re-born FN .25

[Mike.357]

I was encouraged to post about this pistol.

Bought it at a gun show. Got a real good price on it. The gun is over 100 years old I estimate. No way to know for sure as FN has no record of serial numbers. They were either lost in the world wars or in some other way.

At any rate this pistol is either a 1905 or 1906 Vest Pocket Pistol in .25 caliber. I am leaning towards it being a 1905 or a 1906 Early Model. The pistol only has a grip safety. Later revisions of the 1906 have a conventional thumb safety. Also the serial number is very low, under 2700. I will assume that lower numbers means older guns.

The FN was never imported into the US, there was some agreement between FN and Colt who made an identical pistol. I do not believe the 1905 was copied by Colt, but rather the 1906 with a thumb safety.

This particular pistol is also I believe a WW1 bringback. At least according to a knowledgable source I spoke to.

So I brough the pistol home, it appeared good to go. Took it outside to shoot it and the gun did not go bang. Racked it a second time and still no go.

I googled instructions for take-down and found instructions to field strip the piece. I stripped it and found out it was missing a piece called a follower and that the firing pin was broken.

Here is a pic of the broken firing pin

The small protrusion on the left should also have a pin on it almost 5/16 of an inch in length.

I was starting to feel like I had purchased a failry expensive paperweight rather than a good deal on a little gun.

I attempted to research replacement parts for this pistol. I was not encouraged by what I was finding. Parts for a 100 year old Belguin pistol are not easily attainable. My search fu is weak and I was having no luck.

I appealed to Mousegunner from this forum. I figured with a name like that he might know something. Well he did not know personally but he knew who to turn to. He turned me onto a guy on another forum. That fine gentleman provided me with a couple of web links. One of those links lead me to a parts dealer in St. Louis. I was not getting my hopes up as there was no match for the parts needed on his website. I figured what did I have to lose to I telephoned him. It turned out he has the parts I need. Apparently he had purchased every spare part for out of manufacture FN pistols in the free world. I ordered the parts, no credit cards or internet purchases. He does business the old fashioned way, Send a check by mail he tells me. I follow instructions and mailed a check on Dec. 30. I figured I would have at minimum a three week wait.

So I go to the mail box today expecting bills and the usual fair of crappola junk mail. But what do i find? A package from Commemorative Arms.

Whoopty Doo!!!

I came back in the house and stripped the pistol, Here is a field stripped picture

The broken firing pin is right above the frame. The two new parts are to the left of that.

I was hopeful that the parts would drop right in. Not so lucky there. The little nub on the base of the firing pin was about half a human hair too thick for the slot it needed to fit in. I carefully filed on each side of the nub. A few strokes on each side. Checked the fit and sure enough it slipped right in. A perfect fit.

I put the gun back together,

loaded one round in the magazine. Went outside, charged the pistol, aimed carefully towards a safe spot and pulled the trigger. BANG!! Success.

I then went out to where I shoot and put three magazines though the gun. 18 rounds. I had one fail to exit, it was on the last round in a magazine, and one fail to feed, the last round on another magazine load.

Both of these I attribute to me not firmly holding the gun. These two mags were aimed shots taking my time. I also put one mag through it in rapid fire. 6 rounds about as fast as I could and still stay on target. No failures there.

The grouping on aimed shots fired slowly was real good. About softball sized from 12 or 15 feet. The rapid fire was about large frisbee sized, one flier in that bunch.

So the moral of the story is be very careful when buying a used gun at a gun show. But I ended up with a nice old beater that is a fine shooter.

And even with having to buy parts I still ended up with a pretty good deal on the pistol cost wise.

[Magiccarpetrides]

Mike glad to hear your story had a happy ending! Any chance the magazine spring might just be worn causing your few feeding issues?

[Mike.357]

Vincent the magazine is new, I will be on the lookout for a vintage one but it is not a priority. I am hopeful that keeping the mag loaded will help break it in. I really do believe a poor grip caused the two failures. It ran like butter when I blasted away.

[Guest 70below]

Granted a firing pistol is nicer than a paperweight......it looks like a nice piece of history either way! Glad you got it going! I happen to have exactly one round of .25, you're welcome to it if we bump into each other at a shoot sometime...lol.

[Oh Shoot]

....And even with having to buy parts I still ended up with a pretty good deal on the pistol cost wise.

The worst thing he had to endure was my merciless razzing both before, during, and after purchase !

Although, being the prince of a guy I am, I didn't do it publicly on TGO.

Until now, of course.

Actually, that's a pretty amazing fixit for such an old piece, certainly persevering against the odds, kudos!

- Oh "it's just like a real gun, only smaller" Shoot

[Guest 70below]

Is it the same as the baby browning parts wise?

[Mark@Sea]

Nice!

[Guest 70below]

By the way, be sure to hold onto that old firing pin assembly, you might be able to find someone who can braze or weld a new pin on if parts get really hard to come by.

[Mike.357]

Is it the same as the baby browning parts wise?

similar but not the same. I had thought they would be close enough that some parts would interchange. Originally I ordered some parts for a Baby Browning. The firing pin spring and what they call a cocking indicator would have worked in place of my spring and the missing follower. But the firing pin is a no go. The actual pin is the same length, but the body of the piece is too short, which does not allow the little nub to grab hold of the sear(?). Returning those parts to Numrich tomorrow.

I am going to hang on to the old broken piece though I doubt it will need replacing again. I do not forsee this gun being a range gun. Rounds through it will be minimal.

I am still trying to determine actual worth of the gun. It is old and beat up looking, but then again it is pretty darn old as far as semi auto firearms go. It looks like it bounced around in a mechanics toolbox or glove compartment for fifty years. Depending on what it actually is there may be potential collector value. I dunno.

[Mark@Sea]

Rough guess - $300 to $350.

[KahrMan]

Model 1905-FN First Variation

- no slide lock/safety lever.

Grading 100% 98% 95% 90% 80% 70% 60%

$575 $475 $375 $325 $275 $225 $175

Add 50% for factory nickel finish (nickel finish with blue trigger and blue safety lever) - if 95% condition or better.

Add $500 for factory presentation case.

Add $750 for Imperial Russian contract (crossed rifles marking on blue or nickel guns).

[Mike.357]

thanks Karhman, Now I know mine is worth about $47.50

[Mark@Sea]

Heck, Mike, I'll swap you a half-dozen carbine mags and yesterdays' newspaper for it...

[Mike.357]

I think I will keep it for a while!!

Now if you were talking the Sunday paper we might have had a deal

[Guest dotsun]

Nice gun, Mike. I can't wait to shoot it.

[Mike.357]

you bastard Dave,

refer to this post as well

http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/showpost.php?p=211062&postcount=39

Edited January 13, 2009 by Mike.357