Guns International #: 103328207
Seller's Inventory #: 4580849

Category - FN Pistols - .25 Pistols

Category
FN Pistols
.25 Pistols

FN Herstal ~ Model 1905 Vest Pocket ~ .25 Auto

Description:
The world of concealed-carry and personal defense firearms has a very interesting history, evolving from original flintlock pistols to black powder revolvers to early autoloading pistols and double-action revolvers, to the lightweight high-capacity polymer pistols with electronic sights and weaponlights of today. In the early days of the 20th Century, John Moses Browning had developed a small pocket automatic pistol in a new miniscule centerfire cartridge, .25 Auto—yet another development of Browning's design. This patent design was offered first to Colt USA, as they had—up to this point—been Browning's primary purchaser and manufacturer for his pistol designs. Colt did not believe that this small little gun would be profitable for their company to produce, passing on the offer. Browning's second choice was Fabrique Nationale (FN) Herstal in Belgium. FN was much more receptive to the idea and agreed to build the guns in 1905, with production models rolling off the line in 1906. The FN 1905 caught on quite well in Europe, with hundreds of pistols being sold to civilians and military personnel alike as a small defensive weapon. After a few years, Colt actually re-entered talks with Browning to purchase licensing of the patent and produce their own versions of the gun starting in 1908 to be sold as the Colt Vest Pocket, with some finer details added compared to the European FN pistols and slight differences, though the two largely share parts compatibility. The Colt Vest Pocket and other later .25-chambered Colt pistols would lead to the moniker of '.25 ACP,' or '.25 Automatic Colt Pistol.' All versions of the FN 1905 are chambered in .25 Auto and hold 6 rounds in their magazines. The pistols are blued with black checkered hardened rubber grips emblazoned with the FN script logo. The sights are almost a suggestion, with a shallow groove shaped into the top of the slide with a very small rear notch and hardly-visible front sight post. The gun has a 2" barrel and a grip safety. The FN 1905 is actually a striker-fired pistol, with a very basic striker design inside the slide. The first version of the 1905 only featured a grip safety mechanism. A second version would add a manual thumb safety which could also hold the slide out of battery for safety and storage purposes. The third and most common "triple safety" iteration added a magazine disconnect safety. The FN 1905 was finally retired from production in 1959. The little guns hardly packed a punch and offer very light recoil, only being chambered in .25 Automatic. But, the pistols have made their own impact in history, having been used by Belgian resistance fighters during World War II to free Jewish prisoners en route to Auschwitz in 1943, were used by British and American spies during WWII, were carried by a handful of Russian officers and military academy graduates (these nickel-plated Russian-marked pistols are extremely rare and valuable), and were carried by MACV-SOG Green Berets in Vietnam as a backup weapon. This particular pistol for sale is a third variant "triple safety" made somewhere between 1928-1930. The gun features a widened flanged trigger for a more positive trigger finger placement. The gun is in very good condition and appears to have all-original finish on the pistol. There are some small finish defects, but the gun is fit well and operates perfectly. This piece is an excellent collector's item for fans of early-century handguns, the world of espionage, Vietnam history buffs, or fans of FN or John Browning historical pieces. This gun includes one FN-marked original magazine but no box or case. .25 ACP

Metal Condition: Good
Bore Condition: Good
Barrels: 2
Butt Pad: Checkered hardened plastic grip panels
Weight: 13 Oz
Sights: Fixed sight groove
Item Location: Kearney, NE

Price: $599.99