Of course, it was an FN pistol in the hands of the Black Hand that ignited the Great War in the first place. In this installment of the Handguns of World War I, we look at the Fabrique Nationale pistols, including, the Model 1900 and Model 1903 pistols, used by the Belgian Army during World War I. How good were they? Here’s a hint: They were designed by John Moses Browning. If the Belgians were squared away on handguns, the same could not be said of the French. The standard French sidearm at the start of the war was the anemic 8 mm Modele 1895 double-action revolver. While the French dug the Modele 1873 (made more famous by Brendan Frazier in “The Mummy”) out of mothballs for use in the trenches, France relied on Spanish-made Ruby pistols for more firepower. And firepower is a relative term—these were .32 ACP copies of the Browning 1903. Know what a Ruby is? Better watch this.
For more American Rifleman TV segments, go to americanrifleman.org/artv.
Handguns of The Great War: Belgium and France
More like this from around the NRA
Latest
Federal Signs Agreement With U.S. Army to Improve Ammo Performance
Federal Ammunition announced this week that it has entered into an agreement that allows the U.S. Army to utilize its patented Peak Alloy ammunition case technology for use in multiple cartridges and weapon systems.
Four Armed Citizen Stories That Tell us a Lot
Each self-defense case is different. As we read them, we find ourselves wondering what we would have done, and then asking if the citizen made the best decisions possible in the worst-case scenario.
The Three Rs of Performance Shooting: Rise, Return & Realignment
Way back in the day, the three Rs of learning were colloquially known as "Readin’, Rightin’ and Rithmatic." In today's modern performance shooting, the three Rs become Rise, Return and Realignment, the core mechanics of recoil control.
Subsonic Ammo 101: Everything The Suppressor Shooter Should Know
Slower-than-sound rounds are an art as much as a science. For target shooting, bullet upset is not important, but if you’re using subsonic loads for hunting or self-defense, it becomes critical.
I Have This Old Gun: Model 1874 Gras Rifle
Following the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the French military were in desperate need of a new service rifle. Their answer was the Model 1874 Gras, which was largely an update to the earlier Chassepot design.
Compact & Quiet: CMMG's ZEROED Banshee
CMMG has expanded its Banshee line of AR-style rifles with the ZEROED, a firearm that is optimized for suppressor use.
Interests
SECTIONS
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
EXPLORE MORE NRA PUBLICATIONS
