Dieudonne Saive
Encyclopedia
Dieudonné Joseph Saive was a Belgian
small arms
designer who designed the FN Model 1949
and the FN FAL
. He became the head firearms developer of Fabrique Nationale
after the death of John Browning
. After John Browning's death, Saive continued with several projects for modernizing and improving firearms originally designed by Browning. Saive finished Browning's original concept for the GP-35 self-loading pistol, becoming the Browning Grand Puissance, or Browning Hi-Power
. It was the first 9 mm handgun to utilize a true staggered-column magazine. The large magazine enabled the weapon to carry a total of fourteen cartridges without an excessively oversized or protruding handgrip. The Hi-Power was a sales success, and was extensively used in World War II by German and British Commonwealth forces. After the war, the Browning Hi-Power was adopted as the standard military service sidearm of many Western countries, including the United Kingdom and Belgium. Modern versions remain in production today, three-quarters of a century later.
In 1932, Saive improved the operating mechanism of the .30 M2 Browning AN aircraft machine gun, increasing its rate of fire to 1,200 rpm. In 1938, he made additional improvements to the M2 increasing the rate of fire further, to 1,500 rpm.
Saive is most famous for his series of gas-operated self-loading rifle designs, which used a tipping bolt to lock the action. His FN-49
rifle went into production, and was later developed into the widely successful FN FAL
selective-fire battle rifle
.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
small arms
Small arms
Small arms is a term of art used by armed forces to denote infantry weapons an individual soldier may carry. The description is usually limited to revolvers, pistols, submachine guns, carbines, assault rifles, battle rifles, multiple barrel firearms, sniper rifles, squad automatic weapons, light...
designer who designed the FN Model 1949
FN Model 1949
The Fabrique Nationale Model 1949 is a semi-automatic rifle designed by Dieudonné Saive and manufactured by Fabrique Nationale...
and the FN FAL
FN FAL
The Fusil Automatique Léger or FAL is a self-loading, selective fire battle rifle produced by the Belgian armaments manufacturer Fabrique Nationale de Herstal . During the Cold War it was adopted by many North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries, with the notable exception of the United States...
. He became the head firearms developer of Fabrique Nationale
Fabrique Nationale de Herstal
Fabrique Nationale d'Herstal — self identified as FN Herstal and often referred to as Fabrique Nationale or simply FN — is a firearms manufacturer located in Herstal, Belgium....
after the death of John Browning
John Browning
John Moses Browning , born in Ogden, Utah, was an American firearms designer who developed many varieties of military and civilian firearms, cartridges, and gun mechanisms, many of which are still in use around the world...
. After John Browning's death, Saive continued with several projects for modernizing and improving firearms originally designed by Browning. Saive finished Browning's original concept for the GP-35 self-loading pistol, becoming the Browning Grand Puissance, or Browning Hi-Power
Browning Hi-Power
The Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. It is based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at Fabrique Nationale of Herstal, Belgium. Browning died in 1926, several years before the design was finalized...
. It was the first 9 mm handgun to utilize a true staggered-column magazine. The large magazine enabled the weapon to carry a total of fourteen cartridges without an excessively oversized or protruding handgrip. The Hi-Power was a sales success, and was extensively used in World War II by German and British Commonwealth forces. After the war, the Browning Hi-Power was adopted as the standard military service sidearm of many Western countries, including the United Kingdom and Belgium. Modern versions remain in production today, three-quarters of a century later.
In 1932, Saive improved the operating mechanism of the .30 M2 Browning AN aircraft machine gun, increasing its rate of fire to 1,200 rpm. In 1938, he made additional improvements to the M2 increasing the rate of fire further, to 1,500 rpm.
Saive is most famous for his series of gas-operated self-loading rifle designs, which used a tipping bolt to lock the action. His FN-49
FN Model 1949
The Fabrique Nationale Model 1949 is a semi-automatic rifle designed by Dieudonné Saive and manufactured by Fabrique Nationale...
rifle went into production, and was later developed into the widely successful FN FAL
FN FAL
The Fusil Automatique Léger or FAL is a self-loading, selective fire battle rifle produced by the Belgian armaments manufacturer Fabrique Nationale de Herstal . During the Cold War it was adopted by many North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries, with the notable exception of the United States...
selective-fire battle rifle
Battle rifle
A battle rifle is a military service rifle that fires a full power rifle cartridge, such as 7.62x51mm NATO. While the designation of battle rifle is usually given to post-World War II select fire infantry rifles such as the H&K G3, the FN FAL or the M14, this term can also apply to older military...
.
Further reading
- Johnson, Wayne.The FN-49 The Last Elegant Old-World Military Rifle. Greensboro, NC: Wet Dog Publications, ?. ISBN 0970799721. The second chapter is (apparently) a biography of Dieudonne Saive.