FN Model 1910 The FN Model 1910 is a blowback - operated , semi - automatic pistol designed by John Browning and manufactured by Fabrique Nationale of Belgium . Development . The FN Model 1910 was a departure for Browning . Before , his designs were produced by both FN in Europe and Colt Firearms in the United States . Since Colt did not want to produce it , Browning chose to patent and produce this design in Europe only . Introduced in 1910 , this pistol used a novel operating spring location surrounding the barrel . This location became the standard in such future weapons as the Walther PPK and Russian Makarov . It incorporated the standard Browning striker - firing mechanism and a grip safety along with a magazine safety and an external safety lever ( known as the " triple safety " ) in a compact package . Offered in both . 380 ACP ( 6 - round magazine ) and . 32 ACP ( 7 - round magazine ) calibers , it remained in production until 1983 . It is possible to switch calibers by changing only the barrel . However , FN never offered packages containing a single pistol with both caliber barrels . An FN M1910 , serial number 19074 , chambered in . 380 ACP was the handgun used by Gavrilo Princip to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo on June 28 , 1914 , an act that arguably precipitated the First World War . Numerous previous sources erroneously cited the FN Model 1900 in . 32 caliber as being the weapon Princip used . This has led to confusion over the caliber of the pistol actually used . Variants . A variant of the Model 1910 was known variously as the Model 1922 or 1910 / 22 . This was a larger model with a longer barrel ( 113 mm ) , slide extension , and a longer grip frame to accommodate an extra two rounds . This model was aimed at military and police contracts and many examples were produced for various agencies . The FN Model 1910 / 1922 was initially designed for Yugoslavia . 1910 / 1922 pistols went on to see extensive service in World War Two , and continued to be manufactured by the Germans after their occupation of Belgium and seizure of the FN factory . These examples carry Nazi production stamps , and most have simple checkered wood grips instead of the earlier horn or plastic grips bearing the FN logo . The FN Model 1922 was also used by the following countries : Yugoslavia , Holland , Greece , Turkey , Romania , France , Finland , Denmark , and West Germany in the post war period . While the Model 1910 was widely sold on both civilian and military markets , the Model 1922 was considered specifically a military and police pistol , with FN offering it to individual civilians only by special order . In 1955 , the Browning Arms Company introduced the Model 1910 pistol for the American market as the Model 1955 . Made in Belgium , this model was virtually identical to the European model except for the markings and grips . Importation ceased in 1968 due to the passage of stricter gun - control laws in the U . S . Another version , the Model 1971 , featured a longer barrel and slide ( similar in length to the Model 1922 , but with a one - piece slide ) , adjustable sights , a finger - rest magazine , and enlarged ' target ' grips . These features were intended to comply with the Gun Control Act of 1968 which had halted import of the Model 1955 . North Korea made copies of the Model 1910 without license as the Type 70 pistol . The weapon is made not only for domestic use but also meant for export .