The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > Hogan's Alley > Handguns: The Semi-automatic Forum

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old October 7, 2012, 11:13 PM   #1
patron1974
Member
 
Join Date: September 19, 2012
Posts: 32
Browning BDA .380 NIB unfired.

A have come across a Browning .380 BDA NIB unfired nickel finish..i really like these pistols and have been trying to get ahold of one for some time now. Well the price is $600..my question is is this a fair price? Appreciate any help , comments..thank you.
patron1974 is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 07:16 AM   #2
PSP
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 2, 2006
Location: Bowling Green Virginia
Posts: 4,485
I'd say it's a fair price. It's probably one of the new pistols Browning made a few years ago after having stopped producing this model. Beautiful, high quality gun that's fun to shoot.
PSP is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 10:42 AM   #3
DPris
Member Emeritus
 
Join Date: August 19, 2004
Posts: 7,133
Made by Beretta for Browning.
Browning doesn't manufacture anything.
Nice little pistols.
Denis
DPris is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 10:59 AM   #4
Walt Sherrill
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 15, 1999
Location: Winston-Salem, NC USA
Posts: 6,348
The price cited is pretty much what the Fjestad Blue Book shows for a NIB (unfired, box, papers, etc.) BDA. I'd suspect you can get it for a little less.

The Beretta 84/85/86 Cheetah, all in .380, sell for about the same. (About the only differences between the Browning and Beretta are roll marks and grips.) You can find those in almost new condition for anywhere from $50 - $100 less in the same condition as a Browning version.

As noted, Browning imports guns made for them. Even the Browning Hi-Power isn't a "Browning"-made gun. FN makes the Hi-Powers; always has.
Walt Sherrill is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 11:33 AM   #5
aarondhgraham
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 1, 2009
Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma
Posts: 8,638
Beretta made the BDA for Browning,,,

Quote:
As noted, Browning imports guns made for them.
According to Wikipedia,,,

Quote:
From 1977 to 1997 Beretta built the Browning BDA 380, which is essentially the model 84BB with a standard ejection port (instead of an open slide), a slide-mounted decocker/safety and a spur hammer. See external link below for BDA 380 owner's manual.
Quote:
About the only differences between the Browning and Beretta are roll marks and grips.
Beretta pistols have an open slide,,,
The BDA does not.

Aarond

.
__________________
Never ever give an enemy the advantage of a verbal threat.
Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once.
Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it?
Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time)
aarondhgraham is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 12:38 PM   #6
DPris
Member Emeritus
 
Join Date: August 19, 2004
Posts: 7,133
Thumb safeties are different between the two variations, and the Browning-marked version is more nicely done.
And the BDA has been made & offered much more recently than the 1990s. Had a new one here two years ago.
Denis
DPris is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 12:54 PM   #7
Walt Sherrill
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 15, 1999
Location: Winston-Salem, NC USA
Posts: 6,348
Quote:
And the BDA has been made & offered much more recently than the 1990s.
According the the Fjestad Blue Book, the last BDAs were made in 1997. Maybe you encountered new old stock? It happens.

I bought a NEW Sig P-210-6 in 1997 that was made in 1976; it apparently spent most of those two decades on a distributor's shelf.

I bought a NIB S&W 547 in 1998, and they were last made in 1985.
Walt Sherrill is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 01:03 PM   #8
DPris
Member Emeritus
 
Join Date: August 19, 2004
Posts: 7,133
Nope, brand new, acquired directly from Browning for a published write-up.
I don't know how long the run went, but they were definitely selling them again at the time.

I would not have borrowed one to include in a piece on current .380 Autos if they weren't available to the public.
Denis
DPris is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 02:20 PM   #9
patron1974
Member
 
Join Date: September 19, 2012
Posts: 32
Well i wish i could upload pics. The box is a cardboard box with a styrofoam insert. Its not a hard plastic box like the newer guns i have seen. It has the owners manual and the serial nmber on the gun matches the serial number on the box. Paperwork dates back to 1982. Im not 100% familiar with these fine handguns..i had read that they are Beratta made for Browning and made in Italy by FN. I think im going to wait on it a couple days see if i can lowwer the price a bit.
patron1974 is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 02:28 PM   #10
aarondhgraham
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 1, 2009
Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma
Posts: 8,638
I wonder what BDA stands for?,,,

It's not an important thing,,,
Just curious is all.

Browning Double Action maybe?

Aarond

.
__________________
Never ever give an enemy the advantage of a verbal threat.
Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once.
Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it?
Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time)
aarondhgraham is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 02:30 PM   #11
DPris
Member Emeritus
 
Join Date: August 19, 2004
Posts: 7,133
FN owns Browning, the pistols were made in Italy by Beretta as contract runs to Browning specs.

Browning is the US importer for foreign-made FN firearms.
Denis
DPris is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 05:40 PM   #12
DPris
Member Emeritus
 
Join Date: August 19, 2004
Posts: 7,133
The BDA does stand for Browning Double Action, I first saw it applied to the SIG 220 back in the early 80s when Browning was importing that pistol under its own name.
Denis
DPris is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 06:15 PM   #13
Pilot
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 21, 2000
Posts: 4,193
Browning used the same name for two different guns, but the Beretta made BDA .380 is a lot more common.
__________________
Pilot
Pilot is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 06:42 PM   #14
PeterGreg
Member
 
Join Date: February 24, 2012
Posts: 71
Quote:
Well i wish i could upload pics. The box is a cardboard box with a styrofoam insert. Its not a hard plastic box like the newer guns i have seen. It has the owners manual and the serial nmber on the gun matches the serial number on the box. Paperwork dates back to 1982.
Does it have 13 round mags? pre Clinton should have. FWIW I paid $425. for my late 90's NIB in 2003 and I love it.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg BDA.jpg (21.2 KB, 43 views)

Last edited by PeterGreg; October 8, 2012 at 06:51 PM.
PeterGreg is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 08:05 PM   #15
patron1974
Member
 
Join Date: September 19, 2012
Posts: 32
Yes it does have the 13rnd mags. Im thinking if i buy it it is going to be hard to get myself to shoot it since it being NIB. I have seen them go for $450 used and nowhere near the condition of this one i found.
patron1974 is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 08:15 PM   #16
PetahW
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 19, 2008
Posts: 4,678
After considering it this long, I'd be willing to bet that you can color it "gone".


I learned a loooong time ago: When I finally find something I've been looking for (for a long time), I buy it on the spot & worry about it not.

.
PetahW is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 08:15 PM   #17
WVsig
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 30, 2010
Location: NC
Posts: 5,309
Quote:
According the the Fjestad Blue Book, the last BDAs were made in 1997. Maybe you encountered new old stock? It happens.
This might be older stock but not that old. The last run was in 2009 IIRC. $600 us a fair price for a NIB example. I personally like the Beretta version better. I had one but sold it a year ago. I sold it for $500 with 2 10 rounders and 2 Mecgar 13s. It was nickel in excellent condition.

$600 is a fair price not a steal IMHO.
__________________
-The right to be left alone is the most comprehensive of rights, and the right most valued by free people.-Louis Brandeis
-Its a tool box... I don't care you put the tools in for the job that's all... -Sam from Ronin
-It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. -Aristotle
WVsig is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 10:18 PM   #18
mrbentley57
Member
 
Join Date: February 9, 2012
Location: NE Ohio
Posts: 58
Browning-FN

I was at the JM browning in Ogden UT this summer. I was always confused about Brownings made in US vs overseas. The curator, a browning enthusiast and resident of Ogden where JM Browning is buried, cleared a lot of that up
for me. The short version is that JM browning was the inventor of many very fine weapons but not much of a manufacturer. He sold many of his designs to Winchester and Colt. Browning did make some very early single- shot shot guns in Ogden in the late 1800's. Anyway he then moved to Belgium and spent a lot of his time at FN. He actually died at his desk at FN in Belgium. So the Browning firearms made in USA or wherever is sort of a misnomer. The Company does exist of course but has always..or almost always..since JM Brownings days been mostly an importer of his designs. This is a very crude bio of the company as I remember from my conversation with the curator. So I am sure some of this is not quite right..but the conversation I had with the aged curator is exactly as it was told to me.
Mike
mrbentley57 is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 10:29 PM   #19
DPris
Member Emeritus
 
Join Date: August 19, 2004
Posts: 7,133
The current Browning Arms Company was formed after JB's death, he had no connection to it at all.

He didn't take up permanent residence in Belgium, just spent quite a bit of time there AND here in the US in his later years.
BAC is a design & marketing company, not a manufacturer.
Denis
DPris is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 11:18 PM   #20
patron1974
Member
 
Join Date: September 19, 2012
Posts: 32
Wow interesting info..appreciate all the comments. Ill give it till this weekend and if it is still there by sat i might just jump on it. The next decision will be do i shoot it or is it destined to be another of my safe queens?? What would you do?
patron1974 is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 11:20 PM   #21
patron1974
Member
 
Join Date: September 19, 2012
Posts: 32
BTW it has the original reciept and box and both are dated 1982.
patron1974 is offline  
Old October 9, 2012, 11:13 AM   #22
PeterGreg
Member
 
Join Date: February 24, 2012
Posts: 71
Quote:
What would you do?
shoot it, mine is very accurate and fun to shoot. I carried it for 6 months before I got my LCP.
PeterGreg is offline  
Old October 9, 2012, 01:42 PM   #23
Walt Sherrill
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 15, 1999
Location: Winston-Salem, NC USA
Posts: 6,348
Quote:
The next decision will be do i shoot it or is it destined to be another of my safe queens?? What would you do?
Shoot it.

It's not really all that rare, and it's unlikely to appreciate greatly (or at all) in value over the next 10-20 years.

Most guns are not all that great as investments. Part of the reason for their poor investment value is that INFLATION tends to grow faster than gun values.

You said you've got the original sales slip -- compare that value to what you paid, and you'll see how much it's appreciated and been damaged by inflation since the early 1980s... To appreciate what happened, though, you need to use an inflation calculator -- like this: http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm

In 1997, when the original BDA was discontinued, a nickel model sold for $607 according the Fjestad Blue Book. If the original buyer paid as much as $400-500 in 1982, he'd have to sell it for $950-$1200 to just stay EVEN with inflation (i.e., retain enough of its original value to buy something of comparable quality/value today).

If you got it for $600 or less, the original seller took a big licking, as you can bet the gun dealer got a hefty fraction of the sale price... Be warned: there are exceptions to my warning about gun collecting -- but I'd argue they are truly EXCEPTIONS, as most gun owners aren't savvy enough or lucky enough to be among the "exceptional" gun owners who do well, over time. A few of the savvy/lucky seem to participate on this forum.

If you decided to keep it as a safe queen in hopes of "collector's value" being attached to, collectors want pristine guns -- do NOT shoot it, keep the original box, papers, and even that original sales slip. Protect the box from damage -- pristine boxes make a difference to collectors.

.
Walt Sherrill is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:11 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.08540 seconds with 11 queries