New Bodyguard 38 vs. 642, 638

I don't read much about the new Bodyguard 38 revolvers.

They seem to be an alternative to the Centennials and older hump backs.

Plus, I don't think they have an internal lock, and come with laser grips at an attractive price.

Are these any good?

Anyone with experience here?

Dave

a 638 has been an almost daily companion now for 13 years. It's a bit beat up from carry and an occasional drop. It is a trusted tool that has never let me down. I like the option of a single action shot if the need calls for it. Buy with confidence.

I have one of the new Bodyguards and I like it. It shoots well, handles well for me, and has performed well at the range. I put the larger Hogue grip on mine (I have large mitts for a guy my size) and plan on installing an XS Big Dot front sight. Some people don't like the location of the cylinder release but, being left handed, it works great for me. If I could carry concealed I'd have no reservations about carrying my BG38.

Ethang said:

a 638 has been an almost daily companion now for 13 years. It's a bit beat up from carry and an occasional drop. It is a trusted tool that has never let me down. I like the option of a single action shot if the need calls for it. Buy with confidence.

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I consider the 638 to be one of the "old bodyguards" -- what I called hump backs.

These are the "new bodyguards" I was asking about:

BODYGUARD 38 - Smith & Wesson

I don't think they have a hammer visible at all -- more like the Centennials.

Give S&W a grade of D for confusing terminology.

Dave

I like choices so the old Bodyguard with single-action capability has it all over the Centennial in my book. Leave it to me to buy a Model 642 15 years ago. Have discovered over the years that I really don't appreciate DAO J-Frames all that much. The traditional Bodyguard models might just be the best J-Frame variant ever produced. Want a Bodyguard of the original incarnation. Particularly don't want a new-style Bodyguard.

If you search this forum you will come up with a lot of pros and cons. I have told my tale before but I will relate it again. A couple of years ago I got my CCW. My best choices for concealed carry were my 6 inch 686 and my M39 neither of which are particularly concealable unless you are wearing a jacket which may look odd when it is 105 during the summer!
I bought a BG38. Didn't really mind that the cylinder rotates the opposite way and the cylinder release was a little awkward but I figured I would get used to it. The laser actuation was again a little awkward but oh well.
I fired about 100 rounds through it and it failed to rotate the cylinder a few times and consistently shot about 8 inches left at 7 yards. I returned it to S&W and they deemed it unrepairable. At that point I didn't really trust it and felt that it was a design not quite ready for prime time.
I replaced it with a 642CT. I was instantly impressed how accurate it was and liked the cylinder latch location and laser activation much better.
They may have since worked the bugs out of the BodyGuard but given that they are running 24/7 I doubt they have had the time to refine any design flaws.
YMMV.

In my opinion, the BG38 is just a gimmick. J frames have been around for a long time and are of a proven design. The BG38 was nothing more than S&W's answer to Ruger's LCR. They just changed some things around and added some black plastic to make it all cool and tactical and stuff.
As far as 442/642 vs 638, it all comes down to personal preference. I personally prefer the 442 for concealed carry. It's a designated self defense firearm and as such I believe that if I do ever need to use it to defend myself and my family, I'll be shooting it in double action and I won't need single action capabilities for a precision shot. It's not a range fun gun although it is a lot of fun to shoot at the range. It's my shoot lots, carry always gun.

The 'new bodyguard ' is a Tupperware gimmick playing on the reputation of great revolvers.

The new bodyguard 38 revolver bears no resemblence to the real thing: the model 38 and model 49 except it uses the same cartridge.

I wouldn't have one.

They often don't work.

They are clumsy.

They are designed for folks who don't have the opportunity to know what they are missing by passing up an older model 49 or 38.

The New Bodyguard looks more like a Centenial and has too much plastic for me. I have a 638 and a 642 that work jus fine for me so I have no experience with the new Bodyguard.

Rpg said:

The 'new bodyguard ' is a Tupperware gimmick playing on the reputation of great revolvers.

The new bodyguard 38 revolver bears no resemblence to the real thing: the model 38 and model 49 except it uses the same cartridge.

I wouldn't have one.

They often don't work.

They are clumsy.

They are designed for folks who don't have the opportunity to know what they are missing by passing up an older model 49 or 38.

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Have you shot one? If so, how often? My wife has one, she loves it with the larger Hogue grip. In her hand, it is an excellent firearm. Others, perhaps not.

I've owned one and had problems with not rotating the cylinder etc. At the range I saw one personally lock up with the trigger back and not even be able to release the cylinder.

I have since traded it for a 642 and am much happier.

Although I have to admit that the bg38 was the most accurate for me.

There is nothing wrong with the Bodyguard 38, in my opinion. It's not traditional. The instructions for sighting the laser were incorrect at first and following them assured never being on target. These were corrected.

The trigger MUST be allowed to reset or the cylinder will fail to rotate. That's easy to overcome. It's not a target revolver, you don't shoot it for group size. The top center cylinder release flummoxes folks who are used to the left-side release of almost any revolver in general use for the last 100 years or more.

Efficiently activating the laser left or right handed takes a bit of thought, and a little practice. No worse than flicking the safety on a 1911. You don't have to use the laser, of course. You can even remove it entirely.

The Bodyguard 38 is a sufficient entry level firearm for someone newly armed if they undertake to learn how to use it, like any other firearm. It's relatively inexpensive and therefore more widely suitable to those who only want a self-defense firearm, who have never before owned a firearm. Easy to clean, too.

Those are my thoughts on it, anyway.

Mine works fine.

CMD-KY said:

Have you shot one? If so, how often? My wife has one, she loves it with the larger Hogue grip. In her hand, it is an excellent firearm. Others, perhaps not.

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Yes, I've shot one.

I'm glad your wife likes her's: confidence is 90% of success.

I doubt she had the opportunity to use a model 38 or 49

I'm glad she has had the opportunity to use a firearm and feels good about the one she has! That's a real accomplishment!

With comfort with firearms and varied experience she'll develop her own refined preferences: sort of like learning about better wines.

5wire is correct. I really wanted to like the gun but didn't like how I could get it to not rotate on the first trigger pull sometimes. However it never failed me otherwise. It felt surprisingly comfortable to shoot, even with +p. Since I'm a lefty, the trigger release was just fine an took no time to learn to use it quickly. Laser was also a little easier since I'm left handed. However in the end I didn't like the look of the laser at all and even after I removed it completely it looked a little funny to me.

A lot of people just don't like it because it has plastic, a strange way to rotate the cylinder (backwards also), and the trigger release. But most people just don't like change.

Reference the NEW Bodyguard 38 (BG38)... From my direct experiences with a BG38, I would advise against getting one.

Pros: Light; accurate; fairly nice factory trigger; ambi-friendly cylinder release location (I'm a lefty); & laser comes with it.

Cons: Turning the laser on is an additional step unlike the Crimson Trace grip lasers on the 642 (minor complaint). And...

I had to send mine back to S&W after a month because the action locked up (yup, revolvers DO fail). I got it back and it had light primer strikes and misfires every third or fourth round. I sent it back again and S&W offered to replace the gun with another BG38. Instead I had them send me a 642CT (post internal lock version) after I paid the difference.

I couldn't be happier that I got rid of an unreliable gun and ended up with a trusty J-frame. Was it a bad apple or indicative of the design? I'm not sure, but I trust the 642 replacement to actually work!

Edmo

I'll stay with my 2 642's and my wifes 342 thank you very much for the thread.

About a month ago I had the choice of purchasing a BG38 or a 642 at a LGS.

Both were no lock versions.

I chose the 642 -- although the BG38 had a laser for about the same price.

Sounds like the 642 no-lock was the right choice.

I was considering getting a BG38 too, but I think I'll pass.

Range day - old thread

I was going to start a new thread regarding my BG38 and my 642, but I found this one and decided to post here instead.

First of all, I'm glad that I bought the BG38 before reading all of the negative threads about it. I'm sure that some have had bad experiences with theirs, but mine has been a great snubnose for me, and has been super reliable.

I like having the laser and it's incredibly easy to turn on with either hand while gripping the revolver. The cylinder release takes a bit if practice, but it's second nature to me now.

The really big plusses for me are that it's really quite accurate if I do my part and that it's very soft shooting despite the tiny stock grips.

I compared it side to side today with my 642. I was shooting 38 sp 158 dr standard loads.

My observations:

-BG 38 is a little lighter but it's pretty negligible.

-The BG38 has a nicer trigger out of the box. I want to put an Apex trigger kit in my 642 but haven't yet. The 642 trigger has less stacking but is heavier overall.

-Sight picture is similar on both. My 642 has been drilled and had a tritium insert placed in the front sight, but this made no difference in at the range.

-THe BG38 has a lot less perceived recoil IMHO. I think this is because the plastic flexes and absorbs some recoil, and because the grip is soft and has no exposed backstrap.

-HKS speedloaders work much better with the BG38. They bind on the 642 stock grip. I will have to take a Dremel to the grip on the 642 to get some more clearance. I can get them to work but it's a little tricky, and I think under stress, I'd be at risk for dropping all of the rounds on the ground. Basically, you have to only insert the tips of the rounds into the cylinders and release the speedloader and let the rounds fall the rest of the way in. (just the tip).

I like both of these revolvers. I put the BG38 and my SP101 3in barrel on my CCW here in California. I'm only allowed three guns on my permit, and I went back and forth about this, but in the end, the BG38 won out. The third gun that I put on my permit is a mousegun for pocket carry. That's whole other saga of decision making though.

For reference, the other revolvers that I own and shoot more regularly are:

-S&W 686 + 4". The benchmark for me.

-Ruger GP100 4" (bought used - it has an amazing trigger. I love this gun way more than I thought I would. I bought it on a whim. It had a lot of bluing wear, and had the older Lett stocks with wood inserts. It's an awesome shooter. Totally made me change my mind about Rugers being lesser guns.)

-Ruger SP101 3". This was my first revolver, and after the Wolf spring kit installation, I really like it. It handles full house 357 well and I use a Sticky holster to carry it IWB.

-S&W Model 65 4". Pinned and Recessed. I just purchased this revolver. I have shot it once at the range and ran about 120 round though it. This is a classic. I was looking for a Model 19, but this came up so I bought it. Sight picture is not easy, but it's much more accurate than one would expect with such small sights.

-S&W Model 10 4" from 1988. Tapered barrel RHKP model. Missing the lanyard loop though. I wish I knew where to get one. I also wish I could find a nice heavy barrel Model 10 here in California.

-Miroku 38 special 4" barrel. Rare revolver from Japan. Another impulse purchase. I don't have this in my possession yet because of ridiculous California laws. I still don't know what a 10 day cooling off period does for current gun owners.

-S&W 642

-S&W BG 38

I'm definitely no expert, but I feel like I have pretty good grasp of what these guns feel like and how they shoot with the same loads. I've kept my revolvers in 38 sp/357 to keep me from having to purchase even more different types of ammo, and I have a couple of rifles in the same caliber to make me feel like I'd have a chance in a post-apocalyptic world or major environmental disaster. (I know I'm not that well prepared though, it's all fantasy, and I think many of you know what I mean.)

This turned into a long post, and I'm not trying to brag about my collection of revolvers, but the truth is, but BG38 has been a great little gun for me, and it functions very well. I did find some downsides - it is true that if you don't fully engage the cylinder when you close the action, the first trigger pull sometimes doesn't rotate it. I just close the action and make sure that it's fully engaged by turning the cylinder by hand until I feel it click into place.

It's easy to carry, though, and it's more accurate than one would expect, it handles +P, comes with a laser and a gun rug, and shoots softer than other J frames.

It's a pretty nice piece IMHO.

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My daughter bought a BG 38 on my advice. I was thinking, S&W - you can't go too far wrong. I was wrong. IMO the gun is inadequate for SD purposes. The laser was very far off the POI and it was all but impossible to get it adjusted correctly. The gun is far too snappy especially for a female which is likely the target customer. My daughter wanted something small and light to carry in her purse. It's too small and too light for anything but one shot unless you have several seconds to line up for subsequent shots. Compared to better quality revolvers made by S&W that can be fired repeatedly with very little need to reacquire the target for follow up shots. And those follow up shots can be very important especially for a lighter caliber like the .38.

I just think there are better options mainly. They may weigh a little more but we aren't looking at purse accessories here. SD requires a better gun. It's not terrible. It just isn't good enough IMO.