Why no love for the Bodyguard 380?

[NOLASHOOTER]

I have been looking at the Bodyguard 380 because of my obvious love of S&W's. The reviews on YouTube have been largely positive except for the wishes that the laser and manual safety were not there. Is it worth getting or are there issues that keep it from earning the love on this forum? Please let me know before I decide to go get one.
By the way my desire is to have a gun small enough to go pocket carry but also do AIWB. I have an older Ruger LCP but the little nub sights don't thrill me. Plus, I would like something to more closely resemble my Shield. Oh, I am not bothered at all by a long trigger pull. Just getting into shooting a revolver so I am fine with that kind of trigger.

Thanks

 

[scwv67]

I didn't like the laser and feel of the trigger. I do like the Taurus TCP I picked up for a pocket .380 very much. Very little recoil, and shoots darn near as good as the wife's P238.

The sights are small, so based on your LCP comments, it probably wouldn't work for you though. FYI, Ruger has released a new version of the LCP supposedly with a better trigger and "real" sights.

 

[M29since14]

The sights on the BG380 are a ten-fold improvement over those on the LCP, IMO. I am not bothered by the laser. Only time I ever turn it on is to play with someone's cat. The safety I like. As a revolver shooter from way back, the "long" trigger doesn't bother me. I also like the second-strike capability. The gun feels good in my hand. The LCP does not. The BG380s trigger does not pinch me when I fire the gun like the Ruger's does. There are a lot of good things about the BG380.

It is essentially a pocket gun, as far as I am concerned. If I am going to wear a gun on my belt, I think I would prefer the Shield you apparently already own.

 

[Jdavis]

You sound like a perfect candidate for a Kahr P380 or it's less expensive sister the CW380. These guns have really smooth triggers and great sights. I have tried several other brands of small pocket pistols and IMO, the Kahr sets the standard in "mouse guns".
Watch this Hickok45 video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UERZBUqi7T0

 

[worm5932]

I bought the bg380 for my wife at our last anniversary. I made the decision to purchase it based solely on reviews, when I found one I went for it.
once I got it home and handled it more I was unimpressed in the feel and location of the safety and laser switch. the safety wasn't as bad as the laser switch, it was in a horrible location for my hands.
when we got to the range with it I was less impressed, it was a new gun so I shot it for the first time and it hurt. after spending a little time passing it back and forth and making adjustments to our grip neither one of us could take it anymore. only shot maybe 80 rounds.
the biggest problem imho is the gun is simply too small. where my finger landed on the trigger was very uncomfortable, my wife had the same issue and couldn't get it to fire a couple times. its hard to explain, you were almost either poking the trigger with the end of your finger, or pulling it in the joint of your second knuckle, almost to your palm. the recoil was very snappy, there is nothing there to absorb it because the frame is so small, it literally hurt.
she had no problem shooting my m&p 45, 40 shield, sp101 357, or hi point 9c.
I decided to trade it for a 9 shield for her, she is much happier with it.

to be fair, I would've kept it if it was for me. there is a tradeoff of as to size and concealment vs comfort of shooting. i personally can carry my shield inside the waist without any issues yet.

 

[kyf]

There was a post here yesterday showing the new Smith & Wesson M&P Bodyguard 380 with a new slide and no laser. Do a search for it. Didn't read the entire article since I am not in the market for a .380 but it might appeal to you. If you havent already done it, go get a hold of one and shoot it if you can then make your decision.

 

[growr]

Maybe because it is a .380.....

 

[Ransom]

The BG380 is a good pocket pistol. It is not a range gun, so don't expect to enjoy shooting more than 50 rounds at a time, but in a self-defense situation you'll never notice how comfortable it is to shoot.

I've had mine over a year and the main improvement would be if they offered a version without the laser because the one built-in has hard-to-reach buttons and has been known to lock up the slide if the battery screw backs out. Well my wish came true because for 2014 S&W has come out with the M&P Bodyguard 380, which has no laser and comes with two magazines. If I were buying one today, I'd get the M&P version:
Product: Model M&P BODYGUARD® 380

There is a good thread about the list of issues with the original BG380 here:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-wesson-semi-auto-pistols/307805-bodyguard-380-love-list.html

 

[gdnagle]

My wife got hers because she had hand problems and could only jack the slide on the .380. She liked the BG 380 the best out of what she looked at. Since then she has improved her wrist and now owns a LC9 and a Sig 239 .40. She still likes her BG380 and likes shooting it.

It's like another thread stated you either love it or hate it for whatever reasons.

Like kyf stated S&W is remaking the BG380, I don't like buying into anything the first year without reviews about problems but that's just me.

OBTW the first day out four of us shot it putting about 600 rounds downrange with no problems of any sort, my wife, me, son, and daughter-in-law, it ate all the different brand and types we fed it and no one went home with a sore wrist shooting this or anything else we took that day to shoot. The daughter-in-law had her first day of shooting this day with no problems to her wrist or malfunctions to the firearm. Well maybe I had sore fingers as I was the designated loader and still used a LULA loader for everything.

I would buy it again as we like it and it has proven reliable for when we have used it for shooting. The laser has problems but we don't use it that much, as I don't like the way you turn it on. There are lots of threads here about problems with them but like I said we haven't had any of them.

Good luck on your decision.

 

[RV4driver]

I've got a BG380 that apparently Smith can't make go bang. I also sold one to a student and hers had the same exact problem. Numerous types of ammo, many FTF per mag!
I'm thrilled that some have better luck in that regard, but two in a row and a worthless trip back to Smith have me soured on the gun bigtime.

My wife has a LCP early model that is flawless, but no sights to speak of. I sold one to a friend, the later model, WAY better trigger and sights!

 

[GKC]

FYI, Ruger has released a new version of the LCP supposedly with a better trigger and "real" sights.

Ruger has also started making a LC380, which is the same as the LC9, but chambered in .380 ACP. It's bigger than the LCP, of course, but may be of more interest to those who find the LCP too small.

I've owned a LCP and a BG380. The LCP felt too small for my comfort, and I liked the BG380 much better. I didn't like the laser, though, so now that they have moved the BG380 into the M&P family and it doesn't have the laser, it may be worth looking at again.

 

[Fastbolt]

I rather suspect that S&W learned some unexpected and hard lessons with their first Bodyguard 380 model, especially in the early production versions.

Now that they're most likely applying those lessons to this new revised Bodyguard 380, I won't be surprised to see it become a major seller among folks looking for really diminutive .380's. I especially like that they've finally offered it without the integral laser.

 

[Smith357]

I especially like that they've finally offered it without the integral laser.

Now they are making it more pocketable I may have to sell off the LCP and get one. I like that the BG380 slide locks open on the last round.

 

[Fastbolt]

Dunno.

I'm not so sure I'd be inclined to trade in my LCP even if I get the new Bodyguard, as I still rather like the minimalist size & profile of the simple LCP.

Add a Bodyguard, maybe.

I have 7 J-frames, so I could "justify" owning a couple of .380's, I suppose.

 

[shawn mccarver]

My vote, if you want a .380, is to wait for the new M&P Bodyguard, which does not have the laser or the pelican beak dust cover.

 

[BTHG]

I'm old school and like my old Colt Mustang 380

 

[yogi]

check out the new glock 42.

 

[Fastbolt]

I'll have to wait to get my hands on one, probably when I recert on Glock as an armorer again this year, but the promotion stats make it seem more as though it would be attractive to the folks who like the large Ruger LC380 (which uses 7-rd mags instead of 6-rd mags).

Once you start to nudge the overall size of the littlest 9's, it can start to make the 9's seem the better value.

Now, if Glock can somehow manage to eventually make a G42-sized pistol chambered in 9mm? They ought to be able to jump into the huge market for such defensive 9mm pistols with both feet.

 

[Guevera]

There is quite a discussion of this subject ongoing at ARFCOM: Is the Bodyguard 380 a Bust Reliability Wise? Need Owners Input - AR15.COM

 

[Fastbolt]

From what I've heard, the growing pains they experienced seemed to primarily involve the design and manufacture of early firing pins & hammers.

Magazines? I haven't heard that mentioned by anyone from the company ... yet ... but magazines are at the very heart of reliable & optimal feeding & functioning, so they're important. The company quite often has their magazine & spring vendors revise, refine and even make design changes, so that's not surprising, either.

I've often looked at the itty bitty mag springs Ruger uses in the LCP and wondered about spring service life.

I'll have to remember to ask about the new Bodyguard 380 slide next time I talk to someone.