She Who Must Be Obeyed saw a S&W Bodyguard 380 at shop yesterday.

She wants to purse carry ... would you recommend it for your lady?

My knowledge is for revolvers and Remington shotguns.

Bekeart

My wife has one that she carries in one of those special purse/holster things. I’m not a real fan of the idea, but it’s about the only way she’ll carry. At least she uses the long strap for cross body wear so that she can’t just leave it somewhere.

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NRA Life Member, Patron

Body Guard, LCP or II, Kel-tek … they are all good, If SWMBO likes one more that the others, Then SWMBO Gets what SWMBO wants!

On the purse carry. My wife had her purse cut off her shoulder! Either buy one with the steel cable in the strap, or put one in yourself! What they did with her check book was bad enough, Nobody wants to give them a gun too!

Ivan

The Bodyguard 380 has a terrible trigger, IMHO. You start to pull and eventually run out of finger angle before the break. The LCP and Sig 290RS in 380 are vastly superior.

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Release the Kraken

one of my daughters has a kimber in a 380 (do not know the model number/name and another daughter has a sig sauer p238 in 380.
Both are great choices.
I bought the sig.

What Ivan the Butcher said! My wife carries the Bodyguard, makes her happy, makes me happy.

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Kevin in Oregon

If she is force to use it for self defence she will not remember the trigger pull.

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Bob P.

My wife makes three. It's not even close too what I carry but she is happy and that is all that counts. Larry

Agree, and the trigger reset is just as long.
Caveat: Get her what she wants now, add in some range time with alternatives and see if she'll want to upgrade.

If she wants to handbag carry, she should be made aware of the need to keep the handgun securely holstered and separate from all the flotsam in her bag which might get into the trigger guard. A purpose built holster bag is best.

I have a BG380 and my wife doesn't like shooting it at all. The recoil impulse is fairly sharp, which doesn't bother me as much, but she has a little arthritis in her hands.

You should rent or borrow one and let your woman have a go at the range first. If she doesn't like shooting it she won't practice with it. If she really wants to purse carry she could manage a larger frame pistol with more capacity.

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Southern Comfort
Retired USAF

I love mine

My wife bought one and didn't like the long hard trigger pull. I traded her my Taurus 380 which she loves. I like the Bodyguard. I put a Galloway trigger kit on it which helps a bit by shortening the pull a little. Have her try it out before buying.

As long as she doesn't want to practice with it, you're right.

Not a gun to take to the range. The trigger is awfully long and there is some recoil for a small 380. where the guns shines is : as a carry gun
It is small, thin, light.
plenty accurate ..........if you can stage the trigger like a revolver.
I have one for my summer ccw
If the wife wants to purse carry it off body, then get one WITH the external thumb safety for extra safety

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S&W BG380, S&W 915 9mm

It is always best to let someone decide what they want. It will be her gun, it should be her decision. The may be downsides, but it's her decision. She may love it.

I had the same complaint. I put in a Galloway Santiago trigger and it greatly improved the pull - I no longer run out of finger angle prior to break. It did have some light-strikes that I remedied with an extra spacer on the hammer spring. <edit>as oldiegoldie pointed out, this was prior to inserting the over-travel stop (excitement of taking photo of the new trigger)</edit>

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looks like you left the over travel screw out of your trigger. I also finally got around to installing the trigger kit in my 2012 BG and it is a very nice trigger. i much prefer the BG over the Sig P290RS, even after sending the Sig to Galloway to install their trigger kit. i carry a 2017 BG in my pocket in a Vedder Pocket Locker and feel well armed in this area. Federal Hydra-shok ammo. wish everyone's experience with the BG was as good as mine.

Well spotted - this photo was taken prior to setting it.

I must adapt well for I just put 50 more down the tube with no problems

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no offense intended, but I have one, I have large hands and for me it is a ***. The trigger is the worst I've ever felt on a pistol. The likelihood of being able to fire it effectively in an emergency is near zero. I refuse to spend money to improve it. Will be selling.

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Loving retirement!

Good food for thought here. How about just buying a 442 instead. Trigger a lot better?

None taken,I have large hands also but have no problem adapting,like my LCP,LCR and P238 train and range time helps to overcome....

My sister in law did not like the trigger. She sold hers and now carries a xds 9mm.

Have her look at a Sig P365. Honestly, it's not that much bigger.

if you have Large hands, why would ever buy a Bodyguard 380?
Just by handling one in the store ,you would know how super small it is?

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S&W BG380, S&W 915 9mm

You can do a lot better than the bg380 for a purse gun. It's biggest draw is its micro size for concealment, if you go a little bit bigger, you get a gun that is better in every other way, less recoil, better trigger, better capacity etc. In a purse the size difference between something like a bodyguard and a shield won't matter.

Travelon makes security handbags that are theft proof. Might take a look.
The BG 380 is a revolver in a pistol frame. Long 8-9lb trigger pull. It has a
double action trigger just like a revolver ( double strike capability).
As stated above, it’s a gun she should shoot to see if it suits her.
Also, there are many other pistols to consider that can be purse carried that would be
easier to shoot with greater capacity. Sounds like the hunt is on! Good luck!

Be SAFE and Shoot Often!