Columbia inquired as to the purchase of Model 1903s in the 1930s, but FN was unable to fill the contract from existing stocks—and was unwilling to restart production. As a result, the contract was diverted to Husqvarna. An exception was made to the licensing agreement, and the Colombian contract was filled from Sweden. 

By the end of 1927, FN had produced 58,442 Model 1903 pistols, making it the smallest production run of any FN Browning pistol in history. In contrast, the Swedish Husqvarna production totaled an estimated 89,230 pistols and lasted until 1942. Swedish volunteers and Finns used both the FN and Husqvarna pistols against Soviet forces in the Finnish Winter War.

Collector Information
All FN Browning 1903 and Husqvarna 1907 pistols were originally chambered in 9 mm Browning Long (9x20 mm). When imported from Sweden, many were modified in the United States to fire 9x17 mm (.380 ACP) cartridges as the original ammunition was almost unobtainable. Although the conversion is ballistically safe, the smaller 9x17 mm cartridge does not feed reliably from the magazine.

The Husqvarna and Swedish-contract FN Model 1903 pistols are the most common in the United States. Swedish arsenals refurbished the pistols through the years, and one of the steps was to sandblast the pistols before re-bluing, resulting in an unattractive matte-blue finish. All FN Browning Model 1903 pistols and many of the Husqvarna pistols were originally finished with a high-polish, rust blue finish. Husqvarna’s quality and finish was equal to FN’s; this is especially noticeable on early pistols.

Because the FN Model 1903 was considered a military sidearm, FN never placed much emphasis on embellishing the pistol. Three engraving styles were available, and a nickel finish was also available on special order. Few customers took advantage of these options, and original engraved or nickeled pistols are exceedingly rare. 

Husqvarna never made any shoulder stocks or slotted pistols. FN’s production of slotted pistols is estimated between 25 and 30 percent of the entire production run. Production numbers of shoulder stocks is estimated to be less than those for slotted pistols, as not all slotted pistols were sold with shoulder stocks.

Due to relatively small production numbers and low survival rate, some of the rarest FN Model 1903 contract pistols include those listed below (in order of scarcity, top is rarest).

Imperial Russia: Railroad Police contract, less than 100 pistols are estimated to have been delivered without shoulder stocks in 1911;
Imperial Russia: Moscow Metropolitan Police contract, as many as 3,113 pistols may have been shipped with shoulder stocks between 1908-1914;
Imperial Russia: Gendarmerie contract, multiple orders shipped between 1908-1914, an estimated 8,000 pistols were shipped with shoulder stocks;
El Salvador: 1927 contract standard pistols without shoulder stock;
Paraguay: An estimated 324 pistols without shoulder stocks were shipped in 1927;
Ottoman (Turkish) Empire: Gendarmerie contract, approximately 8,000 delivered without shoulder stocks with orders spanning 1908, 1910, 1911 and 1914; additional small orders were delivered after World War I;
Estonia: Military contracts; approximately 4,616 pistols delivered slotted for shoulder stocks; orders filled in 1922, 1923, 1925 and 1926;
Sweden: Initial 1907 contract for 10,000 pistols supplied without shoulder stock; additional orders followed throughout production years.   

Collectors interested in the function and quality of these pistols should seek out unaltered specimens firing the original 9 mm Browning Long cartridge. Ammunition is now readily available, with Swedish ammunition being some of the best.

Special thanks to:
Adam Firestone, Anders Jonasson and the John M. Browning Firearms Museum, Ogden, Utah.