When it comes to personal defense, size doesn’t always matter—unless you’re talking about concealed carry. The issue is, typically, the smaller the handgun, the less pleasurable it is to shoot. Tackling this stigma head-on and crushing it in the process, the Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 2.0 380 is built with discretion in mind. Yet, it doesn’t sacrifice comfort, reliability, or functionality.

The Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 2.0 .380

Whether you’re a long-time shooter looking for a small daily carry or are brand new to the world of CCW handguns, the Bodyguard 380 is sure to pique your interest. Let’s take a closer look into why this tiny powerhouse has garnered its fair share of attention since being released. Specifically by breaking down what sets it apart from other offerings of similar stature.

The Bodyguard 2.0 weighs approximately 9.8 ounces (unloaded) and measures an overall length of 5.5 inches. As a result, this little guy takes up little space on your person, adding an almost unrecognizable amount of weight. If you prefer pocket carry or have struggled with printing issues, certainly consider checking this gun out.

Its polymer frame and matte black stainless-steel slide provide a sleek yet understated appearance. The more aggressive slide design is ideal for manipulation in less-than-ideal conditions, such as if your hands are sweaty or you are wearing gloves.

Smith & Wesson didn’t just slap together a tiny gun—they engineered a purpose-built firearm for the concealed carry market. Careful attention was given to the gun’s concealability and design. For example, the edges are smoothed out to avoid getting snagged on your clothing when drawing from concealment.

The Bodyguard 2.0 Trigger

Moving on, you’ll notice the flat-faced trigger, which facilitates a natural, properly placed trigger finger. Having a long trigger pull is pretty common and somewhat expected when it comes to guns geared toward concealed carry.

Many will say this adds an additional layer of safety. You must fully commit to pulling the trigger in a defensive situation instead of accidentally sending a round into your target due to an ultra-light trigger you’d expect in a bench gun. Although, sometimes, that pull becomes quite excessive and is seen as a turn-off by many.

It’s not a “hair-trigger” that you may expect to see in firearms meant for precision target shooting. However, Smith & Wesson seem to have found the perfect medium between the former and the latter.  The company designed the new Bodyguard with a trigger that is just right on the take-up and reset.

Taking safety one step further, they’ve added a manual thumb safety. Some would prefer it to be left out, while others appreciate the additional safety measure.

Defensive Tritium Sights

For a gun small enough to fit in your pocket, the Bodyguard 380 packs a surprising punch in the accuracy department. Smith & Wesson equipped it with sights geared towards defensive scenarios right from the get-go. So, unless you’re a diehard loyalist to a specific night sight, you’ll be ready to go from the start.

The bright dot front sight with tritium insert is easy to pick up on in daytime and low-light scenarios. This allows for seamless transitions regardless of lighting.

The rear sight is a blacked-out U-notch style, allowing for rapid sight alignment and subsequent target acquisition. It seemingly disappears once aligned without distracting the eye with unnecessary white dots or other features you don’t need on a defensive gun.

Finally, both the front and rear sights are kept relatively low-profile, which is another design consideration for a snag-free draw.  

The Bodyguard 2.0 On the Range

Of course, being a small gun, it’s not designed for long-range engagements. Considering the average defensive distance is around 7-10 yards, the Bodyguard 380 performs quite well.

During our range test, we chose to run the following:  Black Hills 60gr. Honey Badger, Hornady Critical Defense 90gr. FTX, and Lehigh Defense 68gr. XD. After approximately 120 rounds were sent downrange without a malfunction to account for, we were pretty pleased with the results.

At a distance of ten yards, group sizes all remained under two inches. Our 380 preferred the heavier 90gr projectiles of Hornady’s Critical Defense, who claimed the lead with an average group size of 1.10 inches. This was followed up by Black Hills and Lehigh Defense nearly tying for second place with average group sizes of 1.60 inches and 1.63 inches, respectively.

Of course, suppose you extend a hypothetical defensive scenario distance out to 15 yards. In that case, I’d expect those group sizes to open up a bit. Likewise, once you add in stress and adrenaline, perhaps you’ll see them open up even further. However, for what it’s worth, I wouldn’t hesitate to carry any of the options tested.

A Fun to Shoot .380 Auto

As mentioned before, one of the biggest challenges with micro-compact pistols is that they are often not fun to shoot. They are usually described as having “excessive recoil,” being “snappy,” and many other negative attributes.

Due to the gun’s small nature, new shooters are often scared off by awkward grips that are too small to fit their hands or excessive felt recoil. To my much-welcomed surprise, this was not my experience during our range testing.

The textured grip panels aided in a positive purchase and remained secure and steady during the firing process. Thus allowing for more rapid follow-up shots. This is critical in a self-defense situation, where accuracy and recovery time can determine whether or not you walk away. Kudos to the folks in R&D on this release, as they did a great job of balancing comfort and control.

When it came time to swap in a fresh, fully prepped mag, the controls were intuitive and easy to find while keeping your eye on the target. The slide lock was also easy to operate. However, I stuck to swapping mags with a round still in the chamber and the gun oriented toward the threat. Or, in this case, a poor, unsuspecting paper target.

The magazine capacity on the Bodyguard 380 is either ten or twelve rounds, depending on the magazine you choose. Those numbers go up one round if you include the one in the chamber. The Bodyguard 2.0 ships with both magazine options.

Many who opt for holster-carry over pocket-carry will appreciate a holster with a spare mag holder for optimal round count.

An Easy-to-Carry Daily Pistol

As with any firearm, especially a gun you may need for self-defense, the real test comes in its day-to-day use. If a gun you’re considering for everyday carry is full of unnecessary features, it’s simply not the most practical option. The lightweight, concealable, and comfortable nature of this 380 provides everything you need and nothing you don’t.

Regardless of how you carry it, you’ll appreciate how effortless it becomes to provide yourself with the protection you deserve. And with Smith & Wesson’s reputation for quality, you know it’s a tool you can count on should the need arise.

For more information, please visit Smith-Wesson.com.

Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 2.0 .380 Specs

Performance