TargetTalk

A friend inherited this from is dad ... possibly a special edition Browning 41 target pistol ... but with unusually nice furniture ... a detachable fore piece ... that allows weights to be added.

Does anyone also know what went into the empty space above the weights ?

Any other info available? When was this produced?

Looks like a Medalist. Made in the 60's or 70's.

It would be a Browning Medalist if there is a "T" in the serial number.

They were produced in the early 60's to the 70's. I believe the number in front of the "T" in the serial number indicates the years between 1962 through 1968, and there would be two numbers from 1969 up to 1974. For instance "2T1234" would have been made in 1962 with s/n1234, and "71T4321" would habe been manufactured in 1971 with s/n4321.

The empty space is supposed to house a tool similar to a folding screw driver.

If you go to the Browning site you can order a copy of the original manual on the Medalist:
http://www.browning.com/products/manuals/index.htm

A really nice feature of the Medalist, compared to the lower-priced Nomad and Challenger (which had the same basic frame), is that it has a dry-fire mechanism built into the manual safety lever. In the dry-fire mode, only a partial hammer fall is permitted and pressing on the safety lever recocks the gun. Engaging (and dis-engaging) the dry-fire can be tricky. It requires a special manipulation of the safety lever. As I recall, the lever must be pulled out (ie away from the frame) at the same time as arcing it forward and upward. Dis-engaging requires pulling the lever out while arcing it back and down. It requires practice :-)
The initial price of the Medalist (circa 1962) was about $112. In later years, it became a collector's item and used ones fetched prices in the $800 range.
A great bullseye gun, but the original Medalist had a barrel too long for International Standard Pistol. Some owners had the barrel cut down to ISU size. Browning later came out with an International model Medalist having a shorter barrel that met ISU requirements.

Yes, it is a Browning Medalist.
I have one that I bought new in 1972.
It was my first NRA Conventional Pistol .22.
The empty space in the case is for a combo tool that folds.
One end is for the grip and forearm screws the other end will fit the sight adjusting slots.
The barrel is too long for International rules. The previous poster was correct, they did make an International model.
My gun was one of the most reliable .22's I have ever owned and seems to be very accurate. The down side is the original grip is pretty large. I have a set of after market grips that are very comfortable and a no gunsmithing mount made by BME to mount a dot sight. This caused the dot to set pretty high over the centerline of the bore and the gun becomes quite heavy. I have considered getting a Nomad barrel and trying to come up with a lower and lighter set up but have it way down on my project list.
Nice gun.

It looks like a model which was sold in the late 70´es under the designation Model 150. The newest models even had a golden trigger.
Could anyone out there please tell me the difference between a Browning M 150 and a Medalist?