Steyr-Pieper Model 1908
Steyr Mannlicher · Pistol · Out Of Production · 1908
Also known as: Steyr-Pieper 1908/09, Nicolas Pieper Model 1908, Pieper Basculant
Overview
The Steyr-Pieper Model 1908 is a blowback-operated .25 ACP (6.35mm Browning) semi-automatic pocket pistol based on Belgian designer Nicolas Pieper's 'basculant' pattern. Its defining feature is a tip-up (tilting) barrel that pivots around an axis pin at the front of the frame for loading and unloading, harking back to the earlier Warnant design, and a recoil spring housed in a tube above the barrel. The compact seven-shot pistol was fired by an internal hammer, and Pieper sold the rights to his self-loading system to the Austrian Steyr firm in December 1908, leading to the closely related Steyr production pistols.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 300 g (10.6 oz) |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Internal Hammer |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 7 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 Barrel, Internal Hammer, Fixed Sights, Recoil Spring Above Barrel
Production
Production years: 1908-1912
Early self-loading pocket pistol; total production not well documented
Origin
Country of origin: Austria
Designer: Nicolas Pieper
Discontinued: 1912
Notes
Cataloged among collectors as the Steyr-Pieper Model 1908/09. Original basculant examples were built on the Nicolas Pieper Model C in 6.35mm; overall and barrel dimensions are not well documented in reference sources.
Background
Nicolas Pieper's 1908 'basculant' pistol revived the tilting tip-up barrel of Jean Warnant's design, letting a shooter load a round without racking a slide - and in December 1908 Pieper sold the rights to his self-loading system to Steyr in Austria, spawning the Steyr-Pieper line.