Did FN/Browning ever make a 1911?

No.

ranburr

They prototyped a gun of the 1911 design, called the Grand Browning, in 9.65mm caliber about the same time that Colt was working on the 9.8 mm in a scaled-down 1911 platform. Cartridges of the World says they are the same round under European and American nomenclature. The only picture I have ever seen shows clearly different bullet profile and apparently different case lenght, but no dimensions were given. But then came WW I and nobody wanted a new gun to debug and deploy.

Several sources describe the 9.65mm Browning as a "copy of the 1911" and as "elusive". I suppose FN could have made up experimental 1911 copies, but they could not have sold the gun without an OK from Colt, who held the 1911 patents. If there were models of the gun, they most likely disappeared in WWII. I think it likely that the "Grand Browning" will remain "elusive."

Jim

It seems copying the 1911 is a recent phenomenon. Commercial clones of the 1911 didn't really appear until the 1970's. Of course, as recently as ten years ago if you'd told me that S&W and SIG would soon be making 1911's I'd have called you nuts.

My recollection of the Grand Browning 9.65mm goes to one (1.0) picture in a book on the company and the FN-Browning connection.

I have the American Rifleman article about the 9.8mm Colt. I think they made three of those, one assembled out of parts when they reconsidered making the model several years later.

dsk said:

It seems copying the 1911 is a recent phenomenon. Commercial clones of the 1911 didn't really appear until the 1970's. Of course, as recently as ten years ago if you'd told me that S&W and SIG would soon be making 1911's I'd have called you nuts.

Click to expand...

Yeah, it became the ole "if you can't beat 'em join 'em... :rofl:

General Motors would make Model T's if they thought there was enough money in it. That is what companies do.

Jim