Nicolas Pieper Model 1920
Etablissements Nicolas Pieper · Pistol · Discontinued · 1920
Also known as: Pistolet Automatique Modele 1920, N. Pieper 1920
Overview
The Nicolas Pieper Model 1920 is a compact blowback-operated semi-automatic pocket pistol built in Liege, Belgium by Etablissements Nicolas Pieper. Chambered for the 6.35mm Browning (.25 ACP) cartridge and fed from a detachable box magazine of six rounds, it continues the firm's post-World War I line of vest-pocket automatics descended from the 1909 and 1919 models. Like its predecessors it uses a hinged, tip-up takedown barrel with the recoil spring carried in a tube above the barrel, a concealed striker, and a frame-mounted manual safety marked 'SAFE'. It is a rare civilian self-defense pistol of the early 1920s.
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, Recoil Spring Above Barrel, Concealed Striker, Fixed Sights, Checkered Grips With Pieper P Logo
Service history
Operators
- Civilian
Production
Production years: 1920-1920s
Very limited production; surviving examples are rare
Origin
Country of origin: Belgium
Designer: Nicolas Pieper
Notes
Slide marked 'PISTOLET AUTOMATIQUE MODELE 1920'; checkered grip panels carry the Pieper 'P' monogram and the frame is stamped 'SAFE' beside the safety lever. Closely related to the Nicolas Pieper Models 1909 and 1919. Dimensions are drawn from the closely related 6.35mm Pieper pocket-pistol family and are approximate; the model is largely absent from standard references.
Background
The Model 1920 kept the signature Pieper trick of a barrel that tips up at the muzzle for loading and cleaning without racking the slide, a feature Nicolas Pieper had patented years earlier and that later reappeared on Beretta's tip-up pocket pistols.