Guns 2011-11.pdf - Jeffersonian

OUT OF THE BOXother shooters who fired this pistolexperienced discomfort from recoil.The laser sight activation is viaan ambidextrous switch on thefront of the unit. Activation is bestaccomplished with the thumb of thesupport hand and requires significantpressure. Pressing the button twiceputs the laser in strobe mode witha third press shutting it down. Theunit automatically switches offafter 5 minutes and is rated for 3hours maximum use from a pair offresh No. 357 silver oxide batteries.Sighting in is via a supplied Allenwrench and adequately covered in theowner’s manual. We found the laserto be completely invisible in bright orovercast midday conditions regardlessof distance to the target. It is verybright indoors and could be veryuseful in low light given the time toactivate it.Some of the first Bodyguard 380swere prone to spontaneous partialdisassembly due to unseating of thedisassembly lever. The problem hasbeen corrected though it now requiresconsiderable pressure to rotate thelever to 6 o’clock for removal. Theplastic toe of the magazine extensionis useful for this. To reassemble thepistol with the barrel and takedownpin in correct register, it is veryadvantageous to align the slide/barrelassembly onto the frame as it wouldappear in final assembly and partiallyinsert the takedown lever beforedrawing the slide to full lockback andfully snapping the lever into place.To all appearances, the Bodyguard380 is a very sturdy example of newtechcraftsmanship. It is built for thelong haul with recoil bearing surfacesof stainless steel securely bolted to thepolymer elements of the frame. Theentire package is configured to deliversignificantly better accuracy, rangeand shooter comfort than the generalrun of pocket pistols.While superficially resemblingtraditional J-frame revolvers, thecurrent Bodyguard 38 is a completedeparture from earlier models. Thebarrel and cylinder are of stainlesssteel—both encased in an alloy frame,which is rigidly bolted to the polymergrip frame. The cylinder rotatesclockwise in the Colt revolver pattern.The cylinder locks up on two points:the cylinder bolt and an odd circularbreech-mounted ratchet that engageswith the cylinder “star.”This element replaces the hand androtates with trigger pull to advancethe cylinder. The cylinder latch is onthe top of the grip frame accessibleto both thumbs, though the shooterwould have to be a juggler to enjoythe benefits of any ambidexteritythis might afford. The firing pin is ofthe inertia-type, reminiscent of thevery early S&W Safety HammerlessRevolver. The Bodyguard does nothave the once-ubiquitous key actuatedlock. The Insight laser is mounted onthe right rear of the frame and hasthe same features as the one on the.380 ACP Buffalo BorefACtory Ammo PerformanceLoad Velocity Energy(bullet weight, type) (fps) (ft-lbs)90 JHP 979 19295 FMJ 810 13895 JHP+P 1,039 278100 cast FP 915 186100 cast FP+P 1,046 243.38 Special Buffalo BorefACtory Ammo PerformanceLoad Velocity Energy(bullet weight, type) (fps) (ft-lbs)125 Low Flash Powder 942 246125+P 1,036 298150 Wadcutter 923 284158 SWC HP 852 255158 SWHP+P 1,020 365Much more user-friendly than most of the subcompact.380s, the S&W Bodyguard produced aperfect score for Mike on the Texas ConcealedHandgun Proficiency Demo. This 3", 25-yardbench group from the Bodyguard .38 Special(below) is well within the accuracy standards setforth in the owner’s manual. Point of impact issignificantly leftward of the sight picture..380. The activating button is easilyaccessible to either the shooting orsupport hand.Our sample revolver workedperfectly when dry cycled. In livefire however, after the initial shot,it required two pulls of the triggerto rotate the cylinder and dischargesubsequent rounds. Apparently theratchet elements were being knockedout of sync by recoil. Two identicalrevolvers available locally functionedperfectly and we acquired one of themto complete our evaluation. Bench restaccuracy was in the vicinity of 3" at 25yards, but the groups were centered 5"left of point of aim and as much as 7"high, depending upon the load in use.The trigger pull was smooth andproduced good on-target results aslong as we put the correct bias on thesight picture. With both standardandhigh-velocity loads from BuffaloBore, the Smith’s grip arrangementmoderated recoil noticeably more36WWW.GUNSMAGAZINE.COM • NOVEMBER 2011