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FTX, yes the critical defense. I also have a little assortment of JHP ammo on the way. 110 grain FTX non +P, 110 grain Winchester silvertip non +P, 125 grain Black Hills +P. I saw that Stephen Camp did a review on snub nose ammo a while back. Found the 110 grain silvertip interesting but ballistics tests I have seen on the internet say 10-11inchs of penetration. That’s a little shy of the FBI recommended. I would like to see what the new Hornady FTX +P and non +P do with the 110 grain.

Edit: Stephen did review the non +P FTX, I forgot and thought it was the XTP only. 850fps from his 1 7/8 snub. They advirtise 1010fps on thier website. I am guessing the +P is good for 900+fps being that it is advirtiese at 1090fps. This review from Gun and Ammo says 818fps for the non +P in a bodyguard. http://www.gunsandammo.com/content/lase ... rds?page=3

Funny TAM, and to think some of the guys I know complain about a .45 or 10mm with recoil. I can only imagine shooting a .44 mag or one of those .454 Alaskan defenders in a snub nose. God I bet that hurts your hand after only a few rounds!!

A little update, finally took it to the range. I put 60 rounds through it. 50 rounds were Winchester white box 130 grain .38 Special non +P and the other 10 were the Hornady 110 FTX .38 special +P. Interestingly enough even though the +P ammo had more recoil I had tighter grouping. Well I have limited experience with snub noses, my previous being Ruger SP-101 and S&W 642. Surprisingly it is much easier on felt recoil then the 642 but of course much more felt recoil then an SP-101. I shot yesterday and my hand is a little sore today. It feels like shooting 300 rounds of Double Tap through my Glock 20. I don't know how some of you guys practice with a 14 oz .357 mag! I would think your hand would feel like jelly after 50 rounds.

Anyways grouping was tight at 3 yards as expected but quickly goes down hill at further distances. At five yards I had a 3-4in group and 7 yards seemed more like 4-6in group. I tried at 15 yards just to see even though I know this is not meant for a snub nose. Aimed 10 shots center mass and the shots varied about 8in from the center at the most but 2 were dead on, all Targets were silhouettes.

As for the insight laser that comes with the gun I have mixed feelings. I found using the laser little or no help being that the bodyguard has sights with a high enough profile for 7 yards. They were much bigger then my Bersa .380cc sights. Now at night in a dark area I can really see its benefit. The laser is great for quick acquisition of a target or threat. I think acquisition of a threat in your home would be quicker then night sights but the obvious down side is that the BG knows exactly where you are.

Well I set out to replace my .380 Bersa cc with a pocket carry that has acceptable stopping power and is utterly reliable. 5 rounds of .38 special +P should do the job. As for its accuracy I would say that for a close encounter with a BG it would do fine. I would never use this as my main carry but that was not my intention. I wanted a small pocket carry that goes bang every time when I can't dress around my other guns.

Went to the Pasadena gun show and looked at several handguns to replace my Bersa .380cc that I sold to my girlfriend’s father along with all my .380 ammo yesterday. After narrowing it down to a revolver it came down to 4 models. S&W 637 and the hammerless model (I forgot the number), ruger LCR, Ruger SP101 2 1/4 barrel .357 mag and finally the S&W .38 special bodyguard. Well after quickly getting rid of the 637 and the LCR because I couldn't get all three fingers on the grip I was left with the SP-101 and S&W Bodyguard. I really wanted the .357 and I already have an SP-101 in .32 H&R so I know the quality is top notch but in the end I went with the bodyguard. I wanted a pocket carry and the SP-101 was just too heavy for pocket carry. The bodyguard is new in box and I paid 399.99 before tax. Went to Academy and they were selling them for 479.00 before tax just an hour ago. I know this is a new model but it’s a Smith and I know they stand behind their product. Anyways I picked up a box of Hornady 110 grain FTX .38 Special +P and hope to see what it can do at the range tomorrow. Pics to come soon.