A page from an undated FN catalog lists the country restrictions imposed on the FN 1900, “The Browning automatic sporting rifle nr243, cal. Despite the large market, the FN 1900 found its home predominately with hunters in and around Western Europe and Canada. The arrangement between FN and Remington was that the Model 8 was for sales by and large inside the United States and the Modele 1900 would essentially pursue sales to the rest of the world. FN was first to introduce the long-recoil shotgun, but it was Remington that first produced John Browning’s long-recoil rifle in 1906 dubbed the “Autoloading Rifle” or more known today as the Model 8. was eager to work with John Browning and acquire the rights to manufacture both his autoloading shotgun and his autoloading rifle. FN quickly began producing Auto-5 shotguns, but by 1904 such restrictive importation tariffs had been imposed that FN negotiated with Browning to allow manufacture of his shotgun within the United States. Browning established a friendly relationship with FN in 1902 selling the exclusive rights to his long-recoil rifle (and shotgun) to FN on March 24 of the same year. The year of this patent is where the Modele 1900 got its name even though FN didn’t manufacture the rifle until a decade later. 659,786 filed June 6 th, 1900 for a “Recoil Operated Firearm”. The story begins with John Browning who filed several long-recoil patents not just those in the United States. Even still, compared to other European firearms of the day, this rifle was fast shooting and elegantly built. So distinct and intriguing were these rifles that around 100 saw front-line service in aircraft with the French Aeronautique Militaire in the early days of WWI. On one hand the FN encountered very little genuine competition but on the other hand its high price and yet-proven mechanics paved the way for poor sales right from the beginning. This worked to the Modele 1900’s advantage and disadvantage respectively. In Europe during the early 20 th century, the autoloading platform was seen more as a novelty than something of actual usefulness. Produced by the legendary Fabrique Nationale de Armes de Guerre (FN) in Belgium, this rifle officially labeled as the “Browning Patent Modele 1900” was a near identical copy of the American made Autoloading Rifle. If the Remington Model 8 is the grandfather of American semi-automatic sporting rifles, the F.N. In Belgium it was known as “La Carabine Automatique Browning”, in Germany it was the “Selbstladebüchse Browning Kaliber 9mm”, but in the United States we know it simply as the F.N.
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