Originally seen in America as the Hawes or Interarms 220 or Browning BDA, the P220 very quickly became popular here. The gun came as a .45 ACP, .38 Super, 9 mm Luger or, rarely, .30 Luger.

In 1975, the P220 was fairly revolutionary. Designed to reduce cost, the pistol was meant to be faster to put into action, more safe, and cheaper to make than its predecessor, the P210.