What's the opinion of rhis revolver?

Wife has the airweight model 642, dad has the ruger LCR.

My 22 year old daughter is graduating college and a revolver is what she woild like for graduation gift. Something she can ise to protect herself when she moves out. She is also a CCW holder but hasn't got a lot of shooting experience.

She likes the weight of the 642 but the trigger of the LCR. When at the LGS, the bodyguard in 38 was in the used rack. Seemed like a lighter trigger pull than the 642, but was the same weight as the 642. The skinnier and lomger grip she liked better than the standard 642 grip.

I don't know much about the bodyguard revolver. So I thought I would ask here!

What say you all? Is the bodyguard worh it? The price was $430 and barely seen turn line and looked almost new. The store had the new one for $500.

If you are referring to the Tupperware bodyguard, you should know that it's not well thought of in knowledgeable circles.

The action is used only in the Tupperware model and is buggy: easy to freeze things up. This is a design defect Smith won't address. The controls are oddly placed. This thing isn't a J frame. A search here will yield more info on this thing: little of which is favorable.

If you are referring to the old Bodyguard: the M 38, you have hit on the best pocket pistol ever made IMHO. The modern version is the M638. These are both J frames, and dead reliable. They can benefit from trigger work.

You should know that these small revolvers require some effort to learn to shoot well.

I was talkimg about the new polymer bodyguard revolver.

Tell me more about the "defect".

This kind of 38 Special Bodyguard is good:

M49

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I'd avoid the BG .38 and go with the Ruger LCR. In my opinion the BG line (including the .380) is simply junk. I went with the LCR in .357 for the added weight to help with recoil when shooting.38's. If she's not recoil sensitive, the .38 +p model is a solid choice!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Please answer the question I asked.

Is the new polymer 38 bodyguard revolver any good, or should I stay away?

My daughter is not a purist. So she coild give a damn about the non traditional cylinder release, or really much care about metal versus plastic as long as it is reliable.

The Tupperware bodyguard will freeze up if you pull the trigger part way through then relax the tension on the trigger then try again to pull the trigger. The action will often freeze so you can't shoot the gun. Firearms intended for self defense must work every time, not just sometimes.

Sometimes the cylinder won't rotate when the trigger is pulled.

There are other problems you'll see mentioned if you search this forum.

Stay away from this thing.

Thanks. That's what I needed to know.

I just forwarded the info to my wife as she may go to buy a revolver today!

My M38 1969 made is a great bodyguard coined that in 1955 till 1988. Great snubby!! This is the real Body Guard !

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M 638 would be a good choice.
jpg imagescertificity.com

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Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

I wonder how many of the people claiming that the new BG38 will freeze up have ever even fired one. Every time I read one of these threads, I try to duplicate the problem with mine and it never seems to lock up. I own 6 or 7 different small revolvers and while the BG38 isn't my favorite of the bunch I don't believe that it is defective either.

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I'll chime in on this one...

I actually owned one from 2010 through 2015. Never once did it give me a bit of grief. It handled regular and +P loads well.



In the end, it wasn't my cup of tea, I traded it off on a 642 spring of 2015.

My beefs with the thing?
-The cylinder release was weird and the laser was darn near useless with the way you had to turn it on (it was an early model with an insight laser).
-I never really liked the plastic frame, or the cheap feeling trigger guard.
-I'm really picky about grips and the ones it came with were odd feeling.

With that said, it never failed me, once.

Well close. I bought a Ruger LCR in.22 years ago and it froze up on me immediately while I was doing my "Open the box as soon as I got it and dryfire it" drill. Scared the snot out of me as I could repeat the freeze up and it happened whenever one pulled the trigger fast. Sent it back Ruger fixed it(replaced the hand/pawl and something else) and I got rid of it immediately. For that reason I will not trust these new revolvers. I see no reason to forsake the airweight J frames when searching for a lightweight carry weapon as they have decades of proven service from a proven lockwork. If I want to shoot anything more powerful than .38 I'll go with my 25 year old SP101.
As far as weight advantage over the 638, according to the factory specks the Bodygurd 38 weighs 14,4 oz and my 638 weighs in at an ounce less. I'll take the proven J frame anyday

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...get her a Chic Lady...I know...blasphemy...

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A Country Boy Can Survive

I would say this is a very accurate assessment of the BG38. I also think the laser is useless and the grips are very weird but the cylinder latch doesn't really bother me. In fact, I will probably end up giving it to my mother who loves the cylinder latch because she is left handed.

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Totally agree, I carry my 638 more than any other gun I own.

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If you haven't figured it out by now, let's just say that many members of this forum are traditionalists. They just tend to resist change. I don't own nor have ever owned a polymer bodyguard so I can't express any experience with the polymer bodyguard. I will say this, I would avoid a used polymer bodyguard. I know there was some measure of growing pains with this gun. I'm sure S&W has sorted out these problems by now. Brand new polymer bodyguards are probably just fine. However, if I were looking for a new small frame S&W, I'd have to consider a new model 442 or model 642 which have very attractive price points at this time. You can even get them in "no lock" versions, if you're concerned about such things.

Looks like right now a new polymer bodyguard BG38 is going for approx $400 with laser at my favorite on-line retailer. The Model 438, the more traditional Bodyguard model made of aluminum & steel runs about $350 without laser. The Model 442 goes for as little as $330 without laser. As I said earlier, I would avoid a used BG38 because it may have problems that are unresolved. Also, a brand new, in the box, J frame S&W for $330 to $350 is phenomenal IMHO.

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NRA Benefactor

I've only fired 3 of these things: all owned by other folks. Each exhibited these problems.

What he says ^ ^ ^ - if you must have uber-light, which means some polymer in the construction - then you can't go wrong with an LCR. Yes, I know it's awful to say this on SWF. I have (only) handled two BG .38's - I found the actions to be sloppy, and I doubt it would come back any better if you sent one back to S&W. If anything goes wrong with a recent Ruger, Ruger will fix it ...

I've read frequent complaints about the bodyguard, so I'd avoid it. The Ruger LCR is prone to short-stroking the trigger in rapid fire so it's no-go IMO for use as a defensive firearm. The S&W centennial models would be my recommendation with the 642/442 offering the best bang for the buck.

I'm not a fan of the polymer Bodyguard. I've handled them before and just didn't care for them. The biggest issue I have is the cylinder release location, which is different than nearly every common make of revolver out there. And I've read enough about reliability/function issues that I would stay away from them. If you have a polymer Bodyguard and it works well for you, congratulations. But just because you haven't had issues with them doesn't mean issues don't exist. It's like saying I've never been hit by a car while crossing the street, therefore nobody else will get hit by a car while crossing the street.

I gave serious consideration to the Ruger LCR. My biggest complaint was the trigger. Yes, it's light and smooth, but it didn't have enough "oomph" on the trigger return for my tastes. I like a fairly strong reset for fast DA shooting. Does that mean it'd be bad for her? Maybe, maybe not. Handling a gun in the store is a good part of the selection process, but if at all possible have her try shooting the gun, either borrowed from someone or at a rental range.

The 642/442 is probably the best value in snubs right now. They're good quality, reliable guns at reasonable prices. Your daughter could always change the grips to something that better suits her. They take some practice time to develop proficiency, but it's certainly not a Herculean task to do so. The trigger can be smoothed and lightened a bit by a good gunsmith, but still be reliable. The gun plus a trigger job and some aftermarket grips may end up costing the same, or even less, than the polymer Bodyguard, based on the prices you're quoting.

Do the 642/442 guns have issues? Sure. Some have reported cracked frames or canted barrels from the factory. I had a hammer stud break after ~1500 rounds (about 1/3 were +P) and thousands of dry fires (with snap caps). Fortunately, S&W customer service is usually very good about fixing those issues under warranty. And given the number of these guns that have been sold compared to the number of problems reported I think it'd be quite rare to end up with a lemon.

Short version: a 642/442 would be a better choice, imo.

My Mom has a .38 bodyguard and it's fine for her. She hasn't shot a ton of rounds through it.

I'm meh, about the takedown lever. If it's all you ever knew, it might be fine. It feels a bit awkward to me. The trigger is lighter than my 442. And I actually kind of like the grips on it. They give you a fuller grip than standard J frame boot grip. But are smaller than the Hogue tamers. So sort of an in between grip. But not as comfy as the tamers.

The laser isn't in a bad spot. I'm not a fan of lasers. My Mom likes it though and shoots it really well. At Thanksgiving she shot it at the range and shot really well with it. For 5 shots and was done.

After reading the problems, I'm a little leary for self defense. But I'm not sure I'm going to say "Hey Mom, I wouldn't trust that gun" It has worked so far.

Yes, kind of like saying I heard about a guy getting hit by a car while crossing the street so everybody will get hit while crossing the street.

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Cylinder freezing up is a complaint on a lot of different revolvers. Simple cure, reset the trigger to it's full position, and it will not lock up. I have heard this complaint about Ruger DA revolvers. I have not been able to get either S&W, or Colt revolvers to do it. But apparently the BG has a different lockwork. This is also a problem of some hammer fired DAO semi auto handguns. It was a frequent complaint of Taurus pocket semi auto. Revolvers, and some semi's were not designed to have a short reset.

Even though Smith, and Colt are not prone to locking up, they still will not rotate the cylinder until the trigger is fully reset.

Nice try. Thanks for playing.

Threads like this irritate me a bit.

Here's the score, I owned the thing, for 5 years. I put a ton of rounds through it. It didn't have a single problem, not one. It never failed, nor the the frame.

I don't care what someone "reads" or "hears"...did you own one? Did you spend time with it? Yes? Then let's hear about it. If not, who cares...you searched "S&W bodyguard 38 problems" then vomited what you found in a thread like this one, congrats.

Back on topic, the laser was a hot mess. It's high and on the right hand side, to make matters worse, the on-button was tiny and on top. It was literally impossible to turn on when holding the firearm in a firing position. You either had to turn it on ahead of time, or do without. In a sudden defense situation, it is pointless.

Sorry, you are just making it too easy.

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I bought a new BG38 in early 2012 and it was dead within a few months. Based on my experience I don't recommend it...

About a month in, my BG38 locked up during dry-fire after cleaning. The action seized up with the trigger to the rear. I tried everything, but couldn't get it to unlock or even release the cylinder.

Back to the mothership for repair and on the first trip to the range it had light primer strikes. If I recall correctly, the misfire rate was about 1 in 8-10 rounds with various different ammo. This same ammo fired without fail in both my model 60 and 686 on the same outing (picture below from that range session).

Second trip back to the mothership and it was deemed unrepairable. I ponied up a couple more $$ and had S&W send me a 642-1 with CT grips as the replacement. Best "upgrade" I could have made. Below is a picture of my 642-1 after the first range trip.

IMHO, lightweight snub-nosed 38+P revolvers can be challenging to shoot and would not be my recommendation for a new shooter. Minimal sights, short sight radius, snappy recoil, and heavy trigger pulls make them hard to shoot well and not so fun to shoot for some.

When given the option at the range, both my wife and daughter will pick one of my polymer wonder-nines every time over any of my revolvers.

Edmo

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TRUTH: Don't delete my posts!

my model 638 is a joy to pocket carry & plenty accurate at self defense ranges (0-10 yards IMHO). carry with a speed strip reload with 5 or 6 rounds and you should be able to handle any reasonable threat

To answer your question bluntly, stay away from it.
I bought one last year. I tried to like it. I was OK with the cylinder release and the laser activation and plastic doesn't bother me. It shot well and felt good in my hand. The problem I had with it was the quirks in the action. The trigger and cylinder would lock up or only rotate half way under some circumstances, for a defensive firearm that was unacceptable to me. There are a couple of older threads describing this in better detail.
I know the price is good on these things, and they seem to be a good mix of new and old, but I think S&W dropped the ball on these.
Spend the money and get an LCR or a 442 with laser. That's my opinion as a former owner and someone who is not prejudice against polymer or the weird cylinder release.

Latest update.

Went to the range last night. Daughter shot both my wifes 642 with crimson laser extended grip. And my dads LCR in 38 with the longer more "full size" LCRX grip.

Daughter preferred the LCR other than the extra weight of the 642. She definitely does NOT like the trigger on the 642.

So it appears The LCR in 357 magnum would be the solution for my daughter. As the 357 mag version of the LCR is several ounces heavier than the 38. I will also be buying the longer LCRX (3 inch barrel lcrx version) grip as well as she really liked the ability to have all the fingers on the grip.

One thing both my daughter and myself have found with the 642 is that the trigger pinches the skin on our fingers behind the trigger and the trigger guard at the rear full rearward motion. Not sure if other people have this problem as well. I can avoid it, but our natural instinct position makes it happen every time. And the finger gets sore after several trigger pulls.

Off to go look at ruger's offerings. I didn't know they made a 3" version.....

^^^. The 3 imch is the LCRX and they "only" make it in 38+p. It is NOT available in 357 mag.

I just got back from buying my daughter the used LCR in 357 mag. Ended up at $425. Best new price I found with transfer fees would have been $490. I had $100 of store gift cards so out the door at $325. I think I did OK. If I didnt have the gift cards I might have went new.

My wife already ordered the full size grip for it on amazon before we left the gun store. Will get the grip in less than 3 days!

10 day warranty on the gun, so now I will habe to sacrifice and go with my daughter to the range to work out her "new" revolver. I'm sure you will send your condolences for my "sacrifice" LOL!