Browning BDA 38 Super

January 31, 2022, 11:42 PM

mag318

I just picked up this Browning BDA which is basically an E. German produced P220 in 38 Super that was imported and marketed by Browning. Besides the beautiful polished bluing on the slide it has walnut wrap around grips. Most all other BDAs I've seen came with black plastic grips. I hear these are somewhat rare so any info on it would be appreciated.

February 01, 2022, 12:15 AM

12131

quote:
Originally posted by mag318:
I just picked up this Browning BDA which is basically an E. German produced P220 in 38 Super that was imported and marketed by Browning. Besides the beautiful polished bluing on the slide it has walnut wrap around grips. Most all other BDAs I've seen came with black plastic grips. I hear these are somewhat rare so any info on it would be appreciated.

You probably meant W.. The P220 was never made in East Germany. The walnut wrap around grips may be aftermarket. Do you have pics?

February 01, 2022, 07:10 AM

jackpot41

I believe they all came with the plastic grips, I have all 3 of the BDA's from Browning/Sig, all the grips are the same.

February 01, 2022, 07:33 AM

hjs157

Congratulations! With a production total of ~750 units, the BDA .38 Super is somewhat scarce. While mechanically identical to other P220's of the period, the BDA's most distinguishing feature is its polished slide. The original black plastic grips were standard P220 with the exception of the Browning name moulded into the right panel. Unfortunately, the plastic used to manufacture these early grips was brittle and prone to cracking with age. The wooden grips on your pistol are almost certainly replacements. Unlike the Hawes P220's which were imported concurrently, Browning BDA's were serialized using the proprietary Browning system. BDA's will display German proof marks and date codes on the slide chin. Interestingly however, the proof date does not always match the date code associated with the Browning serial number.

February 01, 2022, 08:28 AM

mag318

12131 you're correct I meant W.Germany. I have to research the grips some more. I wish it was easy to post a photo here and I wish I was more computer savvy.

February 01, 2022, 08:44 AM

parabellum

To the best of my knowledge, all BDAs came with plastic grip panels. These panels were part of the branding of the Browning imports of these pistols, as they had "Browning" imprinted in large type near the top of the right grip panel.
Best estimate of total BDA .38 Super production is just less than 1000 pistols.

Here's my BDA .38 Super. As best as I can determine, this particular pistol was intended for the European market, as it has a SIG-Sauer serial number, not a Browning serial number, and it came in the period-correct, blue, piano hinge cardboard box. All serial numbers match and the pistol has the correct Browning rollmarks.

February 01, 2022, 10:58 AM

GroundedCLK

Weird question, are the wood grips cracked inside where the screw is on the right side?

February 01, 2022, 11:46 AM

Udo

Wow Para, that is a truly unique BDA.

February 01, 2022, 05:35 PM

hjs157

quote:
Originally posted by Udo:
Wow Para, that is a truly unique BDA.

Indeed. I never knew such a variation existed. Spectacular example!

February 01, 2022, 06:17 PM

.38supersig

I know that they had the walnut grips available in the early '80s, but I can't find a way to verify if they were from Sig or some aftermarket supplier.

February 02, 2022, 09:42 PM

p08

Is it a pinch nose like Para's and mine? My .38 Super is from the very first importer of Sigs, Hawes. And yes they all came with black plastic grips.

February 02, 2022, 09:53 PM

blindref

Like the others have posted, you found the rarest of the three calibers that the BDA's were offered in. It took me quite some time, but I was able to find all three caliber BDA's: 9mm, 38 super, and .45acp. I believe only the 9mm and 38 super featured the pinch nose, or dolphin nose slide, while the .45acp had a traditional square nose slide.

February 02, 2022, 10:15 PM

parabellum

The BDA was introduced in 1977 and the 9mm and .38 Super chamberings disappeared from Browning's catalog and advertising after only about a year, because American shooters of that period wanted the .45 ACP version. This is understandable, given the well-deserved, poor reputation of 9x19 and .38 Super factory ammunition available at that time.

Hawes was importing the SIG-Sauer P-220 at the very same time- 1977/78. All three calibers were offered- 9mm, .38 Super and .45 ACP. Hawes was a small importer and you'll come across a dozen or more BDAs for every Hawes import you'll find. I have a Hawes import P-220 in 9mm. Like the BDA, the .45 ACP chambering of the Hawes imports was most popular. Everyone is always talking about the scarcity of the BDA .38 Super, but if you want a scarce early P-220, try to find a Hawes-imported P-220 in .38 Super, as member p08 shows on this page.

February 02, 2022, 10:30 PM

p08

quote:
Originally posted by parabellum:
The BDA was introduced in 1977 and the 9mm and .38 Super chamberings disappeared from Browning's catalog and advertising after only about a year, because American shooters of that period wanted the .45 ACP version. This is understandable, given the well-deserved, poor reputation of 9x19 and .38 Super factory ammunition available at that time.

Hawes was importing the SIG-Sauer P-220 at the very same time- 1977/78. All three calibers were offered- 9mm, .38 Super and .45 ACP. Hawes was a small importer and you'll come across a dozen or more BDAs for every Hawes import you'll find. I have a Hawes import P-220 in 9mm. Like the BDA, the .45 ACP chambering of the Hawes imports was most popular. Everyone is always talking about the scarcity of the BDA .38 Super, but if you want a scarce early P-220, try to find a Hawes-imported P-220 in .38 Super, as member p08 shows on this page.

And then add the original box and manual as well.

February 02, 2022, 10:40 PM

parabellum

Yeah, for my 9mm Hawes P-220, I've got the same ratty blue box with the same crappy, thin, yellow foam insert, the same plastic bag and the same manual.

February 02, 2022, 11:01 PM

357p239

Mag318, If you want to restore your gun to factory spec, I have the Browning plastic grips somewhere. If interested, send me an email with BDA in the subject line.

They're off a BDA45 but should fit.

February 03, 2022, 06:50 AM

blindref

quote:
Originally posted by p08:
quote:
Originally posted by parabellum:
The BDA was introduced in 1977 and the 9mm and .38 Super chamberings disappeared from Browning's catalog and advertising after only about a year, because American shooters of that period wanted the .45 ACP version. This is understandable, given the well-deserved, poor reputation of 9x19 and .38 Super factory ammunition available at that time.

Hawes was importing the SIG-Sauer P-220 at the very same time- 1977/78. All three calibers were offered- 9mm, .38 Super and .45 ACP. Hawes was a small importer and you'll come across a dozen or more BDAs for every Hawes import you'll find. I have a Hawes import P-220 in 9mm. Like the BDA, the .45 ACP chambering of the Hawes imports was most popular. Everyone is always talking about the scarcity of the BDA .38 Super, but if you want a scarce early P-220, try to find a Hawes-imported P-220 in .38 Super, as member p08 shows on this page.

And then add the original box and manual as well.

Thank you Para for that information. I didn’t know Hawes was importing the P220s at the same time Browning the BDA’s with the only difference between to two being different roll marks and grips, and with polished slide flats.

P08- that is the first time I’ve seen a Hawes P220 in 38 Super. What a great gun. How long have you had it, and where did you find it?

February 03, 2022, 08:23 AM

P-220

Thank you all, for providing historical information and pictures. Beautiful handguns!

February 03, 2022, 08:45 AM

hjs157

quote:
Originally posted by blindref:
Like the others have posted, you found the rarest of the three calibers that the BDA's were offered in.

While I have never seen photos, it has been reported that an even smaller number of BDA's were produced in 7.65mm para (.30 Luger). There is actually one listed in our BDA serial number census (JA Code). I suspect these were produced for the Italian market. I'm curious if anyone has additional information re: this caliber variation. Thanks!