Browning DBA .380 decock carry

[HamsterHamster]

I have a Browning DBA .380 (slide mounted de-cock/safety) that I plan on using for CCW.

Wanted to know if it is acceptable to load one in the chamber, de-cock, and then put the de-cock lever off-safe for holster carry.

This would put the hammer in half-cocked position and the first round is DA.

Is carrying with hammer at half-cock and safety off a sensible thing to do?

Owner's manual is not much use on this topic unfortunately.

[carguychris]

Wanted to know if it is acceptable to load one in the chamber, de-cock, and then put the de-cock lever off-safe for holster carry.
The BDA 380 is based on the Beretta 84BB, which has a positive trigger-actuated firing pin block. This device is visible as a little metal button in one of the channels under the slide, near the hammer; if you field-strip the pistol, it should be clearly visible.

If your BDA 380 has the firing pin block, which I believe it should, the pistol should be completely drop-safe for DA safety-off carry.

AFAIK the only Beretta 81-series guns (81 thru 87, 89, and BDA 380) that lack the firing pin block are the early pistols with no alphabetical suffix, and according to the reference sources I have, only the 81, 82, 84, 86, and 87 were imported to the USA in this form.

[carguychris]

Just FYI, the BDA 380 is basically a Beretta 84BB with a conventional closed-top slide, slide-mounted decocker/safety, and a spur hammer. IIRC it was actually made in the Beretta plant alongside the other 81-series pistols. The Berettas have an open-top slide, "cocked and locked" non-decocking frame-mounted safety, and a ring-style hammer.

The subsequent F and FS 81-series pistols have a decocker/safety, but it remained frame-mounted, and the half-cock hammer position was eliminated. I didn't realize that the BDA version retained the 84/84B/84BB half-cock hammer position; very interesting! :)