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| TKW and the Bodyguard .380 |
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| Six rounds of 95 grain Federal ammo at 10 yards. |
My initial impression of the Bodyguard 380 was nothing special. I felt like it was just another pocket gun to go along with all the others to hit the market. After handling the gun for a few minutes I realized the engineers at Smith and Wesson had put quite a bit of thought and consideration into the overall design of the gun.
The Bodyguard .380 is equipped with the Insight laser sighting system that comes from the factory. My shooting partner and I decided to utilize the iron sites for this testing since we would be shooting at 10 yards.
For testing we used 95 grain Federal ammo and experienced no stoppages or malfunctions.
Ergonomics - the Bodyguard was designed to be easy to carry and conceal. The barrel is 2.75” long making the overall slide 5.4” in length. At 4.1” in height and a svelte .75” in width the Bodyguard disappears in a coat pocket with the utmost ease. An overall weight of 11.8 ozs unloaded, the bodyguard doesn’t constantly remind you that you’re carrying a gun. The polymer grip frame was slightly stippled from the factory and stayed put in the hand during firing and manipulation. Rear cocking serrations on the slide assisted in charging the gun but weren’t so sharp as to be abusive during cycling. Manipulating the safety on the Bodyguard is difficult at best. It’s small and blended into the profile of the gun to assist in the overall concealment ability of the gun. The safety is also NOT ambidextrous. It is mounted on the left side of the frame with no allowances for being moved to the right side of the frame.
Trigger - The Bodyguard truly shines while it is being fired. This is a traditional double-action-only gun in every sense of the description. There is an internal “hammer” that resets after every trigger manipulation which allows the shooter to strike the primer of a mis-fire a second time. In short, if the gun misfires just pull the trigger a second time and it should fire. The overall feel of the trigger was more than satisfactory. There is some take up, as is to be expected from a traditional DAO, but anyone familiar with Smith and Wesson’s line of Airweight revolvers will feel right at home with the smooth and consistent pull of the Bodyguard's trigger.
Sights - The Insight laser sighting system is zeroed, from the factory, at 10 yards. We chose to go with the iron sights on our range gun for testing just to give a mechanical evaluation of the gun. A bit of clarification is in order concerning this category of guns. The Bodyguard is not a precision instrument, it wasn’t intended to be. A gun like this will probably be used as a last resort in defense of ones life. These circumstances take place at a distance so close to an attacker that you will probably know how often they brush their teeth. That being said The Bodyguards iron sights shot to point of aim and clustered all rounds in a tight group just right of center. The sights are of the low profile design to also aide in concealment of the gun.
Control - Small frame, polymer .380 pocket guns are notorious for substantial recoil and requiring serious input from the shooter to remain on target. This was not the case for the Bodyguard. Both I and my shooting partner were pleasantly surprised by the controllability and mild felt recoil of the gun. The grip of the Bodyguard is large enough to provide adequate purchase for medium to small handed shooters. The lack of sharp edges or significant straight lines in the grip frame all but eliminated any “bite” during recoil.
The Bodyguard is a classic “pocket gun” with quality improvements from one of America’s longest running firearms manufacturers, Smith and Wesson. The polymer grip frame reduces weight and allows for a reduction in hand fatigue and assists in the guns ability to go into “stealth mode” when dropped in a pocket or put in a holster inside the waist band, and the easy to acquire, iron sights and smooth trigger pull lend to the overall ergonomic appeal of the gun. Anyone looking for a pocket gun with minimal recoil will find the Bodyguard as easy to conceal as it is to use.
If you’re on the fence about the Bodyguard do yourself a favor next time you’re in Palmetto State Armory, step into the range and for just $10 you can take the Bodyguard out for a test shoot. You may find the Bodyguard jumps to the forefront in your list of must have defensive handguns.
The Bodyguard sells for $399.99, but it is currently on sale for $349.99 while supplies last.
- TKW
