N. Pieper Pistolet Basculant
Etablissements Nicolas Pieper · Pistol · Discontinued · 1908
Also known as: N. Pieper 1908, Pieper Basculant, Pieper Demontant, Pieper Model 1908
Overview
The N. Pieper Pistolet Basculant is a compact blowback-operated semi-automatic vest-pocket pistol made in Liege, Belgium by Etablissements Nicolas Pieper, the firm run by Henri Pieper's son Nicolas. Chambered for the 6.35mm Browning (.25 ACP) cartridge and fed by a detachable box magazine, its defining feature - and its name - is the 'basculant' (tip-up) barrel: a lever at the front of the frame releases the barrel, which pivots upward so a cartridge can be dropped straight into the chamber and the pistol carried loaded and fired without ever cycling a slide. Introduced in 1908, it is the archetype of Pieper's take-down ('Demontant') pocket-pistol family and was widely licensed and copied, most notably by Waffenfabrik Steyr in Austria.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 325 g (11.5 oz) |
| Overall Length | 125 mm (4.92") |
| Barrel Length | 57 mm (2.24") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 6 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 230 m/s (755 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 86 J (63 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .25 ACP · primary — also known as 6.35x16mm Browning, 6.35mm Browning, .25 Auto
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Tip Up Takedown Barrel, Frame Release Lever, Recoil Spring Above Barrel, Concealed Striker, Fixed Sights
Service history
Operators
- Civilian
Production
Production years: 1908-1920s
Original Belgian manufacture; total production not documented. The tip-up barrel design was licensed to Waffenfabrik Steyr, which produced it into the 1930s.
Origin
Country of origin: Belgium
Designer: Nicolas Pieper
Notes
'Basculant' is the French term for the tip-up (tilting) barrel that defines this pistol; the design is documented by Belgian arms references (littlegun.be) with a dedicated Basculant page, and the 1908 'basculant' model is preserved in the Cody Firearms Museum collection. Published dimensions for the tip-up 6.35mm Pieper are scarce; the physical specifications here are approximate figures drawn from the closely related 6.35mm Pieper pocket-pistol family and should be treated as estimates.
Background
The tip-up 'basculant' barrel let a shooter snap the barrel open, lay a cartridge directly into the chamber and close it, carrying the little pistol fully loaded without ever racking a slide - a genteel convenience prized by early-20th-century vest-pocket carriers and the feature that made Nicolas Pieper's pistols famous well beyond Liege.