine does look like the ones in the pics on the website.
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by Bandersnatch »

Harupmph! where did the blighter go?

Sahib, the tiger, she has gone into those bushes, being ovre there!

Gad Zooks! Bring the FN, Patak!

Here,Sahib, she is ready for you.

Brumblehunph! Can't see a bloody thing with this monocle. Might need another one. Do you see it, Patak?

Indeed, Sahib, the tiger she is creeping upon you and is intent, if i may say so without offending the great Sahib, that she is to make you a tea cake.

God's trousers! She is!

*BOOM!*

Oh, good shot, Sahib! Shall I call for the bearers?

Yes, yes...where's the sherry, my good man?
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by jim8008 »

You should do a children's book. Can the tiger have glow-in-the-dark eyes?
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by 81police »

ikuturso, thanks for taking the time to post and share pictures! What a treat to see another FN 1900 :D

I have to agree with Roger, to 8/81 collectors here in the States, the FN 1900 is the creme de la creme. Low production numbers, never officially imported in the USA, and high priced to boot on today's market.

I would say your rifle is in well above average condition for the FN 1900's I've seen. ikuturso I would love to discuss your rifle further via email if you're willing. Please email me cat9x@hotmail.com

One of my dream hunts would be an eastern European driven wild boar hunt using the FN 1900!!! Somebody please do this and take pictures! ;)
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by Phyrbird »

AhHa :!: :!: Another dream.
We should never give up dreams, sometimes they come true.
ikuturso, I too wish for that hunt, :mrgreen: my daughter spent a semester in Regensburg. We have some history. 8-)
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by ikuturso »

Bandersnatch, thank you for an excellent quote from "The Memoirs of G.A. York GBE QC - Part 2: My Anthropological Research and Intelligence Report in The Dutch East Indies, Burma and Punjab"

Bloody marvelous!

A little update on the FN:

Removed the butt plate and found the fore-end screw bushing, wrapped in paper in the stock cavity. The reason apparently was that the inside thread in the barrel jacket was partially stripped. Removing the bushing allowed the screw to reach deeper into undamaged threads. Replaced the bushing and made a longer screw.

Found all of 15 rounds of Remington .35 ammo at a local dealer. Fired it all. Kept the brass. Basically, just a function check at 25 meters. On the very first round, an FTE occurred. All subsequent rounds cycled flawlessly. The rifle is shooting pretty nicely to the point of aim. Nice mechanical sensation in the recoil. Lots of things going on during the operating cycle.

Mauser 98K clips work somehow in the FN, but not perfectly.

PS. Just for the record, the Sherry wasn't opened until the FN was back in the gun vault.
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Sport is the backbone of all manhood. It is the hunting instinct inherent in all healthy, normal males; it means the cultivation of skill in shooting and horsemanship, and men proficient in it are ready to rise in the defence of their country.

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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by In The Ten Ring »

Wow, this thread is great.

I could have missed it, but what country are you in sir?
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by Bandersnatch »

A fine sherry indeed. Sir York would be proud.
I am the cat who walks by himself. And all places are alike to me.
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by ranman »

Thanks for sharing pictures of this fine rifle and great stories. It is always nice to imagine their hunts and history. Now I must go to the cold cellar,I'm sure there's a bottle of sherry down there... :lol:
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by curdog »

Ikuturso - try some M1A/M14 clips. They only have one raised projection on each side, and this will allow them to drop down to the top of the magazine and feed better.

Congratulations on your rifle.
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by ikuturso »

Ten Ring, I currently reside in Switzerland. Beautiful country, friendly people, decent gun laws and fine firearms.

The Swiss m/1906 Luger is a contemporary of the FN in both design and manufacture. I hope it's not too far off-topic to post this image.

Curdog, thanks for the tip, I'll try to find some at the next gun show. Who knows, what comes up.
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by 81police »

excellent firearm combination!!
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by Phyrbird »

Ikuturso,
Some where I have a magazine article on the recently located Georg Luger prototype marked with his personal stamp. :idea:
It has the slot in the grip too. 8-)
I am fascinated you have the opportunity for hunting in Europe. :mrgreen: I also have a soft spot for the Schmidt Rubins, another classic of the age. Not as quick on the reload as our JMB designed ladies but a lot faster than Mausers.
Have you any info on Browning designed FN A5 shotguns? I'm trying to learn more on a recent find. This one is not marked Browning but FN. :?: :?:
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by 81police »

My dad has an immaculate FN A5, I can post pictures... The similarities between it and the FN1900 are striking
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by ikuturso »

Phyrbird, in FN (Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre) Auto-5's there should be the "Browning's Patent Deposé" marking somewhere. Back then, there really was no brand called Browning, just several companies (Remington, Winchester, Colt, Savage, FN, Husqvarna etc.) manufacturing arms under Browning's license. Also, the name Auto-5 doesn't appear anywhere on the gun and this is normal.

81police, yes, a side-by-side comparison with the FN 1900 would be nice.

The 1900/Model 8 shares a lot with the Auto-5/Model 11, but of course, there are some obvious differences. This is due to the totally different ammunition types.

The A5 feeds from a tubular magazine under the barrel and the lockwork includes the necessary lifter mechanism to bring the shotshells up. The A5 recoil spring is located around the magazine tube, while the 1900 has it around the barrel. The A5 also has a neat friction ring arrangement around the magazine tube, to regulate the system for different ammunition types.

The long barrel jacket provides better barrel support and less angular deviation. This is important for accuracy in a rifle, but less critical in a shotgun.

The rotating bolt of the rifle provides a much stronger lock-up than the single lug of the shotgun. This is necessary for the higher pressures involved.

Of course, the long-recoil principle is the same.

What is remarkable about the A5 is that not only was it in production for 95 years, but it also set the standard on how a semi-auto shotgun is manipulated. The loading port, charging handle and bolt release are right where we are used to having them. The barrel is held in place by a cap screwed on the magazine tube.

At the turn of the century, there was no norm. The other early semi-automatic shotguns, Sjögren and Walther, had drastically different controls.

http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread. ... ic-shotgun
http://www.forgottenweapons.com/early-s ... e-shotgun/

Needless to say, both are extremely interesting early self-loaders. The Sjögren, with its proto-inertial action and the Walther with a Maxim-style toggle action are just fascinating.
Sport is the backbone of all manhood. It is the hunting instinct inherent in all healthy, normal males; it means the cultivation of skill in shooting and horsemanship, and men proficient in it are ready to rise in the defence of their country.

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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by Phyrbird »

Cam,
Wow, thank you gentlemen. I would like some ID photos for the FN A5 shotgun. :idea:
However, I don't want to hijack Ikuturso's great discussion on this beautiful Swiss FN1900. :mrgreen:
If we want to continue here it's fine with me; if you (Cam) think it better we could start a new thread. Cam just let me know where is best. We can add links in this thread to shift to the new one.
Mr Winans, the European attempts at semi auto shotguns is very interesting too. Thank you so much for the detailed reply. Keep it up. Walthers are another of my favorites with one exception. One of their semi-auto 22s was recently imported by a major US revolver manufacturer. It looks cool, but is a nightmare to clean and disassemble. :P Parts seem fragile too. :?
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by ikuturso »

Phyrbird, I wouldn't mind being hijacked with Auto-5 pictures. I was a bit off-topic there with the Luger, too. (Unless this is the same Luger that sir G.A. York acquired while he was briefly posted as Naval Attaché in Switzerland. There's no way to know for sure.)

You are right about the downfall of Walther firearms. Ever since they were acquired by Umarex, they have turned out unbelievable crap. Before, the Walther brand was always associated with innovation and quality. Carl Walther must be rolling in his grave.

And please, don't confuse me with Walter Winans. I find this very flattering, but unlike Winans, I'm neither an Olympic shooting medalist, sculptor or horse-breeder, nor am I a Chevalier of the Imperial Russian Order of St. Stanislaus. My signature is a quote from Winans' book "The Modern Pistol & how to shoot it", 1919.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_W._Winans

However, it's reasonable to assume that Winans was an acquaintance of Sir York, although Winans didn't share York's taste for sherry.
Sport is the backbone of all manhood. It is the hunting instinct inherent in all healthy, normal males; it means the cultivation of skill in shooting and horsemanship, and men proficient in it are ready to rise in the defence of their country.

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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by 81police »

if the topic starter wants to change directions I'm OK with that ;)

These pictures were taken quite some time ago, with a later production FN 1900 #43XX

Image

Image

Image
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by 81police »

here's a few more humpback pictures...

Image

Image

Image
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by jack1653 »

Nice pictures.
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by Roger »

Awesome!! My first love was always the Auto 5 shotgun.
Thanks Cam,
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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by ikuturso »

Wow. That's a fine specimen. Looks like 30's production to me, but I could be wrong. Very similar to my 1937 workhorse, but in far better condition. And that, gentlemen, is what original FN bluing should look like. I didn't even see the usual crack in the fore-end. Later on, they reinforced the thin part of the fore-end with fiberglass.

Mine was salvaged from a gun shop junk pile. It had a big bulge in the choke and had most of the bluing gone. I refinished it, cut off the choke and mounted an adjustable Lyman choke that happened to be rolling around in the shop. After a particularly rough water fowling expedition on the Baltic Sea, I just stripped and re-blued it again. It just refuses to die.

The best semi-auto shotgun ever made, in my humble opinion.

Back to the FN 1900's and Model 8's, have you noticed that you can actually remove the bolt assembly without removing the trigger group? This may be yesterday's news to Model 8 owners, but all Youtube videos show it the hard way. Just open bolt, remove barrel and bolt handle, and hit bolt release. The bolt will fly out of the receiver and should be caught with a towel.

For you manual-reading folks, this method is actually described in the Model 8 and FN 1900 manual.

Not that you really need to remove the bolt too often. Long-recoil guns don't really accumulate any fouling in the action.
Sport is the backbone of all manhood. It is the hunting instinct inherent in all healthy, normal males; it means the cultivation of skill in shooting and horsemanship, and men proficient in it are ready to rise in the defence of their country.

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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by ikuturso »

I'd just like to elaborate a little on the A5 theme.

As I said, early (pre-WWII) FN A5's do not carry the Browning brand name, only the patent marking. After WWII, they were sold under the Browning brand. Post-WWII guns feature a crossbolt safety behind the trigger and a two-piece elevator that allows quick chambering via the loading port. In pre-WWII guns you need to hold the bolt release button in to load the tube.

Very early ones (ca. 1910's) have a sliding safety catch like on 81police's gun, but without the protruding latch. They also lack the locking screws on the left side of the receiver. The bolt release button is also smaller in diameter.

My '37 has a vented rib on top like 81police's. The earlier ones I've seen don't have this and usually have straight stocks.

There could be other minor variations, but I can't remember them off the top of my head. I'm sure there is a more comprehensive database online.

Basically, all pre-WWII technical improvements were done before 1925, presumably by JMB himself. The post-WWII changes were designed by someone else. Could be Val Browning or Dieudonne Saive, both capable firearms designers in their own right. I'm guessing Val Browning, as Saive was quite busy working on his automatic rifle that ultimately became the FN FAL.

We know that Val finished the design for the B25 Superposed while Saive finished the High Power.
Sport is the backbone of all manhood. It is the hunting instinct inherent in all healthy, normal males; it means the cultivation of skill in shooting and horsemanship, and men proficient in it are ready to rise in the defence of their country.

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Re: Newcomer with an FN 1900

Post by Phyrbird »

Thanks Cam,
Very good photos they help a lot. I don't think mine has the lettering on the left side as yours. The mag disconnect is there and all else, including the roll stamp on the barrel and the butt plate.
This adds to my knowledge of JMB's life works, I have a nice Savage with the engraved receiver. Are there other similar actions that will become collectable?
What would reasonable modern value be?
Phyrbird
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