Played with a Bodyguard .380 yesterday

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stevieboy

New member
My local gun store just received shipment of the Smith & Wesson Bodyguard .380. I played with one yesterday. There are quite a few things I like about the gun and one thing that I absolutely HATE. Here are the good things. The gun is quite compact, yet ergonomically, it fits my hand well. I have huge mitts but I was able to easily put my first three fingers of my shooting hand on the grip, with my pinkie resting underneath. The laser button is placed so that you can access it with your index finger and it's ambidextrous. It's also far enough forward so that it will be unlikely that you'll turn it on or off accidentally. The sights are surprisingly good, the gun racks smoothly, and the overall fit and finish are impressive.

Now, here's what I hate. This gun has a trigger pull from hell. No two ways about it, it's the worst trigger I've ever experienced on a semiauto. The pull is loooooong and very heavy. You practically have to push the trigger back to the grip frame before it releases. It's impossible to predict the release point. Holding the gun on target while slowly squeezing the trigger is impossible for me. In order to get a discharge I had to sort of snap the trigger back, not exactly classic trigger manipulation.

I know, it's a defensive gun, not a target pistol, and the very long, heavy trigger pull is a good protection against AD. But, still, this trigger truly sucks.
 
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EdInk

New member
I saw one in the store the other week. I didn't handle it. I cannot confirm or deny the precious statement. It was not an a sleek looking like the LCP or P3AT. I think it's meant to be more of a IWB type gun rather than a pocket pistol. It looked sturdy and well made though.

I will mention the new bodyguard revolver had an EXCELLENT lightweight trigger. However, I really disliked the cylinder release location. It may make it easier for a lefty to open but the cylinder still opens on the same side. Not much gain from this particular feature IMHO.
 
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beeenbag

New member
Yeah I liked some features of the bodyguard 380 but I am not a fan of the manual switch laser.

I would have bought the .38 bodyguard if it wasn't for the laser.

I didn't get to try the trigger on either (my dealer is an old dog with the fear of dry firing) so I can't say on that. Glad to hear some reports though.

I think the laser will be controversial.
 
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spacecoast

New member
In a defensive situation you aren't going to be worried about the quality of the trigger pull, you are going to be pulling as fast and hard as you can until the threat is neutralized or you run out of ammo. If you're at the range shooting groups, then it might make a difference.
 
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Mosin44az

New member
I agree. I think the laser eliminates the pistol from consideration because of the price differential. OK to have as an option, but not standard.
 
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Sevens

New member
I handled the Bodyguard .380 on Saturday. I tried the trigger and I found it about on par with Kel-tec DA triggers. I didn't think it was quite as bad as you describe. I would now wonder if you handled more than one of them -- on the off chance that the one you picked up had some QC issues and perhaps the trigger or guts was out of spec.

The problem I had? The manually operated laser took a gorilla push on the activation switch to turn it on. Really, really, really awful. You almost couldn't turn the laser on with the pistol in one hand, you needed a two-hand hold on the pistol to help you push the pistol the opposite direction while trying to turn the laser on.

It was that bad. I wasn't impressed with it.
 
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Dashunde

New member
Activation pressure aside, that button is just a distraction, its something else to do or to think about and fool with.
Its likely that it will function better as a sales pitch than as a self defense tool.

Laser switches should be integrated into the grip and should activate upon grasping the gun in a normal way.

They had the opportunity to put that button in the back, maybe in the same manner as a grip safety (incorporate the safety too, perhaps?), but they botched it up.
 
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Sevens

New member
Meh, I don't think we are all that hard to satisfy. And when you read one of these threads where folks have valid concerns, it makes you investigate further and keep it in mind yourself when you get one in your hands.

I remember a couple years ago reading about a S&W Sigma pistol in forums. Reliable, shootable, durable and low, LOW priced. But the trigger is horrific.

The day arrived when I had a chance to shoot one. It was the owner's first handgun and he was asking my help to find out if it shot accurately, because he certainly couldn't do it. I shot it, not too bad, but it was obvious that the trigger was... hmmmm... the trigger that I like to show people to give them an idea of what to avoid. I have no doubt that this trigger compounded his novice skills with a handgun to the point where he couldn't hit much. He had a lot to work on.

Now bring up the term "gun rag" and talk about all the shooting magazines out there and you'll get 25 posts of people whining about how the only reviews you ever get of anything are stellar.
Ya know, we gun owners are a hard group to satisfy.
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I'm not buying that. There are countless examples of fine guns that make almost all of us pretty darn happy and for the few examples of the good guns that go bad, we often hear great reports of factory service.
 
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Magnum Wheel Man

New member
I bought the Taurus TCP :eek:

but I handled & dry fired several little 380's the other day... one was the new S&W Body Gaurd... did you notice that the buttons are ambi. but you must turn off the same button... ( can't turn on one side, & turn it off on the other )... the laser is fully integrated into the gun, & made by Crimson Trace, but was gimicky IMO... I also thought a tight fitting holster could turn on the laser, where the buttons were placed ???

the gun I handled also had a pretty poor trigger... but the worst of the group that I tested that day was a Ruger LCP ( was worse than the S&W )... but honestly... the trigger on the Taurus was by leaps & bounds better than the rest
 
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Barbicatter

New member
I'm intrigued by the Bodyguard .380 and I have been think about purchashing one. I like the gimicky built in laser site. I handled one at Bass Pro Shop but it had a trigger lock on it. How does the trigger compare to the LCP? I shot my buddies LCP yesterday and I thought it has a horribly long and heavy trigger. Seem like the trigger had to touch the frame before it would go bang. Is the bodygaurd any worse? My DA experince is limited, any DA trigger I pull I compare to my Kahr K9 which a long smooth trigger with a clean break.
 
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TheAmmoBroker

New member
Sight question...

Does the S&W have the LCP channel type sight arrangement?

I personally have not shot the S&W, but after reading the reviews, remain a fan of my LCP.
 
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Deegle

New member
I've handled one at the store. I agree with the above. The trigger sucks, but is a little better than the LCP - but not much. What is selling me on the BG380 is the fact that the sites are usable. Plus it feels a bit better in my hand than the LCP and Taurus.
 
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Sevens

New member
Well... I can tell you that -- I -- do not want a .380. Doesn't mean I won't end up with one at some point, but I can honestly say that I don't want one.

But I can see some uses for them. First is that it's a great pocket gun... really, really small. Especially the Sig P238. No 9mm that I know of is that small. The Rohrbaugh, maybe, is close, but like twice the price.

And for the recoil sensitive, some of the .380s are much easier to shoot and handle than any 9, .40 or .45 ever built.
 
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DavidOTX

New member
Bodyguard 380 experience

My wife and I are huge S&W fans and have had flawless performance from the M&P15, (3) M&P9C's, M&P40C, (2) 99OL, 32 and 41 magnum revolvers that we own, so I bought a Bodyguard 380 a week ago to replace my Ruger LCP. It fit in my large hand better, I liked the fit and finish of it better and the overall look is very nice. The lazer works great but is a gadget that I will likely never use, and yes the trigger length is long, so much so that my wife (an experienced shooter with larger than average hands for a woman) could not get it to fire properly and finally quit trying. I found it to be very accurate up to 7 yards and the recoil is less than the Ruger or Kel-Tec 380's which is a BIG plus.

Unfortunately I have already had to send it back the the factory for warranty issues (postage paid by S&W). My wife and I both experienced blow back with factory load PMC, American Eagle and Winchester FMJ's, which would indicate the recoil spring is too weak. Additionally, after about 130 rounds of the break-in period (I cleaned and oiled it before firing) the slide retaining pin dislodged during firing causing a jam. I reassembled and about 14 rounds later it did it again. I field stipped examined and reassembled and 10 rounds later the slide retaining pin flew 3 feet left and the slide flew 4 feet down my lane of the range, leaving me with the well made polymer base in my hand. Looking things over it appears that a small (spring controlled) retaining bar was not fully seating into a slot in the side of the slide retaining pin. It may be just on my particular firearm but I think it indicates debugging still needs to be performed by S&W on this new gun... I suggest test firing one first to see if you like the length and feel of the trigger, and proceed with caution when buying a brand new designed/released firearm from any manufacturer!
 
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