Looking for very small carry -

[rosewood]

I am a Smith and Wesson Fanboy...but... don't like the looks of the bodyguard, never shot one either. Have had a LCP for about 5 years now as my pocket gun when I can't hip carry. Picked up the Max a month or so ago for the capacity increase, front night sight and a little more grip to hold on to. Glad I did. And I am using my LCP holster for the Max. Seems like it is about 3 ounces heavier, so it swings in the gym shorts pocket a bit more around the house.

Rosewood

 

[Rustyt1953]

The OP gave us only two choices. Of those I suggest the Ruger.

I am admittedly biased as I have been a satisfied owner of an LCP for over 10 years.

 

[smoothshooter]

I have had two of each. Liked the S & W better, but kept getting light primer strikes on both.
The Ruger LCP Max pair function much better.

 

[smoothshooter]

I am a Smith and Wesson Fanboy...but... don't like the looks of the bodyguard, never shot one either. Have had a LCP for about 5 years now as my pocket gun when I can't hip carry. Picked up the Max a month or so ago for the capacity increase, front night sight and a little more grip to hold on to. Glad I did. And I am using my LCP holster for the Max. Seems like it is about 3 ounces heavier, so it swings in the gym shorts pocket a bit more around the house.

Rosewood

You could reduce the number of rounds in the magazine to 7 or 8 and save a little weight there.
Everyone thinks you have to always carry full magazine, even when weight is an issue.

 

[Execpro]

Have to agree with above post, that you should try both guns to see which one you like the best.
I went with the S&W Bodyguard. I'm with hyena and CAJUNLAWER.
I like a double action trigger that gives me the opportunity to hit the round again if it doesn't go bang the first time. This happened to me only one time on a practice round that fired on the second pull of the trigger.
The S&W is like shooting a revolver.
The final choice comes down to what you like. They are both good products.

Picture on left is with Talon plain rubber grips added to gun recently. Made a BIG difference in grip, drawing from holster and
Recoil management from this small gun.
The S&W is also very accurate!

 

[mikerjf]

This is a few years back now, but when I was considering an LCP the Taurus TCP seemed to be an equal or maybe superior option. (I didn't buy either, stuck with my 637.)

 

[Rpg]

I've shot these guns but don't own any of them: they are unpleasant to shoot and I can't imagine a situation where I'd want the max number of rounds that can be fitted into the max versions of micro 380's or 9mm's.

These guns aren't going to be used in a zombie apocalypse so lots of shots aren't useful. More realistically, if you need more than a half dozen rounds in an across the table situation (the situation these guns are useful for) 10 or 14 rounds aren't going to solve your problems.

Since ammo capacity isn't a factor in choosing a gun for pocket carry, we can expand our search beyond these pocket guns. My preference is a M38. This is the J frame before it was enlarged to the Magnum sized J frames that accept 357. Try one beside the micro 380's: I've found it's as concealable as the micro, much easier to use and has plenty of ammo for its intended use.

 

[BB57]

In my opinion, having owned both - briefly in both cases - I would not carry either one.

I'd choose a Kimber Micro as mine has been extremely reliable with Hornady 90 gr XTP as well as FMJ loads.

I'd also carry an FEG SMC long before I'd carry a S&W Body Guard. The SMC can be picky with hollow points but it's extremely reliable with round nose FMJ.

 

[LCC]

Will only carry DOA in pocket, so LCP 10th Anniversary rides in mine.
It will be replaced by a P32 if one ever comes into my LGS.
Nothing will replace the 365 on hip if going anywhere of concern.

 

[hardknocks]

LCP max

I have had.
Lcp 1st gen 380 - over 1k rounds no malfunctions.
Lcp 2
Kahr 380
Remington 380 = nice
Taurus 380
Sig 230
Bersa 380
LCP max is my choice, and still have it.
For smaller keltec P32.

 

[garddogg56]

Well I'm going to stick up for the BG380 because I own a LCP gen2 and a Sig 238 With that said the Smith gets the carry everytime ,I've had her since 2015 once I adapted I find her accurate and reliable perfect for pocket carry

 

[SuperMan]

Take a look at the Kahr P380...shot everything available in that size range and it's what I chose... Have shot it the last four years as one of the guns for my LEOSA list and so far it has racked up 7/8 perfect targets.

For VERY small I go KelTec P32...

Bob

 

[ISCS Yoda]

I voted for the S&W just because.........

I like a J frame .38 Special for deep concealment, I could get mousy and hide a Seecamp as shown above or an old Beretta .25 ACP 950BS. However, since I can also deeply conceal a Walther CCP 9mm, I'd simply not bother with a small .380 ACP. I don't dress in bikini clothing so nothing I ever wear would cause me to be unable to hide a small .38 or 9mm . YMMV, naturally.

 

[smoothshooter]

I purchased the Ruger LCP II to occasionally pocket carry when I would be wearing shorts and T-shirt during the summer, however, I came to the realization that due to it being a striker fired handgun, I wasn't comfortable carrying it due to the fact that I wasn't 100% sure that it couldn't accidentally discharge. This fear was compounded by the fact that when the wife and I would go out to eat, she usually sits opposite of me, so the pistol in my pocket would be pointed directly at her, this thought also arose when I was seated at a baseball game as the pistol was pointed directly at the person seated in front of me. I never was comfortable after that.

So I purchased the Bodyguard 380 with the manual safety lever to give me better piece of mind in the above stated situations. Plus the long pull DAO trigger is like an additional safety feature.

Also, I absolutely hate to shoot either of these handguns. If you have to shoot more than one magazine it hurts your hand terribly. They'll probably work up close, within 10 feet, if you need to deter someone, but I wouldn't count on a 380 bullet to the torso to generally incapacitate a human, or stop the fight, its probably going to take multiple rounds to stop someone.

Also for you hikers that may want to carry a 380 for protection, its not going to stop a bear, unless maybe you can stick it in his ear and pull the trigger.

Hikers are FAR more likely to encounter a two-legged threat than any sort of bear.
Feral dogs are more of a threat than bears as well.
A .380 will repel either of those threats.

 

[Echo40]

I've been carrying a Ruger LCP since 2019 and I love it. To this day my LCP serves as my primary carry gun around the house and my BUG when I'm out and about.

Granted, this is a single stack LCP, not the LCP MAX, but I still chose it over the M&P380 Bodyguard, and as you can see, I love the M&P Series as well, so I'm not being biased either.

 

[ladder13]

Sometimes I go for my 32

 

[tops]

I voted for the S&W because it's a DA and the Ruger is not. Larry

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

Another vote for Seecamp and I go with the 32 ACP

 

[BB57]

Since we've brought up .32 ACP, I like the Beretta Tomcat. The open top slide design is very reliable, there is no extractor to break and it's dirt simple. It's a little bigger than it's rimfire predecessors but it's an almost ideal pistol in couple different situations.

1) It's small and works well as a back up in pocket carry or ankle carry as well as IWB.

2) the flip up barrel design eliminates the need to rack the slide to load or clear the weapon, making it ideal for old folks or petite women who otherwise have trouble racking the slide on a pistol.

 

[BB57]

Hikers are FAR more likely to encounter a two-legged threat than any sort of bear.
Feral dogs are more of a threat than bears as well.
A .380 will repel either of those threats.

Agreed. Outside of parts of northern Idaho, western Montana or the Yellowstone area of Wyoming it's extremely unlikely you'll encounter a grizzly bear.

The response to a black bear is much different to your response to a grizzly and involves making your self look bigger, standing your ground and making noise. Even if you do encounter a black bear that has associated humans with food, you are not likely to need much more than bear spray and a small handgun.

At 58, I place greater priority on a lighter pack than I did 30 years ago and a 2.5 pound revolver no longer fits that philosophy. I'm more inclined to carry a Kimber Micro or a Tomcat that fit in a hip belt pocket on my pack. It also doesn't frighten the granola crowd like an open carried revolver does.