TexasCHLforum.com

Just thought I would post a quick review of my Smith and Wesson Bodyguard .380's first trip to the range. I know I did a lot of research before my purchase, and I always appreciated those who took time to give their impressions of a new firearm, so I thought I should return the favor in case anyone is interested in this little pistol.

First off, before I decided to obtain a CHL, my involvement with handguns was minimal. I had been in the Airborne Infantry so I was familiar with the AR platform, but as a civilian I had been fairly inactive as a shooter. Though I did have a few firearms in the house. Only in Texas would you hear the sentences "I'm not into guns. I only have three."

I own a Colt New Frontier I purchased as a teenager, a Rossi .38 given to me when a friend moved to the gun unfriendly state of Hawaii, and a shotgun inherited from my grandfather. I used the .38 as my carry gun for the first few weeks of being licensed, until the local gun show rolled around and I was able to get something else (though the little Rossi did a fine job).

I decided to go with a .380 as the first of my carry guns. I felt that, being so small, I would never have a reason to go without it. I will get a good small 9mm at some point in the near future, but my thinking was that if I started with a 9, there would be times when I could not carry. The .380 leaves me no excuse for not carrying, though I will be getting a larger weapon for times that I have a few more options in my dress.

I put 70 rounds through the .380. 50 WWB and 20 Federal. I did have one FTE, but this was likely due to my deficits as a new shooter. Other than that, the gun ran perfect. Accuracy started out pretty rough, but by the end of 70 rounds I was able to tighten things up. Even at it's worst, all the rounds would have hit a torso at 21 feet. I fully expect that with a little practice accuracy will continue to improve. The laser was handy and worked well. I don't think I would go out and put a laser on carry gun, but it's nice that it's already built in. It's also nice that you get actual sights, but I wish they used a three dot system. Felt recoil was not nearly as bad as I expected based on what I had read. My hand was a little sore the next day (which had never happened with the .38 or Glocks I'd rented), but it was not bad and did not affect me in the moment. My friend was there with a Kel-Tec 9mm, which was much, much rougher on the hand.

Overall, I am very happy with the purchase. I am a small guy (with small pants) and have no problems with pocket carry. Quality seems to be great to my newbie eye, and takedown was not bad (thought the takedown pin is super tight). I paid $389. I saw them at the same show as high as $418. One vendor had them for $355, but they were first editions which I felt better avoiding. If you are considering a small .380 I would recommend it based on my experiences so far. I really looked at the LCP and the Sig P238, and both seem like fine weapons, but the SW seemed to hit the sweet spot between the bare bones feel of the LCP and the pricey luxury of the Sig.