My $0.02: S&W Bodyguards
[Karma Fronting]
So, recently, and amid much hype, Smith & Wesson unveiled a new line of guns, calling them the Bodyguards. This is fairly typical for S&W, to have the same basic name for two completely different guns. For example, M&P describes revolvers, semi-automatics pistols, and rifles. I don't like this, but I don't get to name their products.
Either way, in the last week or so, both the .38 Special and .380 ACP bodyguards have rolled through our shop.
The .38 Special has an ambidextrous cylinder release button, on top of the back of the gun, as a result, they've had to design a new way of indexing the cylinder, and it is the indexing device that retracts to allow the cylinder to come out. And, well, on two different guns, it doesn't always index the first time you pull the trigger after closing up the gun. I've heard two people say the release lever feels flimsy, but I don't really agree. It's not like it is likely to be under a lot of force. The laser, which cannot be removed, would be okay if the activation button wasn't way up at the very top. If it was where you might stick your trigger finger when you're keeping it off the trigger, it might be better. The laser has on, pulse, and off settings, which is nice. The grip is rather thin, which is strange from a company that has converted all of its guns over to the fatter finger groove grips. Overall, I'm disappointed, but the price is fairly good, being only a little more expensive than a model 642, which doesn't have a laser. So, if you want a .38 Special snubby, with a laser on it, and don't want to spend about $700, this bodyguard might be the ticket.
The .380 ACP only came in just recently, and I was quick to play with it a little bit. Overall, it's pretty nice. It's a true DAO, unlike the fake double action that guns like the Kel-Tecs and Kahrs use. The on/off safety lever is unobtrusive enough that I doubt it would be accidentally put on safe, should you be the sort that dislikes on/off levers on your guns. It has a last-round-lock-open slide lock, which has been uncommon within this class. I don't like the trigger, though. It's firm and then goes soft, before the hammer releases, this causes me, at least, to suddenly shift my aim as the trigger "lurches." You could, I suppose, train yourself to pull it past the lurch before you actually aim, and, I suppose, in the heat of the moment, all of the accurate trigger discipline is likely to go out the window and be replaced with a firm yank of the trigger, but it's that trigger that is the real deal breaker for me.
The laser is pretty much the same sort of deal as the one on the .38 Special, but is housed within the frame of the gun instead of being a tumor on the side, and also cannot be activated with the trigger finger or any finger on the grip. Being a hair less expensive than a model 642, it is practically in a price range all on its own, within this class. Almost everything is either cheaper (with fewer features or lower quality, of course) or more expensive.
So, recently, and amid much hype, Smith & Wesson unveiled a new line of guns, calling them the Bodyguards. This is fairly typical for S&W, to have the same basic name for two completely different guns. For example, M&P describes revolvers, semi-automatics pistols, and rifles. I don't like this, but I don't get to name their products.
Either way, in the last week or so, both the .38 Special and .380 ACP bodyguards have rolled through our shop.
The .38 Special has an ambidextrous cylinder release button, on top of the back of the gun, as a result, they've had to design a new way of indexing the cylinder, and it is the indexing device that retracts to allow the cylinder to come out. And, well, on two different guns, it doesn't always index the first time you pull the trigger after closing up the gun. I've heard two people say the release lever feels flimsy, but I don't really agree. It's not like it is likely to be under a lot of force. The laser, which cannot be removed, would be okay if the activation button wasn't way up at the very top. If it was where you might stick your trigger finger when you're keeping it off the trigger, it might be better. The laser has on, pulse, and off settings, which is nice. The grip is rather thin, which is strange from a company that has converted all of its guns over to the fatter finger groove grips. Overall, I'm disappointed, but the price is fairly good, being only a little more expensive than a model 642, which doesn't have a laser. So, if you want a .38 Special snubby, with a laser on it, and don't want to spend about $700, this bodyguard might be the ticket.
The .380 ACP only came in just recently, and I was quick to play with it a little bit. Overall, it's pretty nice. It's a true DAO, unlike the fake double action that guns like the Kel-Tecs and Kahrs use. The on/off safety lever is unobtrusive enough that I doubt it would be accidentally put on safe, should you be the sort that dislikes on/off levers on your guns. It has a last-round-lock-open slide lock, which has been uncommon within this class. I don't like the trigger, though. It's firm and then goes soft, before the hammer releases, this causes me, at least, to suddenly shift my aim as the trigger "lurches." You could, I suppose, train yourself to pull it past the lurch before you actually aim, and, I suppose, in the heat of the moment, all of the accurate trigger discipline is likely to go out the window and be replaced with a firm yank of the trigger, but it's that trigger that is the real deal breaker for me.
The laser is pretty much the same sort of deal as the one on the .38 Special, but is housed within the frame of the gun instead of being a tumor on the side, and also cannot be activated with the trigger finger or any finger on the grip. Being a hair less expensive than a model 642, it is practically in a price range all on its own, within this class. Almost everything is either cheaper (with fewer features or lower quality, of course) or more expensive.