Bayard/Lilliput/Unheard of mice - and a DUO

[ISCS Yoda]

(c) American Rifleman

Have you seen the Bayard in last month's American Rifleman? I never heard of this one before.

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Then I'm hanging around with my FFL buddy and I spot this mouse:

Aptly named a "Lilliput" but sho' nuff' new to me!

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Hard to not compare those to my CZ DUO from 1944:

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Not for routine carry these days but back in the day they sure must have been popular!

 

[alwslate]

I've seen pics of the Bayard before but never actually seen one. I read the review in the latest AR magazine. The Bayard wasn't one of the best.32 autos.

 

[Alpo]

In several of Alistair MacLain's books his hero carries what he refers to as a "21 caliber Lilliput".


Added: this information taken from Smith's Book of Pistols and Revolvers.


4.25mm. Lilliput Cartridge
Data This center fire cartridge, while potentially dangerous because of its ability to penetrate 1.5 inches or more of pine at short range, is not to be rated as either a target or a defense cartridge. It has a brass cartridge case, a jacketed bullet weighing about 12 grains and a powder charge of slightly over 1 grain of special mixed powder. It is strictly in the novelty class.


Originally designed for the Austrian Erika pistol which is little known in the United States, the 4.25mm.
cartridge was used in 1920 in the original Lilliput automatic pistol introduced by August Menz of Suhl, Germany. (Note: This is not to be confused with the later and much more practical 6.35mm. (.25 A.C.P.) Lilliput of the same design but slightly heavier weight widely distributed by Menz).

The Lilliput is a striker-fired blowback automatic pistol of simple design fitted with a thumb safety and a standard removable box magazine with a capacity of 6 cartridges. The pistol measures only 3.54 inches overall and is one of the most compact arms ever designed.

 

[red9]

The Bayard was made in .25, .32 and .380 on the same frame. The smallest .380 and probably the largest .25 of its day. The .32 is by far the most common. I've had several .380s and was the underbidder on a .25 yesterday.
It holds a fond place in my heart. During my career as a police firearms examiner, I worked a case involving .380 fired bullets and casings. Based on the uncommon left hand twist bullets and the markings on the casings, I told the investigator to Look for a Bayard pistol, even though at the time I had never seen one. Our laboratory did, however, have test fires from a .32 Bayard pistol which did have similar markings on the casing. A few weeks later, the detective walked in with the first, but not last, .380 Bayard I'd seen!

Bob

 

[2152hq]

I had a .25cal Bayard at one time.
Very unique TD system on them.
I think I sold it to my Brother. I'll have to ask him when I see him again. If it was the Bayard, he was using it as a CCW.
A replacement for a horribly unreliable Bernardelli Baby 25.

A friend and customer had one of the 4.25mm Lilliput pistols. Complete with an orig box of cartridges,,missing a few out of the box.
He also had a Kolibri semiauto pistol w/ the orig box and some loose rounds.
IIRC it was marketed as 2mm caliber but was actually slightly larger. Just under a 3mm. A center fire rd. Try reloading that.

He was a maker and collector of miniature firearms and they were some of many interesting pieces in his collection.
No...I don't think he ever shot them!

 

[ISCS Yoda]

https://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/WMod1/wmod1.html

Copyright 2010-2023 by Ed Buffaloe

I had a Walther Model 1 that I sold many years ago to a Walther collector. Note the similarities to the Lilliput and Bayard.

 

[zeke]

Bayard in 380 = very small all steel .380 that likes to break grip panels. Picked up at small gun show awhile back because it was so small