*LIVE* 1978 Browning BDA 45 .45acp Blue/Black 4.4" *THE ORIGINAL SIG SAUER P220*

Bryant Ridge's Analysis

The year 1977 was pivotal to Americana, as Atari was released, Elvis died, and Browning first imported a neat new double-action pistol from Europe. In a move to comply with Geneva's tough gun export laws, the Swiss gunmaker SIG partnered with J.P. Sauer & Sohn of Eckernförde, West Germany, to produce guns without having to cut through layers of Swiss red tape. Thus, Sig-Sauer was born in 1976. The new organization's first gun would be the P220. A modernized answer to SIG’s 1940s-era P210 to replace the latter in the Swiss Army's service, the P220 was introduced in 1975. It was immediately met with open arms by military users around the world. Switzerland adopted the new 9mm handgun as its Pistole 75, which it continues to serve today both in the Alps and with the Swiss Guard of the Vatican. Overseas military customers included the Japanese Army, which produced them under license by Minebea Mitsumi, as well as a host of smaller countries. By 1977, Browning, which had long imported pistols and rifles from Belgium, France, and Portugal and shotguns from Japan under their iconic banner, became the first to bring the Sig Sauer P220 to American shores. Dubbed the Browning Double Action, or BDA, the new gun would be imported in its standard 9mm caliber and more New World flavors, namely .38 Super Auto and .45 ACP. 

When the BDA first hit the market in the U.S., gun writers liked how it shot but hated the European-style heel-mounted magazine release. George Nonte, writing in the Nov. 1977 American Handgunner, went so far as to call the heel release "abominable." He also grumbled about its price tag, saying, "I have no doubt that a great many people will gladly pay $400 plus for this gun, but I'm equally certain that a good many of them will mutter under their breath and grit their teeth as they do so," showing folks have always had heartburn over the cost of Sigs. Nonetheless, the BDA proved popular, with competition shooter Seth Nadel running a .45 model in the 1980 Bianchi Cup Match. Nadel said afterward, "It may not be as esthetically pleasing in looks as 1911, but when you shoot it, you will feel the difference."
However, even as Nadel ran his BDA, the model was dropped from Browning's catalog. Sig Sauer soon marketed the gun under its own banner after establishing operations in Virginia and New Hampshire. By 1986, the P220 had a more American-style frame-mounted push-button release and remains in production today in the U.S.

Specifications

Manufacturer: Browning Arms Co. / Manufactured by Sig Sauer of W. Germany

Model: BDA 45

Serial: 395RP4696

Date of Manufacture: 1978

Caliber: .45 ACP

Finish: Black Alloy Frame and Matte Blue Slide with Polished Flats

Barrel Length: 4.4" 

Optics/Sights: Fixed Blade Front with White Dot and Dovetail Rear with Square Notch and White Aim Square

Stock/Grips: Black Checkered Synthetic

Action: Semi-Automatic

Markings: Standard / The slide is stamped with Browning Arms Co. on the left and Sig-Sauer System on the right.

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