S&W Bodyguard 380

[Ken's Den]

I am thinking of getting a S&W Bodyguard 380. What are the pros and cons on this gun.

 

[2wheels]

My buddy has one, it's pretty nice for a pocket .380 and AFAIK his has been reliable. I like my Sig P238 better but I'm a 1911 guy so I'm obviously a wee bit biased.

I think the laser is a bit of an afterthought, IF I want a laser on my gun I want it grip activated like Crimson Traces are. If you want the Bodyguard, I'd make sure you want it for the gun and not because it has a laser.

 

[robinkevin]

I hear the laser on them are not very good, but then again I see too many people depend on the laser. Don't ever depend on the laser, batteries can die and if you have my luck that will be when you need them the most.

Aside from that I can not really say I am a fan of the Bodyguard. Personally I think the LCP would be better as its more snag free design, no safeties other then the long DA trigger, and personally I shoot it as well as some larger pistols.

That being said, I am sure it would be a great pistol. Just not for me for the above reasons.

PS: I own and carry a P3AT which I love, however I think the fit and finish on the LCP is much better than that on the P3AT and worth the extra money if you have it. Might switch to LCP one day myself... who knows...

 

[Narwhal]

I helped a family member pick out a pistol and this is what they wanted so they bought it. I was pleasantly surprised; even though it's small and lightweight the .380 round is still pretty light recoling. I found the laser to be pretty good! The person who bought it wasn't an experienced shooter but were able to hit 3 soda cans at 10 yards from the hip (laser only) on the very first 3 shots. We fired 100 rounds through it (in the rain no less) and it functioned flawlessly.

While I prefer to carry .40's and .357's, for a recoil sensitive shooter who insists on a pocket pistol, it's a great choice.

 

[frank c]

I am thinking of getting a S&W Bodyguard 380. What are the pros and cons on this gun.

I was also looking at the S&W bodyguard,ended up with a sig P238.Very happy with my choice .

 

[Hossfly68]

When my wife finally decided to start carrying, she looked for the perfect pistol for 6 months. She finally settled on the BG380. She thinks the laser is "cute", but she's turned out to be a damned fine shot with or without the laser. She works several nights a week and she carries it when she does. We bought a used one first and had many problems with it. It was also a second serial number run (ie-EABxxxx) and that was the main problem. S &W finally replaced it with an EAXxxxx model and it's functioned flawlessly through 167 rounds of various types so far. She loves it. I like it. It goes BOOM (well, Boom) every time.


Edit- it seems the root of the problem was the laser retention screw backing out of it's hole and getting in the way of the slide and jamming things up. If you get one, tihten it and then just a small dab of LockTight ,not the permanent kind! You'll want to remove it to replace the laser battery!

 

[bannockburn]

A friend of mine has one and likes it. Accuracy is decent enough for its intended use and the DA trigger and sights are likewise very good for a gun of this size and caliber. Only problems have been with the laser and the safety. The original laser module was replaced by S&W as it had a tendency to move about within the frame. The safety is still very stiff and difficult to operate, despite frequent use and also after trying several different lubes to alleviate this problem.

For myself I would be much more interested in the Bodyguard 380 if S&W offered it without the laser and at a slightly lower price point.

 

[fxstchewy]

I bought one and so far its been fine, no issues.

 

[Gun Geezer]

Bought one 6-months ago for the wife. The laser died on the 5th shot. S&W said send it in, I did, and they sent me a new one. No problems since.

The pistol shoots well enough. Nice and thin. Easy to hold. Easy to hide. I carry it more than any other pistol.

 

[JDGray]

I shot a bodyguard that my friend said didn't shoot well. Put 6 rounds inside a 2" group at 24', dead on the bull. The trigger stacks so bad I thought the safety was on, which I did leave on for the first shot attempt. The heavy trigger is safe enough to carry without a manual safety. Was to light out to use the laser, so don't know how that feature works. I liked my LCP better, especially the trigger.

 

[JDGray]

Dupe

 

[OldCavSoldier]

Love my BG380.....Over 1000 rounds through it and not one hiccup!!

 

[Buck Kramer]

Very happy with mine. It CYCLES ammo flawlessly; however the firing pin doesn't have the power to hit the primer hard enough when using cheap @$$ Tula ammo. Thats my only complaint, and I carry it.

 

[jwsracin]

carry mine every day, i think the trigger pull is twice as nice as the lcp (brother owns one-i've probably shot it more than he has). after adjusting the laser, it's dead on at 25'. i have no problems with it hanging up, and i don't think i'll ever own a gun without a slide catch and a safety (i'm sure someone will say why do you need a safety with a DA trigger, don't know but i like it), but anyway thats just my two cents