My first impressions are positive. The gun is well built and tight. The controls are well placed and easy to manipulate given the relatively small size of the gun. Under $400 out the door with tax and NICs makes it an easy purchase.

 

The positives are the fact that it is not a striker firing mechanism it has a shielded hammer that functions in double action making a repeat trigger pull possible on a light primer strike. The integrated laser is a nice touch but at first blush seems awkward to turn on and off, that may get easier with time and practice. The gun has a manual safety which in my opinion is a must for any pocket pistol.

 

The negatives are that the gun only ships with one magazine, this is a major fail in my opinion, every pistol should ship with no less than two magazines. The laser controls are ambidextrous but the switches seem as though they would be easily activated inside a tension holster, I will need to do some research on holsters. The factory sights are black, a higher visibility sight picture would be more preferable, even an optional night sight would be a good addition given in a self defense draw you would not have time to manually activate the laser.

 

So I have it home and will pull it apart tomorrow to make sure everything is 100%. Going to order 2 or 3 extra mags and some Winchester Ranger-T .380 so hopefully I'll have a range report later next week.

In my opinion how many mags the gun comes with is related to the cost. If you require at least 2 mags and the mag is expensive that

is an additional cost to purchase the gun in my opinion. I guess it depends on the end user. It seems sub compact mags can get

expensive too.

 

Congrats on the new piece. Any pics?

In my opinion how many mags the gun comes with is related to the cost. If you require at least 2 mags and the mag is expensive that

is an additional cost to purchase the gun in my opinion. I guess it depends on the end user. It seems sub compact mags can get

expensive too.

 

Congrats on the new piece. Any pics?

 

I agree to an extent, a weapon that fills a target shooting role yes but not for a weapon clearly intended for a self defensive role, a second magazine is just about mandatory. The mags retail for $19 ea and with shipping will top out at around $25 for an extra mag. S&W could have easily included a second mag with the gun for as little as $15 additional cost and still not severely impacted the gun's mid $300s price point. To me that forces me to spend additional money which which negatively impacts the overal value S&W is trying to provide. Some may see it differently.

 

When I sit down to strip and clean it I will snap some pictures. I still have not fired it, I didn't have time when I picked it up and want to order some ammo and mags before I take it shooting. I will also take some picks at the range.

Congrats - I was considering getting one until the Beretta Nano came out.

 

CDNN generally has the mags for the BG380 for cheap.

So I just finished cleaning the Sigs, ARs and the first tear down of the Bodyguard 380. Man I hate waiting for the kids to fall asleep; I wish my wife weren’t such a bliss-ninny.

 

For starters, this is the first Smith & Wesson product I have purchased since they made the deal with HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo back in March of 2000. So this was a big deal for me as I swore I would never purchase another S&W product ever again. Like everything else time heals all wounds and after nearly going bankrupt I think they have learned a very painful lesson.

 

 

 

Initially I was shocked to see the gun packaged in an old style S&W blue box, I almost got nostalgic thinking about when I bought my old mid '80s Model 66-3. The last new S&W guns I saw new came in blue plastic cases.

 

 

Opening the box I was surprised to see there was a zippered nylon case with the pistol secured inside. I thought this was very cool. I mentioned my disappointment earlier that there was only one magazine but I'll get over it. There was also a spent shell case for the states that require them and a cable style gun lock, which is to be expected. Included were a tiny Allen wrench for laser adjustments and a second flat style floor plate in case you desire only your middle finger actually to be able to grip the frame! Since my ring finger barely fit with the finger extension on the magazine I left it in place.

 

 

 

Field stripping the little gun for the first time was a chore, the tiny take down lever was difficult to remove at first, even though my hands are not "large" they are, shall I say, thick. After doing it several times I managed to figure out the trick and hopefully once it sees some range time everything will break in and loosen up a little. Two things I was really impressed with were the fact the gun has a hammer and is not another Glock striker fire action knock-off and that it employs a Browning short-recoil system. Normally I would expect a .380 ACP to employ a blow-back system. I am excited to see how this gun compares to other .380s I have fired in the past (Sig P230 and Walther PPK). To be honest I have not looked at the Kel-Tec, Ruger LCP or Diamondback DB380 so I can only compare to the older guns I have fired. From what I have read and have been told the BG380 out classes them anyway, we shall see. Access to the integrated laser up front is via the small Allen head screw seen in the front of the frame.

 

 

 

The ergonomics for this tiny frame are surprisingly very good, the gun is comfortable and the controls are well placed. The ambidextrous laser switches will take some getting used to though. Initially the manual safety seems a little stiff but I expect that to ease up with some use.

 

 

Although the image does not do the laser justice, I had it outside today and it is fairly bright, one would not have difficulty seeing it up to 10 or so feet in the daylight and obviously a greater distance at night.

 

 

Surprisingly the gun did not get lost in my hand; it naturally rides higher than my Glocks so hopefully I shouldn't get bit by the slide.

 

 

 

The final two images I posted were to provide a comparison to some fairly common compact Sig variants out there. Sorry I was too lazy to dig out my Glocks and Berettas! Top picture top left is the Bodyguard, top right is a Sig P225, bottom left is a Sig P229 and bottom right is a Sig P228. In the bottom picture you can get an appreciation for how concealable this gun can be, from left to right is the Sig P228 with P229 Equinox grips, the Sig P229, the single stack Sig P225 and finally the BG380.

 

Bottom line, this is a great little gun that serves a specific purpose. It is not a target gun and should not be expected to live up to that kind of role. In my opinion; it is solid, well built, comfortable and above all, for less than $400 with tax and NICS, it is a very good value given its competition.

 

I hope this helps provide some of you in the market for this type of weapon with some valuable information. When I get it to the range I will compare it side by side with my Glock 26.

 

OK I need to get to sleep right now, the kids will be up in less than four hours looking for me to take them to Six Flags.

 

Take care for now guys.

I picked up a S&W Bodyguard 380 today

 

Have you put it back down yet, or are you still holding it?

 

 

Have you put it back down yet, or are you still holding it?

 

Actually I was playing with it most of the day yesterday trying to work in the safety and get a good feel for how everything works on it. It was hard to put down. I had to put it down today; Six Flags wouldn't have been too happy if I took it with me. LOL