Dan, I have field strip and detail strip instructions if you would like them.

great, would be very helpfull, thank you.

I'll send them to your e-mail.

thanks dave, i got it apart, had to remoce the front sight, who would have thunk it/lol. this little popper is one well machined pistol, some one took alot of time to build these pistols. after forty years and i may try to figure out how it works and see if i can get it to shoot.

learn something new everyday... the front sight, huh?

yes how about that http://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/Bayard/bayard.html it is really well made

When you get it to shoot, post a range report.:thumbsup:

roger that, it seems when i pull the trigger it does not engage the hammer,hmmm. another project. thinking back i do not think it was even loaded when taken from the nva officer, i guess he was playing safe or he could not get it to work either.

That is a very interesting design, hopefully you can get it functional again.

Dan, your Bayard is visually similar to the old S&W mod 61 .22 cal pistol. Comments?

Charlie

yes visualy, but no where close after that.

After disasembling and inspectiing the pistol, it has a broken trigger spring, oh well, not like i was going to use it alot. after all i havn't tried to fire it in over forty years anyway. It is amazing the machining and fitting that went into making of these small pocket pistols. I guess that was common for these type weapons way before you had to have a permit to carry concealed, Another thing this gun ended up in asia in a tropical climate and it has very little rust or pitting/ i think i had stored it for a long time is a oil coated pouch, anyway i may find a trigger spring one day and actuly fire it. it does hold five rounds and is a .32 acp.

What a wonderful and educational thread on .25's Thanks to Bill for starting it, and all those who shared these great photos!

Thanks for posting all the great pictures. I feel kinda left out, since I've only got a little Beretta Jetfire. :D

thanks bound to be some out there, i got to thinking on it, somewhere i have the capture papers on it. not sure it would matter but would add some providence to it.

Didnt John Browning invent the .25 ACP because of 22 feeding problems?

Wikipedia indicates that the .25acp is a Browning introduced pistol cartridge:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.25_ACP

have never heard that, hmmm interesting.

Browning knew his stuff - that the .22 posed so many feeding problems, it could not be reliably used in a semi-auto pistol. so he developed the .25 ACP to overcome the problem. Even with the .22 semi-autos of today, the problem still exists. For example a bud of mine absolutely cannot fire Remington goldens out of his Ruger Mk III - anything else cycles fine....

.22 Long and Long Rifle is the most varied load out there. Every .22 rifle or pistol I purchase goes through a rigorous shooting session with at least ten different loads since accuracy and feeding reliability is so varied. Once I find the best accuracy/reliability load, I often mark this on the gun or its case so I remember what it likes best.

All this talk about Browning and the .25 ACP reminded me of something.:p
Here is another souvenir from digging thru family stuff. It was hidden in the pocket of a old shoulder bag I was about to throw away. It sure pays to check out all the pockets!;)

A Browning Baby from 1958. Pristine condition. Took it to the range other day. Worked flawlessly.:rockon: The only problem is the cost of .25 ACP ammo!:grr:

Bob

fine looking peice

Finally visited the inner reaches of the safe and found my little .25.
Sadly it was "personalized" at some point. The grips are repro. That "crack" is really a molding imperfection. I have one good original grip.
I got this from a friend as partial repayment for a loan. It functions fine and shoots well. Can anyone give an idea of when this was made?

The initial design did not have slide safety. It was added in 1909. Before the Great War, more than half a million were made. It must an instance made between 1910-1914.

I would narrow it down to 1912-1913

Thanks all. I thought it was pre-WWI as well. Were these imported to the US then?

Guys,

I don't want to highjack this thread but here is something that is somewhat relevant. (and pretty)

My wife collects pretties as I search the world for war guns. Well, she is out Christmas shopping and I was doing a little work on the collection when her "pretties" caught my eye. So I took a quick picture.

Excuse the lousy composition and photography.

1. A Model 1908 Colt, Vest Pocket, .25ACP, circa 1920, Mother of Pearl Stocks
2. A FN Model 1905, Second Variation Vest Pocket, heavily engraved, .25ACP, Mother of Pearl stocks
3. A Star, cal .22 LR, engraved with plastic factory stocks
4. A S&W Chief's Model, .38 Spl, factory engraved, ivory grips and inscribed around the cylinder: "Fear no man, no matter what his size, just call on me, I'll equalize.

Enjoy!

John

Very nice, she has good taste in BBQ guns.