Browning Medalist
- Category
- Pistol
- Barrel
- 171 mm
- Weight, empty
- 1.30 kg
- Introduced
- 1962
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Browning Medalist is a .22 Long Rifle semi-automatic target pistol introduced in 1962 and manufactured by Fabrique Nationale (FN) in Herstal, Belgium for the Browning Arms Company. The premier model in Browning's blowback rimfire line, it was a competition-grade match pistol featuring a heavy ventilated-rib barrel, adjustable target sights, a dry-fire practice mechanism, and removable barrel weights for tuning balance. Its anatomically shaped, hand-filling target grips and refined single-action trigger made it a favored bullseye and precision target arm during its production run.
Developed by Bruce Browning, son of legendary designer John Moses Browning, the Medalist refined the family's blowback .22 design into a dedicated match pistol intended to compete with the High Standard Supermatic, Smith & Wesson Model 41 and Colt Woodsman on the bullseye firing line.
The Medalist was the top tier of a three-model Browning blowback rimfire family that also included the Challenger and the Nomad. Cased examples shipped with a fitted locking case, three barrel weights, a cleaning tool and manual. Belgian FN production ran from 1962 until the mid-1970s; left-hand and International (gold-line) variants were also offered.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Browning Arms Company
- Category
- Pistol
- Country
- Belgium
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1962 to 1974
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 171 mm
- Overall length
- 297 mm
- Weight, empty
- 1.30 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Blowback
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 10
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Slide
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Walnut
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 320 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 130 J
- Effective range
- 50 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Ventilated rib
Adjustable rear sight- Barrel weights
- Dry fire mechanism
Anatomical target grips
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 151 .22 Long Rifle pistols | 1.30 kg | 900 g | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 144 .22 Long Rifle pistols | 297 mm | 241 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 155 .22 Long Rifle pistols | 171 mm | 140 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 156 .22 Long Rifle pistols | 10 | 9 | Holds more rounds than about 70% |
Answers
Questions about the Browning Medalist
How much does the Browning Medalist weigh?
The Browning Medalist weighs 1.30 kg (2.87 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Browning Medalist?
The Browning Medalist is chambered in .22 Long Rifle.
How many rounds does the Browning Medalist hold?
The Browning Medalist holds 10 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Browning Medalist?
The Browning Medalist is 297 mm (11.69 in) long overall, with a 171 mm (6.73 in) barrel.
Who makes the Browning Medalist?
The Browning Medalist is made by Browning Arms Company (United States). It was designed by Bruce Browning.
When was the Browning Medalist introduced?
The Browning Medalist was introduced in 1962 and discontinued in 1974.
How does the Browning Medalist operate?
The Browning Medalist uses a blowback action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
Provenance
Confidence in this record
78%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/browning-medalist' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "browning-medalist", "name": "Browning Medalist", "manufacturer": { "id": "browning", "name": "Browning Arms Company", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1878, "website": "https://www.browning.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:43:43", "version": "5d8cf4fb4b938ebaed9e76da3c57ad4cd9f27d22ee35d8b2265942435fbb875c" }, "category": { "id": "pistol", "name": "Pistol", "description": "Handguns designed to be fired with one or two hands" }, "country_of_origin": "BE", "year_introduced": 1962, "barrel_length_mm": 171, "weight_empty_g": 1304, "action_type": "blowback"}