WB
Chronicled Misfit Madness, or mitigation there of.
Wednesday, July 15, 2020, 14:33

Some may remember the little Belgium made Bayard-Pieper 7.65 pocket auto I bought some time ago. I got it really cheap since it had a missing and poorly replaced grip on one side. It shot fine although a very unique design with some historical significance. S&W chose to copy them on more than one occasion.

What a mess! A such simple plan gone awry.

Ebay finally produced a set of original grips for the M1908 Bayard for only $15. I had to try them. When they came in I was a little disappointed as they did not include the screws as promised and the 95 yr. old materials were not as finely crafted as I would have thought. I’m not sure if they are replica’s or antique. No matter for the price. I also noted they were not very uniformly flat on the backsides and trying to initially fit found the screw heads I had too large and not able to penetrate enough to mount.

I began by draw filing to get a more uniform fit. Then I found a small protruding pin we hitting the grip. Finally I modified the screw holes to work with the screws I had to work with.

S*&#! How do I get myself into these situations?!

Using an unorthodox array of hand tools and a Dremel, bits usually reserved for jewelry or dental work I carefully made progress between shakes and fogged bi-focals.

Success, sometimes it’s not how you got there, just that you indeed tasted victory. The little pocket auto is superbly accurate and functional. From a bygone era and never intended for extended use like we do today. In it’s intended role, carried frequently at the ready, sparingly tested for function, it should serve well. I keep it in the overhead cubby with a couple Covid-19 masks stuffed in front. No one would mess with it until it’s needed. 5+1 and safety on, 71 gr. ball at 950 fps.

Success, it looks OK for the small investment and I like strange stuff.

Don't touch my Covid nasty!