s&w bodyguard 380......

[happysmitie]

local gs has them on sale , no laser model , for $295 .
go or no ?

never handled one or shot one . it is not for me , but for a female friend . any info regarding price , shootability how the gun handles ( trigger hard to manipulate , reliability etc. ) would be helpful .

thanks in advance hap

 

[nakinate]

The trigger pull is pretty long. My wife was not a fan.

 

[newgunguy]

my opinion only, its a s&w so its reliable, its snappy and being so small not much to hang on to with larger hands still better than nothing

 

[crispy]

I'd say about 90% of the women that shoot them, hate them.

 

[Mustang1911]

The trigger pull is very long and heavy, but the recoil is very light. Mine had to go back to S&W to get the feed ramp polished; it fed hollow points just fine but not FMJs. For as small of a gun as it is, it has pretty decent sights (especially compared to a Ruger LCP) and is accurate for what it is. I wish they would make the thumb safety an option like on the M&Ps because I don't use it; it's too small and hard to manupliate IMO to be able to disengage it under stress. I carried mine for a while as a backup/ankle gun because of how small and light weight it is, but I eventually replaced it with a Ruger LCR357 to get a more powerful cartridge. To me the biggest drawback is that it's a 380, and I'm not a huge fan of the trigger, but IMO it's one of the better small 380s on the market.

 

[ajeandy]

You can get an LCP cheaper. Up to you. I don't think that's a good price personally, but everyone is different. These tiny guns aren't for long range, so, for instance, the sights...aren't a huge issue with the LCP. I went ahead and added some fluorescent orange paint to the front sight of my LCP which makes it pop!

I got mine for 199.99 plus tax.

 

[happysmitie]

thanks for the feedback...
the bodyguard 380 IS a very light gun . i suppose that makes it good to carry . my friend has shot my glock 19 9mm , 1911 45 pistol , s&w model 442 38 , and a ruger sp101 2" 357 . she does not think a wheel gun is to her liking . the best gun she hits with is the 1911 ! but i dont recomend that type of gun for her . wont practice enough to stay familiar with it .
i simply do not own one of the smaller 380 or small 9 mm type guns . the small wheel gun has been my mainstay carry piece. i believe we are going to look at the glock 43 9mm & the tauras 709 slim 9mm . both those guns get good reviews in the single stack polymer frame 9mm guns & ammo side by side tests. i might even look at the glock 43 for myself .... if it seems to fit in a pocket .

 

[55fairlane]

not a great gun.....ruger for the money,but at last i'm a glock guy

my wife shot one ,hated it ! spent the cash on a M&P in 9mm she loves it, said same thing crappy trigger pull!

 

[covert justice]

I carry one as a backup while I am on and off duty. It's not a fun gun to shoot but it does what I need it to do.

 

[Bapak2ja]

The Taurus 709 Slim is a great option. Accurate, reliable, mild recoil. Easier to handle than the pocket pistols. Easy to conceal, too, 7+1 round count.

 

[ajeandy]

local gs has them on sale , no laser model , for $295 .
go or no ?

never handled one or shot one . it is not for me , but for a female friend . any info regarding price , shootability how the gun handles ( trigger hard to manipulate , reliability etc. ) would be helpful .

thanks in advance hap

I must confess I missed the part where you said it's for your female friend. Definetly try out the Glock 42. It has much less recoil than the lcp or bodyguard and 10x better ergonomics and trigger. I HIGHLY recomend it. I know its not $199 or $299, but the extra money would be well worth it if it's going to be her main firearm. I WO​​ULD NOT have an lcp or bodyguard as my main or only gun.

 

[O'Shark]

I saw the ad in the paper that you're referring to. I had been looking for a truly pocket-sized back-up so I went in to Haley's to take a look at them. As it turns out, that sale price is about $50 less than RK Guns and $25 less than Bud's. I think I bought his last one. I shot both FMJ and Hornady Critical Defense through it with 100% function. I will say that this is not a gun for inexperienced shooters or those with weak hands. The slide is difficult to rack and the trigger pull is long but not terribly heavy. It just gives you more time to take the sights off target (focus on the front sight!). I put some white paint on my front sight which really brings it into view. I was surprised at how well I shot it from 5 yards or so. It had at least minute of tin can accuracy. Recoil is negligible. Field stripping for cleaning is easy once you understand that little takedown pin. If you're already used to DA triggers, this little pistol will work just fine. It comes in a soft padded case that looks like a day planner along with 2 magazines (one has a pinky extension floor plate) and a lock. The shop did have one in the case with a laser but I think it was $395. There was a LC9s in the counter also that may work better for a female. The trigger pull is a bit on the long side but it's an easy pull that breaks in a much better spot than the Bodyguard. On the downside, the LC9s is very light and has a surprising amount of recoil but it IS a 9mm. A 9 round mag would probably tame that right down. The LC9s is considerably larger than the Bodyguard yet they are both very small pistols.

All in all, it is a nice little store. It's called Haley's Safe Lock and Keys which also houses Haley's Gun Shop in Crawfordsville. He has some modern sporting rifles, lever guns, handguns and holsters. If he doesn't have the gun you want, he said he can usually get it from one of his distributors. There are some spring kits and bits for ARs (saw no LPKs) and a few reloading supplies. There's also a nice little selection of ammo. No smoke, no drama, no gun counter "flies".....

 

[AA&E]

There is a company that sells an aftermarket trigger group for the S&W Bodyguard that addresses the weight and travel. I personally didn't find it to be that big of a deal. It's not a competition grade trigger, but it serves a different purpose. It takes a deliberate action to make it go bang. At self defense ranges my novice wife can make saucer sized groups center mass while sustaining a fairly rapid rate of fire. It's extremely light. When used in a decent holster, it is one of the few firearms I own that I forget I am carrying.

 

[SchwansManDan]

The trigger pull is very long and heavy, but the recoil is very light. Mine had to go back to S&W to get the feed ramp polished; it fed hollow points just fine but not FMJs. For as small of a gun as it is, it has pretty decent sights (especially compared to a Ruger LCP) and is accurate for what it is. I wish they would make the thumb safety an option like on the M&Ps because I don't use it; it's too small and hard to manupliate IMO to be able to disengage it under stress. I carried mine for a while as a backup/ankle gun because of how small and light weight it is, but I eventually replaced it with a Ruger LCR357 to get a more powerful cartridge. To me the biggest drawback is that it's a 380, and I'm not a huge fan of the trigger, but IMO it's one of the better small 380s on the market.

Agreed. It does seem to be one of the better pocket pistols currently available.

My wife & I rented both the LCP & the Bodyguard at a local range recently. Even though the LCP had a laser, we both shot the Bodyguard better. I thought the Bodyguard had MUCH better sights and a better trigger (although the trigger was not as good as some of our pistols). My wife absolutely hated the LCP, calling it the "Little Crappy Pistol".

If you don't like the Bodyguard's thumb safety, you don't HAVE TO use it. Just carry in an appropriate holster.

In the end, we went with a Sig P938 as a small and reliable addition to our collection. I hated shelling out the extra $$, but I enjoy shooting the 938 and have no problem putting all of the rounds on the head portion of a silhouette target at the range.

Having said that ... I am still thinking about picking up a Bodyguard for pocket carry. They're on sale locally, so I will save up my tip money & make a decision soon.