Pieper Bayard Model 1911
Anciens Etablissements Pieper · Pistol · Out Of Production · 1911
Also known as: Bayard 1911, Pieper Bayard .380
Overview
The Pieper Bayard Model 1911 is a compact blowback-operated, hammer-fired semi-automatic pocket pistol produced in Belgium by Anciens Etablissements Pieper. It is the .380 ACP chambering of Bernard Clarus's Bayard pocket-pistol design (the .32 ACP model appeared in 1910, this .380 version in 1911, and a .25 ACP version in 1912). Notable for its extremely short overall length of 126 mm, it packed a full-power .380 cartridge into one of the smallest self-loading pistols of its era, using a compact recoil system in which the sear was suspended in the slide behind the hammer.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 465 g (16.4 oz) |
| Overall Length | 126 mm (4.96") |
| Barrel Length | 57 mm (2.24") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 5 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 291 m/s (955 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 261 J (193 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .380 ACP · primary — also known as .380 Auto, 9x17mm, 9mm Kurz, 9mm Short, 9mm Browning Short
- 7.65x17mm Browning SR (.32 ACP) — also known as .32 ACP, 7.65mm Browning
- 6.35x16mm Browning (.25 ACP) — also known as .25 ACP, 6.35mm Browning
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Compact Pocket Design, Fixed Sights, Exposed Hammer, Stacked Barrel Recoil Spring
Variants
- Pieper Bayard Model 1908 - Chambering
Base model
Service history
Operators
- Civilian market
Production
Production years: 1911-1940
Part of the broader Bayard pocket-pistol series produced from 1908 into the late 1930s; exact per-caliber figures not documented
Origin
Country of origin: Belgium
Designer: Bernard Clarus
Discontinued: 1940
Notes
The Bayard series shares one frame size across .25 ACP, .32 ACP, and .380 ACP; the .380 chambering is the one introduced in 1911. A 1946 assessment described the .380 version as the smallest, most compact, and lightest .380-caliber automatic pistol ever built.
Background
Smith & Wesson engineers later drew on the Bayard's ultra-compact recoil layout when developing the Model 61 'Escort' .22 pistol of 1970-1974, giving this obscure Belgian pocket gun an unexpected mid-century American afterlife.