S&W Bodyguard 38

[OrangePwrx9]

Got to shoot one yesterday. Ammo was my own DEWC reloads from years ago (2.7 gr. Bullseye, as I recall) and some Hornady 110 gr. Critical Defense rounds supplied by the owner. Was expecting a recoil problem, but there wasn't any; the little gun was surprisingly soft shooting with both loads. This was the first aluminum frame snubby I've shot, so use that fact to lend perspective to my comments.

Accuracy using the sights at 50 ft. was pretty bad; but my old eyes rarely see a sharp sight picture anymore so it probably wasn't the gun's fault. As the light faded, the laser became useful. Using that, the owner succeeded in keeping 4 of 5 rounds in a 4" circle at 10 yards. Not great, but much better than I had been doing with the sights.

I like what they did with the laser. Turning it off and on is straightforward and doesn't force you to hold the grip a certain way. The laser is also pretty close to bore centerline. The grips are slim and smooth and should work for pocket carry. Ignition was reliable and the DAO trigger seemed good, though not great.

The little gun was very light and seemed almost toylike. Good for carry, I guess, but not exactly confidence inspiring. Also the fit of the cylinder could've been better; there was a fair amount of both rotational slop and fore & aft play....though I did not check this while the trigger was pressed and the hammer about to fall.

Thought I'd add these impressions as I didn't see much of anything about the Bodyguard on a search. Interested in hearing what owners and experienced shooters think of this revolver.

 

[Mrdinks]

I have one, very accurate. Nice little gun. Fits in the pocket nicely.

Sent from Heaven using Tapatalk 2

 

[ArchAngelCD]

OrangePwrx9,
You said the Bodyguard 38 was "the first Aluminum frame snubby you have shot" but it's not an aluminum frame revolver, it's polymer based. That's it's claim to fame, it used a polymer frame instead of metal. Part of the reason they feel like the shoot light is the polymer flexes and takes up some of the felt recoil.

The Airweight and Airlite J frames are Aluminum alloy.

 

[DylNger]

The Bodyguard is actually lighter than the Airweight revolvers. My daughter bought one today for CCW purposes. It will live as a purse gun most likely. She hasn't got her CCW yet but she won't have any problems getting it. I taught her to shoot early on and now she can shoot nearly as well as I can without ever practicing. If she did practice she would be amazing.

The laser was pretty far off when we first got the gun home. But by the end of the day I had adjusted to where it was shooting 4" groups at about 12-15 yards. Recoil isn't as bad as I feared it might be. And the gun fit my daughter's hand far better than my Flintstone hands. She was very happy with it when she left here. I made sure she picked up a purse holster too. No sense taking extra chances IMO.

My wife fell in love with the thing too. She was asking if they had another one at the LGS. My wife may have a little tougher time with the recoil than my daughter who is bigger and stronger than her mother (but beautiful too BTW and that's not just a dad's perspective - I thought she wasn't going to make it in the shop for people hitting on her with dad standing right there).

She actually wanted a semi-auto but everything she tried seemed to have a slide release that just wouldn't let go. It was fate I guess. Heck I had problems with some of those slide releases. It's probably good that she bought a revolver anyway. They're much more simple to operate especially with DA mode only and no hammer.

There are some strange controls on the Bodyguard 38. The release for the cylinder for one thing. I've never seen one like that but for a new shooter they will learn that just as fast as the traditional design and of course you can use either hand to work it. I found the switch for the laser to be awkward but again I figure my fingers may have caused that problem. My daughter seemed to be able to work it just fine.

The only real problem I had with the gun was that the laser hits the cylinder some when it's lined up on the POI. It lights up the side of the cylinder a bit. But it certainly was on target once I got it aligned correctly. I was surprised at the accuracy for such a short barrel. The weight was outstanding and the recoil entirely manageable even for my daughter. I can't see any real reason to complain about this gun. I may work to get one similiar for the wire. She was impressed with the size and weight. I can only imagine what she will think of a .380 SA. Women like their guns small I guess. My daughter really liked the Ruger LCP everyone is buying but the slide release was just too tough for some reason. I tried to tell her it would work loose some but it evidently needed to work loose a lot. So she came home with the S&W and she likes it really well.

 

[the count]

Had one for a few weeks and sold it. For a pocket gun its just too bulky and the recoil is unpleasant. Just my 2 cents worth...

 

[DylNger]

My daughter had no problem with the recoil. It is heavy for a .38 but it's not like shooting my .44 mag or anything. It's manageable enough to practice with often and that's the main thing. And for her it will be a purse pistol, not a pocket pistol. It's plenty small enough for that and IMO a person should learn to shoot with a handgun they can control well and some of the small shooters are hard to control IMO. There just isn't enough to hold onto.

To me it's the basic snub nose only with a much lighter design. It's easy enough to conceal and light enough to carry. I wouldn't want it as a target pistol but that's not what it's for. But to each his own I guess. My daughter had trouble grabbing the small semi-autos (tried to get her to go with a Ruger LCP) and working the slide because there wasn't enough to grab. That's why they make different models I guess.

 

[rodinal220]

My first BG38 experienced misfires and was inaccurate with any ammo I tried.Shot high and left,especially with 158gr +p LSWC-HP.I sent my revo back to S&W and got a call from a tech about three weeks later. He said they couldn't repair it so they were going to send me a new gun,they did.
The second BG38 has been 100% reliable and still a little ammo sensitive.Shoots POA with 110/125 gr jacketed,still a little high and left with 135 +P GD and does not like the lead FBI type loads.

Recoil is manageable with +P and the trigger is fast and smooth.I find it easy to two-stage this DOA revolver.It is very light and fits nicely in my Uncle Mikes pocket holster backed up by its cousin 638.
I set the laser to hit dead on at 7 yards.A nice feature for low light unconventional shooting positions.

Now if S&W would just acknowledge that my M&P FS 9mm is a POS and woefully inaccurate I would be a happy camper.

 

[tryshoot]

My model 38 bodyguard was alum.

 

[Mr.357Sig]

My Bodyguard was plutonium. So there.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

My model 38 bodyguard was alum.

The Model 638 is an Aluminum Alloy J frame with a Bodyguard frame. (shrouded hammer) The Bodyguard 38 is a new polymer frame .38 Special with an integral laser.

IMO S&W made a mistake naming the new line Bodyguard because they already had a frame style called Bodyguard. I know it would cause confusion just like this...

They have 2 Bodyguard handguns, the Bodyguard 38, a revolver and the Bodyguard 380, a semi-auto.

 

[fxstchewy]

My Bodyguard was plutonium. So there.

Mine was unobtainuim..........

 

[tryshoot]

Blue book of gun values, 30 th edition, page 1687. Model 38 bodyguard airweight has an alloy frame. Disc in 1998. Don't know what yours is, mine ain't plastic.

 

[DylNger]

There is a new model that is not an Airweight. It's even lighter and it has lots of plastic. It has an aluminum frame with a steel cylinder and barrel. The lower frame is steel also I believe. But it is considerably lighter than the Airweight model. The LGS where my daughter bought hers had one of each and the new design was much lighter but still didn't have too much kick.

 

[shep854]

Giving a 'new' gun a classic name doesn't necessarily make it a good design, but it does annoy the owners of the Real Thing.
I too, thought the thread was about the Model 38 Airweight Bodyguard.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Blue book of gun values, 30 th edition, page 1687. Model 38 bodyguard airweight has an alloy frame. Disc in 1998. Don't know what yours is, mine ain't plastic.

For the last time, the Model 38 Bodyguard is not the same revolver as the 2 year old Bodyguard 38! They are two very different revolvers and models and the latter is polymer. You can be as smug as you want but those are the facts, even though S&W has made things confusing.

The OP may have been talking about the Model 38 but that's not what he wrote.

 

[Hondo 60]

pitchers or it didn't happen.

S&W did in deed make a "bodyguard" many years ago (Model 38).
This "new" one they have out now doesn't hold a candle to the old one imho

just to prove I have one

 

[ArcherandShooter]

Mine is so light I think it's made of upsidasium.

+2 if you get the reference.

 

[shep854]

A pox on the marketing troll who thought reusing the classic S&W pistol names for completely different designs was a good idea!

 

[2wheels]

I considered a Bodyguard .38 (yes, the poly one! I love how 90% of this thread is unrelated to the OP) when I was in the market for a snub nosed .38, I went with the S&W 442 instead. It was cheaper, it felt more solid overall, and I didn't like the laser on the Bodyguard.

Haven't had a chance to actually shoot one, but I'm pretty happy with my 442.

 

[shep854]

Think how boring (and uninformative ) these threads would be if everyone stayed strictly on topic!