The FN 140DA - also known as Browning BDA 380 - was a semi-automatic weapon produced by both FN Herstal of

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and

Beretta Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta (; "Pietro Beretta Weapon Factory") is a privately held Italian firearms manufacturing company operating in several countries. Its firearms are used worldwide for a variety of civilian, law enforcement, and militar ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Overview

The production of this pistol design started in 1976. The new model was to replace the FN 1922/Browning 125 in the company's line-up. The pistol is a derivative of Beretta Model 81 and/or 84, distinguished by a closed cylinder head and a different safety system. It was available in

.32 ACP .32 ACP ( Automatic Colt Pistol, also known as .32 Automatic) is a centerfire pistol cartridge. It is a semi-rimmed, straight-walled cartridge developed by firearms designer John Browning, initially for use in the FN M1900 semi-automatic pi ...

and

.380 ACP The .380 ACP (9×17mm) ( Automatic Colt Pistol) is a rimless, straight-walled pistol cartridge developed by firearms designer John Moses Browning. The cartridge headspaces on the mouth of the case.Wilson, R. K. ''Textbook of Automatic Pisto ...

, with the .32 ACP variant manufactured by FN Herstal for European markets while Beretta manufactured the .380 ACP variants at their own factories on behalf of FN Herstal. However, Beretta did not sell these pistols under its own brand. Instead, the .380 variants by Beretta were sold as Browning BDA 380 by

Browning Arms Company Browning Arms Company (originally John Moses and Matthew Sandefur Browning Company) is an American marketer of firearms and fishing gear. The company was founded in Ogden, Utah, in 1878 by brothers John Moses Browning (1855–1926) and ...

for the North American markets. The Beretta/Browning model is distinguished by its markings, with the right side of the slide being marked "Fabrique National Herstal" with the FN logo followed by "Made in Italy", and the left side of the slide bearing the marking "Browning Arms Co. Morgan Utah & Montreal, P.Q." It failed commercially, despite some purchases by the Belgian Judicial Police for female officers. The production of the FN 140DA pistol was discontinued in 1987, while Beretta/Browning version was withdrawn in circa 1997.

Design

The FN 140DA/Browning BDA 380 is a semi-automatic firearm. The principle of operation is based on the recoil of the free lock. Self-cocking valve trigger mechanism. The frame is aluminum but the slide is steel. The handgrips are wood. The BDA 380 like the larger versions features a double/single action trigger mechanism. The magazine capacity in .380 ACP is 13 rounds. Adjustable fuse. Fuse wing on the left side of the lock. After firing the last round, the slide stops in the rear position. The outer latch is located on the upper left side of the grip. The FN 140DA is fed from a removable, two-row box magazine with a capacity of 13 (7.65 mm) or 12 (9 mm) cartridges, placed in the grip. The magazine release button is located behind the trigger guard. The 140DA comes with a threaded barrel. Mechanical, fixed sights (front sight and rear sight).

Users

* : Belgian Judicial Police (for female officers) circa 1980.Ian Hogg & Rob Adam, Jane's Guns Recognition Guide, HarperCollins, 1996 ed., 512 p. ()

Notes

:1.Production of Browning 125 ended in 1980

References

{{Reflist

External links

Browning BDA 380 users manual
.380 ACP semi-automatic pistols Browning Arms Company Beretta firearms