.380 Bodyguards

[Hugo Stiglitz]

Back at the range with the Galloway flat trigger, and heavy recoil spring (+15%) and increased (+20%) hammer springs. Over 125+- rounds today and only two issues and it was with some steel cased reloaded ammo. One didn't eject, popped right out with a rod, one stuck in my FN Model 1903 .380/9 Browning Long. I have both barrels for it, and the other was a double strike. No double feeds, no stove pipes. The twins fed, fired and ejected everything I fed them. Picked up a .380 Bodyguard parts kit off GB for 35 bucks just because. Now I have one to play with and one for EDC. I put around a 100 rounds through the blued one before the flat trigger, heavy recoil spring and increased hammer springs I was getting 10+% light strikes and double feed/stove pipes in the Blued Bodyguard. When the FDE one arrived I gave it the same treatment and it has Always been 100%.

 

[Dangerman]

Looks good. Hopefully S&W doesn't discontinue these because there a not a whole lot of pocket 380s out there anymore that are true DAO and more "Pocket Carry" friendly. Those new Bodyguards 2.Os are neat but not DAO. Beretta Pico is gone. All the Taurus Pocket 380s have been discontinued. Remington RM380s gone. Keltec dumped the P3At. Ruger still has the LCP but they dumped the LCP2. Sig Dumped their offering a while ago now as well.

Be nice if Beretta would revamp the Pico and fix the ergos but everyone has gone the micro nine route these days. S&W Bodyguard has sort of ended up being the Premium pocket 380acp now for DAO. Crazy how "FAD" driven the firearms market is these days.

Nice to see people still shooting those old Bernardelis once in a while. They dont get much love these days. Those are well made pistols. I also see a CZ82 and an FN 1903... all good stuff on that table. Its hard to go wrong with the classics. You are no gun or trigger snob.

Ive been thinking of picking up newer pocket 380 for carry and the Original Bodyguard is basically at the top of the list since most the others have been taken off the market. I still like the original Sigma 380 pocket pistols but they are pretty fragile and have never had a DAO trigger. Why S&W dumped the DAO on the 2.0 is beyond me for a pocket pistol. They basically took the idea more into range pistol territory.

If they wanted to go a Single action style trigger they should have done something like a DA/SA system like on the P99/SW99 and have a decocker on it. I like nice triggers like anyone else but true DAO is where its at for daily pocket carry with a round chambered. S&W did it right with the Bodyguard 1.0.

I still carry Makarovs sometimes BTW. Both the CZ82 and the Original PM (mainly the PM). Old habits die hard. My pocket carry for 380s are primarily Sigma 380s and the old Grendel P10/P12s but my Grendel's are all tuned and dialed in (Very heavy DAO triggers on Grendels).

 

[Hugo Stiglitz]

Gun Snob!

That was why I bought them. Have had DA/SA/DOA autos forever and don't mind their triggers. Only one out there with second strike. I have Glocks, Kars and Walthers/Brownings of all kinds. These are great. At the prices I got them at, I can almost have three for the price of my SIg 238 which was my EDC for years and years. Gun Snob! LOL! Those revolvers are .32 HR mags. Walther is a Manuhin Police trade in in 7.65 Browning, Browning is a 1910/71 with both a 7.65 and .380 complete upper. Yes that is a Walther PP Super in 9 Police/Ultra. Ammo is easily made from shortened 9mm/.38 Super Comp brass or 9 Mak cases. CZ-70 also.

 

[Dangerman]

Lots of neat stuff on that table. I dont see many of those Walther Ultra Pistols anymore and always wanted one. CZ-70s are always underrated for a good 32 but the prices have gotten pretty high these days for nice samples. I only have one CZ70 because I was focussed on Makarovs more than anything else when the CZ70s were selling for around $100. I missed the boat on those along with the Radoms. Nagant revolvers I grabbed though because I always seemed to get interested in Russian Pistols. Im a big Tokarev fan as well.

Yup basically all the DAOs are gone. Taurus Spectrum, Beretta Pico, and RM380 all went away for whatever reason. Micro Double stack 9mms basically became the new fad. Like all thongs in the firearms industry it will cycle back around again. Im suprised to see Compensators back on CCW pistols though. That was a 90s fad.

The positive is its a good time for gun enthusiasts to pick up stuff like single stack 380s and single stack 9mms. Most of these new shooters still have not come the the realization of how good the 40S&W cartridge is yet either so I expect that will be back fairly soon as well. Still lots of good deals on 40S&W duty size pistols out there.

Those classics in your pictures are always a joy to shoot its just that youtubers like forgotten weapons have gotten people to think they are made of gold sometimes and sellers ask for ridiculous prices.

Lots of good deals on Springfield XD pistols these day since that Echelon was introduced.

My prefered shooters are Beretta 92 and Taurus 92. I actually prefer the early Taurus 92s over the Beretta unless its some sort of Beretta Elite Model. Pocket style pistols I like the Keltec P11 or offshoots like the Sccy because of the DAO triggers on them. Like you I use a lot of aftermarket triggers because the only thing that can throw me off on a heavy trigger is the overtravel.

One sleeper out there is the FMK 9mm with the DAO trigger system thats used mostly for the CA pistols. FMKs are economy pistols and need to be tweeked sometimes but they have my absolute favorite DAO trigger and once its smoothed out its like butter. Its basically the perfect trigger for the CCW IMO. Even Glock was impressed with those double strike capable DAO FMK triggers.

I learned on things like airguns and revolvers growing up though. Most of the newer shooters learn from video games and pushing buttons on a controller so a DAO trigger feels so LOOOONG and Heavy.

Also.. IDK about you but all the old Interarms Walther PPK/PPKs pistols are by far the most accurate small autos I have ever shot. Basically target pistol accurate and blows anything else out of the water. Even other fixed Barrel straight blowbacks dont come close and Im bias towards the Makarov. I have no idea how good these new Walther PPs are though in terms of accuracy.

Im a little jealous of your Walther Ultra but I can tell you take care of your firearms so its OK. Make sure it goes to someone who appreciates it when you pass. Hopefully you have some children or grandchildren that appreciate fine firearms. Vintage Walthers are basically the Apex of firearms IMO. Im not a snob and like almost everything (Even cheap guns) but Walthers are at a different level than most. Elegant is the word I would use to describe them.

Bernardelli P-One is a favorite of mine if you have never shot one. Not a ton of them out there but they come up for sale once in a while. Was a victim of the 94 AWB which is around when I bought mine right after I left the service. Nicer shooting than my beretta/taurus pistols but I only shoot the bernardelli on special occasions.

If Im shooting with a winey trigger snob I take the VP70z and let them run a magazine through it. Then they dont complain about other DAO triggers so much!

Taurus new version of their series of tip up barrel pocket pistols looks interesting. This will be the third generation of those and they are DAO just like before. Ill be grabbing one of those as soon as I start seeing them for sale. Hopefully they offer a 25acp version as well. Its about time 25acp starts making a comeback along with 32acp.