Received a new S&W Bodyguard 380. Nice looking gun, thin and easy to grip. It is thinner than my Berretta 21A in .22LR, which is nice, plus it fits in the same Desantis IWB holster.
Trying to field strip for initial inspection and cleaning was tough. The takedown pin was EXTREMELY tough to move down to the 90 degree position, and then very difficult to remove from the frame. I had to use a plastic wedge to pry it so it would pop loose. I called S&W and they suggested shooting a couple hundred rounds and trying again. They further told me the initial design release had a much looser spring clip that actually allowed the pin to pop out by itself during shooting, and the newer spring was to prevent that.
So I brought it down to the range with 200 rounds of Winchester white box FMJ ammo from WallyWorld.
The front blade sight is nice and wide and lines up nicely with the rear notch sight, very little daylight on either side of the blade. The built-in Insight laser activates with a press of a gray button, located on either side of the frame, just ahead of the trigger guard. The first press turns it on constant, and the second press pulses the laser. A third press shuts it off again. I was disappointed that the laser was not factory aligned to the iron sights, and then even more disappointed that my smallest hex wrench 0.050” was not small enough to adjust it, and that S&W did not include a proper wrench with the gun.
The trigger pull is long and kind of stiff, and almost feels like it snaps slightly when it finally breaks. I was having a tough time keeping the laser stationary when dry firing, but with a little practice, I was able to adjust my grip and trigger pull to smooth it out.
The 6 round magazine comes with an optional flush floor plate, but I opted for the finger extension plate to allow me to keep two fingers firmly on the grip.
I lined up the first six rounds to check accuracy. At 10 feet, I put 6 rounds in a 2” group. I tried again at 10 yards and had similar accuracy, with a 3” group.
The next 188 rounds, I fired shooting as fast as I could load the magazine (why only one mag S&W?) and pull the trigger six times. I was impressed that the gun has a very controllable recoil and is easy to get back on target. I used several shooting positions, two handed, off handed, shooting from the hip, etc. (Note: the brass has a tendency to eject up and to the rear, so if you shoot close quarters with the gun just in front of you, expect to get a couple in the face or landing on your head.)
All 200 rounds fed, fired and ejected perfectly, without a single failure of any kind.
To finish off the test, I loaded up 6 Winchester Supreme Elite 95g JHP (1000 fps muzzle) which will be used as carry ammo. Again, I took careful aim at 10 feet and put 6 holes in a 2” group.
After the range, I took the gun back to clean it, and was happy to find that the take down lever/pin was much easier to manipulate. I still needed a plastic wedge to pry it loose, but I think that is OK for now.
Overall, I would say that the S&W Bodyguard 380 is a nice gun for the caliber.
Trying to field strip for initial inspection and cleaning was tough. The takedown pin was EXTREMELY tough to move down to the 90 degree position, and then very difficult to remove from the frame. I had to use a plastic wedge to pry it so it would pop loose. I called S&W and they suggested shooting a couple hundred rounds and trying again. They further told me the initial design release had a much looser spring clip that actually allowed the pin to pop out by itself during shooting, and the newer spring was to prevent that.
So I brought it down to the range with 200 rounds of Winchester white box FMJ ammo from WallyWorld.
The front blade sight is nice and wide and lines up nicely with the rear notch sight, very little daylight on either side of the blade. The built-in Insight laser activates with a press of a gray button, located on either side of the frame, just ahead of the trigger guard. The first press turns it on constant, and the second press pulses the laser. A third press shuts it off again. I was disappointed that the laser was not factory aligned to the iron sights, and then even more disappointed that my smallest hex wrench 0.050” was not small enough to adjust it, and that S&W did not include a proper wrench with the gun.
The trigger pull is long and kind of stiff, and almost feels like it snaps slightly when it finally breaks. I was having a tough time keeping the laser stationary when dry firing, but with a little practice, I was able to adjust my grip and trigger pull to smooth it out.
The 6 round magazine comes with an optional flush floor plate, but I opted for the finger extension plate to allow me to keep two fingers firmly on the grip.
I lined up the first six rounds to check accuracy. At 10 feet, I put 6 rounds in a 2” group. I tried again at 10 yards and had similar accuracy, with a 3” group.
The next 188 rounds, I fired shooting as fast as I could load the magazine (why only one mag S&W?) and pull the trigger six times. I was impressed that the gun has a very controllable recoil and is easy to get back on target. I used several shooting positions, two handed, off handed, shooting from the hip, etc. (Note: the brass has a tendency to eject up and to the rear, so if you shoot close quarters with the gun just in front of you, expect to get a couple in the face or landing on your head.)
All 200 rounds fed, fired and ejected perfectly, without a single failure of any kind.
To finish off the test, I loaded up 6 Winchester Supreme Elite 95g JHP (1000 fps muzzle) which will be used as carry ammo. Again, I took careful aim at 10 feet and put 6 holes in a 2” group.
After the range, I took the gun back to clean it, and was happy to find that the take down lever/pin was much easier to manipulate. I still needed a plastic wedge to pry it loose, but I think that is OK for now.
Overall, I would say that the S&W Bodyguard 380 is a nice gun for the caliber.
