FN 1900 for the Russian Imperial Army Fencing & Gymnastics School

[@Raven-Blackwing]

With a title like that, the story will be good.

[@BuxtonHouse]

Thats amazing to see, in South Africa i was a gunsmith apprentice and made wooden grips for a nickel plated FN 1900 and knew it was old, didnt know for sure untill now.

[@CrispyGFX]

A gun for gymnasts, nickel plated by motorcycle manufacturers What a wild world.

[@AxLWake]

Well when you say it like that it makes it sound like it was an other company that did the nickel finish. But at it's peak FN was a manufacturer of all sorts of things: guns, ammunition, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, trucks, armored vehicles, etc. I think that the world's first ever in-line 4 cylindres motorcycle is an FN bike.

[@nightofthunder5509]

Glad it was preserved and the commies didnt melt it down

[@dakunssd]

​@@nightofthunder5509 They didn't melt much down. Mostly all the equipment they could get their hands on was handed from one Bureau or factory to the next until it was either broken beyond any repair or so hopelessly obsolete they couldn't use it in any practical capacity; those things got sent to "socialist brother states" as military or economic aid. My father worked in Krasnoyarsk in the 90ties and he told me that local officials were still using Adler typing machines taken from East Germany in 1946 as war reparations, just to give you an idea how long they held on to stuff. That and the Dutch gun merchants is how so many ww2 guns ended up in Africa and the Middle East.

[@john-paulsilke893]

Christopher Kunst I met some of their secondary and third tier military officers. (I am Canadian and they saw our equipment and knew the same pain, this was in the late ‘80’s very early ‘90’s before I liased to the British). Their AK’s were super heavy milled guns and even some had SKS rifles. Very much like our gear, It worked very well but was all very well worn and obsolescent. Our attitude was that we wanted the world to love us but they wanted the world to see how tough they were but also willing to suffer. Different philosophies to be sure especially when juxtaposed to the American John Wayne here to save the world attitude. (A very grossly simplistic description to be sure).

[@kekeke4467]

if you want to see something crazy look up the parties the tzar held during WWI

[@andybrown4284]

Practial reasons aside, having bits like the trigger in the darker colour helps accentuate the nickel and makes it nicer to look at than a solid block of shiney.

[@richardpowell4281]

1907 "check out my new pistol!" 1917 "... Our pistol"

[@alexm566]

1999 Putin's pistol

[@antona.4572]

Lol

[@PopeHeavy]

>Pistols for Fencing school Russian fencers: Parry this you filthy casual

[@mohammedcohen]

...like swords for the 'school of musketry'...

[@harryshuman9637]

@@mohammedcohen Well it is a musket, you only get 1 shot before 5 minute reload

[@blackore64]

Brownings seem to have been very common in imperial Russia. In an account of 1905 revolution in Finland, the writer uses Browninki, and "Browninki-Revolveri" as seemingly generic names for handguns. In same way, Russian revolutionary Trotsky in his 1911 pamphlet "Why Marxists Oppose Individual Terrorism" writes "The recipe for explosives is accessible to all, and a Browning can be obtained anywhere."

[@borismekler]

In the first half of the 20th century, the word 'Browning' was kind of a catch-all term in Russian, covering any pistol that wasn't a broomhandle Mauser or a revolver, and not uncommonly, revolvers as well.

[@msfinm]

And the Governor-General of Finland, Nikolai Bobrikov, was shot with a Browning (i.e. FN 1900) in 1904, of course! In Finnish sources (newspapers, books etc.), up to the mid-twenties (when the government procured lots of different pistols like Spanish Rubys, Lugers, Ortgies pistols and Mauser 1914s), all pistols are generally called "Browning", except, as mr. Mekler pointed out above, Mausers and revolvers. Finnish police used some FN 1900s up to the 80s or 90s.

[@КонстантинТирский]

@@borismekler In Russian sources from early 20th century you may find things like "Browning revolver", "Automat", "Browning automat", "Automatic revolver", "Browning automatic revolver", "Mauser revolver" etc.

[@Taistelukalkkuna]

@@msfinm When I was acting as an opfor for Kaartin Jääkärirykmentti soldiers, they issued us some tiny, old pistols. Though I think they were Baby Brownings. Deactivated, and for body search training purpose.

[@msfinm]

@@Taistelukalkkuna Very interesting! I was in the Kaartin Jääkärirykmentti also in the early 2000s but didn't unfortunately encounter any interesting firearms (HK69A1 was probably the fanciest). It is pretty puzzling how the FDF ended up with a cache of Baby Brownings (or more likely, the FN modèle 1905s)! Maybe they procured them in the 1920s as well.

[@goetzliedtke]

The training at this school was based on 19th Century warfare, in which young officers and some enlisted men performed as couriers on the battlefields. The skills for that job included riding, running, fencing, shooting, and swimming - the Modern Pentathlon of the Olympics.

[@Taistelukalkkuna]

That nickel plating makes that pistol look gorgeous. Great short and informative video Ian. =) *Russian Imperial Army Fencing & Gymnastics School: Circa 1910* Instructor walks into gym. "Cadets...Attention! Today we will practice fencing move called "Indianski Jones." Cadet Ivanov. Attack me with your sabre." "Presently so Captain.....But you don´t have a sabre?" *Just attack Ivanov, however you like."

[@lairdcummings9092]

Student: You're going to shoot me! Instructor: I won't! Student: You shot Feydor. Instructor: He was attacking me with a saber. Student: You told him to!

[@tlshortyshorty5810]

"Sir, I believe his name is _Doktor_ Jo-"

[@roberttaylor6030]

Thank you and Legacy collectibles. I check Legacy out all the time and there's always stuff I want but can't really afford.

[@loupiscanis9449]

Thank you , Ian .

[@monitorlizard8818]

Here's the info I found online on pistols approved for private purchase by the officers of the Imperial Russian Army in 1907: 9mm 1903 Browning 9mm Luger Broomhandle Mauser (those three were allowed for duty use and could be carried in holsters in place of Nagant revolvers) Later, 1911 was added to the list above, although those were admittedly quite rare. They also recommended the latter for private use: Browning model 1900, 1906 and 1910 Steyr 1909 Mauser M.1910 Edit: apparently, Savage 1907 eventually made it to the primary list as well.

[@antona.4572]

Any one of the guns on that list (maybe with an exception of "baby" Browning 1906) is better and more efficient than the standard issue Nagant 1895 revolver, with it's manual unloading and reloading mechanism, which took ages to reload, even for trained users (and especially "convenient" under stress or during combat).

[@tlshortyshorty5810]

My favorite part of gymnastics and fencing, the concealed pistol duels.

[@screamsinrussian5773]

special ability: G U N

[@joelincoln6560]

My Great, Great grandad was gifted a FN1900 by a Russian officer at the end of WW1. I always thought it was weird it was a 1900 and not a Russian gun. Mines much more battle worn .

[@kevinmcfalls945]

I also have an FN 1900 from my grandfather (1901-2003). He told me it came from a younger friend of his who brought it back from Italy during WWII. Supposedly found in a public bathroom along with the officer's uniform, like he ditched everything and tried to blend in or something like that.

[@billtree52]

I wish there was a modern production run of these pistols

[@turbowolf302]

"The Russian Imperial Army Fencing & Gymnastics School" sounds like something out of a weird anime.

[@alexsoklakov7454]

“Yuri on ice“ but in imperial armed froces academy. And surely with some weird gun-kata and saber fighting tecniques.

[@Tfaonc]

I like the look with the trigger, safety and screws left black. Good contrast.

[@not-a-theist8251]

i really like the look of this gun. The black parts contrast very nice with the Nickel

[@bjorntrollgesicht1144]

Protip from a fencer: fighting with a sword in one hand and a pistol in the other was totally a thing, especially in the navy (boarding actions!) and at the time of single shot pistols when you didn't have to aim all that much, so you could have used your off hand to blast someone, then it turned into a convenient club or a shield for blocking while your main hand held a cutlass, dirk or whatever else you had. Some guys in modern HEMA try to recreate this sort of naval skirmish- with bayonets and boarding pikes added to the mix, it becomes a messy affair.

[@aidanfarnan4683]

Nice looking gun! I think the parts left black contrast really nicely with the nickle. I now know thats not why they did it, but the aesthetic is still really nice.

[@tbrown5657]

1:38 missed opportunity to say "War were declared"

[@tomcat2395]

War WAS declared" if you are going to correct someone big man do it correctly or you seem like a idiot

[@tbrown5657]

@@tomcat2395 aaaaaaand triggered lol

[@whiterice.]

@@tomcat2395 somebody hasn't been watching C&Rsenal.

[@TheFaveteLinguis]

Don't get it. Explain, please.

[@tomcat2395]

Very nice of Legacy Collectables to send you fantastic vintage firearms like this

[@cluelessgavin]

After looking back, I knew I’d seen this pistol somewhere. This pistol resembles one of the Chinese Mystery Pistols from the selection that Ian examines back in 2015. It was the black one on the bottom left corner of the thumbnail.

[@silubr1]

Yes, this was kinda the Glock of its time: omnipresent and much copied (sometimes a little more subtly than the Chinese example). Browning did actually invent the concept of the *slide*, and this is his first pistol to use it. Essentially the great-grandma of most modern selfloading pistols.

[@cluelessgavin]

Silubr Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[@shotforshot5983]

Hard chroming or plating (and other treatments) can create real issues in a mechanism from just tolerances to changing the coefficient of friction. Which in turn can change timing, spring function etc. Its not always easy to calculate or predict the effects. As a machinist/fabricator I could dial in a mechanism and then have it totally change by the customer's choice of treatment. PITA sometimes.

[@3KindsOfGuns]

Definitely fits into the cool old gun category!!

[@altimer1]

thank you for the knowledge Ian

[@DeanKop]

Another great video by the man himself!

[@CzechoslovakGunStories]

wow imagine the difference for the russian officer to carry and shoot this over the ordinary Nagant revolver (which has after all roots in the very same contry - interesting how much Belgium and Russia cooperated back then :) )

[@nuraly78]

Actually they still do. Some of the parts for newer AK's clearly have FN influence

[@CalgarGTX]

@@peterthepeter7523 We are talking about russian officers here... things going wrong was from 1914 to 2020+

[@mohammedcohen]

...bought both Vanderlinden's book via Amazon and he autographed them...whatta nice gesture!!!

[@coolestsupermariofan6326]

That’s the one from Saint denis

[@JohnDoe-mx2kp]

Ian, just to remind you, we love you. from the bottom of our heart's, keep on going forever.

[@Hypafrag]

I expected it to be larger looking at preview for some reason. But having GJ’s hands as reference I can see it’s pretty compact gun.

[@lechethefarmer9823]

isnt this the DLC pistol added to RDR2's story mode? looks super similar

[@DansilSchroeder]

Yes! It is. Very good eye.

[@armr6937]

That's the 1899, but yeah.

[@matt-kv1nu]

best pistol in the game

[@DatGrunt]

Yep. Wish it was online too. I made mine all gold with black engravings and a black grip :)

[@Some_Jihadi_Warrior-me1rz]

Yups!, i got it in story mode, in online i go with double gold mausers :)

[@OutOfPrintGM]

Great video thanks for posting

[@snbrinewehr3203]

Okay, all I need now is a video about the Korovin TK pistol

[@shawnr771]

Instructor "Today we are going to learn how to defend against people armed with sharp sticks." "You come at me with that sharp stick." BANG "And that is how you defend against an attacker armed with a sharp stick."

[@Adiscretefirm]

What a strange period of time when officers were carrying semiautomatic pistols but an army still saw a need for fencing instructors.

[@jpenna1976]

FN M1900 has a special place in Finnish history. It was used to tell Russian Gen. Nikolai Bobrikov, that we don't like them being here in 1904.

[@kanesmith2855]

Fantastic ian looks like the 1899 semi automatic pistol I forget the maker

[@defroes6792]

The two-tone with the nickle plating would make that pistol a very smart look alongside a set of fencing whites. Shame it would be very illegal to carry one at my local club or competitions.

[@brucegraham4332]

Another great and interesting video.

[@jjeckerm06]

FN was among the first motorcycle manufacturers to make a four cylinder bike...

[@roban2799]

Honestly it's a really beautiful gun

[@capeclint]

I wish you had discussed how the pistol functioned. That is normally what I like about your videos.

[@Payne427]

After watching multiple of these videos, I say that Ian's signature line is "Cuh-Chunk"

[@pavarottiaardvark3431]

This is a fascinating moment of history because this sort of weird not-very-organised purchasing was one the the outdated features of the Russian army and something that reforms were trying to fix. This is right at the end of the era where there wasn't a proper organisation to the Army.

[@redram5150]

"Alright, Igor, are you ready for war school?" "Da" *Gets out sword "Lesson one. (lisping) GYMNASTICS! Put on these leg warmers you silly goose!" (Igor, disheartened)"Da"

[@slick_slicers]

At that time a training sabre would be called a gymnasium sabre as fencing or sword training was carried out in a gymnasium. Though, as a gymnasium, from the original Greek means a p,ace to be naked... an odd thought that; naked sword fighting!

[@thesturm8686]

Naked "sword" fighting.... Welp, need to get that out of my mind

[@screamsinrussian5773]

if they were naked, that means that they could triple wield

[@AmogusAbobusAutobus]

This pistol looks so modern actually)

[@MikeStavola]

Every time I see an FN 1900 I think BROWNINGS BROWNINGS BROWNINGS

[@AxLWake]

John Browning indeed had a close relationship with FN. He designed a lot of firearms for them and even lived in Belgium at the end of his life.

[@Piromanofeliz]

@@AxLWake ah, but Mike is referencing the stampings on "mistery chinese pistols" a classic (and quite hilarious) Forgotten Weapons. I recomend you watch it it's a wild ride. Anyways, BREVET BREVET BREVET

[@AxLWake]

@@Piromanofeliz Oh yes. I saw the video but forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder, it was very funny indeed!

[@vincentmueller3717]

That black finish seems to be very durable. Most 100+ year old bluing shows considerable wear.

[@Blody1337]

A pistol in gymnastics and fencing school...parry this you filthy casual!

[@screamsinrussian5773]

mordhau moment

[@uzivatel56]

Precisly! Also a comment such as yours was expected to be way higher!

[@pripjatyfighter3786]

I miss the presentation of the gun. It has a really simple and clever mechanical solutions (for example the recoil spring is the firing pin spring too) so i think its very interesting...

[@UXB1000]

So some officers bought this gun and brought said gun to a sword fight (or lesson, in this case).

[@jonnejaaskelainen]

For when you don't feel like fencing, when you're not in the mood.

[@screamsinrussian5773]

solve all your problems with the push of a button

[@mechredd]

I really like early 20th century pistols. The steel construction and how well most of them fit together, the heft and balance. They feel like a workhorse and usually shoot very nicely. Nowadays the trend is to make them as small and light as possible which leads to poor shoorability. A 380 built on a 25 frame thats plastic and half the weight it should be, of course it's going to kick. I've seen more guys than I can remember buy an LCP or similar, to get their wives into shooting, only to trade it in because she doesn't like it and now refuses to go to the range with him. I'd warn them but they wouldn't listen.

[@troy9477]

Agreed. Many of the micro pistols today are hard to handle. I used to help teach a CCW prep class. Most of the very small guns were all over the place on the target. But a compact gun did much better, as did most J frame and comparable snubbies. A few years ago while helping a friend's wife with some training, i discovered that a Beretta 84 makes a great training gun. Handy size, still somewhat compact, low recoil etc. I am not a fan of 380 for defensive use, but it is good foemr training. I know what you mean about the older pistols. Always had a soft spot for Colt 1903's and 1908's, among others.

[@mechredd]

@@troy9477 several years ago I was working at a gun store and we got in a large shipment of police trade in Beretta 84's from Israel. There were a few versions of them and I really wanted on but didn't buy any. They're nice guns that look to be an excellent balance between caliber and frame size. I actually have a colt 1911 in 380 thats been scaled down to fit the cartridge. I took it to the range once and it shoots very nicely. Browning is now offering it but I think the frame is aluminum or zinc on those, not steel like the colt. Colt is offering the 1903 again, and I want one. I'd prefer a 1908 because 380 is easier to find but I hear that 32 shoots nicer in those guns.

[@jerryjohnsonii4181]

Very interesting FN 1900 pistol in Chrome !!!!!!!!!

[@hnrcx]

one of the best guns in RDR btw

[@TheHatman32]

Cheers from the UK!

[@johnbacon4997]

UK Gun enthusiasts seem to be rare

[@TheHatman32]

John Bacon That we are. Probably helps that I got to spend some of my time growing up in the United States around some pro-gun family members

[@tomcat2395]

@@johnbacon4997 Not at all, I am from the UK and love Ian's content. I just don't talk about it because people are closed minded and think your a nutter for liking "guns and all that murder stuff"

[@berz_an_gerz]

Abrek Zelimkha Kharachoyevski (chechen "Robin Hood" ) who was killed in action in 1914 in Chechnya (Caucasus) had the same FN1900 and mosin-nagant rifle

[@hristo.bogdanov]

The Cyrillic letters roughly transliterate as G.G. - F. Sh. (no other way to write it) № 298

[@Pijawek]

A gun. For a fencing school. Russians seem to be firm believers in "never bring a knife to a gunfight".

[@perochialjoe]

You can almost see a gun under all those proof marks!

[@davidbowman6689]

Замечательно!!!

[@jarinorvanto4301]

I'm charmed. Morning routine includes being fenced, bodypumped and gunned.

[@mikeadrover8825]

~M~ Outstanding as a novice I learn so many things at this site

[@Olorinii]

That pistol smacks of cloak and dagger skulduggery.

[@sogerc1]

At first I thought this was a deactivated pistol. Why is there a hole on the side of the pistol?

[@cowerdnerddespacito9518]

Is this what the m1899 from red dead redemption 2 is based on the only difference i see between them is size

[@dak4465]

"Arthur! What guns are those??"

[@joshjennings566]

Another awesome video thanks for all that you do brother. But I gotta odd question to ask how do you feel about the name( gun jesus ) that we the people call you .

[@alexmoore1506]

He has a video kinda discussing it

[@kfeltenberger]

Odd...the little pistol in the logo on the left side right above "Browning's Patent" looks like a Five-seveN...

[@tuomopoika]

This is total speculation but the General Governor of Finland, Nikolai Bobrikov was shot with FN 1900. The shooter's father was an officer in Imperial Russian military. So it is plausible that the assassination was done with this type of gun.

[@MouahbiAyoub]

I see tokarev where they took their pistols design from.

[@mihan2d]

A pistol was inspired by a pistol, what a shock. You can get a dozen more old pistols which look similar to that, you'd call them all rip-offs too or just the Russian ones?

[@MouahbiAyoub]

@@mihan2d did you understand the word "design" and what i meant ? Mechanically i don't know but they look similar . As for copied weapons it isn’t a big secret that arms makers take what works well from other arms and incorporated to theirs. deal with it.

[@genericpersonx333]

Absolutely. All a Tokarev-type pistol really is a Colt 1911's internals put into a Browning 1903's externals. A few simplifications here and there make it distinctly Soviet, but the Soviets themselves never really denied that it was Browning's gun in and out because Soviet engineers always had a deep respect for well-designed machines no matter their origin.

[@JimFortune]

Russians are really serious about protecting the people learning how to build fences!

[@michaelours9784]

I know a good forgotten weapon for you to do a video on it’s a smith and Wesson that’s made for 32-20 wcf cartridges

[@silubr1]

Reading some of the comments, I realized you don’t actually have a detailed video on the FN 1899/1900, Ian (yet - hint, hint …) For the time being, I hope you won’t mind if I refer those interested in the details and history of this very important pistol over to the folks at C&Rsenal: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aGnVimmYrpqVp7c Their videos are a little on the long side, but worth it ;o)

[@sethrich5998]

That’s one of the best things about this channel. Not about ego, just about good quality information, even if he’s recommending it from another source.

[@lairdcummings9092]

A cute little school badge.

[@paulbervid1610]

Great video.

[@Dekko-chan]

Can you talk about the ash 12.7 and the mg42?

[@randywatson8347]

No matter how ugly it looks, I admire the clean simple design.

[@rs2085]

@forgottenweapons ever thought about doing a langenhan?

[@RattelP1000]

If you can do an episode on the beretta Olympia rifle

[@OriginalHoboferret]

Hmmm... Anyone else notice the similarity to the S&W 422/622/2206?

[@Jason-fm4my]

Tiny Belgium made 750000 of this single model over a decade, while Imperial Japan made less than 500000 pistols of all models over 60 years. It's a strange thought. I wonder if this is better than a Type 14.

[@oldesertguy9616]

It seems to me that nickeled guns wear less attractively than blued steel. Just personal preference, but wear on a nickel gun just looks worse. I actually like the look of a slightly worn blued gun. It shows character.

[@fastmongrel]

The black or maybe dark grey parts contrast very nicely with the main Nickel plated body. Very handsome and in my opinion makes a rather bland looking gun really pop out of the screen.

[@michaelkartman3543]

Ayyye Goodmorning folks

[@adm102401]

Maybe a Mateba Unica 6 would be good for a video.

[@evanessex6868]

Ian was their a series of cartridges that officers could stand arise on or were all the pistols in one cartridge ?

[@starkparker16]

I'm listening to the Hardcore History podcast about WW1 and I think Carlin left this pistol out.

[@game-bm1rk]

Review ATR750 40mm anti tank rifle Barrell length : 3500mm Total length : 5500mm Capacity : 5 rounds Fire rate:30

[@jamesslick4790]

I'm simple I see FN, I click.

[@AxLWake]

I'm Belgian, I see FN, I click.

[@SkeeterMcBeater]

That's slick.

[@TheBigSomec]

Hey ian, have you ever come across a Russian sr-2 pdw. It's the one chambered in 9x21.

[@VideoHawkeye]

Sounds like a school John wick or black widow would have attended.

[@mauricewalshe8234]

@Gim St Or The one that Dominika went to

[@ZogDaMegnivizint]

The Imperial Army Fencing and Gymnastics School. This was conceived in Sakhalin wasn't it...

[@KimTaeHwan114]

Korea & Finland : For Independence!!!! Japan & Russia : Oh shut up!!!

[@mr.verzier.akaspy2744]

This looks very similar to one of the hand guns in Rdr2

[@joemontgomery6658]

I think theres a gun based on a fn1900 in it, looks like they called it the m1899 in game

[@obitogaming70]

@@joemontgomery6658 probably they need to license there guns

[@ZackRasgriz]

Was that the DD44 on the Goldeye 007 game?

[@ArcturusOTE]

That would be the Tokarev 33