I know any gun turns out a few lemons, but there were entirely too many negative reviews regarding the Bodyguard .380. Laser button falling out, firing pin breaking. Take down lever coming out while firing. Now that it's been out for nearly 3 years, has the Bodyguard .380 worked the bugs out? I recall people being told to stay away from serial numbers pre-dating a certain series, and even when you see these guns on gunbroker, the seller will often list it as being above the problem serial number range. For a pocket gun, there is nothing out there that has the features I want (safety and slide lock when open). other than the Bodyguard.

The P238 has a safety and slide lock on last round, but it's SAO which some are afraid of. Too me the P238 still takes the number one spot but the BG380 is a close second.

Mine hasn't had any problems, but when I first got it I completely tore it down, cleaned it and filed my own slight relief area on the firing pin that goes against the firing pin block. As it is now, if it dosn't move the block completely out of the way in time, it should still pass through by moving the block out of the way itself. BTW, I've had zero problems with my BG380.

One reason I heard about the FB breaking was that they incorrectly heat treated it which caused it to be too brittle. One member on a forum tested his broken firing pin with a hammer by lightly hitting it on a hard surface which caused it to shatter. He then annealed another firing pin and tried the same thing and nothing happened. He had S&W send him a new FP and said he would try the new one and if it broke again, he'd try his annealed one.

In any case, I read all of the bad reports and have experienced none of them so far. One thing for sure, put some blue loctite on the threads or some clear nail polish on the head of the screw that holds the laser plate down inside the frame. If it backs out, it can easily lock the slide.

As with all things, just because my example (ser#EBE46XX) has no problems, dosn't mean others won't.

SIG looks nice, but carrying a cocked and locked gun in a pocket is a BAD idea. Carrying a 1911 on the belt cocked and locked is one thing, but putting one in my pocket is not gonna happen.

Yea, many are afraid of it ,but it's perfectly safe. The P238 has a FP block and the thumb safety disconnects the hammer from the sear so no worries there. The trigger is also not as light as a 1911 so it's not much different (or actually safer) than many who pocket Shields with the safety off or Glocks. The difference is you can't see the pre-cocked striker. People used to vest pocket Colt 1903s all the time but you can't see the internal hammer that's fully cocked and locked by a thumb and grip safety. If I were to hand someone a 1911 and Colt 1903 and ask which one would be safer, most would pick the 1903 because of the hidden visual aspect of it. No fret though, it's just something you understand and realize is perfectly safe or just go with the many other pocket guns out there.

I used mine for pocket carry all the time but since I got the BG380,I use it as a back-up if my BG380 is ever down. The reason the BG380 took it's place is for cost, a little bit of weight, a little more corrosion resistance and the fact that it still has a thumb safety so the manual of arms are the same.

I bought my Bodyguard .380 hand gun months ago and put about 600 rounds through it with no issues. Then again I just bought it this year. I'm sure they have fixed any issues by now.

I'm sure the trigger is quite a bit lighter than the one on a Bodyguard. If they offered the SIG in DA/SA, I'd be all over it.

Just traded in my 380 for the 9mm Shield (still waiting...) I owned the 380 for less than two weeks (it was manufactured in May 2012) and had less than 300 rounds through it when the laser pin/slide lock problem occurred. As I was packaging it up I also noticed the pin in the handle had worked itself 1/2 way out. That was enough for me, I intend to train with my EDC and I'd lost confidence in it's ability to take a rigorous amount of rounds routinely. The Shield is getting great reviews and I love my full size M&P 9mm, so the BG is history.

I have both the bg380 and the 9mm shield. The shield is NOT a pocket pistol unless maybe you are nine ft tall and have one eye in the center of your forehead. That way you might have pockets big enough. The bg takes getting used to but is surprisingly accurate at 7 yds. The shield is another story. It is a virtual dream to shoot. Felt recoil is less than on the .380. I have been trying different iwb holsters for the shield. My build is kinda not good for iwb carry. I have too much belly sticking out. Living in florida and wearing tshirts and shorts makes the bg easy to drop in a pocket with holster and forget about it but not with the shield. I would have to invest in a bunch of hawaiian shirts for edc carry. My tshirts dont cut it.