I found a like new, no box Browning BDM for sale at a local gun show last weekend.  It was literally the first thing I saw when I walked in and, after walking through the entire show, it was really the only thing I found that was interesting.   There were a couple of police trade in S&W 10-6s, but they were in pretty well used condition so I passed.




It fits with my other Browning Hi Power descendants, including the Browning HP-DA (middle), and Browning SFS Hi Power (bottom).  




I love the SFS Hi Power, and for concealed carry it's arguably the best Hi Power ever made.   I'm not a fan of the HP-DA, and thus had low expectations for the BDM - until I picked it up.  

The BDM has a wonderfully thin grip frame for a 15 round double stack 9mm pistol, and it has a commensurately short trigger reach, which makes it very easy to get enough finger on the trigger to give you excellent leverage for the DA pull.   A wide grip an slightly too long trigger reach is my major objection to the HP-DA.

The BDM and HP-DA both weight the same 31.5 oz empty, but the BDM is much better balanced and feels so much better in the hand.  Both pistols share the same styling changes in terms of angled slide and frame profile, squared trigger guard, have similar wrap around grips, and have provisions for a lanyard loop, but the BDM is significantly thinner.  Another significant difference is the much smaller slide release on the BDM.  That, along with the raised ears on the rear of the slide clearly indicate it was designed exclusively for the "sling shot" method of slide release.    



The "DM" in BDM refers to "Dual Mode" and consequently, it has a switch on the left side of the slide can be rotated to change the operation from a normal DA/SA pistol function, to a DA only revolver type operation where the pistol de-cocks after each shot to provide a consistent DA trigger pull.  In the event you drop the hammer on a dud round and re-pull the trigger to try it again, it will have a slightly longer DA pull, as the default position for the de-cocked hammer is more of a quarter cock position.  But for the usual DA pull from the de-cocked position, it has a typical DA revolver length and reset, but one that is slightly less smooth than most of my Ruger and S&W revolvers.  We'll see if it gets smoother after a couple hundred rounds.

In short, the BDM is thin, streamlined, comparatively light for a steel frame 15 round pistol, and by all reports I've read it is both accurate and reliable.   This one was made in 1993, and is clearly superior to Browning's second attempt at the HP-DA.  

The Browning HP-DA and SFS Hi Power both had their origins in the 1983 XM-9 pistols trials.  The SFS was disqualified as it was not a DA pistol, and the HP-DA was not successful in the trials but was produced for commercial sale until 1987 when it was discontinued due to poor sales.

In 1990 FN resurrected the HP-DA, marketing it as the Browning BDA9 and the BDAO (a DA only variant) in the US and by FN as the HP-DA and HP-DAO (again a DA only version), primarily in Europe. They had some minor changes such as the larger triangular de-cocking lever, but didn't really sell all that well in the US. Popular wisdom is that they were discontinued in 1999, but mine has the MM date code, indicating it was made in 2000.

The Browning BDM was developed in 1991 for the FBI's service pistol trials, but it continued the Browning tradition of not being successful.  Once again however Browning put it into production for civilian sales and it remained in production until 1998.    Unlike the HP-DA, the BDM was only produced by Browning and was not produced by FN for European sales.  Browning also produced two variants that did not have the dual mode switch - the BRM operated in DAO revolver mode only, and the BPM-D operated in SA/DA de-cocker mode only.

As noted above, I have no great love for the HP-DA (but bought one as a representative example), however the BDM is impressive, and it's extremely unfortunate it never caught on with either police or civilian sales.  I suspect lack of warm response was due in large part to the development of the .40 S&W, and the temporary slump in 9mm popularity for police departments looking for new pistols at the same time the BDM was developed.  I suspect part of it was also the head start Glock had for departments looking for a pistol to transition their officers from revolvers to semi-auto pistols.

So the safety works opposite of what we're used to, i.e. down for safe and up for fire?  If so, I could see that as a big reason why it never went over well.

I like the Browning BDM. I owned two over the years. I like the how you can change from single action to double action. I preferred single action. Also, it is a Browning, which accompanied my two High Powers. I would like to find another one if I could find it at a decent price. I presently own two HP's. One is a Hard chrome model and I just recently purchased a nice blued Belgium Browning in excellent condition.

I've wanted all three.... 

Do HP-DA and BDM mags swap?

I've got one.  It's in the safe.

I shot it, for awhile.  Never really found a good load for it.  It was not reliable with the 147 grain bullets.  Constant failures to feed.  Now that I'm loading a lot of 115 grain fast hollow points for the CZ's I've wondered about pulling it out of the safe and trying it with those loads.

I liked the feel of it in my hand.

I did not like the decockers.  They also release the slide if you insert a fresh magazine and then move lever off the FIRE position to the "SAFE" position.  I got to carrying it by loading it/chambering a round, decocking the hammer, then moving the decocker back to the fire position.  But if you forget, and decock it and don't move the decocker back to the FIRE position, it won't work when you need it, unless you move the lever back up again.

And, unlike a lot of other pistols with decockers, they are safeties as well.  In the down position, you can pull the trigger all you want and nothing moves but your finger and the trigger.  And, I don't think you can lock the slide back when it's in the decock/safe position.

One other thing, the trigger bites the hell out of me.

Magazines are expensive.  Last time I saw some (15 round) they were just over $80 each for Browning magazines.  There were some aftermarket brands that were cheaper, but I haven't seen those for sale for several years.

I do like the DA trigger.  Very predictable and not half bad for smoothness.

Mine is one of the two tone models with the satin nickel on the frame with the blue slide.

Look at the hammer.  See how it's made?  Until you pull the trigger, the back of the firing pin is below the protruding part of the hammer face.  A "trigger" safety.  When you pull the trigger, the rear of the firing pin is pushed upwards into position for the hammer to strike it.

Slimmest double stack 9MM made.

Lighter weight than many aluminum frame 9MM semi autos even though the frame is forged steel.

Want parts?  midwest gun works

When I broke my firing pin I got a couple from them.  Fast shipping.

Oh, remember the James Bond movie where he's fighting against a former British OOX agent who was supposed to be dead but had become a criminal in Russia?  At the beginning of the movie the rogue British agent is carrying/shooting a BDM.

No.  It's not a safety, in the sense of a 1911, it's a safety in the sense that a de-cocking lever also inactivates the trigger when it is in the down position.   I suspect the fact that it is frame mounted, rather than slide mounted is causing you some confusion.

Here it is along side a S&W 3rd generation pistol, a 6906 in this case, cocked and ready to fire with a single action trigger pull.  Note the red dots on both are exposed when the de-cock/safety levers are in the "up" position. This is the normal condition for a DA pistol after the slide is racked to load the pistol, or after the first DA shot is fired:



Here the pistols have been de-cocked with the lever left in the "safe" position.  The red dot is covered and the triggers won't lift the hammers:



Here the de-cock/safety levers have been raised to allow the pistols to fire with a double action trigger pull.



Here's the difference when the BDM is set to "R" (revolver) mode.  The hammer automatically de-cocks so that every round fired is fired with a double action trigger pull.   This effectively gave the owner or the department the choice to fire all rounds from a DA trigger pull (like a revolver, or more specifically like the DA Only revolvers some departments used), or to fire the first round DA and the remainder with SA trigger pulls (like the 3rd Gen S&W pistol).




The frame mounted de-cocking lever makes it much more ergonomic to de-cock than the S&W.   I suppose some one transitioning from a Hi Power or 1911, who is also untrained in using a DA pistol, might have some issues with the arrangement.  It is not like a CZ-75B where the trigger is DA and the pistol can be carried either hammer down in DA mode, or cocked and locked like a 1911.  It's also not like the HP-DA where the de-cocking lever is just a de-cocking lever and snaps back up to the "up" position automatically with no manual safety at all.

No, they look very similar and you'd think they should but they do not.

Okay that makes more sense now.  Can you carry it cocked in single action mode with a safety on?

I know for a fact the HP-DA mags won't work in a BDM, as I tried. The baseplate is just a hair too short, preventing the magazine catch from actually engaging.

I was under the impression that BDM mags would work in the HP-DA.

I'm assuming you tried it both ways then. That sucks.

Unfortunately no.  If it's in SA/DA pistol mode and cocked,  the lever acts as a de-cocking lever first and it will de-cock the hammer.  At that point you're back to DA operation.  Unlike the HP-DA however where the lever is spring loaded and pops back up, the lever now stays down like the safety/ de-cock lever on a PPK/S or a 3rd gen S&W pistol.  

The only difference the mode switch makes is that in revolver mode, the hammer de-cocks each time the pistol is fired, so every trigger pull is DA.  In this mode, the safety lever just acts as a safety, because the hammer has already de-cocked when the slide went forward.  

The ability to carry a pistol in an SA/SA condition with the hammer cocked and the safety applied, or in a DA/SA condition with the hammer down and the safety off, is one of the reasons I really like the CZ 75 pistols in their "B" variations, with a safety lever rather than a de-cocking lever. They work well either way, although a safety lever that was a little larger and a little farther aft would improve the cocked and locked capability.

I had one and it started to malfunction and I got alarmed and got rid of it.  Probably shouldn't have sold it, but it seemed at a terminal point as far as parts and service.  Interesting design and insanely slim 9mm.  FIST Holsters are the only people on the planet I found who could provide a holster for the pistol.