Remington RM380 vs S&W380 Bodyguard

The RM380 felt more substantial and had less flip from recoil than the BG380. While it was not a total deal-breaker, I was never enthused about the BG380's MIM barrel.

I can also shoot the RM380 quickly with one hand as well as I can with two hands; that is a big bonus for a pocket pistol.

I had the BG380 and did not care for it. It functioned fine,but I have large hands and it was just too small for me to handle effectively.
As far as anything from Remington these days... No thanks.

I haven't heard many great things about the Bodyguard 380. The RM380 seems ok, but a bit larger than what I'd want for pocket carry.

I've had an LCP for the past, IDK, 8 years, and I've been happy with it but I've shot it so much it's getting pretty loose. I've been browsing the current .380 pocket pistol market and also want to stick with a DA trigger so I think the best options now are:

The original LCP
Kahr CW380
Beretta Pico

Not sure which one I'll get but I'm almost positive it'll be one of those 3.

I, for one, am really wishing the old 3rd Gen 6900 series were made in a .380. although DA/SA, I'd trust my life to them, caliber not withstanding.

I have a bodyguard, it is what it is, fairly reliable, does have light primer strikes on some ammo, did not like corbon ammo, runs perfect on critical defense. small, light, easy to hide. I also have a Colt Mustang Pocketlight. Runs 100% with any ammo I have ever used.

I have a bodyguard and my barrel does NOT appear to be MIM. I bought this gun about three months ago, new from Buds. It is an LE gun if that makes any difference but I love this pistol. It shoots awesome! I use the Polycase ARX ammo and it shoots this ammo very well and is extremely accurate. Barrel appears to be forged stainless with black coating. No signs of any molding marks lines or anything else on my barrel inside or out.

This business about MIM barrels got me curious & looking. I went on You Tube and I did see one gun which had a line on the barrel hood and a crescent half moon around the witness hole. My pistol does not have any of this and appear to be a forged barrel. Now maybe they went back to forged barrels or maybe because my gun is Law Enforcement, it used a forged barrel. All I know is this is an excellent pistol and I like this much better than my RM380.

I've never fired a S&W Bodyguard, but I own an RM380. It's easy to shoot one handed (weak or strong), has light recoil for a pocket .380, and so far has never had a failure to feed, fire, or eject.

I didn't know that the S&W had a Bodyguard without a manual safety, otherwise I would have given that gun a look back then. Especially the Crimson Trace version.

A friend of mine had an early S&W Bodyguard .380 and I thought it had a pretty decent trigger on it. Didn't see much need for the manual safety (besides which it made a rather loud, annoying clicking sound when it was used). The built-in laser was relatively useless as it more often than not had a wandering zero. A new laser module did nothing to improve the situation and he has since stopped using it altogether. I found the gun to be a good size overall for someone with small to medium size hands.

I've carried a BG 380 almost daily for about 5 years. I shoot it about the same as a j frame. I've had exactly one failure to feed in a couple of thousand rounds of a wide variety of ammo. That was a rn fmj btw. Not a fan of lasers on any gun. Don't use the safety.

I'm pretty satisfied with it.

I tested both.
I now own two Bodyguards.

Did not like that long Remington trigger.
Denis

How is th RM380 trigger? Heavy?

Long & heavy.
You start your pull in the morning & expect the boom by tea time.
Denis

Cokeman said:

How is th RM380 trigger? Heavy?

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Very close to a snub nose revolver trigger. It has to be as the RM380 trigger has to lift the hammer from full de-cock. Such is the nature of a double strike capable hammer fired gun.

I really like the RM380. Enough to buy two of them.

For me, its a perfected Rourbaugh.

I had one. It was one of the finest machined and fitted pocket guns I’ve ever owned. It would not go through one magazine without a jam. Went back to the factory. Nothing. I spend close to $200 on every recommended ammo. 115-147 gr. I would have been happy if it fed ball.

The Remington version in .380? Probably 300 rounds. Never a burp. I carry the Buffalo Bore hardcast.

I've owned just about every DAO pocket pistol there is, and I can say without hesitation that the Ruger LCP custom and the Kel-tec p32 are the best ones out there that I personally have owned

I've only shot the RM380 once. It shot fine and seemed reliable, but it's significantly bigger than the p32, and not nearly as accurate when rapidly firing. It's just a hair bigger than the LCP custom, but the custom has a much better trigger and also shoots more accurately when rapidly firing (for me)

My S&W bodyguard was a light striking POS that went back to the factory 2 times before I gave up on it. Even with premium carry ammo, it was hard to make it through a couple mags without a light strike. It does have double strike capability, but I just didn't trust the thing.

If there is any advice I can offer, it is to not rule out the 32 ACP. With hot European ball ammo, it penetrate about 15" into ballistic gel with 4 layers of denim. It will do its job if you do, and I find it to just be far more accurate with follow up shots than a tiny 380.

The Ruger LCP and the Kel-Tec pocket guns in .32 and .380 do not meet the OP's criteria, as they are not true DAO guns, instead being a hybrid between DAO and SA.

I've handled, but not fired, the two guns the OP mentioned. I liked the heft and feel of the Remington over the S&W, and that's probably how I would have gone. At the time, though, I was using the P32 as my deep-conceal and BUG, and wasn't really looking to get another. I did end up with a Taurus TCP, though, after coming across one for a good price (it's another that does not meet the OP's "re-strike" requirement.)

Kaybee said:

I'm not against .32s. If I ever hit the lottery I would get myself a nice little seecamp and I'd sit there admiring it all day. I wouldn't carry it though I wouldn't want to scratch it.. haha.

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I have put a lot of rounds through the Seecamp 32.

Beautiful gun, but the p32 is functionally a better design. My biggest problem with the seecamp 32 is that you can't shoot ball ammo out of it, and hollow-point ammo in 32acp is a big No-No.

MedWheeler said:

The Ruger LCP and the Kel-Tec pocket guns in .32 and .380 do not meet the OP's criteria, as they are not true DAO guns, instead being a hybrid between DAO and SA.

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The Kel-tec p32 is a locked breach single strike DAO pistol. The Original LCP works the same way. They don't meet the OP's criteria because they require a tiny pre-cock, but The firing mechanism is DAO on both pistols technically speaking, which is why they're classified as DAO pistols.

While my experience with the Remington is limited, I can tell you that it's a good thing that the Bodyguard has re-strike capability. While mine could have been a lemon, the gun is pretty notorious for having the same problems according to lots of other owners. The thing about the BG380 that makes no sense is that the hammer spring and hammer a pretty beefy for a tiny little gun. The trigger pull is also a mile long. It just does not seem like a pistol that would have light striking issues. It's got to be something with the design of the firing pin mechanism[/QUOTE]

I shot a friends Bodyguard. It was terrible. The trigger pull was very long, it seemed to brake well after it should have.
It was uncomfortable to hold, and the recoil was borderline painful.

I went with a LCP. The trigger was still not great and the recoil was stout, but, it felt better in my hand.
I also have a glock 42 and this is a really good shooter.

I don't have any experience with the RM380. Hope this helps

tommy.duncan said:

I shot a friends Bodyguard. It was terrible. The trigger pull was very long, it seemed to brake well after it should have.
It was uncomfortable to hold, and the recoil was borderline painful.

I went with a LCP. The trigger was still not great and the recoil was stout, but, it felt better in my hand.
I also have a glock 42 and this is a really good shooter.

I don't have any experience with the RM380. Hope this helps

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My wife couldn't even barely get my Bodyguard to fire, and when she finally did, the look on her face was as if she just got stung by a bee....lol
She now owns a Glock 42 and loves it. I agree that it's a pretty sweet shooter for the size. The first time I shot it, I was pretty shocked at how accurate it was for such a small gun.

The S&W Bodyguard and Remington are true DAO with repeat strike capability. That is why the trigger pull is long and heavy. The slide movement does not cock the hammer. Every trigger pull starts with the hammer at rest and is a complete cycle. The LCP and Kel-tec P-3AT are pre-cocked. I think we need a new category for all these pre-cocked internal hammer and striker guns. Calling something DA when it is 70-80 percent pre-cocked just confuses the situation since they have light triggers that feel like single action. Then you have the LCP II which is totally cocked and truly SAO.

I decided on the Rohrbaugh R9 for my EDC, my R9 has functioned pretty well, I did have the barrel pin sheer, but I replaced the barrel pin (takedown pin) and it has functioned fine since. I regularly fire 147gr LAWMAN and 147gr Winchester Ranger "T" Series through it without problems.

The Remington RM380's trigger is almost identical to the R9 so I purchased the RM380 as a BUG. Then they went on sale for $99.99 after rebate so I purchased another RM380 for keeping in my bathroom. I think the trigger is smoother than a snub, although the trigger on my Ruger LCR is pretty nice and probably slightly better then the RM380. I have not had a single malfunction of any kind whatsoever with either of my RM380s.

I carry the R9 every day in my pocket wearing business casual and it just disappears in a pocket. You cannot see the gun at all. The RM380 is the same size as the R9, some people may think that it is too large for a 380 but the R9 disappears in my pocket - in a DeSantis holster and so does the RM380. The RM380 is a much softer-shooting gun than any of these direct-blowback 380s on the market, I can stay on target pretty easily with it. I didn't care for the Bodyguard's trigger - but you'll obviously find people who think the other way around - they didn't care for the RM380 trigger.

I'm happy with my purchases.

I like the DA-type triggers for a carry gun. Besides the Rohrbaugh, I also like the Kahr triggers and I also have a CM9.

One thing that would make me nervous purchasing a RM380 now though is that Remington is going through bankruptcy. I don't know how that will affect the company but it usually means layoffs and a disruption to the business in some way. I haven't had to use Remington customer service, and I am hoping I won't have to.

I'm guessing that with Remington filing chapter 11, that guns that are making them money will still be continued to be made. I'm hoping the RM380 is making them money, but with those guns selling for $100 (including the factory rebate) it would seem that Remington was certainly trying to sell non-moving inventory.