Looking for small ccw. Have bodyguard .380... Not impressed.

V

vizsladog

New member
I wanted a smaller carry pistol and went with the bg 380 because im in florida and wear shorts ect alot. Went to the range and hate the trigger and it had 3 ftf out of 50 rounds. So not impressed with the reliability . I looked at a sig p938 and loved the size and the feel. The wife needs a ccw and i was gonna give her the bg. She shot it and hated it.

Revolver for the wife? She wants reliability and and something to have at the house as well.

What else should i be looking at? I want a smaller gun that conceals easy.

Thanks
 
If price and carrying with the hammer cocked back in single action isn't a concern, why not another 938. I honestly can not think of a nicer subcompact 9mm. If that is not an option, I just picked up a Kahr CM9 that I am extremely pleased with and they can be had for around $320. As for a revolver, the J framed Smith & Wessons 442's, 638's etc..are a hoot. Glocks are awesome, G26, G43 etc.... There are so many awesome choices out there now for ccw I could keep going. See if you can rent a few and see what you like.
Just understand if you want a true pocket gun you are going to be hard pressed to find something better than a .380. Remember .380's are belly guns and are not typically meant for range days other than to stay profficient with them. They also need an extensive break in, the slides and recoil spring assemblies are very tight until you throw at least a few hundred rounds through them.
 
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Check your magazines if you haven't already. I've had FTE's on two Glocks due to tight magazines, but after leaving them loaded for a bit they have been flawless.

I know revolvers are always raved about for CC, but I would have your wife try one first. My wife hates my S&W because of the heavy pull, and she could not accurately anticipate when the gun would fire. Accuracy will probably be worse than your Bodyguard too, so keep that in mind.

I'd recommend a G26 if you want a smaller handgun. It conceals well and I prefer the trigger to its' other striker fired peers. Take her out to a range with rentals and go from there... Only real way to avoid your current situation of having a handgun you do not like/trust.
 
I wanted a pocket sized pistol and not a long heavy double action trigger pull. Only pistol that I found that suited me was the .380 Sig P238. I carry it concealed in a #3 Blackhawk pocket holster in a front pocket of my blue jeans. Got home and made the mistake of showing it to the wife. Not really a mistake, but she loved the size and feel and the trigger. Plus not having much hand strength she can easily operate the slide. Force to grip and operate the slide is light and smooth and this is the only semi pistol that I've found that the wife can operate the slide. SO, not wanting to give up mine I got back on the road and bought her one. Ours have, like many of the versions, the Sig night sights which are nice. Extra magazines are expensive as well as the cost of the P238. At the range it shoots Hornady 90 gr. XTP's very well with no failures of any kind after many rounds fired. I like the controls as they are identical to Colt 45 ACP's or Colt Gov't 380's. Can be carried in different modes of operation just like the Colt 45's. It has 6 round flush fit magazines or 7 round extended mags. The extended mags gives you another finger on the grip. Normally I carry a Glock 19 or Sig 220 Carry but for certain occasions or wearing certain clothes I wanted a pocket pistol.
 
I got a Sig P238 for the wife and a P938 for my kiddo. We put the ATS sights on the P938 and now my wife wants some too.
These are great small pistols.
 
The rainbow version is really pretty too. Here it is with ATS sights, black Hogue grips and extended 7 shot mag:
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I have the BG380 and know the FTF problems you refer to. I have been very active on the S&W forum discussing this. It is fixable, but may require a couple trips back to S&W. I persevered with it because I like the configuration of the gun so much.

I hear a lot of complaints about the trigger, but it never bothered me.

Before I got the BG I had a Ruger LCP which is a great gun. Basically the same footprint, but a bit smaller and lighter than the BG, and a lot more reliable. In fact, it seems to have a reputation for almost perfect reliability. The trigger might be a bit lighter, too. I only switched to the BG because I wanted an external safety, which many don't consider important.

David
 
My Bodyguard has had about 400 rounds run through it without incident but for daily carry the Sig P238 or my Kimber Micro are my two choices. Sometimes it is fun to change pistols as long as they wotk with controls in the same places. I also have a G42 and it is a great shooter ( no malfunctions with any of my small pistols however i use only ball ammo) but does not seem to be carried as much as the Sig or Micro. I do not think you can go wrong with any of the pistols i listed.
 
I carry a P238 concealed OWB (it's so small) in a pancake holster. Easily covered by an untucked shirt.

It's been 100% reliable with range ammo and 100% with American Gunner HPs.

If there is a better CC .380 out there I don't know what it is.
 
I carry a P238 or P938 depending on what I'm wearing. Both have been reliable and easy to carry. Good luck with your search.
 
Ruger LC9s. I carried a kel-tec pf9 for a long time but it was so light I did not shoot it much. I have since carried the kahr pm9 and then the LC9s. I chose the LC9S because of it's shoot ability a great trigger and a external safety (if you want to use it).
 
Thanks for all the help. Both the wife and i got p938's. I got the scorpion and she got a nightmare with extended mg. love the gun.

Now i need to find a good iwb holster.
 
I looked at a sig p938 and loved the size and the feel. The wife needs a ccw and i was gonna give her the bg. She shot it and hated it.

Revolver for the wife? She wants reliability and and something to have at the house as well.

What else should i be looking at? I want a smaller gun that conceals easy.
Click to expand...

Every review of these small guns I see is either awesome or the person had tons of problems. There doesn't seem to be any mouseguns that are just stellar...from what I have seen at least...but I have searched for countless hours looking at reviews and that is what I found. The sig does probably seem to be the best pistol. The ruger, keltec, taurus, SW (as you have), glock 42, etc all seem to either be great or cause problems and they all can be picky with ammo too. The most reliable pocket guns are probably just revolvers. There doesn't seem to be all of these problems once you jump into the 9mm gun size. If you like the sig I would get it. I personally do not like the hammer and it felt heavier than the others. Otherwise I love the look/feel of it.

And I read you got the sig after I wrote this haha. Nice. They look awesome imo. Good luck with them.
 
You may want to look at a Walther PPS in 9mm. Walther has reduced their prices recently and you can get a new one for under $380.
 
The Hogue rubber grips on the 938/238 are fantastic. Something like $20 and install quickly. It makes the grip fill your hand better and absorbs recoil. The finger flairs give your fingers a place to torque grip it and reduce muzzle flip. Make sure you get the 7 shot extended mag. The extra length means it will be a total hand grip for a smaller woman's hand. Guys might still get a partial depending on hand size.
I got my grips from Amazon...but everybody sells them. Some Sigs come stock now with the 7 shot mag, others you have to buy extra. Midway sells them as well as a few others.
 
Alien Gear

X 2 on the Alien Gear

I just received my OWB Alien Gear Holster, and it holds great. If and when I get my ccw I will be getting an IBW from them as well.
 
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