I have to say i have been looking for the perfect pocket pistol for a long time. The Bodyguard looked awesome with its first release but I waited for S&W to work the bugs out and wasn't in any particular hurry. Two years later and the BG380 was still the standout in its class of guns. I picked up one today and put 150 rounds through it.
Ammo choices were slim these days but I did find some PMC and Sellier Bellot. Both were extremely accurate, I mean tack drivers! I was lucky to find any 380acp. The gun was very reliable and spit the cases out in one neat little pile on the ground. No break-in issues of any kind. Recoil was not even worth mentioning. I generally limit myself to a 9mm as my minimum caliber but with the advancement in high performance bullets and the manufacturers are all using them in the 380acp, I feel the Bodyguard is a Pit bull for its size and weight. Sometimes the right caliber in the right gun is a perfect marriage and that is the case with the Bodyguard 380. Super thin, light, accurate and comfortable to shoot in one package. It makes a Glock 27 feel too heavy and too big to ever pocket carry again.
I am a experienced tactical hand-gunner and handgun hunter so the heavy DAO trigger was no issue to get outstanding accuracy. It is heavy but breaks crisp and clean. It has a very unique feel that makes it very easy to stage the trigger almost like you would with a DA revolver. Once you got the feel of staging the trigger, you can take head shots all day long. If you are new to guns, this trigger might just seem heavy but old school revolver guys will love this trigger. I have seen similar accuracy claims so the trigger will perform if you learn the gun and it took me about 2 magazines to do that. A DAO is what I want in a pocket gun. Its just added insurance. The safety is also a nice option when the gun is loose in a pocket. The DAO trigger doesn't need to have the safety engaged for normal safe carry but I like the option. I did have to fine tune the laser for pinpoint accuracy but I was pleased with both the iron sights and laser accuracy. I get why S&W is using these sights, a tritium front sight would snag on your pocket. Painting the front sight is what we always did pre tritium sight days and I don't see it being any different with the BG380.
With very little effort, I could get accuracy bettering some full size service sidearms. The one target, I just used the iron sights and the other i just used the laser as I was tweaking it for accuracy.
I was able to put 6 shots in the size of a quarter at 10 yards when the laser was sighted in.
This will make a perfect hot weather pistol or just when I don't want to carry one of my bigger sidearms. There is no reason with this accuracy, the Bodyguard 380 couldn't be your only or main CCW especially with the high performance ammo now in 380acp. Number one rule in a gunfight is to bring a gun and you would be well served to have the BG380. My LGS let's me try about anything they have and I really didn't find any of the other pocket guns to be in the same league as the BD380. People tend to cheap out on their pocket guns and it should be just the opposite. Little guns need excellent engineering and S&W set the bar with this gun. The BG380 feels like a $500 gun and the fact that S&W lowered it to $400.00 for a laser integrated gun makes it a bargain in my book. I live in the mountains so this little gem will ride along with me as a light weight trail gun on ATV rides or scouting deer. Now to locate some high quality defense rounds like Gold Dots or PDX1.....
These holster fit the BG380 perfectly. The IWB is for shorts or sweatpants. The gun is light enough you dont need a belt.
Ammo choices were slim these days but I did find some PMC and Sellier Bellot. Both were extremely accurate, I mean tack drivers! I was lucky to find any 380acp. The gun was very reliable and spit the cases out in one neat little pile on the ground. No break-in issues of any kind. Recoil was not even worth mentioning. I generally limit myself to a 9mm as my minimum caliber but with the advancement in high performance bullets and the manufacturers are all using them in the 380acp, I feel the Bodyguard is a Pit bull for its size and weight. Sometimes the right caliber in the right gun is a perfect marriage and that is the case with the Bodyguard 380. Super thin, light, accurate and comfortable to shoot in one package. It makes a Glock 27 feel too heavy and too big to ever pocket carry again.
I am a experienced tactical hand-gunner and handgun hunter so the heavy DAO trigger was no issue to get outstanding accuracy. It is heavy but breaks crisp and clean. It has a very unique feel that makes it very easy to stage the trigger almost like you would with a DA revolver. Once you got the feel of staging the trigger, you can take head shots all day long. If you are new to guns, this trigger might just seem heavy but old school revolver guys will love this trigger. I have seen similar accuracy claims so the trigger will perform if you learn the gun and it took me about 2 magazines to do that. A DAO is what I want in a pocket gun. Its just added insurance. The safety is also a nice option when the gun is loose in a pocket. The DAO trigger doesn't need to have the safety engaged for normal safe carry but I like the option. I did have to fine tune the laser for pinpoint accuracy but I was pleased with both the iron sights and laser accuracy. I get why S&W is using these sights, a tritium front sight would snag on your pocket. Painting the front sight is what we always did pre tritium sight days and I don't see it being any different with the BG380.
With very little effort, I could get accuracy bettering some full size service sidearms. The one target, I just used the iron sights and the other i just used the laser as I was tweaking it for accuracy.
I was able to put 6 shots in the size of a quarter at 10 yards when the laser was sighted in.
This will make a perfect hot weather pistol or just when I don't want to carry one of my bigger sidearms. There is no reason with this accuracy, the Bodyguard 380 couldn't be your only or main CCW especially with the high performance ammo now in 380acp. Number one rule in a gunfight is to bring a gun and you would be well served to have the BG380. My LGS let's me try about anything they have and I really didn't find any of the other pocket guns to be in the same league as the BD380. People tend to cheap out on their pocket guns and it should be just the opposite. Little guns need excellent engineering and S&W set the bar with this gun. The BG380 feels like a $500 gun and the fact that S&W lowered it to $400.00 for a laser integrated gun makes it a bargain in my book. I live in the mountains so this little gem will ride along with me as a light weight trail gun on ATV rides or scouting deer. Now to locate some high quality defense rounds like Gold Dots or PDX1.....
These holster fit the BG380 perfectly. The IWB is for shorts or sweatpants. The gun is light enough you dont need a belt.
