9mm Browning Long

[spencerhut]

Got a 1907 Husqvarna that had been converted to .380ACP from the original 9mm Browning Long in slightly rough shape and decided to make a project out of it.

Acquired a NOS bare slide and barrel, had Novak fit proper sights, and I parkerized the entire gun. Also ordered a NOS recoil spring from Sweden.

Some old 9x20mm ammo was obtained which is normally 110g bullet going ~1100FPS. Of my two batches of ammo the boxer primed one chrono'ed ~1050FPS and the berdan primed managed a respectable ~1200FPS, both with 110g bullets.

I found some reloading data that suggested trying a 95g bullet with 5.0g of Unique and tried it out. The dies used were .38 ACP / Super dies. Bullets were 95g Montana Gold. Cases were the above boxer primed manufactured by Carl Gustav. The loads work just fine in the gun, 100% function. Did not chrono them yet.

 

[Jim K]

That is quite a respectable cartridge, but at about the upper limit for a blowback gun of that general size.

At the time, FN had no pistol to compete with the new Luger, so they asked Browning to design something that would sell in the same military handgun market. Browning couldn't offer his double link designs because 1) they were basically obsolete and 2) under the Colt-FN agreement, Colt couldn't sell them in Europe and FN couldn't make them.

So Browning came up with the Model 1903 in 9mm Browning Long, which was a shortened .38 ACP. In spite of FN's hopes, the 1903 really was not very successful, with the largest sale going to Sweden, whence those guns were imported years ago. Shortly after, Browning scaled the FN Model 1903 down and sold the idea to Colt, but in 7.65mm Browning, which Colt dubbed the .32 ACP. That gun became the Colt Pocket Hammerless, which collectors call the Model 1903 Colt. It, and the later version in .380 ACP, which is a shortened 9mm Browning Long, were Colt's most successful civilian pistol design.

Jim

Edited to add that 9mm BL cases can be made from .38 Super cases by trimming about .1 inch and loading with .380 ACP bullets. That is, if you can get .38 Super cases!

JK