S&W Bodyguard 380 - Slim, small, rugged and reliable.

While I love my H&K VP9 it is impossible to carry it concealed. Having a LTC concealed carry permit I decided I needed to find something smaller and more portable. After doing some research I settled on the Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380. I visited my favorite firearms dealer (Four Seasons) to get my hands on it and a few of the other options before my final decision. The reviews, feel and versatility of this gun were great but the quality build sold me. Before I share my thoughts on it I want to remind those reading of the importance of firearm safety.

I strongly recommend that anyone that may handle a firearm take the appropriate course in firearms safety for their area/state. Firearms are not toys and their ownership, use, & possession should be taken seriously. Below are just a few of the most important things to remember when using a firearm.

1. Always Keep The Muzzle Pointed In A Safe Direction
2. Firearms Should Be Unloaded When Not Actually In Use
3. Don't Rely On Your Gun's "Safety"
4. Be Sure Of Your Target And What's Beyond It
5. Use Correct Ammunition
6. If Your Gun Fails To Fire When The Trigger Is Pulled, Handle With Care!
7. Always Wear Eye And Ear Protection When Shooting
8. Be Sure The Barrel Is Clear Of Obstructions Before Shooting
9. Don't Alter Or Modify Your Gun, And Have Guns Serviced Regularly
10. Learn The Mechanical And Handling Characteristics Of The Firearm You Are Using

With that safety reminder out of the way lets talk about my first impressions of the Smith and Wesson Bodyguard 380. Bought with the purpose of being a conceal carry weapon its small size fits perfectly in my pocket and or IWB with out any indication of its presence.  It has an overall length of 5.25" and a barrel length of 2.75".   It's width is really what impressed me at only .842" or slightly less then the circumference of a nickel.

The Bodyguard 380 weighs in at feather light 11.85 ounces unloaded. This is about 2/3 lbs. making you forget it is even in your pocket or IWB holster. Loaded 6+1 the weight increases by 1.52 ounces bringing the max total loaded weight to 13.37ounces. That is only .84lbs. or about the same as can of Coca-cola.

The Bodyguard 380 is chambered for a .380 ACP ammo and comes standard with two 6 round magazines. Being a 6+1 round firearm means you can have 1 cartridge in the chamber and 6 more in the magazine. The two magazines are different; one with a finger groove and another with a flat butt. Having a round in the chamber always makes me nervous but the firearm come standard with a thumb safety for transport and carrying but I never trust a safety. (It locks both trigger and slide). Instead get a case that covers the trigger for carry. I also appreciate the witness hole which allows you the ability to verify the presence of a cartridge in the chamber.


The frame is high strength polymer and the matte black corrosion resistant coated stainless steel barrel and slide are well made. Both the front and rear sights are drift adjustable for windage and dove tailed into the slide. They can also be replaced should you feel the need for something like a tritium xs night sight.

Laser or no laser? The bodyguard 380 can be bought with either a green, red or no laser. I opted to choose no laser since the range of he gun is for close proximity and in a life or death circumstance I don't want to waste time with a laser. I've also read that there had been some quality issues with the lasers.

The Bodyguard 380 is a double action only (DAO) pistol versus a traditional DA/SA pistol. This requires that the trigger pull to both cock and trip the hammer/striker for each and every shot. This means that the hammer will always rest in the down position until the trigger is pulled again. It also means there is no way to cock the gun before shooting. The purpose of a DAO pistol is to avoid the change in trigger pull between the first and subsequent shots. It does have a fairly heavy trigger pull at 6.5lbs but being a pocket gun you don't want the trigger too light. (You can get a trigger kit if you want to lighten the pull)

This firearm also has second strike capabilities meaning you can pull the trigger a second time to strike the primer again. This is less important today with the improved and more reliable ammo but if faced with a situation where racking the slide isn't an option its a nice to have.  Although I do want to comment that using the second strike capabilities on a misfire should only be done in dire circumstances. Instead I recommend a TRB (Tap, Rack, Bang).

Yesterday I took it to the range for the first time and used CCI Blazer Ammunition. I selected .380 Auto 95GR FMJ. This is perfect practice ammo since its about $.36/round. or $18 for a box of 50. I appreciate that the slide locks back on the last round of the magazine like bigger firearms. I let a friend of mine try it out as well and he had a little trouble with his larger hands. As the slide kicked back it clipped his hand a little.

This isn't a range gun. This is a personal protection professional duty pocket carry pistol with a limited range and should be treated as such. It has a very solid and quality feel that you would expect from Smith and Wesson. It's slim, small, rugged and reliable. I appreciated the feel of the grip combined with the finger grove magazine better then the flat butt magazine. It's important to keep in mind if anyone knew they would be in a gun fight they might choose something different. It certainly isn't a tack driving, knock down power pistol but for the comfort of concealability that a pocket firearm like this allows its a no brainer. After all the #1 requirement for a gun fight is having a gun.

Shooting Trap - First Time

Our resident range officer John decided we had done enough pistol shooting and thought we might like to try shooting trap. In trap shooting, the targets  clay discs are launched from a machine away from the shooter in random directions. It's then the moving target you must shoot.

John graciously allowed each of us to borrow one of his shotguns and for the 20$ range fee they provided the shotgun shells and the clay targets. There would be two rounds with 25 shots each round 5 at each position.

I was given a Mossberg International Silver Reserve Over Under 12-Guage shotgun. It was certainly a heavy gun. Genti used a Stevens and Genti used a Remington 870.

I started at position 1 and as the first clay pigeon launched I did as I was told and shot as quickly as I could once the target was in my sights. While I tried my best to connect with it I missed. After a five shots at position 1 we shifted to the right. Having only connected with one clay pigeon at positions 1 and 2  I asked John for some advice and he instructed me to keep the clay pigeon in my sight even after firing. Essentially don't stop the guy to shoot. Immediately I saw an improvement in my shooting and picked of the first 2 clay pigeons at position 3. At position 4 I connected with another 2 and at position 5 I picked off just one. I guess I got too excited and wasn't aiming as well as I should have.

We took a break after the first round of 25 shots to have a bit of John's homemade soup which was delicious. After the meal break we took our starting positions for round two. John reminded all of us to follow the target even after firing. I didn't do much better this round in positions 1,2 and 3 but by position 4 I had started to figure out what I needed to do. I was waiting too long to shoot and letting the clay pigeon get to far away from me. For the next two position I vowed to fire more quickly and it paid off I  picked off 3 out of 5 clay pigeons in position 4 and 4 our of 5 in position 5.

Having triumphed in beating the competition I should have won a free lunch but since I had won during the last competition shooting the SW Model 41 22 caliber I was excluded from taking the prize today. Fliden took second place and scored the free lunch. It was a great time and I am looking forward to trying it again with a different shotgun. The Mossberg Over/Under sure did get heavy by the end of the evening.