Design
Pressured by dozens of imitations and the proliferation of blatant unlicensed copies, FN began work in earnest on a successor product to the Model 1908 Vest Pocket pistol. The basic Vest Pocket pistol design was used as a starting point for the new design. Dieudonné Saive (who would later design the Browning Hi-Power pistol and FN FAL rifle) was asked during 1926-1927 to design the new pistol. His design was smaller, lighter, and incorporated several refinements and improvements to the M1908 version. For example, the hand palm activated grip safety mechanism was eliminated and the small safety lever on the left side of the receiver was extended under the grip so that the thumb of a right-handed shooter could easily engage and disengage it using pressure applied to the side of the safety lever - rather than pushing it down into the receiver- without having to release one's grip on the pistol. This improvement was at the cost of the slide hold-back feature that was eliminated in the new design. The receiver has a full-length dust guard extending to the end of the slide and an area behind the trigger is relieved to allow a user to maintain a more substantial grip on the pistol. The Dieudonne Saive design also introduced a magazine safety mechanism similar to the one utilized on the Colt Vest Pocket pistol. Parts are not interchangeable between these pistols. This model was marketed under the name "Baby" - and some of the original thermal hardened plastic grips were molded with both the initials "FN" at the top of the grip in a circle and the word "BABY" at the bottom of the grip under a raised crescent. This particular pistol was and continues to be known worldwide as the "Baby Browning" pistol and is the pistol reflected in the picture accompanying this article, excepting the BROWNING marked grip which indicates a more recent (circa 1960 and beyond) production run utilizing nylon impregnated polymer grips. The Baby Browning made its reputation during WWII when it became the pistol of choice of the French Resistance Movement. It was standard issue survival pack gear for US Air Force Pilots during the Vietnam War.
Read more about this topic: Baby Browning
Famous quotes containing the word design:
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—François, Duc De La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680)
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—Marilyn French (20th century)