Ok, finally, after waiting for any bugs that may have been there, I got the call from one of the boys at S&W Retail Store to stop up, he found me one.. actually, I just seemed to bump into other guns before I had a chance to purchase one.. Anyways, picked up OWB holster, they were out of mags... I shot some of the first ones at S&W when they were testing some with the range guys and liked it, shot well, the laser was hard to work the buttons, this one seems fine. I'll run some rounds through her this weekend and try to give a review along with break down and cleaning... maybe take a look at the trigger at some point, but not until I get a few 100 rounds through..

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Jack C

I remember back on Feb 19th, I went to Guns N Gear in Agawam, MA (great little store if you've never been there) to purchase my M&P45 and they actually had two bodyguards there. My dad and I decided to not purchase one of em and since then I haven't seen them in any store.

I'll look forward to your review of it. I want to see what the hype is all about.

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-Roy

Didn't get to shoot too many rounds as the Range officer up at S&W was having a Napoleon complex day.. so I just left. But it felt good, very comfortable in my hand for such a small gun in my meat hooks.. Everything was tight, the trigger is a strong pull but, somewhat smooth and very easy to find the take up spot and then squeeze it off. I broke it down last night, slide wasn't bad at all to remove, contrary to a few I read about not being able to turn the TDL.. it's tight, supposed to be.. Overall, I look forward to getting another 100 rounds or so through it and call it good to go for CCW. I'm not looking for a 500-1000 round gig as it's not what it was made to do.. It's a little bitty pocket gun, designed to protect us with a little bitty bullet. If I want to target practice or really defend myself I'll play or carry one of my larger caliber guns.. Love my MP40c

To sum it up, shoots very good, accurate, comfy in the paws, great little gun, everyone should own one!! I'll post up more details when I get more shooting and cleaning time under my belt with this one.. If your interested in one of these, don't hessitate, get one!!

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Jack C

Good little shooter. But, not reliable enough to be a primary weapon, IMO. See my post here about the laser screw issue:

Report: Problems with new S&W Bodyguard 380

Good luck,
Scott

Ok, not really worried about that, for one it doesn't stop the gun from functioning, 2. I'm sure S&W would have addressed it by now if it is a problem and 3... why is it always a Glock guy that has to find a fault and proclaim... how he can't trust his S&W because the bluing rubbed off the barrel from riding in his holster and he has to carry his Block to feel safe...

One more thing.. do we really consider this little bitty gun a Primary carry weapon.... I see myself carrying this only when I really can't carry one of my J-K or M&P or other larger caliber guns.. or as a back up gun to one of the fore mentioned pieces.

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Jack C

Since we're making lists:

1. It does stop the gun from functioning. That was my entire point. That little allen screw that anchors the laser unit backs all the way out and blocks the bottom of the front of the slide/guide rod hole from passing to the rear. Luckily this happened to me when I was disassembling it for a cleaning. Had I fired the gun in that condition the slide surely would have sheared the top of that screw off and prevented further operation.

2. As great a company as they are, I think you're giving S&W a little too much credit. They may have taken care of it, they may not have. That said, mine is a first-run gun. So, it's possible. But, when I called them on it a couple months back, they were ignorant of the issue.

3. For the record, I'm not "a Glock guy." Never owned one, and don't plan on it. If it's a polymer pistol, I'll take an XD or M&P. I carry a 4006 or SP101, and I used to carry a P944.

4. No, apparently you and I really don't consider the BG380 a primary weapon, but you would be danged surprised at how many out there think these and similar platforms are now the end-all, be-all with all the new super-ammo out there.

At any rate, I wasn't trying to be critical or ridiculing in my first post. Just wanted to share my experience and give a heads-up.

Best,
Scott

You're all good Scott, and right on. I think I was responding more to a couple of post I had just read digging at S&w and then finished up with the Glock swap... I thank you for pointing it out as a possible area of interest. I for one will use your experience as a guide to my upkeep of my new 380.. thanks much for sharing.

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Jack C

Good deal.

I should add here that this happened to me only after an extended session with the gun, probably around 150 rounds in one outing. If that screw is routinely checked and tightened I think it can easily be lived with. Running a magazine or two through it, either in a fight or at the range, is not going to cause this problem.

On the positive side, I will say it's the most comfortable .380 I've shot. Oddly enough, it seems to me to be tamer than my father's Sig P230. Probably due to the low bore axis on the BG.

'Til next time,
Scott

I really wanted to shoot today, but yard work and some family stuff is in the way... I'll have to make some time tomorrow... supposed to rain so an indoor range looks good. I really want to dial in that laser and make sure the primary sights are good.. I'm excited..

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Jack C

I had all the common problems with the laser buttons. Pissed me off. Called SW, they wanted me to send it in. Reading here convinced me to call back and just ask for new buttons, they sent them. I ended up doing the qtip fix. Pure genius. Some idiot in the factory should spend all afternoon doing this instead of making us do their scut work. Rant off.

To dovetail into your screw problem, I think they messed up by making the allen head the smallest allen head in the world. It begs to be stripped accidentally. You also have trouble screwing it in tight because the wrench they send is very "flexy". I understand they don't want you to strip the screw but the screw coming loose under fire is clearly the worse option. I have considered a tiny bit of blue loctite. That might be the ticket.

I also concur that this is a very soft firing .380. WAY better than my PPK/S and my buddies LCP. Love the gun overall. I guess it would be my primary gun if that's all I had. That would suck. Better than using my car keys or harsh words.

They are good. Best of any of the micro .380s. But...I forgot to mention that every time I've shot mine the front sight loosens and tries to leave the gun by drifting off to the left. Likely another issue easily solved with Loc-Tite. But, just keep your eye out for it happening. I noticed it when my groups started forming way off to the right on the target at 7 yards.

Great "little gun" in my opinion, as far as what it was designed for...

it's not my primary gun, but certainly the one I grab "on my way out the door" for a quick trip somewhere. That 'ol scenario "better than your .45 sitting in the safe when you need it" type of gun!

Good fit in the hand, and the most accurate of any small caliber pistols I've ever shot.

I just purchased this gun (BG380) two weeks ago. My only complaint was that the buttons to activate the laser were extremely hard to use. I had to push the buttons multiple times before the laser would activate. The gunsmith at the store I bought the gun from said there was no fix for this and that it was an inherent problem with this pistol; however, I contacted S&W customer support who sent me new buttons for free within three days, which were firmer. Now the laser activates easily and I could not be happier with this gun. I tested similar guns in this class, such as the Ruger LCP, and I preferred the looks, feel, price and the performance of the Bodyguard 380. I highly recommend this gun for concealed carry. IMHO, this is the best looking gun in its class, and has a great price (S&W recently lowered the MSRP as of April 2011) to $399

Highlights:

1. Light weight, easily concealed in pocket

2. Locks open on last round

3. Integrated laser:

a. Three modes:

i. Depress buttons (ambidextrous) once: laser on

ii. Depress twice: pulsating laser

iii. Depress third time: laser off.

iv. Automatic laser deactivation after five minutes (for accidental laser engagement)

4. Initial buttons that came with gun (April 2011) very difficult to activate the laser.

a. S&W customer support acknowledged the buttons on some models were too “soft.”

b. S&W mailed new firmer buttons to me, that arrived in three days, and were easy to install.

c. The new buttons worked much better/perfectly, and the laser now activates easily

5. Integrated safety

6. DOA

7. Reliable.

8. Feel of gun in hand is perfect for me (better than others in class)

9. Accurate.

10. Looks smooth and “cool.”

Best regards.