Pieper Bayard 1923
Anciens Etablissements Pieper · Pistol · Out Of Production · 1923
Also known as: Bayard 1923, Bayard Model 1923, Pieper Bayard Model 1923, Bayard Pocket Pistol
Overview
The Pieper Bayard 1923 is a compact blowback-operated, hammer-fired semi-automatic pistol, the second-generation evolution of the Bayard pocket pistol first introduced in 1908. Designed around patents worked out by Pieper engineer Bernard Clarus and built by Anciens Etablissements Pieper of Herstal/Liege under the 'Bayard' trademark, the 1923 retained the original's distinctive stacked under-barrel layout but adopted a slightly reshaped frame, revised hard-rubber grip panels, a new safety and altered slide serrations. Like its predecessor it was chambered in .380 ACP, .32 ACP and .25 ACP, remaining one of the smaller pistols available in the powerful .380 chambering through the interwar years.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 450 g (15.9 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 500 g (17.6 oz) |
| Overall Length | 126 mm (4.96") |
| Barrel Length | 57 mm (2.24") |
| Height | 83 mm (3.27") |
| Width | 24 mm (0.94") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 6 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 270 m/s (886 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 225 J (166 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 15 m (16 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Hard Rubber |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .380 ACP · primary — also known as .380 Auto, 9x17mm, 9mm Kurz, 9mm Short, 9mm Browning Court
- 7.65x17mm Browning SR (.32 ACP) — also known as .32 ACP, 7.65mm Browning
- 6.35x16mm Browning (.25 ACP) — also known as .25 ACP, 6.35mm Browning
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety, Magazine Safety
- Features: Compact, Concealable, Fixed Sights, Exposed Barrel, Stacked Under Barrel Layout
Variants
- Pieper Bayard 1923 .25 ACP — Subcompact
- Pieper Bayard 1923 .32 ACP — Subcompact
Base model
Service history
Operators
- Civilian market · adopted 1923
Conflicts
- World War I (1914-1918)
Production
Production years: 1923-1940
Total production undocumented; the Bayard pocket-pistol line ran from 1908 until the German occupation of Belgium in 1940, with the 1923 pattern produced in the latter portion of that span.
Origin
Country of origin: Belgium
Designer: Bernard Clarus
Discontinued: 1940
Notes
The 1923 is the later of the two principal Bayard pocket-pistol patterns; the two share a common mechanism and differ mainly in frame size, grip molding, magazine release, safety shape and slide serrations. Production ended with the German invasion of Belgium in May 1940.
Background
Named after Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard - the medieval French knight 'sans peur et sans reproche' - the Bayard pistols carried the image of the mounted knight as their trademark, lending an air of chivalry to one of Belgium's smallest .380 pocket guns.