Nicolas Pieper Model 1907
Etablissements Nicolas Pieper · Pistol · Discontinued · 1907
Also known as: N. Pieper 1907, Pieper Model 1907, Pieper Demontant
Overview
The Nicolas Pieper Model 1907 is an early blowback-operated semi-automatic pocket pistol made in Liege, Belgium by Etablissements Nicolas Pieper, the firm run independently by Henri Pieper's son Nicolas. Chambered for the 7.65mm Browning (.32 ACP) cartridge and fed by a detachable box magazine, it was Nicolas Pieper's first automatic pistol and the origin of his 'Demontant' (take-down) family, whose defining feature is a hinged tip-up barrel released by a frame catch so a round can be dropped straight into the chamber and the pistol carried loaded without cycling a slide. The larger 1907 design was subsequently scaled down into the 6.35mm vest-pocket Models 1908 and 1909, the latter licensed to Steyr in Austria.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 590 g (20.8 oz) |
| Overall Length | 148 mm (5.83") |
| Barrel Length | 78 mm (3.07") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 7 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 275 m/s (902 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 175 J (129 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 7.65x17mm Browning SR (.32 ACP) · primary — also known as .32 ACP, 7.65mm Browning
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Tip Up Takedown Barrel, Concealed Striker, Fixed Sights
Service history
Operators
- Civilian
Production
Production years: 1907-1910s
Original Belgian manufacture; total production not documented. Design evolved into the smaller 6.35mm Models 1908/1909.
Origin
Country of origin: Belgium
Designer: Nicolas Pieper
Notes
Confirmed as a distinct model by Belgian arms references (littlegun.be lists a dedicated Model 1907 page with factory schematics and a Hogg-credited photograph). Detailed published dimensions for the 1907 are scarce; the physical specifications here are approximate figures drawn from the closely related 7.65mm Pieper take-down pocket-pistol family and should be treated as estimates.
Background
The 1907 introduced the Pieper tip-up barrel: a shooter could snap the barrel open, lay a cartridge directly into the chamber and close it, carrying the pistol fully loaded without ever racking a slide - a genteel convenience prized by early-20th-century pocket carriers and the feature that made Nicolas Pieper's little pistols famous well beyond Liege.