Nicolas Pieper Model BD
Établissements Nicolas Pieper · Pistol · Discontinued · 1912
Also known as: Pieper BD, Pieper Basculant BD
Overview
The Nicolas Pieper Model BD is a Belgian blowback-operated semi-automatic vest-pocket pistol chambered in .32 ACP (7.65mm Browning). Built in Liège by Nicolas Pieper around 1912, it uses the firm's distinctive Pieper-patent tip-up ('Basculant') barrel, which pivots upward at the muzzle for loading and cleaning, and an internal striker firing mechanism. The BD shares its markings and design with the 1909 Model D and was aimed at the civilian concealed-carry market.
Specifications
| Barrel Length | 51 mm (2.01") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .32 ACP · primary — also known as .32 Automatic, 7.65x17mm Browning SR, 7.65mm Browning
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Tip Up Barrel, Hard Rubber Grips, Internal Striker, Fixed Sights
Service history
Operators
- Civilian market
Production
Production years: 1912-1920s
Commercial pocket-pistol production; exact figures for the BD variant are not documented
Origin
Country of origin: Belgium
Designer: Nicolas Pieper
Notes
The BD is one of Nicolas Pieper's tip-up barrel pocket pistols; pre-WWI examples carry markings identical to the 1909 Model D. The same basic Basculant design was licensed to and produced by Steyr in Austria as the Steyr-Pieper Model 1908/1909. Exact overall length and empty weight of the 7.65mm BD variant are not firmly documented; the ~51mm barrel is from an observed example described as roughly two inches.
Background
Nicolas Pieper, son of Liège arms magnate Henri Pieper, built his reputation on the 'Basculant' tip-up barrel pocket pistol whose muzzle hinges skyward to load a round or clear the chamber without racking a slide, a party trick that made the little guns popular with turn-of-the-century civilians wary of automatics.