John Browning Patent 580925
Here we see the introduction of the popular grip safety that has found its way into many pistol designs since 1897. John Browning utilized the .38 ACP caliber round again for this semi-auto pistol. Another feature that was introduced with this patent was a locking recoil system. A quick glance at the patent drawing and you will notice this design stands out compared to his other designs. Colt purchased this design and tested it, but never moved forward on production. The design earned John Moses Browning US Patent 580925 on April 20th, 1897. He had applied for this patent on October 31st, 1896.