Beretta92FS
NES Member
I recently got a Smith & Wesson Bodyguard .380 to use for pocket carry in the summer, and shortly thereafter came across a Ruger LCP as well. Here is my little summary of impressions and comparisons.
This is not intended to be a caliber war, or a “the .380 sucks” flame fest. If you get shot from 5 yards away with a .380, you’re going to have a hole in your body, and the .380 in my hand beats the .454 Casull in your gun safe any day of the week, so let’s not even go there.
The point with both guns are deep concealment or as a backup gun. It’s not always practical or possible to wear an inside waist band holster, and for those situations, pocket carry may be the only viable option. These are not range guns. They are last resort self-defense guns.
Recoil is a bitch with both pistols; shoot a box of 50 rounds through either, and your hand will hurt. However, in a real self-defense or emergency situation, that doesn’t matter much.
Size wise they are both pretty close; the Ruger may be slightly smaller, and also weights a little bit less than the Smith.
Accuracy
I shot one extended magazine full + 1 in the chamber for each gun at about 20 feet, and the results are not bad. The Smith is slightly more accurate, with a little better grouping. However both pistols are accurate enough for a close up self-defense scenario.
Trigger
The trigger travel on the S&W Bodyguard .380 sucks. I’ll say it again: the trigger travel sucks. The trigger travel feels like it’s a light-year long, and the shot doesn't go off until the back of the trigger finally touches the front of the grip. To alleviate that, I installed an aftermarket trigger bar from Galloway Precision that shortens the trigger pull with approximately 35%. It really makes a huge difference! Trigger weight is still hard, but manageable.
The LCP has a much better trigger. This is due to the fact that the LCP is half-cocked when carried with one round in the chamber. This makes a big difference, both for trigger travel and trigger weight.
In case of a light primer strike, the Bodyguard can be fired again by simply pulling the trigger one more time. If the Ruger has a light primer strike, you need to cycle the gun again (hence ejecting the round in the chamber) in order to be able to pull the trigger: the Ruger can ONLY be fired when half-cocked.
Sights and laser
The sights pretty much stinks on both guns, as they are both hard to see on a dark background. But as mentioned before, these are not range guns, but close up self-defense guns, and in those situations aiming may not even be possible. Quick point and shoot is more realistic in a close up situation.
I have mixed feelings about the laser; you may or may not have time to turn the laser on in an actual life and death self-defense scenario. But I guess it doesn't hurt to have it.
Other
The Smith comes with two 6 round magazines; the Ruger with one 6 round magazine. Galloway Precision has magazine kits for both pistols, extending their capacity to 7 rounds without increasing the physical size of the magazine. This is done by having a thinner follower and new springs. I have tested these extensively, and have had no issues with the 7 round magazine kits. It’s actually pretty impressive that these tiny pistols have a total capacity of 7 + 1 rounds.
Final thoughts
The Smith & Wesson had a few light primer strokes during my testing, and by reading other forums, I gather this is all too common. That’s not acceptable for a last resort self-defense gun. It must be 100% reliable. Always. No exceptions. The Ruger had no such issues at all.
Based on the awfully long factory trigger on the S&W Bodyguard, and the fact that the S&W Bodyguard gave me a few light primer strikes, I would not be confident trusting my life with that pistol. If Smith & Wesson updated the Bodyguard with a better trigger and stronger spring, I think they would have a real winner, but for light summer carry my clear choice at this point is the Ruger LCP.
This is not intended to be a caliber war, or a “the .380 sucks” flame fest. If you get shot from 5 yards away with a .380, you’re going to have a hole in your body, and the .380 in my hand beats the .454 Casull in your gun safe any day of the week, so let’s not even go there.
The point with both guns are deep concealment or as a backup gun. It’s not always practical or possible to wear an inside waist band holster, and for those situations, pocket carry may be the only viable option. These are not range guns. They are last resort self-defense guns.
Recoil is a bitch with both pistols; shoot a box of 50 rounds through either, and your hand will hurt. However, in a real self-defense or emergency situation, that doesn’t matter much.
Size wise they are both pretty close; the Ruger may be slightly smaller, and also weights a little bit less than the Smith.
Accuracy
I shot one extended magazine full + 1 in the chamber for each gun at about 20 feet, and the results are not bad. The Smith is slightly more accurate, with a little better grouping. However both pistols are accurate enough for a close up self-defense scenario.
Trigger
The trigger travel on the S&W Bodyguard .380 sucks. I’ll say it again: the trigger travel sucks. The trigger travel feels like it’s a light-year long, and the shot doesn't go off until the back of the trigger finally touches the front of the grip. To alleviate that, I installed an aftermarket trigger bar from Galloway Precision that shortens the trigger pull with approximately 35%. It really makes a huge difference! Trigger weight is still hard, but manageable.
The LCP has a much better trigger. This is due to the fact that the LCP is half-cocked when carried with one round in the chamber. This makes a big difference, both for trigger travel and trigger weight.
In case of a light primer strike, the Bodyguard can be fired again by simply pulling the trigger one more time. If the Ruger has a light primer strike, you need to cycle the gun again (hence ejecting the round in the chamber) in order to be able to pull the trigger: the Ruger can ONLY be fired when half-cocked.
Sights and laser
The sights pretty much stinks on both guns, as they are both hard to see on a dark background. But as mentioned before, these are not range guns, but close up self-defense guns, and in those situations aiming may not even be possible. Quick point and shoot is more realistic in a close up situation.
I have mixed feelings about the laser; you may or may not have time to turn the laser on in an actual life and death self-defense scenario. But I guess it doesn't hurt to have it.
Other
The Smith comes with two 6 round magazines; the Ruger with one 6 round magazine. Galloway Precision has magazine kits for both pistols, extending their capacity to 7 rounds without increasing the physical size of the magazine. This is done by having a thinner follower and new springs. I have tested these extensively, and have had no issues with the 7 round magazine kits. It’s actually pretty impressive that these tiny pistols have a total capacity of 7 + 1 rounds.
Final thoughts
The Smith & Wesson had a few light primer strokes during my testing, and by reading other forums, I gather this is all too common. That’s not acceptable for a last resort self-defense gun. It must be 100% reliable. Always. No exceptions. The Ruger had no such issues at all.
Based on the awfully long factory trigger on the S&W Bodyguard, and the fact that the S&W Bodyguard gave me a few light primer strikes, I would not be confident trusting my life with that pistol. If Smith & Wesson updated the Bodyguard with a better trigger and stronger spring, I think they would have a real winner, but for light summer carry my clear choice at this point is the Ruger LCP.
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