Thoughts on the S&W Bodyguard 380

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Mine's been good, but there have been some problems with them so i'd suggest waiting a bit longer. It's a good shooter and has good sights for a pocket pistol. The laser works but I am not a laser guy so I don't use it much.
 
Mine has been great, slide lock is a nice upgrade over the LCP or P3AT, safety is eye-wash laser is well integrated and easy to ignore but offers some extra utility in some scenarios.

No issues of any kind with my 100 rounds of Wolf steel case and 50 of my "Santa Barbara" JSP carry ammo.
 
The "EAF" serial numbers supposedly fix all of the issues the early guns had. Get an "EAF".
 
my friend has one. i like the trigger and it is accurate and reliable. felt a lot more user friendly than most other weapons in its size.
 
I have an EAE sn model and I have no complaints, I'm a couple hundred rounds in, the trigger pull is kinda heavy but that's to be expected with it being a dao, it took me a few to get used to it, as I was pulling off target because of the pull but now that I'm more used to it I absolutely love it, I've already customized mine a little bit with custom grips and paired sights, but thats all for personal preference, which brings me to another winning point of this little gun, it has REAL SIGHTS instead of just a notch like my wifes lcp,

All in all if you already kinda like them, you're contemplating on one, I'd recommend it, it's a good little gun

It's too bad you domt live closer or we'd get together and I'd let you try it out
 
I picked an EAF model up on the 20th and took it out today for the first time. I put 100 rounds of American Eagle through her with zero problems.

The gun was accurate right out of the box. The picture below is my first magazine at 21 feet.

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I didn't try the laser to much because I'm not a big laser guy either. I plan on using that a little more when I go out again in a few days.

The recoil was slightly less than my P3AT and my friends Ruger LCP. I was actually surprised how comfortable it was to shoot.

All in all I think with the way this gun came down in price (and it's initial issues worked out), I don't know if there is a better deal on the market for pocket 380's right now.
 
Yeah, the safety is pretty tough to active but easy to deactivate with the right hand thumb (middle nuckle). I never use the thing anyways. No need for it. Extra feature that is there if you want it but not necessary.
 
I have one and I think its the best pocket 380 out there, price is really cheap now at CDNN for $349
 
Mine is sitting in the desk drawer at the shop. New Years Eve NICS delay. I guess the nics employees didn't really want to be answering the phones on NYE and were handing out delays like candy on Halloween.
 
Finally picked my BG up today(MD 8 day waiting period) and shot it. Its an EAE and fired flawlessly. I happy with this purchase.
 
How does the Bodyguard compare with a Ruger LCP or Kel Tec P3-AT?

Is it worth the extra money (about $80 at my local gun shop).
 
How does the Bodyguard compare with a Ruger LCP or Kel Tec P3-AT?

Is it worth the extra money (about $80 at my local gun shop).
Click to expand...

Absolutely, if you want a laser its ends up less expensive. I also think its worth it if you don't, for the better sights and slide release lever. Not to mention S&W unmatched customer service and support.
 
For me, it is easier to shoot more accurately than my LCP, so I would consider that worth $80. The grip fits my hand better.
 
Apologies for hijacking the post, but this struck a chord with me, involves the .380 and wanted to share.... I regularly carry a ruger lcp as a backup to my main carry. Unfortunately last week I saw a stray cat trying to cross the road. I stopped to let it cross and it stayed on it's side, not sure why but as soon as I started back up it tried to cross and unfortunately it was hit. I stopped got out and looked and it appeared to have it's back broken. I want to predicate this with the fact that I have a strong ethic about only shooting what you plan to eat, however, I will make exceptions in the case of suffering. Trying to make a long story short, I pulled my lcp and tried to make the suffering quick. The animal continued to kick, I shot again and after a few seconds it finally stopped. There are constant arguments about the effectiveness of certain rounds, if it took two rounds of Hornady critical defense hollow points, almost point blank to put down a 5-7 lb cat, would it have any effectiveness in a self defense situation against a real bad guy, even with proper shot placement? Since then I'm wondering if it is even worth having.... My main carry is a .45, which has a proven track record, so I'm covered overall. Guys, please be careful out there with the .380....
 
STL73,

I agree, all pistol cartridges are marginal for ending a threat right now. And a .380 is near the lower end. I carry one daily because of weight and size concerns. But I practice with it weekly to try to counterbalance it's shortcomings.

I really only have confidence in a .12 ga. :D
 
I find your argument interesting considering I used to have to check the morgue when I was a deputy sheriff to see if we had warrants out on the people who showed up there. I found plenty of them with .380 holes in their bodies, and they were all dead as yesterday's news.

You might also find it interesting to know that many of the European countries killed a buttload of people with .32 caliber service revolvers and pistols, since they're even less powerful than the .380. I have six or seven .380's, and for the most part use ball ammo in them. The "9MM kurz" (.380) is nothing more than a short-cased 9mm round, and totally effective for self defense. Sure, if you shot somebody with a cannon, it would be a bigger bullet and do more damage, but .380's have been killing people for a long time, and I'm betting their record stands up against the "they're too small" or "not powerful enough" arguments anytime.

Self defense shootings aren't "one shot, one kill" scenarios... most of the time, the person defending themselves keeps shooting until the threat stops... whether it's once or 10 times... and to quote a former member of the House who was discussing his wife's shooting him if he had an affair, he said "they would probably find her standing over my body sayiing 'how do I reload this damn thing?' "

I have acquaintences who have been shot by .45's and are still walking around, and others who were shot once with a .38 and are dead as a stump... it's not caliber that makes or breaks a "kill shot", it's shot placement and the damage done by that shot placement. We used to kill 400 pound hogs with a .22 rifle by shooting them once behind the ear... and it worked every time.

WT
 
STL73
Where you in a rural area? Where I live, I couldn't just discharge a firearm on the street like that.

I am by far no expert but if you didn't shoot the cat in the head or hit a vital organ, I would think even with a 45 it may have taken a second shot. Same goes with a person, they should go stiff instantly unless the shot is very precise.


On a side note, when I was young, my buddy shot a squirrel with a powerful BB/pellet gun. The squirrel did a few flips/twists and then died 10 seconds later. Upon inspection, the bb/pellet went right through the brain and it still wasn't instantly stiff.
 
I know I am not the only one who has seen chickens flop around long after their heads have been entirely removed, or ground squirrels, prairie dogs, wood chucks, etc kick around (sometimes back into their holes) with "holey heads".
However, thank you for not letting the cat suffer.

That said, I'll probably pick up an S&W Bodyguard at some point just to have one in the pocket gun collection. Good deal with the laser included. A local shop has them at $369 right now. I've been waiting until they get through the initial new product tweaking stages.
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Wristtwister, joepa150, appreciate your comments, however, you are preaching to the choir on shot placement, stats on other countries and so on... Just my thoughts and a recent experience, shared it to invoke thought and see what I got back....

Regardless of caliber we should all be careful and smart, there are plenty of deceased peace officers who had much more training than most of us, along with better weapons and armor, and some low life got the drop on them.... Whether it be a .22 or a .50 caliber, whipping out your firearm doesnt mean you win by default.
 
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