The Greatest Pistol of all time was a FLOP???

I never realized that it was backwards until I started working on this and got some feedback. I'm like Pamara, just handled SiGs for too many years so it was just a hammer drop in Pistol mode and immediately back up in case I needed it. I just plain never used it in revolver mode.;) :D

I just realized that I did make one major mistake and error which I will correct right now.


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No Knife!!!
 
Silver chrome 2-tone finish...yum, yum

Jar, great post. Thanks for the pics. I've been searching for a 2-tone BDM picture ever since Browning pulled them off their website after '98.
Some thoughts after owning my NIB blued BDM for 7 months:
- This is the only pistol with an ergonomically-correct-grip I can shoot well with my weak hand.
- Workmanship and fit of my blued '96 model is less than desirable; making my pistol unsuitable for precision shooting beyond 20 yards. I only say this because I am used to sub 2-inch groups from a 4.7"+ full sized barrel.
- I dont' know about the chromed frame, but my blued BDM's safety is unusable in a stressful situation...very tight and very hard to disengage quickly even after lots of lubrication and use
- It is the thinnest 9mm hi-cap I have ever known. Great for concealed carry. The poor availability of the 15 round mags may be coming to an end? I heard the new FN BDA9 uses similar magazines.
- The follow up model, the Browning BPM seemed to be a more practical weapon IMHO; being a conventional double action without the DAO mode.
For now, with 5 10 round mags, my BDM is the perfect pistol to practice double action only shots in its revolver mode. No more sore thumbs from using the decocking lever a zillion times like on all my other DA pistols.:)
 
Only reason I never bought one was the 'up to fire' frame mounted safety. Common for Europe but I prefer and am use to American 'down to fire'. Otherwise, I would have had at least two of them when they came out.
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That was THE major reason why the BDM never caught on. In a country where just about everybody is accustomed to a 1911's manual of arms, the up-to-fire safety was a bad idea marketing-wise. I believe it was Mas Ayoob who stated that anybody who wanted to use a BDM had better use it as his/her ONLY defensive weapon. That's the sort of journalism, coming from such an influential author that will nail just about anybody's coffin shut.

And FWIW, if I remember correctly the BDM wasn't cheap either.
 
Yep. The safety was it's downfall. My brother had one a few years back. It was very nice and was a good shooter. But the safety made it a non choice for defense.

Great post Jar. I really enjoyed it.
 
I think the BDM was the victim of several factors:

1. Poor timing

The capacity restriction really didn't help the introduction of yet another "wondernine."

2. Poor marketing and support

Browning, in my own experience, doesn't seem too eager to help its civilian customers regardings things like pistols.

3. Needless complication in design

It would have been better if Browning produced two versions, a DA/SA version with a "locked & cocked" capability and a DAO only version. I think that had it produced the former, it would still be highly sought after (just about any "wondernine" with a "locked & cocked" capability has sold well, including the BHP and CZ-75). Instead, the BDM was needlessly complicated with the DA-DAO switch and a straight DA/SA BPM design.

Lastly, the grip (or grip panels) could have been modular. I found the grip to be remarkably slim for 15-round capacity. Yet, the backstrap was very uncomfortable for some - it would have helped if Browning designed a modular backstrap to fit the needs of the many.

A little better accuracy might have helped, too, though not by much.

Skorzeny
 
Modular backstraps have to be on every new gun now?
No.
The BDM was out a long time ago - before the modular backstrap became the cool thing.
 
I think not only the safety stopped purchases but it was just too big for ten rounds when the rage was hi caps. If Browning had made it to accept Hi power 13 round hi caps it would have survived. How much for a BDM hi cap now?

A great topic with information and pictures too, what more could you ask for. Thanks
 
George Hill:

The modular backstrap idea wasn't the main thrust of my post. I listed three items: poor timing, poor marketing/customer service and a few design "flaws" (IMO).

Still, anything that makes it possible to fit a gun (or any other product) to as many people as possible without raising the cost in another area (much) is a good idea, cool or not, isn't it?

Skorzeny
 
Sorry, Skorzeny, I wasn't slamming your post..

In fact you make some excelent points.
The death of the Wondernine took the BDM with it. Tied with poor marketing... it had no chance.

Browning, (excuse me here everyone - I'm about to give my take on another company. Expecting Brownings CEO to call me a jackass any time now...) seems to be wanting to back out of the handgun business all together. It's dropped the BDM. It's no longer importing the Hi Power. The only handguns it offers are the Buckmark series of .22 plinkers. Look for that to drop off the radar too. Other than the Buckmark, all its guns are long brown guns... hell... there is even a long brown version of the Buckmark. They seem to want to take up the Eddie Baur/LL Bean image of Firearms. They push the line of boots more than they ever did the handguns. That's fine. If they don't want to make handguns, cool. They still make great rifles and shotguns. They can continue to do that. The handgun market is seriously cutthroat. If they don't have the stones to compete - by all means - get out of the race.
 
For a small-handed shooter the BDM was great, even slimmer than than the Hi-Power. I had two in two days and returned both of them because the trigger wouldn't reset consistently after about 50 rounds. In fact, fairly often, I would have to push the trigger forward to engage. Both guns had the exact same problem. A bad batch of two? After two problem guns in a row I figured that was enough. I do still remember how nice it felt in the hand, though.
 
I"ve seen a lot of people say that one of its downfalls was the "up to fire" safety. How did that hurt its sales? Beretta's have an "up to fire" safety, and they're doing quite well.

Another reason I saw was "no hi cap mags." Umm ... the original post that started this thread talks about how it took double-stack 15rd mags.

So, since "up to fire" sells (Beretta), and "no hi cap mags" is just plain false, what were the real reasons it flopped?
 
HowardK - That's funny. I had a SIG P228 that did that once on me. Shin Tao was a witness to that one.

I also had two Chevy Blazers that wouldn't shift out of drive and back into park. It was a rental. I took it back. Got another one. Same thing happened. After that I asked for a different vehicle.
(Long story) but evidently many people are driving Chevy Blazers without that problem.

Fluke? You be the judge.
 
One little problem. The BDM did fail Government testing with +P+ ammunition, expiring at about 3,500 rounds. A lot of basically overpressure rounds, but if the company was to make leo or Government sales, it had to pass. That may be part of why it died. Another reason might just be that the High Power is a great gun and most folks buying a browning buy a HP. If they went da or dao, probably bought a SIG.
 
I can think of a few other reasons why it flopped: no full-page ads showing its endorsement by Navy SEALS and Delta Force ops. No mods in Half-Life or Rainbow Six featuring the BDM to attract zit-faced geeks either. And I can't think of a single Hollywood actor who ever held one HoMeBoY-style for the camera. Function is nothing. Image is everything! :rolleyes:
 
I think it died for several reasons. For one, the market was glutted with similar pistols that had a better reputation (deserved or otherwise) like Glocks and Sigs. IIRC, the BDM was almost the same size as the Hi-Power and with a lot more states having CCW laws, the gun was just a little too big for a lot of people to carry comfortably. I also think it fell into the same trap as the Steyr and the HS200--good guns but they just couldn't compete against the perception that there were better guns out there.

Frequenting these boards puts us a little out of touch with the real world of gun buying. I think most people go into a gun store and take the advice of the salesperson. (We know how savvy most gunstore clerks are.) They've heard that Glocks, Sigs and Berettas are great guns and that's what they feel most comfortable buying. Or, the go to a gunshow looking for a gun that their friend told them is the best. A lot of good guns get lost in this shuffle and can't find a market niche. Unfortunately, it also leads to people buying guns that are mismatched to their skill level. But that's for another thread.....
 
BDMs would have enjoyed greater success without the upside down safety.

That's the only reason I passed -- a comment I've been hearing for years from various shooters who gave it consideration.
 
I think dsk brings up a good point. Marketing.

Think about it, Browning had positioned itself as the seller of pretty brown hunting guns. The little bit of marketing they used on the Hi-power was related to how pretty it was, and how great it was for shooting targets.

So along comes the BDM. Nada.

I always wondered about that. What if in the 80s during the height of the wonder 9 craze they had marketed the Hi-power as being used by the SAS? And introduced a "tactical" (I hate that word) Hi-power. They already knew that there were other countries that had developed 17 round mags for their HPs. I'm sure Browning or FN could have engineered a reliable 17 round mag. Could have stole some of that Glock, Sig, Beretta, thunder.
 
There's quite a bit of difference between an UP to fire safety on the slide, and one on the frame. I have little problem with it on the Beretta and Ruger, and I actually like it on S&W autos. However, when you grasp the frame, the ergonomic inclination of your thumb is to move down into your grip. Thankfully, JMB realized this. Apparently, the engineers at Browning that designed this anomaly did NOT.:rolleyes:
 
That was probably a small factor too. Small... but still a factor. Americans like hot rods. And Americans like Guns. Americans like guns that act like hotrods.

A gas ped that delivers lots of horse power... and safeties that look and act like gas ped.
 
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