On The Hunt: For A New Bodyguard

Last month Smith & Wesson launched the Bodyguard 2.0. While pocket pistols has been around a long time, the new Bodyguard is a first of it’s kind. Pocket pistols found new popularity about 25 years ago with the explosion of the concealed carry movement. The original Ruger LCP wasn’t the first to hit the market, but it was one of the best sellers. Other manufactures, including S&W, followed suit. While the initial offerings were small, most people found them unpleasant to shoot, and somewhat unreliable on the range.

In 2014, Glock released the Model 42, a true striker fired .380 that was reliable and easier to shoot, but it was a little larger than the others. Four years later, Sig shook up the pocket pistol market with the P365 in 9MM. It was more powerful, had more capacity, and was only slightly bigger than the .380s and the popularity of pocket .380s slowed. Ruger fired back in 2021 with the LCP Max. A pre-cocked hammer fired double stack .380 with a decent trigger and sights. Now S&W took it a step further with the Bodyguard 2.0. It is 10+1 / 12+1 double stack striker fired gun in roughly the same size package as the LCP and the original Bodyguard.

I still have one of the original LCPs. It is what I carry when I am working in the yard, running up to the store, or need a deep concealment option. The M&P platform has proven to be very reliable, and if this holds true for this little .380, I will likely be retiring the LCP for the Bodyguard 2.0 soon.