Nicolas Pieper Model 1919
Etablissements Nicolas Pieper · Pistol · Discontinued · 1919
Also known as: Pistolet Automatique Modele 1919, N. Pieper 1919
Overview
The Nicolas Pieper Model 1919 is a compact blowback-operated semi-automatic pocket pistol made in Liege, Belgium by Etablissements Nicolas Pieper. Descended from the firm's 1908/1909 vest-pocket designs, it chambers the 6.35mm Browning (.25 ACP) cartridge (with a scarcer 7.65mm Browning version) and feeds from a detachable box magazine holding six rounds. Like its predecessors it uses a hinged, tip-up takedown barrel released by a lever on the frame and carries its recoil spring in a tube above the barrel. It is an exceptionally rare civilian self-defense pistol of the immediate post-World War I period.
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
- 7.65x17mm Browning SR (.32 ACP) — 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, Recoil Spring Above Barrel, Concealed Striker, Fixed Sights
Service history
Operators
- Civilian
Production
Production years: 1919-1920s
Very limited production; surviving examples are rare
Origin
Country of origin: Belgium
Designer: Nicolas Pieper
Notes
Marked 'PISTOLET AUTOMATIQUE MODELE 1919' and 'N. PIEPER PATENT' and bearing Liege proof marks. Closely related to the Nicolas Pieper Models 1909 and 1920; considered ultra-rare and largely absent from standard references. Dimensions are drawn from the closely related 6.35mm Pieper pocket-pistol family (including the Steyr-Pieper licensed copies) and are approximate.
Background
After World War I, Nicolas Pieper opened a workshop in Paris and continued turning out small 6.35mm automatiques, of which the Model 1919 is one of the scarcest; one documented example (serial 38675) is chambered in the unusual 7.65mm and could not be matched to any of Pieper's 45 registered patents.