Picked up my BG380 today with pics and some P238 comparison shots RANGE REPORT

[Nakanokalronin]

Well I picked up my BG380 today. Serial number is EBE46XX. I paid $310 before shipping off of Gunbroker. Even after shipping and transfer fees, I still saved $100 over buying it locally.

When I went to pick it up, there was someone else that my FFL was taking care of. I noticed he was looking at some S&W firearms and I thought, "Must be a S&W type of day." After he was done he was on his way out when my FFL mentioned he was part of the S&W forum. He came back and told me he was a moderator on this very forum! Nice guy with a firm handshake. He gave me some tips on the BG380 and then went on his way. Pretty neat.

Back to the BG380, Everything seems to function well and the A-Zoom snap caps feed and eject with no problems. It fits perfectly in the Blackhawk #3 pocket holster that I've had for some time.

The trigger pull seems to be better than the one I rented or the one I handled at my LGS. Everything glides smoothly and seems to be made with great quality.

I'll be taking it to the range this weekend and will follow-up this thread with a range report. In the meantime, I thought I'd take some pictures of the BG380 and some comparison pictures with my P238.

 

[Erich]

Those are good and useful pix - thank you for favoring us with them.

So . . . who was the mod?

 

[Nakanokalronin]

Those are good and useful pix - thank you for favoring us with them.

So . . . who was the mod?

I forgot the screen name but he said he was the Classifieds moderator.

 

[PossibleZombie]

Good choice on the BG 380, it's so easy to conceal. I used snap caps to dry fire about 1,000 times or so to smooth out the trigger on mine. I bought a 1 inch magazine extension from AdamsArms on Ebay and ground it down smooth so now I can get my whole hand on the pistol. I also colored my front sight neon green and the rear sight in bright white.

Overall it's a good little pistol, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

 

[FDE]

I'm curious as to your reason for buying the BG380 when you already own the sweetest shooting 380 out there (the Sig p238). I ask only because I just did the same thing... But I own the HD stainless steel framed sig and it is just too heavy to pocket carry for me. As your pictures show there is very little difference in size but to me the BG380 seem significantly easier to carry in the pocket. I like it better for carry than my Sig but the P238 wins hands down for overall shootability. I won't be selling either anytime soon.

 

[FDE]

BTW my gun was test fired on 5-15-2012 and is serial #EBP27XX. I have noticed it seems to have quite alot of play in the slide to frame fit but for a pocket gun thats probably a good thing.

 

[krdshrk]

Very nice....

 

[Nakanokalronin]

My P238 is an older version, so unlike the P238s today, it has the thinner slide. At some point they put the HD slide on all of the P238s, but I prefer the standard 2 tone for the lighter weight. It's still the best shooting pocket 380 I've owned or shot to date but the BG380 comes in at a very close second even though the triggers are totally different. Never had a single malfunction in my P238.

Now I like shooting and carrying SAO 1911 triggers and preferred nothing else for a long time. I owned many other types of firearms but always came back to the 1911. This was probably due to never practicing enough with the others. I then dwindled my collection down to the better DAO - DA/SA type guns for me. This allowed me to easily go back and forth which only required a shot or two to get used to the triggers again. For example would be a P89, 92FS/Elite/92A1, PX4, Ruger LCR, etc.. I can easily shoot them as well as my 1911s/1911 like guns now.

As far as the BG380 goes, it mimics everything on the P238 minus the trigger and poly frame. Weight wise on my scale with an empty mag inserted in each gun shows the BG380 to be 12.3oz while the P238 is 14.4oz. That 2.1 ounces really makes no difference to me so then why do I have both? Mainly, I like to keep proficient with both trigger types but I also like to have back-up carry guns. I visit people in Wisconsin quite a bit and I've been looking for something that was inexpensive, yet I could shoot quite well and carry when I could.

My IWB gun is a Kimber Ultra Carry II. No problems and shoots as good as the 5" models, but I wanted something just a tad lighter with more corrosion resistance that I could still shoot well. I've owned many different poly guns but I never warmed up to them until I finally got around to the S&W M&P line. First a M&P FS 9mm, then I rented and ordered a Shield and finally rented and bought a BG380.The IWB option will be the Shield and the pocket option will be the BG380. The UCII and P238 will be negated to back-up guns in-case either S&W model is down for whatever reason. Of course the BG380 and Shield won't get any role until I deem them worthy.

BTW, the slide to frame fit on my BG380 is pretty tight. Not as tight as my P238 but I've really never felt a poly gun that was as tight as many full metal guns out there. As long as it's reliable and accurate, it dosn't matter much to me unless it's a total rattle can.

I think I justified my BG380 purchase, don't you? I could of just said that my P238 needed a little buddy and that was it, I guess.

 

[jstanfield103]

I enjoyed you're post. I never looked at the P238 before. I like the looks very much. I just bought a BG380 and love it, now my only concern is the firing pin issue. Mine was made on 11/29/2010 so I don't know if it will have the firing pin issue or not. I was not a very big 380 fan, in fact I thought them to be a useless round. I have always carried a NAA revolver (22 Mag) in my pocket. I was out at my LGS, and picked up the BG380 and just felt so good in my hand and fit my pocket even better than the NAA pistol that I bought it. Took it out to my range and it was flawless. I really am very happy with this pistol. But if the firing pin breaks I will be investing in the P238 after you're side by side pictures.
Thanks really very nice

 

[Nakanokalronin]

You have the earlier type so you may or may not have a FP issue. Mine was made in March of this year so hopefully all of the bugs have been worked out. If it does break, I'd call S&W and politely ask for an upgraded firing pin and striker block if there has been any changes since its introduction.

I though I'd add some weights unloaded with empty mag and then weight of 7 rounds of ammo (6+1).

Weight of both guns unloaded with empty mags
BG380: 12.3oz
P238: 14.4oz

Weight of 7 rounds of ball and Hornady Critical Defense ammo
7 rounds of standard 95gr. ball ammo: 2.6oz
7 rounds of Hornady CD 90gr ammo: 2.3oz

Weights of the guns loaded (6+1) with both types of ammo
BG380 fully loaded 6+1 with ball: 14.9oz
BG380 fully loaded 6+1 with Hornady: 14.6oz

P238 fully loaded 6+1 with ball: 17oz
P238 fully loaded 6+1 with Hornady: 16.7oz

 

[Nakanokalronin]

Range report

Pre-range visit prep

Clean, lube and make sure the laser screw was secured with blue loctite.

Ammo shot

100rds of Winchester White Box

50rds of Remington ball

25rds of Hornady Critical Defense

Malfunctions

zero

Distance shot

15 yards. This is the minimum distance anyone can shoot at my local range weather it's a tiny NAA revolver or a 20" barreled pistol caliber carbine. I really can't stand it but the next range is about 20 miles out so I'm SOL until I decide to make the trip. I'd rather be shooting these small guns at 7 yards or less, at least until I can see if the sights are correct and where the bullet is impacting.

Accuracy

By the end of the range trip I was shooting about a 3" group. At one point I quickly put the target out to 7 yards and got off a shot before some range Nazi saw me and I hit no more than an 1/8th of an inch from dead center. This is where I'd like to start shooting these pistols but it is what it is. The laser was also calibrated right on from the factory. I shot one mag with the laser on and the bullets went right where they were suppose to, though the laser was completely black and worthless by the end of the range trip. It did clean up easily though and the dot is still in the same spot.

Final thoughts

It's defiantly a keeper. Accuracy was good, reliability was 100%, recoil was very mild, the laser hold down screw never budged and the grip stayed planted in my hand. As a defensive pistol, it's a very good choice. I'll wait until I can get to another range and put a few more boxes through it at a much more realistic distance for these type of little pistols. I'm sure I'll be at sub 2" groupings at 7 yards. Once it's all said and done, I'd have no problem carrying the BG380 and would recommend it for anyone looking for a .380 pocket pistol.