Bergmann-Bayard

     Notes:  The Bergmann-Bayard M-1908 was designed by the Danish gunsmith Theodor Bergmann, but he ran into financial difficulties and in 1907 sold the rights to the Bergmann-Bayard to Pieper.  Pieper renamed it the Bayard, but the designer’s name is so well known that is it is almost always referred to as the Bergmann-Bayard.  Despite the resemblance to the Mauser c/96, the Bergmann-Bayard is an original design and owes nothing to the Mauser; mechanically, the Bergmann-Bayard designs bear no resemblance to the Mauser c/96.

     The initial models were sold to the Spanish Army, then to the Greeks.  In 1911, the Danish adopted it, and used it until 1940, and then for a short period after World War 2, alongside the M-1910/21.  These Danish issue models are the most common encountered today.  The M-1908 was originally made in Herstal-lez-Liege, Belgium, but the occupation of Belgium by the Germans in World War 1 and the Danes began their own production line in the government small arms factory in Copenhagen.  The M-1908 used a 4-inch barrel, with hard plastic grip plates.

     After World War 1, Pieper was not able to supply the Bergmann-Bayard to the Danish Army, so the Danes continued production, producing the Bergmann-Bayard M-1910/21.  This version used a larger hard plastic grip, and the cover plate on the frame (used during field stripping and disassembling) was secured with a screw instead of the spring catch of the M-1908.  The magazines were also altered with grip tabs on the bottom to allow them to be more easily removed from the pistol, as well as the moving of the magazine catch to the lower sides of the magazine well. The Danish had already decided in 1940 to replace the M-1910/21 and M-1908 with the Browning High-Power HP-35, but almost no High-Powers had been delivered before the Nazis occupied Belgium in World War 2, and the Bergmann-Bayard soldiered on, largely in the hands of Danish resistance members and some Nazi troops.  The M-1910/21 is identical to the M-1908 for game purposes.

Bergmann Simplex

     Notes: This design originated in Austria in 1901 (where a few were made), but the design was licensed to a company in Belgium, where most of the 3000 examples were built.  Production continued until 1914.  The round this pistol fires was designed specifically for the weapon and was never used in any other weapon.  The Simplex has the characteristic Bergmann pistol shape, with the magazine in front of the trigger guard, but it is much smaller than most Bergmann pistols, and was meant to be a concealable weapon.  Austrian Simplexes have their barrels forged integral to the pistol, while Belgian-made models have their barrels screwed onto the weapon.  The weapon was reliable, and sold well, but was not officially used by any military force.

Clement M-1903

     Notes: Charles P Clement was an armorer who decided to introduce a new pocket pistol in 1903.  This pistol was meant to be small, lightweight, easy to care for, and to not give too many problems with muzzle blast and climb. It was a very original design, using a fixed barrel and a moving bolt, unusual in pistol designs of the time. The recoil spring was connected to this bolt, so that when a shot was fired, the energy recocked the bolt, then the pistol’s mechanism in general.  The spring itself is housed above the barrel. The Clement is striker-fired and single-action. A full strip does result in an astounding amount of parts to keep track of. Barrel lengths included 1.81 inches and 2.95 inches, though the 5mm version was made only with the 1.81-inch barrel.

     Though innovative, the Clement was not popular, especially in its original caliber.  Production ended in 1908.

FN 140

     Notes: This is intended as a general purpose defensive pistol for military, police, and civilian applications.  It may be regarded as midway between smaller weapons like the Browning BDA series and larger ones like the Hi-Power series.  It features a large-capacity magazine, a large trigger guard for cold-weather firing, and frame-rounding for an easier draw.  Like most FN pistols, it is a double-action weapon as well as two other safeties.  Though this weapon is as well-made as other FN/Browning pistols, most users who needed a full-size pistol went for the Hi-Power, while those who needed more concealable weapons preferred the BDA series, leaving most 140’s in the hands of civilians, especially women.

FN 509

     Notes: The 509 is an evolutionary development of the FNS, using experience that FN gained from their participation in the US Army Handgun Trials. The result is a sort of bled between the FNS and FN’s entry in the Trials – It is a bit more blocky and solid than the FNS, has a Picatinny Rail under the dust cover, and is striker fired and double-action. 

     Though the base 509 is normal built with a manual safety button, the 509 can be had fitted with automatic safeties.  The 509 has fixed 3-dot red luminescent sights, though LE versions use 3-dot green tritium night sights.  Both are combat-type sights.  The 509 has an external extractor and a chamber loaded indicator.  The 509 has front and rear cocking serrations, which are deep for a better grip.  The barrel is 4 inchers and made from hammer-forged stainless steel, with a recessed target crown.  The 509 has a polished chamber and feed ramp for greater reliability.  The frame is polymer with steel slide rails and steel strengthening rods.  The grip uses a specially designed grip pattern, with two extra interchangeable backstraps.  The slide lock and magazine release are ambidextrous.  The standard magazine holds 17 rounds, but the 509 can be had with 10 rounds capacity where local laws require it, or an extended 24-round magazine.  Standard color for the 509 is black, though Flat Dark Earth can also be had.

     The 509 Tactical is similar to the standard 509, but has an extended 4.5-inch barrel, with threads for the attachment of most 9mm suppressors.  These threads are normally protected by a cap which screws on to cover the threads but does not prevent firing of the weapon.  Other particulars are as or almost the same as the Standard 509, though the trigger pull weight is somewhat lighter in double-action mode.  Other modifications include raised sights to clear a suppressor (which are Trijicon 3-dot green tritium sights), and an FN Low-Profile Optics Mounting System atop the side.

     The 509 Midsize is, again, basically the same as the Standard 509, but in a smaller package. This smaller size is primarily done by using a shorter grip with a smaller magazine, though it still can use the extended 24-round magazine and the Standard’s 17-round magazine (though both will protrude from the bottom of the magazine well). The use of these magazines in the Midsize, however, require the use of a special magazine sleeve. The 509 Midsize also has a flatter trigger face with a shorter length of pull.  Barrel length remains 4 inches. The Midsize comes in a version which has the FN Low-Profile Optics Mounting System.

     The 509 Compact is, as the name suggests, the smallest member of the 509 family. The Compact has a 3.7-inch barrel and can use a 10, 12, or 15-round magazine, and can use 17-round and 24-round magazines with a special magazine sleeve.  The sights include a High-Viz dot front sight, though the rear sight is a plain notch.  It is also equipped with the FN Low-Profile Optics System. It uses the improved trigger of the Midsize.  Other specifications are similar or the same as the Standard.

     The 509 Compact Tactical is the compact’s counterpart to the 509 Tactical, with an extended 4.32-inch barrel with a threaded muzzle.  It has sights modified in the same way as the Tactical.  Other specifications are the same or similar to the Standard or Tactical.

     The 509 Edge is sort of the high-end version of the 509.  It comes in black only.  It is equipped with a 5-inch, stainless steel, hammer forged barrel with a target crown.  The steel slide does not have forward slide grips; instead, there are four lightning cuts, which contribute to the improved slide speed. The trigger is flat-faced, facet-edged and breaks cleanly at 90 degrees.  The sides of the grip are stippled rather than grooved like the other members of the 509 family. Pull weight is one pound lighter due to a new conical striker design.  The front sight is green fiberoptic; the rear sight is a blackout notch. It uses the low-profile optics mounting system of the Tactical, and includes four mounting plates to fit the maximum possible amount of optic devices.  (Other members of the 509 family with such mounts must have the buyer choose which length plate he wants.) The controls are oversized for more positive grip on them.  The magazine well is flared and the interior anodized with graphite to further ease magazine insertion.  Other specifications are the same or similar to the Standard or Tactical.

FN Five-seveN 

     Notes: The Five-seveN (The name comes not only from the caliber of the round, but also from the initials of Fabrique National) was designed as a companion piece to the P-90 PDW. Using the same ammunition as the FN P-90 personal defense weapon, the Five-seveN has greater penetration and damage than typical pistols, though the range in many cases cannot match other service pistols in use today that fire standard pistol cartridges.  The Five-seveN essentially had to be developed from scratch instead of being a modified form of tried-and-true pistol designs, as the chamber pressure developed by the 5.7mm FN round is higher than almost any standard pistol round.

     Construction materials of the Five-seveN are what are becoming conventional these days; it has a frame of polymer, with a barrel and bolt-carrier group of moly steel, and some strategic steel and light alloy reinforcement. The slide is of moly steel, but it is encased in polymer to give it almost the same measure of weatherproofing and corrosion resistance as the frame; it also allows the Five-seveN to be given any number of outer colorations as required.  The breech block and slide are steel stampings and joined into a single piece.  Operation is by a form of delayed blowback that makes locking and unlocking impossible until the slide has overcome a mechanical disadvantage, which keeps the high chamber pressure of the 5.7mm FN from opening the slide prematurely.  The original trigger action was double-action-only with a trigger/firing pin safety that allows the pistol to fire only after the trigger has been pulled back far enough to almost totally prevent an accidental trigger pull.  The hammer of the Five-seveN is completely shrouded within the slide.  The 4.8-inch barrel is cold hammer-forged with a hard-chromed bore.  On the exterior of the DAO Five-seveN, one finds virtually no other controls – most have only the trigger, the magazine release, and a small lever used to release the slide for stripping.  Early DAO models also had a proprietary accessory rail under the dust cover (usable only with a limited amount of items), but most DAO versions no longer have this rail. 

     Some police and government agencies, as well as military units testing or using the Five-seveN, quickly requested a single-action version; the single-action version (also called the Tactical) also has a manual safety. The single-action Five-seveN quickly replaced the DAO model in production (though it too was later replaced in production in 2004 by the IOM model).  The Tactical was also available with a shortened slide and dust cover that allowed the use of a threaded barrel for a silencer. For game purposes, the Tactical is identical to the DAO.

     Introduced in 2004, the IOM (Individual Officer’s Model) is designed for use by police SRT teams and suchlike. At first, the procurement of this weapon took not only proof of being a police officer, but special permission from the officer’s superiors; later in the year though, it became the first version of the Five-seveN available to civilians (after clearing a few hurdles with the laws of the various countries, particularly the US). At this time, 10-round magazines also became available for the Five-seveN (though they are simply standard Five-seveN magazines with the excess room in the magazine permanently blocked).  The IOM is a single-action model with micrometer-adjustable target-type sights which are dovetailed in and therefore removable.  It also has the proprietary rail of earlier models replaced by a MIL-STD-1913 rail, as well as a magazine safety.  Like the Tactical, the IOM is available in a version with a shortened front end with a threaded barrel for use with a silencer.  Otherwise, the IOM is identical to the single-action Five-seveN for game purposes. The IOM was produced only for a short time, replaced in production by the USG version below in 2005.

     The Five-seveN USG (US Government) was designed to attract US government buyers and police, as well as appeal to civilian buyers.  It is similar to the standard Five-seveN, but has adjustable rear sights, and a MIL-STD-1913 rail under the barrel for accessories.  It is also even lighter than the standard Five-seveN, though it is about the same size (the barrel is very slightly shorter at 4.75 inches).  It uses single-action operation.  Other improvements include improved cocking serrations, checkering for the grips, frontstrap, and backstrap (earlier versions used lightly-stippled grips and no texture on the frontstrap and backstrap), and a trigger guard with a squared front end (that is also checkered).  Like other versions of the Five-seveN, the USG is available with a shortened front end and a threaded barrel.  Though the standard sights are almost identical to those of the IOM, FN offers fixed 3-dot-type combat sights, with or without tritium inlays.  Along with the introduction of the USG model came a 30-round extended magazine that extends nearly 45mm from the bottom of the grip; this magazine does fit in other Five-seven models.

     It should be noted that in countries that allow civilian sales of the Five-seveN, the sales of high-capacity magazines for the weapon are often tightly controlled.  Even more tightly-controlled is the ammunition – in general, only standard ball ammunition, heavy ball ammunition, lead-free ball, special sporting rounds, blanks, and dummy rounds are available to civilians.  (Except for blanks and dummies, all of these rounds are identical for game purposes.)

     For the most part, all versions of the Five-seveN shoot the same for game purposes.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This is a very rare weapon in the Twilight 2000 timeline, but available.  Production of the Five-seveN stopped quickly in 1996 in favor of FN’s other more conventional pistols that were easier to build.   The Five-seveN IOM and USG do not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

     Merc 2000 Notes: This weapon found few users, for the same reason as the P-90; odd ammunition and the cost and supply chain difficulties involved in using that ammunition.

FN FNP

     Notes: This is basically an FN Hi-Power pistol with a polymer frame and a stainless steel slide (finished in matte black to match the polymer frame).  It has a Commander-style hammer, and the backstrap, usually rounded, can be replaced with one that is flat and checkered.  The slide rides on steel rails molded into the polymer frame.  The sights are fixed (but dovetailed in) and of the 3-dot low-profile variety.  It has a reversible decocker, slide release, and magazine release.  The trigger guard is somewhat oversized to accommodate a gloved finger.  Operation is standard DA/SA.  The bottom of the barrel has a rail for mounting laser aiming modules or other accessories.  The trigger can feel long and creepy to some, especially on the first shot.

     The FNP-M is a slightly compact version of the FNP; it uses a reduced 3.79-inch barrel, but this is only a bit shorter than the standard 4-inch barrel.  The grip is also slightly shorter, but this only means that the weapon uses a slightly smaller magazine.  The FNP-M has also been lightened somewhat.  The FNP-9M was introduced in late 2006; the FNP-40M is due sometime in mid-2007. The FNP-45 is basically similar to the other FNPs.

     In 2010, three more versions of the FNP debuted: the FNX-9 and FNX-40, versions of the FNP-9 and FNP-40 with exposed hammers, ergonomic lightweight polymer frames and have deep-checkered grip panels, and four interchangeable backstraps.  They are otherwise identical to the standard FNP-9 and FNP-40 for game purposes. The FNP-45 Tactical version was also introduced, a version of the standard FNP designed for .45 ACP ammunition and equipped with a 5.3-inch hammer and a muzzle threaded for a silencer; the threads are protected by a screw-on cap when the suppressor is not being used.  The FNP-45 Tactical comes with high-profile combat night sights, necessary to clear a silencer.

     Twilight 2000 Story: These pistols do not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline. 

FN Forty-Nine

     Notes: This is FN’s answer to the popular Glock and Glock-like polymer-frame pistols that are proliferating on the market today.  The Forty-Nine was designed specifically the North American (and specifically, US) market and is built only by FN-USA.  European FN catalogs do not list the Forty-Nine, nor do European FN outlets sell the Forty-Nine.  The Forty-Nine has not, however been a great success in North America or anywhere else in the world; it has enjoyed only modest sales. 

     The Forty-Nine is a double-action-only pistol, but the trigger pull is neither heavy nor light, and can take some getting used to.  There are numerous safeties all automatic, as well as a slide lock.  Operation is by short recoil with a locked breech.  Though at first absent, most Forty-Nines have a short MIL-STD-1913 rail molded into the underside of the dust cover.  The front and rear sights are not adjustable, but are dovetailed into the slide; they are also equipped with contrasting-color inserts. 

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This is a very rare weapon in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

FN FNS

     The FNS is a development of the FNP, updating its design.  It functions in basically the same way as the FNP, but the barrel and slide are of stainless steel, with the slide having a satin finish (a black nitride finish is optional).  The barrel is a Commander-length 4-inch barrel, which is cold hammer-forged and has polished feed ramps.  The FNS also has a Lonslide version, with a barrel of 5 inches, and a Compact version, with a barrel 3.6 inches long, and a shorter grip.  The compact version can take the longer of FNS magazines, but a finger extension pad must be put on the bottom of the 17-round 9mm magazine or 14-round .40 magazine. The sights are Trijicon three-dot sights, with tritium vials in place of the dots.  The rear sight is a deep V-notch, which mounted on a serrated mount that cuts down haze.  The front sight is a wide blade.  The FNS has an external extractor, which increases reliability, and a loaded-chamber indicator which gives both visual and tactile cues.  Under the dust cover is a full-length Mil-STD-1913 rail. Molded into the dust cover.  The controls are ergonomically-placed and ambidextrous. The grips, frontstrap, and backstrap are checkered for a positive grip, and there are two interchangeable backstraps for larger hands. (In testing at Recoil magazine, their smaller-handed shooter actually preferred the larger backstraps, as they gave her a better grip, while some larger-handed shooter preferred no additional backstraps; some also did not like the aggressive mold of the checkering.) The additional backstraps are curved, which is possibly why the smaller-handed shooter preferred an add-on backstrap. The FNS is designed for a high grip.

     The striker-fired mechanism is preloaded, which leads to a theoretically shorter and lighter trigger pull; however, the experts at Recoil magazine found the trigger difficult to smoothly pull, with a pull weight of 8 pounds.  The trigger is a lever type; a Lyman Trigger Pull measurement recorded 7.5 pounds pull at the bottom of the trigger, but 5.5-7.7 pounds at the top of the trigger, contributing to its lack of smoothness. Because the FNS is new, no aftermarket trigger packs have yet been made for it, so one must find a gunsmith to modify the trigger pull. This will probably change in the future. In addition, several of the trigger components are plastic, so adjustments must be done carefully. The front of the trigger guard is squared off and serrated for the finger of the non-firing hand. The already-tight tolerances are tightened even more, with components suitably modified and the trigger pack replaced.  The slides moves on full-length steel rails set into the polymer frame. The slide has front and rear cocking grooves. The magazine well is not funneled or beveled, but the inside is finished with a low-friction treatment.

FN FNX

     Notes: The FNX was introduced in 2009 and one version (the FNX-45 Tactical) was one of FN’s entries into the US military’s Joint Combat Pistol Program (along with the FNP-45 USG).  The FNX has since been adopted by several police departments and some military organizations worldwide, and it for sale on the international arms market as well as the civilian market.  The FNX is manufactured by FN’s FNH-USA facility in South Carolina. The FNX is new enough that the FNX does not have a lot of aftermarket parts and modifications, and companies are taking a “wait-and-see” attitude towards making aftermarket modifications. Some of the few aftermarket modifications include better barrels, trigger options, and safety/decocker levers.

     The FNX is for the most part a DA/SA pistol, though some police versions and some sold to civilians are DAO.   They have ambidextrous safety/decockers, magazine releases, and slide stops.  Operation is by short recoil; in the FNX, the barrel and slide travel as much as twice as much as most pistols of its class, soaking up some felt recoil. (This is not measureable in game terms.) The loop-type hammer is exposed and allows for single-action shots and hand-cocking.

     The FNX ships with four interchangeable backstraps, which snap onto the FNX’s backstrap. This is standard as of 2012; before this, FNX’s were shipped with only two additional backstraps.  The FNX-9, FNX-40, and FNX-45 have essentially the same finish, which may be all-black or flat dark earth, or a two tone black frame and satin stainless slide. The frame is polymer. Regardless of the slide and barrel finish, they are both of stainless steel. There is a MIL-STD-1913 rail under the dust cover. The magazine well is beveled for faster reloading.  Sights are fixed, though dovetailed, and of the three-dot type. Three magazines are shipped with the FNX; this is good since most other magazines will not fit in an FNX, including those of the FNP and FNS.  The slide has cocking grooves at the front and rear of the slide. The ejection port is lowered and enlarged. In addition to being of stainless steel, the FNX’s barrel is cold hammer-forged, with a polished feed ramp and chamber. Barrels are 4 inches for the FNX-9 and 40, 4.5 inches for the FNX-45, and 5.3 inches for the FNX-45 Tactical.  The frame, though polymer, has molded-in steel rails for the slide to ride on.  The front of the trigger guard is serrated.  The extractor is external and has a chamber-loaded indicator.

     The FNX-45 Tactical has enhancements requested by the US JCPP competition, including a more beefy MIL-STD-1913 rail under the dust cover, a slide-mounted holographic sight, larger, adjustable night sights, a more ergonomic grip, and extended, threaded barrel with a thread cap.  FNX-45 Tactical pistols are uniformly flat dark earth in color, though the controls are black. The magazine well is beveled and funneled for faster reloads.

     DA trigger pull is a mighty 12 pounds. SA trigger pull weight is 4.5 pounds.  Some users have reported that magazines are difficult to load to capacity.

FN HP-SFS

     Notes: Unlike most FN handguns, the HP-SFS is actually built in Belgium.  (Most FN handguns are actually manufactured in the US, in South Carolina.)  It is basically a civilian version of the Hi-Power, chambered for .40 Smith and Wesson as well as 9mm Parabellum.  It has additional safeties and equipment to make single action use impossible and to make it safer in the hands of amateurs. 

     Twilight 2000 Story: This weapon does not exist.

Pieper Bayard M-1908

     Notes: The M-1908 was the first of three pistols based on the same design.  What design, you say?  Very similar to the Browning Baby.  But to be fair, there were a whole lot of pistols based on the Browning action and Browning designs.  And the Pieper factory was in Herstal, like FN.  The M-1908 was designed by Bernard Clarus, working for Pieper at the time.  Quality of the M-1908 is excellent, and if you find one, chances are that it will be in firing condition.  Starting the disassembly is interesting – one slides back the front sight, which reveals a slot through which the guide rod and recoil spring can be removed, then you go on to the rest of the pistol.  The guide rod is atop the 2.25-inch barrel, instead of being under it.

     The M-1923 was a larger version of the M-1908, with a 3.38-inch barrel. The frame, however, is virtually identical to the M-1908.  Despite the grip being longer, the magazine capacity is the same as the 1908. Muzzle flash and jump are severe, due to the low weight of the weapon. Production of the M-1908 stopped in 1930; however, the M-1923 continued production until 1940, being forcibly stopped by the invading Nazis, who were not interested in the design. I have several sources that say the M-1923 was produced in .380 and .32 ACP; several others that say .32 and .38 ACP; and a few that say it was also produced in .25 ACP (which makes some sense, considering the original M-1908).  I will include all of them, to cover all bases.