I was just wondering if anyone has had or heard of any problems with the 38 BodyGuard with the laser built in??? I haven't seen or heard much about them..

I posted this 11-22-2011

The Model 38 and 638 are great.
The new Bodyguard is a strike 3 gun.
Strike 1: Placement of cylinder latch.
For someone who has never shot a Smith before,
they can learn where the new release is.
For someone who has shot Smith's forever,
muscle memory will always go to the old location, on the side.
Strike 2: To activate the laser, a right handed shooter has to reach over
the top of the gun. The hand is no longer in a shooting position
and has to be reset to fire the gun. Bad when every second counts.
Strike 3: The cylinder rotates opposite from the way all other Smith's do.
Emergency...you have time to load one bullet. Memory puts it at 1 o'clock.
Pull the trigger and the bullet is now at 4 o'clock. No bang.
Actually, there is a Strike 4 too: Other J frame grips don't fit it.
Smith reinvented the wheel and made it square.

I love the gun. I have 2; one NIB to keep for the collection, the other to shoot.

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Ed45

Thanks for the replies, but it's 50/50 pro and con...

when I looked at it, I decided against the bodyguard because of extra effort to activate the laser. I will go with a shrouded 642CT (I think that is the correct model - jframe/shrouded/lightweight/Crimsontrace).
With that you get a laser that activates at the squeeze of a hand on the grip. I might would prefer to have it without the security lock, the ones without a security lock cost a bit more.

Well I just learned several things about it that I did not know. Local dealer has one, I have never handled it. I will next time I am in the store. I never had gotten past the cylinder latch location.

Bob

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ICORE MO2908

I believe a S&W owner would be better off mounting a choice of 3 different Crimson Trace grips to a favored J frame. Yes, it's more expensive overall. But, if you shop around on the interweb, you can find deep discounts on Crimson Trace grips. As for the price of a J frame, well you might already own one. New model 442 & 642 no locks are still available and for a S&W they're cheap. I picked one a 642 at a LGS in October for $340 BNIB. S&W even offers J frames airweights with the Crimson Trace already attached.

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NRA Benefactor

Don't carry a Bodyguard in a pocket with anything else. Apart from the gun getting scratched, I've heard of a couple of guys who had a coin get stuck in the hammer recess.

Also, lint and other crud builds up in there. A pipe cleaner will get it out. Just check for it.

I never like the laser on mine. When you remove the laser to clean the gun you realize that there is no back to the laser unit.

Rather, the internals of the laser are exposed and you have to fidgit with a small piece of metal to make sure the battery makes contact.

I just saw it as shoddy. The gun was alright...but just alright.

Coach22's advice seems poorly considered by someone who hasn't taken the time to become familiar with the BG38.

Strike 1: Placement of cylinder latch.
Perfectly placed for ambidextrous operation.

Strike 2: To activate the laser, a right handed shooter has to reach over the top of the gun.
Placed where the offhand thumb can activate the laser using a two-hand Miculek crossover grip. The laser is a pain to reinstall after cleaning but cleaning the polymer is a lot easier than cleaning and protecting metal.



A lefty can use the strong thumb. In either hand, no more difficult than thumbing the safety on a 1911.

Strike 3: The cylinder rotates opposite from the way all other Smith's do.
Suppose all your other revolvers were Colts?

If you haven't done it in five, well, prolly shoulda practiced more or run away faster. Not to mention that a speed loader would load five at a time instead of one.

So "three Strikes" is harsh. It's a fine, entry level self defense firearm. Well made. You don't have to use the laser. Any firearm requires practice to develop familiarity. The BG38 less than most. If you want to try something really different, check out any of the HK P7 models.

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Bob

Good post. I have very little experience with laser sights but I like the placement of the laser on the BG38; its high on the frame.

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Ed45

Mr. 5Wire,

These are the opinions of someone (me), who has owned and shot J frames
for close to 50 years
and who also gets feedback daily from my customers at the gun store where I work.

My opinions were directed at the gun.
Seems like your comments are directed at ME, instead of at the gun.
If you are a fan of the gun, great. I and my customers are not.
I think you need to re read my reasons. Specially the first.

"For someone who has never shot a Smith before,
they can learn where the new release is.
For someone who has shot Smith's forever,
muscle memory will always go to the old location, on the side."

Your remarks:
"If you haven't done it in five, well, prolly shoulda practiced more or run away faster.
Not to mention that a speed loader would load five at a time instead of one."
"Suppose all your other revolvers were Colts?"
are absurd and personal.

Comments like those are not what this forum is for.
It's for sharing information. Not personal attacks.

I have one and really like it, the only thing I think is maybe a problem is it shoots to the very far left ? and I have not been able to get the laser sighted in spot on... but will try again when the weather gets warm again or I make it to a indoor range... other that that Ive had no problems with mine, I love it, and it conceals so easy.. great gun IMHO

It seems to me that if you pocket carry any gun, it should be the only thing in that pocket. I would be so bold as to use the hated term "no brainer" for this. What would you do, ask the clerk at 7-11 to hold your gun while you dig to the bottom of your pocket for the last 35 cents to pay for your Slurpee? I pocket carry, and that pocket has my pocket holster, and the 649, and that's it.

Thanks for the input...I didn't mean to get a finger pointing match going. All points are good and well taken. I have carried most types of guns for the past 35 years. I went ahead and swapped for the BG 38. It has it's pros and cons, but overall it seems to be a Smith & Wesson. By that, over the years the quality has been excellant to rather shoddy. I think the older J, K, and N frames have been some of the best revolvers in the world. As a retired law enforcement officer, I started out with a revolver and ended with fine autos. I feel that the 642/442 may be an overall better gun, but for what I need it for the BG 38 will do fine..

You are misguided about the BG38 regardless of how many years of OTHER small guns you've owned and shot. You gave your opinions as if they were facts. I pointed out contrary opinions and gave examples from the point of view of an owner of a BG38 (as well as 36s, old Bodyguard, 642—which I also carry), and by showing that new tricks can be learned by old dogs, clockwise (like Colts) or counterclockwise.

The "you" in my post was a generic you, as in "you pays your money and takes your choice." My only personal observation was that you, coach22, must have been unfamiliar with the BG38 in that you had not taken the time to think out it's manual of arms, nevermind practiced with the gun. To me, that makes your opinion less than useful for someone considering buying a BG38 and insulting to those of us who have already done so.

You, coach22, are probably a really nice guy. I'll bet you have a really nice store, too. I have no need to attack you and I did not. I just countered your strongly worded 3-strike opinions with some of my own.

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Bob

You'll be happy with your choice of the Bodyguard 38 as I was with mine. This revolver is a radical departure from older J frame Smiths with several innovations. I bought my first J frame in 1966 and have owned and carried several. I really like the placement of the cylinder latch and find it easy to adopt to. Mine shoots to the POA with 158 grn loads and it has a great trigger. The laser is very easy to activate should you decide to employ it and it is a good addition to a handgun such as this. What impressed me most about the Bodyguard was how comfortably it handles recoil. Most J frames, especially the light ones are very unpleasant to shoot accept with the lightest loads. The BG38 on the other hand is quite comfortable even with hot +P loads allowing for longer practise sessions. S&W did a great job designing the grip and the polymer grip frame soaks up recoil well. I've been carrying mine everyday for over a year and have over 1K troublefree rounds thru it. I also own a Ruger LCR but much prefer the Bodyguard.
Being a traditionalist I still love my original Model 60 but the BG38 has replaced it as my carry gun.

Attached Images

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If you have one of the early BG38s, as I do, the laser sighting instructions were incorrect. S&W published the correct method on their website:



You can fuss with this method without shooting the gun. Just make sure the gun is cleared and run through the steps as published above to get the little dot near where your fixed sights (and experience) tell you where the point of impact would be. Confirm with live ammo later.

Newer BG38s evidently had this procedure done at the factory and were more or less point of aim out of the box with fine tuning left to the new owner.

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Bob

I just recently bought one and love it! I have put around 100 rounds through it so far and it runs great. Much more accurate and easier to run than my older Model 60 snubbie.

Here is my review from another post:

New BG38 Bodyguard - I Like It!!

Edmo

Thanks 5Wire, I thought I had adjusted it to where it should hit but I think I had the elavation to low, I followed those new directions and hopefuly It will hit where that red dot is on the target now.... will try it out maybe Monday if the GunRange is open LOL...

Let us know how it works out.

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Bob

^^^^^ Will do, now I got to make sure I take that little allen wrench with me to the range incase I need to adjust it, which I sure hope I wont LOL...

I recently purchased the BG38. The laser in my oppinion is ****! I have shot about 200 rounds out of my BodyGuard when the head of the hex screw that holds the laser in place BROKE and caused the laser to fly off my revolver! I have sent the laser off to S&W and they are sending me a replacement Monday 1-16-12. GoodLuck with your lasers on yours.

No Other problems with the revolver. Don't rely on the laser. The iron sites are dead on

Well went to the range today, and after moving the laser as per the new updated S&W manual it does not shoot where the laser is pointed so I tried the Iron sights and it still shoots very high and left, if I moved it more to the right I was then able to get it center mass, let the wife shoot it as well and same results with the laser so Im gonna have to contact S&W on this one and see what they will do ??

I've had mine for two months and after two trips to range, 100 shots, not accurate at all. Too be honest I think I just need more time with it. The laser seems kind of cheap, not really up to Smith standards. The crimson trace grips on the Ruger LCP are much nicer but the Bodyguard felt better in my hand.I'm new to Smith and Wesson revolvers so nothing else about this little gun bothers me but can understand why others have dislikes for it.

Mark

Email or call S&W, they'll do what's right for you.

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Bob

Yeah thats what Im gonna have to do, I will send them a email and see what I hear back from them...

Good luck with that. Mine took two trips before laser was good,

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Bob

Bought mine last summer. In the first 100 rounds the cylinder failed to rotate once and it failed to fire (factory) rounds twice. It also shot 3 inches left at 10 yards with the irons, laser was very accurate. I tried to get aftermarket grips and found out nobody makes them (yet).
Sent it back to S&W and they replaced it. I swapped it for a 642CT.

yeah thats what Im thinking of doing if I can get S&W to either fix it, or send me another one ?? but if I do get another and it shoots straight i will keep it.. does anyone notice that the trigger guard moves around a little bit when handling it ?? I noticed mine has some movement in it..

Get a blawkhawk pocket holster at wallmart for $10.

I would have another handgun shooter fire it prior to sending it off just to verify the problem.

Sometimes with a long double action pull you can inadvertently pull the sights off target during the last portion of the squeeze. It is easy to do especially with a small light handgun. You might find that "staging" the trigger up to the point just prior to the break will increase accuracy when trying to zero the laser.

The trigger guard on mine has a slight wiggle also.

Edmo

I too just purchased a new BG38 from a local pawn shop unfortunately, I had to take the allen and tighten the laser a little to get it to make contact so the laser would come on. Long story short, I can't get the laser to tighten up and the bolt is stripped and now I'm waiting on a label and shipping instructions from Smith. I hope CT comes out with a grip for this soon. Minus the cost that would be the ideal fix to this particularly common problem.

For those with unreteachable muscle memory, it probably is a pain. I find it to be a practical, concealable pocket gun. I am LH so some advantage does accrue. With five +P Hornady's loaded I think it will be a man stopper if needed. I don't like the iron sights but this isn't going to be used on targets more than 5-7 yards away anyway, and if there's time to turn on the laser, so much the better. If you need more than that, you need to be carrying a semi- auto.

Lee

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-gonzo, SoCenPA.

Just purchased a Bodyguard 38 new. The iron sights shoot high and to the right about 2 1/2 inches at 7 yards. Also, the cylinder failed to rotate once while shooting 50 rounds. Should I return this for warranty work or is this normal?

I would call customer service. I picked one up a few months ago and have a few hundred rounds down range with no problems. I bought it for my girl and she shot it fairly well and this was her second time shooting a gun. I was hitting bullseyes at 7 yards no problem.

As a relatively new shooter and new BG38 owner, I think both posters had relevant and insightful comments.
I thought that the "3 Strikes" argument made sound points, but that they were weighted towards the experienced S&W revolver user. For a newbie, the fact they reversed the traditional rotation of the barrel is less important. We have no "muscle memory". Same for the comment re: the barrel release, seems like a logical and ergonomical place to put it. I very well might not like the release location S&W traditionally used...
We compared this revolver against the Ruger equivalent, and found the grip, with the indexed finger positions, of the BG38 to be much more positive and comfortable. The laser difference was icing on the cake!

The BG 38 one of my students had in my CCW class last month was the biggest piece of garbage I have ever seen. Trigger was awful and the sights were off. Fortunately the student brought a second gun to shoot. She never would have passed with the BG38. I haven't been impressed with any of the ones I have put my hands on.

i rarely post anything, as i use this forum for knowledge and their are people on here far more knowledgeable than me with regards to S&W revolvers, i assure you of that and their is no sense in over cluttering with questions that have already been answered on previous threads. with that being said, i have been looking at small pocket revolvers as a backup for while. i bought a bg 38 about 2 weeks ago and have to say i am very pleased with it for its INTENDED PURPOSE. this firearms is not deigned for 25yd shots, it is meant to be a self defense, close range, no other option firearm. the rotation of the cylinder is going to be virtually irrelevant, if you get down to having to reload this weapon, particularly one round in a hurry, you are already seriously unequipped to handle the situation at hand. what i carry depends on several factors, like clothing as well as what i am doing, and where i am going for the day. depending on the day, i will where clothes i would rather not to be better equipped to handle high risk situations. i do think the laser should be able to be accurate at close range, but i also think that for this type of firearm one seriously needs to practice draw, point (not aim), and shoot at 3yds or less and be able to rapidly unload the firearm with decent shot placement with all 5 rounds. as far as the ergonomics that i keep hearing complaints about, again, this comes down to the individual. if one has been carrying/ shooting J frames, or any smith revolver and most other revolvers really, for 30 + years, i would strongly advise one to avoid this firearm; not that an old dog cant learn new tricks, but you have muscle memory and habit pounded in to your head, dont change it because in a high risk situation what you have trained to do is what you most likely will do; however, if new to revolvers i find the ergonomics to be phenomenal, particularly if a lefty, which i am. overall, thus far i find this revolver to be very comfortable to carry, ergos are excellent, particularly for a lefty, and it is REASONABLY ACCURATE for intended purpose. with regards to reliability, it is too new to me and too few rounds through it for me to comment intelligently about, i will update once fired enough. at this point though, i would recommend this firearm to anyone that was new enough to firearms to need advice from me. Sorry about the long post

upon reveiwing my post to see if their had been any updated posts, i noticed a big problem not previously addressed, their is not one photo of the discussed firearm up soooo, here is my recent purchase.

, , , , , , , ,

sig 238 for size comparison

Thanks for docsspot's pics. I recently purchased the Sig 238 and the BG 38. While the Sig has a 6 rd or 7 rd mag capacity, and is smaller I have got to say I like the BG 38 better for feel in firing. I can get my hand higher on the grip on the BG.

thats it!!! no more posting pics if its going to make people spend their money.

I have a Bodyguard 38 and can find no flaw with it. I often shoot it at the 25 yard range only because it is my favorite range, not that the BG38 is a range gun, or a 25 yard gun. I place all my shots on paper.

The trigger is great, better than my Ruger SP101, not as nice as my 686 or my Ruger Vaquero. I have never shot a J-Frame, so I have no reference.

If I needed to replace my S&W Bodyguard 38 with another 38 special revolver weighing in at 14 ounces, I would purchase another S&W Bodyguard 38.

I'm sorry to hear about your troubles. I do not recommend this gun. I suggest you sell it and apply the money toward a 642 or 442 with a Crimson Trace laser grip (if you feel you really need a laser).

Be sure to try the Apex Tactical spring kit if you decide to buy a 642/442.

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Centennial Every Day

I had a couple problems with the laser. S&W made it right. No problems since. Perfectly adequate self defense weapon. Definitely not a target gun, nor is my M642-1 or any of the M36s or the M38 I've owned.

Laser is good for practice, one cylinder on, one cylinder off to improve hand/eye coordination. No problem switching laser on with my weak side thumb (left), no problem with the ambidextrous cylinder catch, no problem with the direction of rotation of the cylinder. Slight speed bump getting into the habit of fully releasing the trigger.

You can clean the polymer with a damp rag, so no solvents interfere with laser electronic connections.

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Bob

My wife owns a bodyguard...The only S&W I own is a model 27 .357 magnum, a bit more handgun than the polymer framed bodyguard, but that still doesn't detract from the .38, it has it's place. I've found it a more comfortable weapon to shoot with Hogue grips that are designed for the pistol. Less felt recoil and finger grooves seem to give it better pointability with those grips. Polymer is the material of the future. People laughed at the Glock when it came on the scene. They aren't laughing anymore.

I wish someone would post a picture of the cylinder ratchet (or connection point in this handgun?) on the back of the cylinder. With cylinder open. Also the frame below the firing pin hole.

To me the internal ratchet is the genius of this pistol, and maybe someone will photograph it inside and out.

Stated in other words - there is no visible hand rotating the cylinder. Therefore no slot for the hand. So the barrel can be rotated in the direction that pushes cylinder closed, if it used a hand. No doubt gives a little cranking pressure in the best direction.

I like a hammer to cock for the great S&W trigger. And I liked the cylinder unlock latch where it was. But for a covered hammer pistol this looks good.

If the engineer that designed this was to rearrange the keys on a piano, some old piano player would want to horsewhip him. Sorta how I felt after owning S&W revolvers for 50 years and handling one of these a year or so ago. Until I looked at how the cylinder rotates and locks.

Like new people on other mechanical things, new people will not complain about the cylinder latch up where hammer normally is on exposed hammer models. And unfortunately they will miss the new internal ratchet, at first.

If I cannot at least see photo’s of the inside of this gun, I will never buy one. But years ago I had a S&W Chiefs Special with a loose crane. And the hand would push it open a little bit when cocking. (When looking below the barrel the seam between crane and frame opened enough to be more than obvious. So I sold it). I very much like the way this cylinder rotates. (So far - until I see the innards).

Here are some good pictures.

S&W Bodyguard 38+P Review | The Firearm Blog

I get really amused at the number of people who buy lightest handguns and then load it with the hottest cartridges, and then complain about recoil.

Why can't people shoot target wadcutters at a target range anymore?

(Oops, that is what me and wife did when she bought her walther 380. It has been locked up in safe for about 30 years now. But she loves her Walther PPK in .22 rimfire. It has been shot many many times. So I assume we would have shot her 380 many times if we started off with the lightest target loads?)
(She also dearly loves shooting 38 special cartridges in her 357 with its 6 inch barrel).