Anyone have a Browning BDA 380?

[Guest 70below]

I just picked up a used Browning BDA 380 at the gunshow today. It was a bit dirty from being stored all oiled up, but it doesn't look to have more than a box of ammo through it. The grip medallions have fallen off as seems common. I found you can order them for about $2 a piece though. I'm thinking about getting the pachmayr grips though, seems it couldn't hurt, and would be less slick than the walnut grips. Anyone out there have any advice on them? Any knowledge to be gained? Thanks.

[VERO1]

I have had two in the past, none at present. Excellent gun, though a bit thick for concealed carry. I may have an extra magazine for it if your interested.

[ghawk249]

I have one that i tried to sell at the last show, plenty of lookers. Mine is the nickel plated. I'am curious what you paid.

[Guest 70below]

Vero, Ghawk.........shot you guys PM's

[Farman]

My main carry is a bda. It has the plastic grips. They are a little slick but not too bad. I have an iwb pouch which keeps the grip up against my side, can't see it even with just a tee shirt not tucked in. I was looking for another a while back and ended up with a Beretta cheetah. Hope to shoot it this week.

[et45]

The BDA was manufactured for Browning by Beretta.It is identical to the Beretta model 84.

[Guest 70below]

slight modifications from what I understand, open top on the beretta is is traditional, and safety mounted on the frame as opposed to the slide. I know mags are interchangeable. I've got a 4 10rd mags on the way for $7 a piece new old stock. I'd like to get a couple 13's one of these days though.

[CatsEye]

The BDA was manufactured for Browning by Beretta.It is identical to the Beretta model 84.

Should be a fine weapon then. I had a Model 84 for several years and really liked it. One of the guns I wish I had never gotten rid of.

[Guest 70below]

I got out and shot the BDA today.......NICE! I like it....now I just have to get my girlfriend out to shoot it....I think as long as she can get comfortable with the size of it, she'll really like it. She has small hands and is very recoil sensitive. This felt very tame as far as recoil goes, and seems to have much less muzzle flip than her old Bersa. I think the larger grip and extra weight help make it more controllable. I didn't have any FTE/FTF while shooting with either mag. The only negative other than the size of the grip in my opinion is the visability of the sights....I definitely would like to at least put some hi-vis paint on the front sight.

[Guest JLowe]

My brother has a BDA and he loves it. I've shot it several times and it probably has the least felt recoil of any 380 that I've shot. Your right about the sights though, they suck. He was talking about getting rid of it a while back, but don't know if he's changed his mind or not, because of the sights. I know that he has several of the 13 round mags and has never had any problems out of them. I believe that they are MegGar? The only issue I have seen with them is the size of the grips for women.

[Guest 70below]

Mec-Gar , I believe, is the OEM for the mags for Browning/FN/Beretta but they also sell them under they're own label.

[Guest HexHead]

I had one for about 20 years. Traded it a few years ago towards a HiPower.

The BDA is a real pleasure to shoot, much more so than the SIG .380. When we bought it, my wife and I narrowed the choices down to it, a Walther PPK or a Colt Mustang. She's petite with small hands and thought the BDA was the most pleasant of the 3 to shoot.

[Guest 70below]

Well thats good to hear. I hope to get her out to the range this week to give it a try. If it doesn't work for her, then I'm just gonna have to toughen her up on recoil and get her something with a smaller handle. If she's not going to carry, I'll just get her a 4" .38 for her to have at home.

[Guest guardlobo]

Definitely a little wide for me for a backup and the 380 isn't my preferred main carry.

[Guest bubruins]

A girl that I know pretty well has one and she really likes it. She's very consistent with it and it's easy for her to shoot offhand unlike the .40's or .45's. No FTF's of FTE's to date after approx. 300 rounds.

Edited August 2, 2010 by bubruins
removed name of person