S&W Bodyguard .380 Vs. Ruger LCP .380.... some thoughts.

I've pocket carried an Elsie Pea (Ruger LCP) for many years, and have always been happy with the little thing.  It's never once had a hiccup or failed to function in any way.  That's with about 400 rounds of widely varied ammunition ranging from low end FMJ to primo defensive stuff costing a buck a round.  Also quite a lot of handloads, usually in the 'zippy' category of the loading manual.

Well, fast forward a few decades, and I've taken possession of a S&W Bodyguard .380 with an internally mounted laser.  It had a laser gone TU, but was otherwise as new.  It's original two boxes of ammo came with it, so I can probably say it's had less than 100 rounds through it.

The laser was an easy one-screw fix.  The pistol came with an 'Insight' unit that was garbage from the word go.  S&W replaced it with a dedicated Crimson Trace unit when they figured that out.

If I had been the original owner, S&W would have just given me the unit.  Being (2nd... 3rd?) owner, I had to buy it from CT.  It was only $50 and Crimson Trace shipped it free in a few days.

The swap out was easy.  Just one tool, an allen key that came with the new laser.  Take the old one out, swap the snap-in activation buttons for snazzy new red ones, and install the new laser.  Badda Bing Badda Boom... all good!

Once the laser was swapped, it was off to the backyard for some bangedy bang and testing by fire.

The laser moved a bit, a factor of the way itty bitty sights like that are built.  I'll take care of that on a quiet indoor range, and I expect it will take no more than one turn of the vertical adjustment screw.

Does it shoot?  So far... yes.  Quite nicely.  Six in the magazine and one in the chamber, and all fell within the bullseye at 25 feet without trying real hard.

That was hard ball.  Switching to high end HP saw the group shrink, although I suspect that was me getting used to the trigger on the S&W.

This is very comparable with the accuracy I have enjoyed from the Ruger over the years.

NO pocket pistol is designed for easy accuracy on the range. It's just not part of the genre.  By definition they are small, have long trigger pulls, minimal sights, and are usually a bit snappy for their size.

What are my thoughts between the S&W Bodyguard .380 and the Ruger LCP .380?

At this point, after some more bullets downrange, I suspect the S&W is going to take my old Elsie Pea's place as favorite pocket carry.  Why?  Well....

• SIGHTS!  The Bodyguard actually has bumpy things that work as real sights.  The LCP has a groove at the back of the slide and a nub at the front, but they only barely qualify as sights at all. On the Bodyguard, the front and rear sights bear a healthy
  
  resemblance to Novak carry sights, and they work quite well.
• Safety.... as in the S&W Bodyguard has one and the LCP does not.  Now, after a couple decades of carrying a Glock I'm not going to say a safety is the be-all and end-all.  That said, I was raised with 1911's and I still to this day sweep the nonexistent safety on my Glock when I draw it.  I'm not saying I will use the safety on the wittle S&W, but I can if I choose to.
• True double action.  Both pistols are hammer fired (hidden), but the Bodyguard will do it every time you squeeze the trigger, while LCP must have it's slide racked in order to make it work. That means the Bodyguard has second-strike on a misfire, while the LCP must be manipulated to make it go if a round fails.  Does this ever happen?  Well, even *I* buy Winchester White Box at times....
• The internal laser.  Yes, I can and have mounted a laser on the LCP, and it works fine.  That said, the internal CT laser on the Bodyguard is a slick outfit. It's easy to manipulate and the form factor is smooooth.
• The S&W comes with a second magazine, while Ruger chooses to ship the LCP with only one the last I looked.

Now, the Bodyguard does run about three ounces heavier with the same capacity as the LCP (6+1), so there is that.  On the other hand, as a man who usually drinks at least four mugs of coffee every morning, what is three ounces between friends?

In terms of size, the Bodyguard is seems slightly larger in all dimensions.  How much?  In a side by side comparison, I needed a straight edge to suss it out.  We are talking pretty close here.  Is this noticeable during pocket carry?  To be honest.... yes.  Not much so, but enough to have me considering an IWB holster for the S&W.

Summing it up, I'm impressed by the S&W Bodyguard as part of the pocket pistol genre. It's pushing the same buttons the LCP pushed for me many years ago, but doing so even better.