9.65mm BROWNING

Research notes

The 9.65 x 23 Browning is dimensionally the same as the 9,8mm Colt cartridge and was chambered in the M1910 “Grand Browning” and, as can be seen from the photo below, it is similar to the Colt M1911. The first Grand Brownings were indeed chambered in 45 ACP but FN produced at least a few during 1914 in 9,65mm. Erlmeier-Brandt state that it was based on a UMC design from 1912, but there are sources that contradict this as the 9,8mm was a Colt development and there are no records of a UMC designed 9,8mm cartridge, nor any 9,65mm version. The Browning was intended for military service in Europe on the same basis as the M1911 for the USA, The War and subsequent invasion of Belgium by the Germans was the main reason production was halted, and although it was mentioned again in the 1922 French trials, nothing came of it. (Erlmeier, Brandt Ref. 143).