Ruger LCP .380 or Smith & Wesson Bodyguard .380

J

jasonhill

New member
Looking at buying a new handgun for concealed carrying in the near future. Any thoughts on the Ruger LCP .380 or the Smith & Wesson Bodyguard .380? I like the size of both of these, but I think the Ruger feels better in the hand.

Any thoughts?
 
I also liked the ruger better. If you have the budget take a look at the kahr p380 and sig p238. Also very good .380's.
 
I sell both guns. The LCP sells better. The Smith has an issue with the breakdown lever not wanting to rotate to the 6 o'clock position. I've actually returned one of these because of this issue.
 
Have both

I have both. I like the S&W Bodyguard hands down. Yea the breakdown leaves something to be desired compared to the LCP...but you learn it and move on. I really like the thumb safety...but that is an arguable preference. I don't like "keeping one in the chamber" of the LCP without a safety. Again... another arguable prefrence. I understand all sides of that. Like I said..personal prefrence.

Also like the laser sight that comes with the Bodyguard. It's a little hard to turn on...only a very small "little hard" ...but thats ok...no problems with the battery running down becuase it was turned on in my pocket by accident. I have the little finger rest on the end of the magazine on both models. It just feels better to me than without it. The Bodyguard is just a tiny bit thicker feeling in the hand and I prefer that. Just feels better to me. Any time I walk out the door and leave the big gun behind and just want to take the little mouse gun... I take the S&W Bodyguard every time.

My daughter carrys the LCP. She is tiny and just prefers it. If she is ok with that... I am ok with that. Its always in a little "ncle Mike" soft holster that covers the trigger...

Good luck in your decision... Hope that helped a little bit...
 
If you like the way the Ruger feels, then you would love the Diamond Back DB380. It is a lice little pistol. They had a few issues with the earliest models, but so did Ruger, and S&W still does.
the DB 380 or the new DB 9 are awesome. Check em out. If you like the Glock you'll love these. Its referred to as the baby Glock.
 
I just purchased the Ruger LCP for my wife as a Xmas present. She has a Taurus PT 111 that she doesn't carry often due to its physical size. (not that she is scared of big guns, she hunts with a Ruger Super Blackhawk Bisley .44 mag.) I wanted to get her something smaller so she would carry more often. I went with The Ruger based on the fact that "I" liked it and decided if she didn't I would get her something different and keep the LCP for myself, and we both like Rugers in general. We put almost a hundred rounds through the LCP the other day, she loves it, and the gun was flawless. I guess I'm out of luck for now. Very impressed with the Ruger LCP.
 
I chose the LCP. Great for summer carry in shorts. Use the extended baseplate when on the hip, the flat when in the pocket. Weighs less than my car key set. I carry with Hornaday Critical Defense. Doesn't kick anywhere near the way some of the posters in these forums claim. Proper firm grip and there won't be a recoil issue, even with a smaller person. Two drawbacks are that there is only one magazine in the box and, more importantly, the gun doesn't stay open after the last round is fired. Other than that, an A+.
 
Your gonna have arguments back and forth all day on this topic.... rent em both if you can they are both reliable to the point that it comes to feel and options I personally went with the bodyguard because of the feel, iron sights, manual safety and the slide locks open after the last cartridge is spent... there's alot of haters of both on here and its best for you to try em both out
 
I have a Ruger LCP, put 13# Wolff springs in it to reduce the recoil a bit. One of my daily carries. Also have the Walther PK380 that was mentioned. I find this to be a much more comfortable gun to shoot.As another user stated try to find a place where you can rent one to see how you like it, or ask around if any friends have one you can try. Another one to look at is a Sig 230 or 232. On another note there are plenty of compact 9mm such as the Ruger LC9 or a Kahr PM9 or CM9. Not much bigger and ammo is cheaper that the 380acp.
 
jasonhill said:
Looking at buying a new handgun for concealed carrying in the near future. Any thoughts on the Ruger LCP .380 or the Smith & Wesson Bodyguard .380? I like the size of both of these, but I think the Ruger feels better in the hand.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

My buddy had 'buyers remorse' with the S&W Bodyguard....I say go with the Ruger LCP.
 
I have about 600 rounds through my LCP now and I do like it. The only downsides, in my opinion, are 1. the slide doesn't stay back on the last shot (already mentioned) and 2. the trigger pull. With that said, it is because of that trigger pull that I feel comfortable carrying the LCP with one in the chamber.
Recoil was mentioned a few times, but I don't really have an issue with it. Because of a shoulder surgery, all 600 rounds have been with my non dominant hand; recoil still not a factor.

This gun serves it's purpose. It's comfortable for me to shoot, it is easy to conceal, it has gone bang every time, and the price was right. Good luck with your decision.
 
The SIG P238 is an excellent, if somewhat pricey alternative to the LCP. I have both. The LCP and P3AT are two of the most concealable guns on the planet, but they are not fun to shoot and the sights suck. The P238 is a genuine pleasure to shoot, comes standard with excellent night sights, and is only very slightly bigger than the LCP.

Fitch
 
I bought an lcp a few months ago and showed it to my wife then went back a week later and bought another for me. We both love them and carry every day.
 
Fitch said:
The SIG P238 is an excellent, if somewhat pricey alternative to the LCP. I have both. The LCP and P3AT are two of the most concealable guns on the planet, but they are not fun to shoot and the sights suck. The P238 is a genuine pleasure to shoot, comes standard with excellent night sights, and is only very slightly bigger than the LCP.

Fitch
Click to expand...

Ditto on the P238 :cool:
 
If I may pose an additional question...

Do you LCP advocates feel the laser is an essential or worthwhile option? Or is it just extra bulk?
 
I am not a laser fan i like to carry in my pocket so i think it is just extra bulk. Not like i am in for long range or precision shot. If i cant hit with my sights or point shooting then i need to go to the range more
 
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