New S&W .38 Bodyguard

[Quoheleth]

A friend is looking for a concealed carry piece and is drawn to a revolver with a laser. Naturally, guns like the Crimson Trace LCR and now the polymer Bodyguard are getting his attention. With the recent NRA Rifleman article on the S&W, the Bodyguard has piqued his interest.

Today we went to the local gun shop after our meeting to have a look-see at the gun first-hand. It feels good and he really likes the idea of a laser because he has some moderate-to-heavy eye problems.

What caught me off-guard, though, is how cheap the cylinder release feels - it's a sliding tab at the rear of the topstrap (right behind the rear sight) that looks and feels to be plastic. Not only is there fore and aft play but there is up and down "bounce" too. After playing with it for a couple minutes in the store, I honestly felt like if I got a fingernail under there and pushed too hard, it would pop off like the fill tab of my son's squirt gun. It just feels cheap.

Anyone hear of a problem with the cylinder release on these pistols?

In contrast, we held the old style, classic Bodyguard with the hump-back hammer shroud. Even though it's new production (arguably inferior to past production from the 50s and 60s) it felt more solid.

Don't get me wrong - I loved my Ruger LCR and I like the concept of the poly .38 wheel gun. I would buy another Ruger in a heartbeat if I had a place for it in my stable. But after seeing it, the Bodyguard has put me off recommending it to my friend.

Any other opinions? If mine is wrong, please help me understand why.

Q

 

[Mr.Davis]

Agree 100%, and I also hate the location of the switch that turns on the laser. Not impressed by the .38 at all.

 

[Old Fuff]

The "new" Bodyguard is truly new, in that the internal construction is entirely different then any previous Smith & Wesson. Regardless of the manufacturer, I make it a practice to wait at least one year before considering purchasing an unproven product. It may turn out to be fine, but in too many cases the manufacturer lets the buyer do the Beta testing. It's far from a sure thing these days, but when it comes to a defensive weapon you are generally better off if your choice has a track record, and the longer it is, the better.

 

[camper]

I've had one for three months and really like it. Very manageable recoil and you soon get used to the cylinder release and button for the laser.

 

[UKCATSHUNTER]

I was dead set on getting a LCR for Christmas. Went to the local dealer and she showed me the new bodyguard. Seemed like a darn good gun. The cyclinder release did feel cheap, but I don't think S&W would put something out that would fail like that. The laser was hard to activate though. Good practice would take care of that though.

 

[bannockburn]

I also tried out the new Bodyguard and felt that the cylinder release seemed kind of flimsy and loosely fitted. Didn't exactly inspire a lot of confidence in me in regards to its long term use. The laser tab was also difficult to activate, appearing to be less than intuitive to get it turned on or to select a different mode of operation. I think I would probably wait on this one, just to see if any problems arise out of these two areas of concern.

 

[Mr.Davis]

Yeah, the laser button wasn't just hard to remember to push, it was physically difficult go contort a right handed grip to reach. I had to shift the gun in my hand to do it. I'm sure Crimson Trace has patent protection on their much more intuitive actuator mechanism, but the S&W's button was a dealbreaker.

 

[MikeJackmin]

Your might be able to find a used smith with a crimson trace or similar setup already installed. With any luck the price difference won't be too much.

Update: Info on the various CT offerings here; also shows how to recognize the older version of their product:

http://forums.crimsontrace.com/index.php?topic=33878.0