Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Ruger LCP vs. Smith 380 Bodyguard Opinions, please.

lol. I'm going to have to remember that one..

Interesting to hear that Diamondback may have their problems corrected. That was my first choice. Haven't shot one but it felt the best to me.

What I find intriguing and actually kind of funny is the fact that to my knowledge www.Diamondbacktalk.com is the only forum specifically for that pistol and they have a whole 322 members.
Now here's something else,my DB is a very early production gun with serial number ZA18XX.
They ran serial numbers ZA's,then went to ZB,then ZC,and where they are now in the production scene I do not know but last I heard they have produced over 30,000 of these pistols and probably more to date.
There is a lot of vocal critics over at the website(I am a member by the way) but with 322 members and thousands of these pistols produced you have to ask how balanced that is.
I am not trying to be a drum beater for Diamondback and I do know a lot of the early production pistols had issues and some more than one issue and even I had to send mine back to get the magazine catch replaced with an upgraded material.
Again owners should not be the beta testers for a new pistol but again look at how many other new models have been down this same path before the maker finally got it right.
Mine may go to Hell the next time I head over to the range with it and if it does I will certainly report it honestly but as of now mine is well broken in and works very well.

I have been looking more and more at the S&W Bodyguard 380 as well.. but for that price, might as well go kahr.

Buds has the DB for 300(ish) shipped. Not bad.

Thanks for the link. Will check out diamondback talk.

Along these lines, I would like to know what the pros think of the recent prolifertaion of all these sub compact carry guns. The 380 will certainly work but to me it's at the bottom end of the scale.On the other hand all these 45 ACP and 40's hat are coming out would seem to be heavy in the recoil department and for someone wanting a carry gun that has not much experience in shooting might find out they are in for a big surprise when they do start to use it. So what are the pros and cons? I am asking because I don't know.

There is a very interesting read on this very subject on the High Road.org,at least until the moderators slam the door on another thread.
Sure a .380 is no 454 Casull.
But then again neither is a 45acp,357,40,9mm,32,25 or 22 and on and on we go down the favorite caliber of my choice war.
All hand guns will kill but most are pretty limp dick by shotgun and rifle standards.
Frankly I dont even want to be shot with a .22 short fired out of a Berreta Minx from a hundred yards away.
Do you??

Any chance you could post a link to that thread?

Apples and oranges. Yugo sure didn't do it in 3 years. If the LCP has huge problems you would hear about it here. If Yugo's have a problem you'd buy a problem.

Sorry,I too much of a friggin old dinosauer to have the puter knowledge to do that.
I do good just to post and that's no B.S.

Apples and oranges? Really? And with more arbitrary numbers to boot.

You are using arbitrary numbers to try and demonstrate that Ruger can produce quality weapons. I used similar arbitrary numbers to show that Yugo can produce cars, though most would agree they aren't quality.

Here is some more arbitrary information: The Yugo was manufactured for more than 3 decades. SO. If they had problems, why did people keep buying them? Because it's quality vs. price point. (See what I did there?)

By the way, there is a problem with the Ruger LCP. It's called trigger slap. (and I mean SLAP) I think I mentioned it early on..

Gun Tests gave the Diamondback a D in its evaluation. They gave the LCP and Kel-tech an A.

MHO: ( not worth $0.02 but it's lunchtime and I'm bored )
I've shot several LCP's and I feel it would be a fine back up , ankle holster gun.
But just don't shoot it a lot to practice.
The narrow little frame just bits the crap out of my grip.
( other's have told me to try crossing my thumbs, I haven't tried it yet )

The wife's Walter PK 380 is a much bettrer shooter and not much larger in size ( but double the thickness )
It has real sights, a real safety and hits what ever we point it at.

The Smith we have is her Christmas Present
An M & P 9C with crimson trace grips.

I carry both of these guns ( one or the other ) when not packing a large frame.

My suggestion?
Find a range like mine and go rent guns for an afternoon.

I'd take a Single Six Ruger in .22 Magnum before I'd have any .380 auto.
Well, you did ask.... E

I have the LCP and I shoot a heavy load of Power Pistol and the 95g HP at 1030 fps(stout). I shoot this pistol very accurately at 9 yards and and what ever all this "slap" is all about, I shoot the LCP better than a I do my Smith Model 36 Stainless with a trigger job from the custom shop(1985).

My LCP has never jammed.

Tough to pocket carry with a Single Six unless you're wearing MC Hammer pants....

I bought a LCP, no complaints with its reliability, about 250 rounds thru it and not a single hiccup. The sights kinda suck, but at the distance I would need to use the thing, they aint gonna matter. It rides nice in cargo short pockets or in a coat pocket, almost too easy to forget you are carrying it.

When I bought mine, I had a tough time deciding between all of the 380's out there. I would have liked the Kahr, since we have 2 CW9's, but they are a little pricey. Came down to the Taurus and the Ruger, and the Ruger won.

IYO, are the CW9's too bulky/heavy to carry full time?

Skivvy,

I wouldnt say they are too bulky or heavy at all. I just wanted something I could throw in the pocket on my cargo shorts in the summer, and just about anything other than a polymer framed 380 was too much for that.

Skivvy,

When I bought my Kahr PM9 last week at the gun show the dealer had Kahrs and Kel-Tec's beside one another so I could easily tell the size,weight,and feel of each pistol.
The Kel-Tec PF9 was priced right but it had a bargain bin feel to it I just did not care for.
The Kahr CW9 had a better feel in the grip than the PM9 but since I wanted to stay as close to a .380 in physical size and weight as possible I stacked the PM9 right on top of the CW and the size and weight difference was substantial enough to sway me to spend close to $200 more for the PM9.
I bought the model with the night sights so it was $50 more than the standard PM9.
After getting home and stacking my Diamondback .380 on top of the PM9 just as the case of the CW9 vs PM9 again the size difference was substantial.
My PM9 is more powerful and I am quite sure better built than my current carry .380 but no way is it going to be as pocketable like my current .380 and there probably will be a weight difference of at least 6-7 ounces which is readily felt when pocket carrying.
Currently researching outside the waist,inside the waist,and pocket holsters for my PM9.
But when the hot Texas summer gets here I would not doubt I find myself carrying the .380 more than the Kahr.
But who knows until I come up with the holster selection what the final decision will really be.
But one thing I will say is the makers of all these new micro .380's on the market get a big hand of applause from me.