Bayard 1908 6.35mm

Nacho Man

New member
Anybody know info on these guns. I put one on layaway at a local shop. Its in pretty good condition for its age, I wanted a lil sat night special and they only wanted $150. I'll pick it up on thurs but heres a pic I got from the internet for reference.
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Thanks, I'll post pics when I pick it up thurs and do a field strip and show the internals. Hope to get a range report sometime next week fingers crossed
 
Looks like parts are kinna hard to find lol. From field stripping it at the shop it seems to be shot very little and everything seemed to be in order. Gotta shoot it though to be sure its functional.. The patina on the bluing and the stamping is what caught my eye. I love stuff like that. I bought this because I wanted a small pea shooter to keep in my pocket at wrk. I normally just take my glock 42 with me but leave it in my car. I needed something even smaller to sneak in with me.
 
I had one in 7.65 mm. ( .32acp). My Father brought it back from Europe.
Good little gun. Went bang everytime, and no failures.
It definitely looks funny with the barrel in the lower half of the slide, and the recoil spring above the barrel.
To field strip, remove the magazine, make sure it's unloaded, pull the slide rearward cocking
the hammer. Put you finger nail on the front of the sight, and slide it rearwards and lift up. The recoil spring sets right under the sight, and will pull out slightly when the sight comes up.
Pull the recoil spring out, and pull the slide to the rear. Once the bolt, which is machined as part of the slide, is all the way back, lift straight up on the slide, and it will come off the grip frame.
The barrel is fixed, so that's all there is to field stripping. You shouldn't have to tear down any further. Some of the springs under the grip, and in the grip frame can be broken easily so it probably best to leave well enough alone.
 
Triple K mags are strictly hit or miss.

I purchased some .380 Jo-Lo-Ar mags from www.ammoclip.com that were solidly constructed and very well made, and was totally surprised when they told me they were Triple Ks. Edit: I just looked and they don't have Bayard mags.:(

On the other hand, most of the Triple Ks that I (and pretty much everyone else) are familiar with are made from razor thin sheet metal with crude aluminum followers that look like they were hacked out by a beaver. These are/were made in Mexico and usually have about a 100% failure rate.;)

I do see Bayard mags come up for sale on eBay every once in a while, but they are usually for the .32ACP, which is what I have. You might want to add a search for a .25 on eBay. Gunbroker is another place to find stuff, but it is usually grossly overpriced. (Example: Some clown from Poland has an original on GB right now for a "mere" $180.00:eek:)

BTW: If you do field strip your new toy, be sure to look inside at the buffer spring that's installed at the end of the recoil spring tunnel. That's how they managed to achieve such small size.:)
 
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Triple K mags are strictly hit or miss.

I purchased some .380 Jo-Lo-Ar mags from www.ammoclip.com that were solidly constructed and very well made, and was totally surprised when they told me they were Triple Ks. Edit: I just looked and they don't have Bayard mags.:(

On the other hand, most of the Triple Ks that I (and pretty much everyone else) are familiar with are made from razor thin sheet metal with crude aluminum followers that look like they were hacked out by a beaver. These are/were made in Mexico and usually have about a 100% failure rate.;)

I do see Bayard mags come up for sale on eBay every once in a while, but they are usually for the .32ACP, which is what I have. You might want to add a search for a .25 on eBay. Gunbroker is another place to find stuff, but it is usually grossly overpriced. (Example: Some clown from Poland has an original on GB right now for a "mere" $180.00:eek:)

BTW: If you do field strip your new toy, be sure to look inside at the buffer spring that's installed at the end of the recoil spring tunnel. That's how they managed to achieve such small size.:)
thanks for the info on the mags. can you go into more detail about the recoil spring. i field stripped it at the shop and the recoil spring has a little end cap that went into the front sight.
 
ready to go out on a sat night lol
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size comparison with my g42 edc
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overall, nice lil piece. internals real funky like nobody ever cleaned it, and bore has some pitting but then again its for like 5yd shots. has original factory mag and serial # on frame match slide. tested the firing pin with a lil rubber cleaning rod and it appears we have a firing gun. cant wait to try it out. all i need is some faux pearl grips lol, jk.
 
Have one in .380, the grips break easily, right at the screw hole. It is smaller than a Ruger lcp, and true "pocket" pistol.
 
I cleaned the internals real good or as well as I could and loaded up some Herters brass. Hand cycle the action it feeds and ejects correctly. Range report coming soon.
 
For $150, it's a steal. Those are not cheap Saturday Night Specials, but well-made handguns intended for use by the well-to-do European gentlemen out for an evening among the lower classes. The Wogs start at Calais, you know.
 
The bluing really pops with a bit of renaissance wax and a soft cloth. Can't wait to shoot it. With the cleaning and oiling the slide and frame glide like glass. The fitment between the two is top notch.
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Congratulations. It's a beauty.

The Great War ended a lot of things in addition to the old order, and painstaking workmanship and quality came to an end in 1914 as well.
 
Congratulations. It's a beauty.

The Great War ended a lot of things in addition to the old order, and painstaking workmanship and quality came to an end in 1914 as well.
Thank you. I agree, I have a old M1891 Argentine Mauser and the craftsmanship is outstanding in comparison to today's standards imo, unless you pay $$$$
 
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Nachoman:

You don't have a Saturday Night Special, you have a fine little "pocket auto" that comes from a more refined and elegant time. For the price you paid, you made out like a bandit! Begin handloading for it and practice with it regularly.

All the best.
 
You don't have a Saturday Night Special, you have a fine little "pocket auto" that comes from a more refined and elegant time. For the price you paid, you made out like a bandit! Begin handloading for it and practice with it regularly.

All the best.
That's one thing I said to myself when we field stripped it at the gunshop. The machining involved of making these parts and hand fitting must have been time consuming. I first seen it last week after a range session and thought about it all weekend. On mon I headed back to the shop and luckily it was still there.
 
If you are willing to take a risk (I can't take responsibility for the results) I have a +p recipe for the cartridge that had been worked up by a well-known gunwriter.

2 grains of Red Dot behind a Remington 51 grain FMJ. Carefully loaded, this should develop 935 feet per second and 99 foot-pounds of muzzle energy. Trust me, this load makes the .25 ACP bark as if it's a bulldog preparing to attack! Penetration is what makes this load perform. Used sparingly, this load could save your skin when you need it most!
 
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