Dannie Smith
Member
I looked at one of these a little and am thanking of one for my wife. What are your thoughts on this gun or any other that would be good for her?
Thanks
Thanks
S&W Bodygard 380
- Thread starter Dannie Smith
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v35
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- Feb 8, 2006
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Hi Dannie,
There's noting wrong with that gun in general, but it's hard to what's best for your wife, not knowing her, or what she plans to do with it. Is it to be just a range gun or is it a carry weapon? In a purse or on a belt? All those details matter. Have you considered the M&P 9 Shield, which I also like, though its grip is a bit small for my large hands. Other models or calibers? Why or why not?
Also, the both of you should keep in mind that a weapon that looks and feels great to carry might be a bear to control. The S&W Airweight for example looks and feels great to carry, the Ladysmith variant even more so, but the moment she takes a J frame to the range it might lose its appeal. Or not, but who knows.
I enjoy buying gifts for my wife but I wouldn't consider buying a gun for her unless she tried it out for herself.
There's noting wrong with that gun in general, but it's hard to what's best for your wife, not knowing her, or what she plans to do with it. Is it to be just a range gun or is it a carry weapon? In a purse or on a belt? All those details matter. Have you considered the M&P 9 Shield, which I also like, though its grip is a bit small for my large hands. Other models or calibers? Why or why not?
Also, the both of you should keep in mind that a weapon that looks and feels great to carry might be a bear to control. The S&W Airweight for example looks and feels great to carry, the Ladysmith variant even more so, but the moment she takes a J frame to the range it might lose its appeal. Or not, but who knows.
I enjoy buying gifts for my wife but I wouldn't consider buying a gun for her unless she tried it out for herself.
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OilyPablo
Member
Supposedly the "new " model is better so please only use my comment as a single data point. I purchased new one in 2012. This was the only gun I was able to return to an FFL for a full refund. I think he took pity on the poor jammed piece of junk with body pins hanging out. First of all it wouldn't feed worth much. Then the pins holding the halves would walk out, then the laser would only work intermittently. It eventually quit working, the inside screw for the battery cover backed out and jammed into the frame making an unfixable stoppage. I gave up and bought a Sig P238 which remains flawless.
OilyPablo
Member
I forgot to mention light strikes that got worse after any firing at all.
MedWheeler
Member
She should be looking if she's interested, not you. After all, I doubt you're picking out her clothes iron, slow cooker, pots, and shoes, right?
You can certainly accompany her, but it's she that needs to be handling and browsing. See the site below:
www.corneredcat.com
You can certainly accompany her, but it's she that needs to be handling and browsing. See the site below:
www.corneredcat.com
hammerklavier
Member
It's a great little gun, never any trouble from mine. My wife hates it though. You have to have great follow through to hit anything with it due to the long trigger pull.
OilyPablo
Member
I forgot also to mention the trigger pull is just nasty bad.
Dannie Smith
Member
Thanks everyone. I am not stuck on this gun, just happen to see it while buying reloading supplies. MedWheeler she will have the last say on what is bought. That is why I am open to other guns. She tried a friends KalTech 380 and did not like because of the short grip. She would like one with a Laser sight. A couple of you mentioned the trigger which I did not like at all.
stchman
Member
You can get the Ruger LCP for about $100 less. The Bodyguard does come with a 2nd magazine, but LCP mags are about $30 each.
Have her try one of the pocket 380s out. As others have noted, the pocket 380s are easy to conceal, but are a real handful to shoot.
Have her try one of the pocket 380s out. As others have noted, the pocket 380s are easy to conceal, but are a real handful to shoot.
What does your wife think of a BG380? How well does she shoot? A Kel Tec doesn't have much more, if any more, grip length.
Now that's out of the way I've been carrying a BG 380 for over 2 years. It has ate any ammo I've fed it and has been 100% reliable. I'm of the school of thought that says FMJ in a 380 but mine also has been reliable with any of the 5 or 6 hollowpoints I've tried in it. The trigger is probably horrible to the striker fired 5 lb trigger crowd. IMO its no worse than an out of the box J frame. Not the best but not something you can't work with. I shoot it about as good as a 2" J frame.
I'm not a fan of lasers. My BG 380 has one, tried it. The battery has been dead for some time and it doesn't bother me. If you use a laser as a crutch your attention is diverted from looking at your target and sights. JMO.
Now that's out of the way I've been carrying a BG 380 for over 2 years. It has ate any ammo I've fed it and has been 100% reliable. I'm of the school of thought that says FMJ in a 380 but mine also has been reliable with any of the 5 or 6 hollowpoints I've tried in it. The trigger is probably horrible to the striker fired 5 lb trigger crowd. IMO its no worse than an out of the box J frame. Not the best but not something you can't work with. I shoot it about as good as a 2" J frame.
I'm not a fan of lasers. My BG 380 has one, tried it. The battery has been dead for some time and it doesn't bother me. If you use a laser as a crutch your attention is diverted from looking at your target and sights. JMO.
Wildfire
Member
I use a TCP .380. My wife was not impressed at all. It can get rather sassy even with low recoil loads. I like it better than the Ruger. My trigger is long but light.
My wife loves any wheel gun. My .38 special is a Titanium light weight and kicks like a mule. No way would she use +P loads in that. It is ported also and can be a tad on the harsh side with noise.
My wife loves any wheel gun. My .38 special is a Titanium light weight and kicks like a mule. No way would she use +P loads in that. It is ported also and can be a tad on the harsh side with noise.
NorthBorder
Member
My wife shot my LCP. After 4 rounds she would not shoot it any more because it hurt her hand. The BG is about 2 oz heavier but they are pretty much the same size, 2 fingers below the trigger guard. Maybe the extra weight, I don't know. Maybe the LC 380.
ugaarguy
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- Mar 19, 2006
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- 13,828
My thoughts are that you should read the sticky at the top of this forum:
So you want to buy your girlfriend/wife a gun. Then you should spend some time over on www.corneredcat.com.
bannockburn
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- Apr 24, 2007
- Messages
- 26,309
A friend of mine has an early production Bodyguard. Aside from a wandering POI laser (replaced under warranty without any improvement), and a sticky and noisy safety the gun itself has been reliable and reasonably accurate.
Pocket .380s are not going to shoot the same as larger frame guns, and most have a liability induced long trigger pull with double action as their function. They finish cocking the hammer or striker, adding more weight to the trigger pull, and frequently they release the firing pin striker very close to the frame. I don't have large hands but they are generally quite awkward to shoot - it's as if you need another knuckle to get that last tenth of an inch travel to make them fire.
Have HER go try them out, no one here would attempt to buy a gun for their shooting buddy as their are so many variables in experience, preference, and the way our hands work. What might be a perfectly acceptable trigger travel and weight may be nearly impossible for someone else - plus getting older, carpal tunnel, etc. These guns also have varying levels of recoil, from ok to painfully snappy. It has to do with the bore axis above the grip, recoil spring weight, and if they are blowback or Browning delayed.
Further, add in whether she wants to have the slide lock back on empty - which means you DON'T have to rack the gun repeatedly every time the mag is empty, or load against a closed slide, or do all that when time is of the essence. The last thing you want to discover is the gun is empty, it didn't tell you, and you have issues with racking the slide because it's not user friendly. Don't jump to conclusions that a high effort recoil spring is bad - shoot it and decide if a low effort recoil spring has acceptable levels of snap and muzzle rise. There IS a direct tradeoff.
Ignore styling if at all possible. If we could shoot them first, blindfolded, I believe the results of which is best as a dynamic relationship with the gun would be quite different than the games we play with Brand, etc. Just like the cooking shows, if you don't know what you are interacting with, you get to make choices on the actual product, not the social hype. Far too many buy Brand, and discover later the one they were told was socially unacceptable was exactly what they were looking for. It complicates things to layer picking what is best for someone else, and it gets exponentially more difficult to get the right one.
For lack of any other criteria, pocket guns are mostly .380, weight close to 10 oz, are polymer framed to meet that weight and a good price point. Lasers aren't a requirement and light technology goes obsolete after 4 years - the ones that include them are guaranteed to do the same. Better to add it on later and it can be upgraded. A slide hold open is a significant advantage, and for the most part, the lightest trigger with the shortest travel is what many prefer across the board when shooting. Put into the pocket the owner then thinks about safety, but a pocket holster and nothing else in there is the real answer. Many carry a SA gun with safety because of it. It's the gun market and liability that are forcing DAO on us.
If at all possible take her to a rental range and have her try some out. She will make a decision she has to live with one way or another, and you won't be to blame. Take it from the veteran husbands you don't want to chalk up another fail because you got her something she doesn't like. Save that for buying her a new vacuum for her anniversary.
Have HER go try them out, no one here would attempt to buy a gun for their shooting buddy as their are so many variables in experience, preference, and the way our hands work. What might be a perfectly acceptable trigger travel and weight may be nearly impossible for someone else - plus getting older, carpal tunnel, etc. These guns also have varying levels of recoil, from ok to painfully snappy. It has to do with the bore axis above the grip, recoil spring weight, and if they are blowback or Browning delayed.
Further, add in whether she wants to have the slide lock back on empty - which means you DON'T have to rack the gun repeatedly every time the mag is empty, or load against a closed slide, or do all that when time is of the essence. The last thing you want to discover is the gun is empty, it didn't tell you, and you have issues with racking the slide because it's not user friendly. Don't jump to conclusions that a high effort recoil spring is bad - shoot it and decide if a low effort recoil spring has acceptable levels of snap and muzzle rise. There IS a direct tradeoff.
Ignore styling if at all possible. If we could shoot them first, blindfolded, I believe the results of which is best as a dynamic relationship with the gun would be quite different than the games we play with Brand, etc. Just like the cooking shows, if you don't know what you are interacting with, you get to make choices on the actual product, not the social hype. Far too many buy Brand, and discover later the one they were told was socially unacceptable was exactly what they were looking for. It complicates things to layer picking what is best for someone else, and it gets exponentially more difficult to get the right one.
For lack of any other criteria, pocket guns are mostly .380, weight close to 10 oz, are polymer framed to meet that weight and a good price point. Lasers aren't a requirement and light technology goes obsolete after 4 years - the ones that include them are guaranteed to do the same. Better to add it on later and it can be upgraded. A slide hold open is a significant advantage, and for the most part, the lightest trigger with the shortest travel is what many prefer across the board when shooting. Put into the pocket the owner then thinks about safety, but a pocket holster and nothing else in there is the real answer. Many carry a SA gun with safety because of it. It's the gun market and liability that are forcing DAO on us.
If at all possible take her to a rental range and have her try some out. She will make a decision she has to live with one way or another, and you won't be to blame. Take it from the veteran husbands you don't want to chalk up another fail because you got her something she doesn't like. Save that for buying her a new vacuum for her anniversary.
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I've got the MP version (basically the BG without a laser and MP style serrations on the slide), and it's the best pocket .380 I own. It's compact, accurate, and feels more robust than my LCP (which isn't a bad gun in and of itself either).
I like to pack it when I can't pack anything larger.
I like to pack it when I can't pack anything larger.
Dannie Smith
Member
Thanks everyone again, a lot of good advise here and I will be taking it.
MICHAEL T
Member
Buying a gun for the wife Is a nice way to build your collection . Other wise let her pick.
onthehunt
Member
I really like my m&p Bodyguard. Great pocket pistol...
GiorgioG
Member
I have had zero issues with my Bodyguard (purchased in 2013.) I couldn't be happier with it. The only reason I chose this over the LCP is that I wanted a thumb safety.
marksman13
Member
I think you better let her shoot one. I don't find mine obnoxious, but my wife does not enjoy shooting it AT ALL. She much prefers my Walther PPK.
stonecutter2
Member
I like my Sig P238. The thumb safety is just fine with me, the trigger pull is like a 1911, and it's been pretty durable while carrying it.
ArchAngelCD
Member.
I can't stress enough, let your wife choose her own gun. Your job is to go with her to be sure the salesman doesn't talk down to her or push her to buy the wrong gun. Small guns don't always make good choices for carry or shooting. Just because a woman us usually smaller than a man doesn't dictate she should carry a small gun. She may like a 1911 and not a Bodyguard orca Sig over a small Glock. If small is the way she wants to go I agree with the above suggestion, a Sig 238 in .380 is a very nice gun and easy to shoot well because of the slightly heavier frame. But again, it doesn't matter what I think or any one else but what she thinks.
Candyman87
Member
Let your wife pick her own gun. You'll surely do it wrong. ;-)
That being said, my girlfriend's idea of the right gun is a Beretta 92. She hated the Bodyguard.
That being said, my girlfriend's idea of the right gun is a Beretta 92. She hated the Bodyguard.
Old thread & probably already resolved, but just for FYI sake if anybody else considering-
My laser-less sample has had no problems, it's a very handy little backup or special occasion pistol when clothing or circumstances dictate a tinygun.
I initially tried the Ruger LCP, could not keep the mag locked in no matter which pocket I carried in.
No premature ejection (which is always a good thing) with the Bodyguard's mag.
I happen to like the stiff safety on this one, but only since there was no safety-less version available at the time I bought it.
I do not want a safety on this pistol (it's too small & awkward to un-safe in a hurry under stress), I do not need one (in a DAO design), and if it HAS to be there I want it stiff enough to not activate itself during routine carry.
So far, it hasn't.
S&W has three new versions of the Bodyguard for 2016 including red laser, green laser, and no safety.
Agree to have any spousal unit try one before buying if at all possible.
I don't consider the recoil objectionable, but you never know with smaller hands.
Denis
My laser-less sample has had no problems, it's a very handy little backup or special occasion pistol when clothing or circumstances dictate a tinygun.
I initially tried the Ruger LCP, could not keep the mag locked in no matter which pocket I carried in.
No premature ejection (which is always a good thing) with the Bodyguard's mag.
I happen to like the stiff safety on this one, but only since there was no safety-less version available at the time I bought it.
I do not want a safety on this pistol (it's too small & awkward to un-safe in a hurry under stress), I do not need one (in a DAO design), and if it HAS to be there I want it stiff enough to not activate itself during routine carry.
So far, it hasn't.
S&W has three new versions of the Bodyguard for 2016 including red laser, green laser, and no safety.
Agree to have any spousal unit try one before buying if at all possible.
I don't consider the recoil objectionable, but you never know with smaller hands.
Denis
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