Pieper Bayard Revolver
Anciens Etablissements Pieper · Revolver · Discontinued · 1926
Also known as: Bayard 1926 Revolver, Pieper Bayard 1926, Bayard Police Revolver
Overview
The Pieper Bayard Revolver is a Belgian double-action/single-action pocket and police revolver produced in the 1920s and 1930s by Anciens Etablissements Pieper of Herstal under its 'Bayard' trade name. Chambered in .32 S&W Long, it is a solid-frame six-shot design with a swing-out cylinder and simultaneous extraction, closely patterned on the Smith & Wesson .32 Hand Ejector. Built around patents of the Pieper engineer Joseph Declaye, it offered Continental buyers an inexpensive, well-finished home-defense and police sidearm in the inter-war period.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 510 g (18.0 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 550 g (19.4 oz) |
| Overall Length | 190 mm (7.48") |
| Barrel Length | 83 mm (3.27") |
| Height | 115 mm (4.53") |
| Width | 35 mm (1.38") |
| Sight Radius | 120 mm (4.72") |
| Action Type | Revolving |
| Firing Mechanism | Double Action Single Action |
| Trigger Type | Double Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 6 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Rotary |
| Muzzle Velocity | 215 m/s (705 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 147 J (108 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 100 m (109 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right-Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Checkered Hard Rubber |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .32 S&W Long · primary — also known as .32 Long, .32 Colt New Police, 7.65x23mmR
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: 6-Round Swing-Out Cylinder
- Safety mechanisms: Rebounding Hammer, Transfer Bar
- Features: Swing Out Cylinder, Six Shot Cylinder, Double Action Single Action, Fixed Sights, Simultaneous Extraction
Production
Production years: 1926-1940
Civilian and police-market production interrupted by the German occupation of Belgium in 1940; exact figures unrecorded.
Origin
Country of origin: Belgium
Designer: Joseph Declaye
Discontinued: 1940
Notes
Sold under the 'Bayard' brand, the trade name Henri Pieper adopted from the medieval knight; the firm continued the marque after his death in 1898. Frequently described as a near-clone of the S&W Hand Ejector Second Model of 1903.
Background
Pieper's 'Bayard' brand took its name from Bayard, the magical bay horse of medieval chanson de geste, and from the Chevalier de Bayard, the 'knight without fear and beyond reproach.' While Pieper's Bayard automatic pistols are far better known, the company also produced this tidy swing-out revolver to compete with American hand ejectors in the European pocket-gun trade.