A core needle biopsy device including a needle assembly, a cutter drive assembly, a piercer drive assembly and a piercer retraction assembly. The needle assembly includes a piercer and a hollow cutter. The piercer includes a sharp distal tip and a notch proximal to the distal tip. The piercer is slidably disposed within the cutter to sever a tissue sample into the notch. The cutter drive assembly is configured to selectively fire the cutter. The piercer drive assembly is configured to selectively fire the piercer. The piercer retraction assembly is configured to retract the piercer independently of the cutter while the needle assembly is disposed within a patient to expose the notch of the piercer to an exterior of a patient.
