Marko Kloos
Moderator Emeritus
I've had a strange desire for a Browning BDM for a long time now, and finally got to add one to the stable on a trade yesterday.
The BDM was a late entry into the Wondernine race, and its release just months before the '94 mag cap restriction may have contributed greatly to its lack of commercial success. Browning never marketed this gun aggressively, and it failed to attract LEO contracts.
The BDM's lack of success is regrettable; the gun itself has a number of interesting and unusual features. The funkiest aspect of the BDM is its switchable trigger: a selector on the slide of the slide can switch the pistol from "P" (pistol) to "R" (revolver) mode. In P mode, the BDM works as a traditional "crunchenticker", with the first shot in DA and the subsequent ones in SA mode. The R mode has been called a DAO setting, but this is not entirely correct. The Revolver mode on the BDM makes the trigger and hammer work just like a double-action wheelgun, all shots double-action with optional cocking of the hammer.
The BDM is an all-steel design, and its strongest design point for CCW use is its incredible slimness. This gun is thin, easily the thinnest double-stack Wondernine ever made. The slide is as thin as a BHP slide, and the grip is no thicker than that on many single-stack pistols. Even the grip panels are artfully recessed into the steel frame to minimize bulk. And despite its all-steel construction, the gun is relatively light, weighing in at 28 ounces unloaded. That's the same weight as an unloaded SIG P226, which has an alloy frame. Yet despite its slim frame and light weight, it holds fifteen rounds when used with un-neutered pre-ban magazines.
The biggets user gripe about the BDM has been its unorthodox safety/decocker system. The safety goes up for fire, down for safe and decock, just like a beretta 92 or Walther PPK. It also acts as a secondary slide release lever. If you're used to the 1911 system, and the American preference of "down to fire, up to safe", the BDM will mess you up. I use the safety like the decocker on a SIG and think of it in the same fashion: leave it on "go" all the time, and only swipe it down-up for decocking the gun. Easy enough if you're used to shooting SIGs.
I've had a chance to shoot the gun before I got it, and function has been flawless so far. I can't comment on the accuracy yet, since I haven't had a chance to shoot for groups yet, but it does seem to put the bullets where you want them to go.
If you want to carry a Wondernine inside the waistband, this is hands-down the best one for the job. It is flat. It may not be the One True Sword, but it has some admirable qualities, and it's certainly Different (tm). I like Different (tm), and it's fun to add good examples of inventive gun design to the collection.
Here's a picture of the Browning BDM:
The BDM was a late entry into the Wondernine race, and its release just months before the '94 mag cap restriction may have contributed greatly to its lack of commercial success. Browning never marketed this gun aggressively, and it failed to attract LEO contracts.
The BDM's lack of success is regrettable; the gun itself has a number of interesting and unusual features. The funkiest aspect of the BDM is its switchable trigger: a selector on the slide of the slide can switch the pistol from "P" (pistol) to "R" (revolver) mode. In P mode, the BDM works as a traditional "crunchenticker", with the first shot in DA and the subsequent ones in SA mode. The R mode has been called a DAO setting, but this is not entirely correct. The Revolver mode on the BDM makes the trigger and hammer work just like a double-action wheelgun, all shots double-action with optional cocking of the hammer.
The BDM is an all-steel design, and its strongest design point for CCW use is its incredible slimness. This gun is thin, easily the thinnest double-stack Wondernine ever made. The slide is as thin as a BHP slide, and the grip is no thicker than that on many single-stack pistols. Even the grip panels are artfully recessed into the steel frame to minimize bulk. And despite its all-steel construction, the gun is relatively light, weighing in at 28 ounces unloaded. That's the same weight as an unloaded SIG P226, which has an alloy frame. Yet despite its slim frame and light weight, it holds fifteen rounds when used with un-neutered pre-ban magazines.
The biggets user gripe about the BDM has been its unorthodox safety/decocker system. The safety goes up for fire, down for safe and decock, just like a beretta 92 or Walther PPK. It also acts as a secondary slide release lever. If you're used to the 1911 system, and the American preference of "down to fire, up to safe", the BDM will mess you up. I use the safety like the decocker on a SIG and think of it in the same fashion: leave it on "go" all the time, and only swipe it down-up for decocking the gun. Easy enough if you're used to shooting SIGs.
I've had a chance to shoot the gun before I got it, and function has been flawless so far. I can't comment on the accuracy yet, since I haven't had a chance to shoot for groups yet, but it does seem to put the bullets where you want them to go.
If you want to carry a Wondernine inside the waistband, this is hands-down the best one for the job. It is flat. It may not be the One True Sword, but it has some admirable qualities, and it's certainly Different (tm). I like Different (tm), and it's fun to add good examples of inventive gun design to the collection.
Here's a picture of the Browning BDM:
(The frame is unbelievably svelte and light for a double-stack steel-frame pistol. Maybe a little too svelte and light, if persistent rumors of frame cracks are to be believed.) Still and all, a really fascinating pistol...
