POTD: Small Inspirations – The Pieper-Bayard Model 1908
Sam.S 11.16.23
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! The Pieper-Bayard Model 1908 was a compact semi-automatic pistol patented in 1907 by Belgian Bernard Clarus and produced from 1908-1930s by Anciens Etablissements Pieper of Liege. It was a simple unlocked blowback design in .25 ACP, .32 ACP, and .380 ACP, using a recoil spring above the barrel allowing a shorter slide and small size. Advertisements suggest the earliest 1908 Models were in .32 ACP, followed by .380 ACP in 1911 and finally .25 ACP in 1912. Around 1914, German occupation led to proofs and imperial markings on some guns. A tiny connector provided rudimentary trigger disconnection. Well-made but tricky to disassemble, the Model 1908 saw sales eclipsed by more modern guns by the 1920s. Yet its innovations later inspired the Smith & Wesson Model 61 Escort.
“Manufacturer: PieperModel: 1908Type: PistolGauge: 7.65 mm autoBarrel: 2 1/8 inch roundFinish: blueGrip: hard rubber”
Lot 6384: Two European Semi-Automatic Pistols. (n.d.-bi). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved November 15, 2023, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/1034/6384/two-european-semi-automatic-pistols.
