Over the weekend I took a leap of faith and purchased a S&W revolver that is too new for me to be familiar with. Does anyone have experience with a plastic framed J frame hammerless revolver? The significant guts, cylinder and frame around the cylinder as well as the barrel are all steel, the rest of the frame and grips seem like they were leftover material from a Glock.

So the question is, what did I get and will it be of any use or is it a flashing in the pan, so to speak?

Froggie

Boy am I behind the times, the revolver has been around for 10 years and the stripped down version I found for six! I guess I need to get over my bias against new Smiths. This one looks like a great candidate for a BUG. The shooting reports I’ve found look pretty good so I should have a report of my own fairly soon.

What model did you get? Seems like an interesting revolver

Pictures, please.

From the description sounds like a Bodyguard.

Sounds like a BG38. Once you figure out how to load them, the "cylinder doesn't spin when I pull the trigger" issue goes away. I had one for a while but the different manual of arms as compared to the J frame led me to sell it.

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Centennial Every Day

Photoman, can you explain the differences? I am familiar with the looks and the cylinder release on top, but what is special about loading it?

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NRA Certified Shotgun Instr.

Open the cylinder and look inside the crane for the model number.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

My EDC is an old 49 no dash, my bicycle gun is a Ruger LCR. My second son has the Tauras.

Mine is a 38 verses a 357, the 38's are considerably lighter. The Ruger, S&W and Tauras polymers are all close enough to use the same speed loaders. The whole family of polys were a Rugar invention, and they make the widest variety of calibers and models. The 38's came first and originally had the smoothest trigger I felt on a production revolver. As with all things, the idea of "Familiarity Breeds Contempt!" comes into play and production turned to quantity versus quality. My brother had a factory new 22 Mag LCR that the trigger stacked so bad it ended around 18 pounds! Plus we never found an ammo that shot well in it!

The Ruger LCR, Tauras Protector, & S&W Bodyguard all shine with 38 Special +P ammo. Due to the soft rubber grip, the surface is a little "gummy" and will adhere to cloth (Think shirttail) and can be a little slow to get out of a pocket on a speed draw. Bicycling, I carry the LCR in one of my jersey's water bottle pockets. The spandex does show the outline in great detail, (but open carry is OK in Ohio) but the satin cloth expands to allow a quick grab and yield to the removal in an impressively smooth draw. I have also carried inside a DeSantis Nemeses pocket holster in the same location, works OK, is bulkier, and breaks up the revolver outline. I choose to go with the bare pocket most of the time.

AMMO: If you own a J-Frame 2" 38 Special, the same ammo you already use will perform just about Identically. I use Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 135 grain +P in all 2 inch 38's (J's, K's, Rugers, & Colts) I stocked up before the panic, current availability may be hard to come by.

Shootability: INHO Very good on all 3 brands. But It isn't a J-Frame, you need to shoot it and get used to the weight and recoil!

You have a very useful carry gun, but they will never win any beauty contests!

Ivan

Sounds like you probably purchased this. A new Bodyguard 38 that opts for a Centennial-style frame shape instead of the old Bodyguard models' humpback look.


https://www.smith-wesson.com/product...rd-38-no-laser

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AKA SixToEight

Ding, ding, ding. Winnah, winnah, chicken dinnah, that’s the little beast. I figure it’s about perfect for the petite niece to keep on the night stand or carry concealed.
As for the loading part, the thumb release is about where the hammer ought to be, and the cylinder rotates in reverse from other Smiths, but if it’s what one is used to handling, it should begin to feel natural.
Froggie

It just seems really "cheap" instead of "affordable". JMHO but the J-Frames today is not as nice as the pre-1969 productions.

First: what you bought IS NOT A J FRAME!

It’s a completely different thing. It has an action Smith uses in no other gun. It’s also notorious for jamming with regularity.. Its a design defect Smith resists fixing.

I certainly wouldn’t rely on it for self defense.

All I can say is, I had someone one time give me one.

Took it to the range once. Hated it. Sold it.

Had a Ruger LCR 357. Liked it much more. Still sold it for something else. The quest to find a piece that checks all boxes never ends. Haha.

I would take a 340/442/642 for "light" J frame over that model.

That's just me.

They've been around a while. I just really didn't like it, myself.

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Go ahead... make my day.