Guns 2011-11.pdf - Jeffersonian

MIKE CUMPSTONThe Smith & WessonBodyguardsYour choice of pocketsize semi-autoor revolver comes complete withan integral Insight laser sight.bout a half-century ago, Smith & Wesson beganAnumerical designation of the growing range ofhandgun models largely abandoning the familiarcognomens of the early 20th century. Handgunenthusiasts took this in stride and soon became walkingencyclopedias of model numbers and the dash-numbersappended to designate variations.As of late though, purpose-orientedmodel names have reappeared in theline. The demographic of gun usershas undergone a profound shift.Practicality rather than enthusiasmis the motivating factor for manygun purchasers today. The name“Bodyguard” may speak to suchbuyers much more clearly than a merenumber.Responding to the demand forlightweight concealment arms ofthe smallest practical size, Smith &Wesson fields the J-frame 5-shot .38Special and a pocketable .380 semiautowith a maximum capacity of7 rounds. Both are products of 21stcentury design making use of plastic,aluminum alloy and stainless steel.Both models were co-designed withthe Insight Laser Company andare equipped with dedicated, fullyadjustable laser sights. The providedLaser Adjustment Table is superior tomost laser sight instructions.The semi-auto Bodyguard isTeresa Gold was very impressed with theBodyguard 380. The moderate felt recoil andsmooth trigger function translated to a tight,evenly spaced group at close range.The S&W Bodyguard 380 (above, middle)compares favorably in size to the FN Model1910, also in .380 ACP (above, top) and the .25ACP Baby Browning. The disassembly lever ofthe 380 is hard to unlock, but after it is down,the pistol strips easily (below).a double-action-only, concealedhammer, locked-breech design withfeatures common to full-sized pistols.These include positive slide lock, aleft-side safety as well as a passivefiring pin block internal safety andthe favored grip-mounted magazinerelease. Held up next to similarsizedRuger LCP and Kel-Tec, itappears to be the same size, thoughmeasurement shows it is about a1/4" longer and a 1/2" taller than theLCP. The difference is insignificantin terms of concealability though thetaller grip proved advantageous interms of shooter comfort. The sights,compared to other pistols of this size,are highly visible; both front and rearare dovetail mounted and driftable forwindage adjustment.I had a comprehensive supplyof Buffalo Bore .380 ACP loads onhand, including standard- and highvelocityloads. Tim Sundles, the CEOof Buffalo Bore, anticipated therecent ammunition shortage and bylaying in components well in advance,managed to keep .380 ammo in stockthroughout the crisis. The Bodyguardwas 100-percent functional withall of these rounds and perhaps,incidentally, they all struck usefullyclose to the same point of aim.I shot the pistol through the Texas34WWW.GUNSMAGAZINE.COM • NOVEMBER 2011