Beretta PICO vs S&W Bodyguard

[Ready.Fire.Aim]

Do any of you have any experience with a .380 S&W Bodyguard or the new Beretta Pico?

I am going to buy my wife a little .380 for her purse. She says my .38 J-frame is bigger than she wants to carry.

PICO. 11.5 ounces empty.

BODYGUARD. 11.85 ounces empty.

 

[BillNorthTex]

The Bodyguard had trouble with it's laser switch when 1st introduced.. poor design. I took it off my buy list. I later watched some videos on YT showing easy fixes to the switch.. it's back on my buy list now.. solid little gun.

 

[GKC]

I have no experience with the Beretta Pico, but I've owned a couple of other Berettas...and I'm not a real big fan, other than the M9/92FS, which is actually too big for my small hands. Beretta's customer service and short warranty leave much to be desired, IMO.

I have owned a BG380, and it fits me and I like it more than the Ruger LCP. I didn't like the laser, though, so I sold it. Ruger has just announced a LC380, which is a LC9 chambered in .380ACP. It's the same size as the LC9, so it's bigger than the BG380, and she may find it bigger than she wants to carry if a J-frame is too big. It should be a very soft shooter, though, on the LC9 platform.

Another very good .380 pistol to consider is the SIG P238, which has some similarities to a 1911, in a very small package. It's a very good gun, although some people don't like the "cocked and locked" carry. It's also heavier, but for purse carry, that may be less of a concern than pocket or IWB...the other downside is that it's expensive...but it's also worth it.

 

[M. Sage]

Hammerless revolvers are perfect for a purse, though. You can empty the gun without breaking concealment.

Might give a look to a Ruger LCR. IMO one of those in .38 is about as perfect a purse gun as it gets. S&W bodyguard .38 is another option.

 

[Heinz Bar]

Good discussion on the Taurus TCP going on over on the General Firearms thread. ShootingtheBull is doing ballistics testing on it. Youtube videos available.

 

[GKC]

Hammerless revolvers are perfect for a purse, though. You can empty the gun without breaking concealment.

Might give a look to a Ruger LCR. IMO one of those in .38 is about as perfect a purse gun as it gets. S&W bodyguard .38 is another option.

The LCR is a great carry revolver, and the trigger is very good. I'd recommend getting the .357 model versus the .38 model, though...it's only 3 oz heavier, which doesn't significantly increase felt carry weight (IMO) but does help slightly in recoil, and it gives you the option to shoot both types of ammo. It's a lot better gun than the BodyGuard .38 (I've owned both.)

 

[Ready.Fire.Aim]

The LCR is a great carry revolver, and the trigger is very good. I'd recommend getting the .357 model versus the .38 model, though...it's only 3 oz heavier, which doesn't significantly increase felt carry weight (IMO) but does help slightly in recoil, and it gives you the option to shoot both types of ammo. It's a lot better gun than the BodyGuard .38 (I've owned both.)

I have a S&W J- frame , model 638, air-weight .38 revolver with shrouded hammer. It has crimson trace grips and had a trigger job, very easy and accurate to shoot. It is my every day carry. It is very similar to the LCP, but IMO, a better build.

.38 revolver is bigger than she wants to carry.

She is scary accurate with a Glock19 and M&P9. I keep a M&P in a lockbox in each vehicle with five spare mags. Also a AR15 SBR locked in the truck. Thus she has access to more potent guns but they do little good if not carrying them.

This is intended to be a very small mouse-gun, to keep in her purse.

 

[benenglish]

This is intended to be a very small mouse-gun, to keep in her purse.

Well, if you want "very small", the Pico qualifies. I held one at the NRA Annual Meeting and immediately crossed it off my buy list. It was just too small for my hands.

 

[rgwalt]

I don't think the Pico is available yet. I definitely want to rent one and try it out when it is released. Might make the perfect pocket carry gun. However, when I dry fired the display model at the NRA show, I thought the trigger was pretty cruddy. In hindsight, I think I was spoiled by the light, crisp trigger on my mustang. My beretta nano has a really heavy trigger, but it breaks cleanly. If the pico is the same way, I'm sure I could enjoy it.

 

[Whisky]

.
2nd the sig 238 - wife loves hers - she also has the Ruger LCR .357mag, loves shooting ,38specs out of it but she carries the sig

(don't get the LCP, IMO it's a horrible little gun - bought one for my BIL, shot it before sending it and both my Wife and I hated it)

I carry the sig 938 (in the summer) but my Wife doesn't like shooting it

 

[mantawolf]

Personally I would stay from the Bodyguard in 38SPL, the revolver one. It is so light (13oz) that neither my wife nor I enjoyed shooting that thing. Sold it off rather quickly.

 

[benenglish]

Personally I would stay from the Bodyguard in 38SPL, the revolver one. It is so light (13oz) that neither my wife nor I enjoyed shooting that thing. Sold it off rather quickly.

I don't own one but I've put about 200 rounds through one. I considered it easy and enjoyable to shoot. Of course, I was shooting target wadcutters.

A full weight (148 grain), completely flat nosed bullet at a nominal 720 feet per second will normally penetrate adequately and cut a full diameter hole the entire time. Back before hollow points were considered reliable, this load was considered acceptable for self defense. Lots of people carried it.

I don't generally recommend it, but it's possible to practice with wadcutters and carry something different. There are snubby-effective 125 grain HP loads and Atomic loads a reversed wadcutter at 1000 fps. No matter what you carry, the .38 snubby is almost always easy to shoot and easy to train with when loaded with the standard target load cataloged by pretty much every manufacturer.

I think someone carrying a .38 Bodyguard and wadcutters should feel adequately armed. I know I would.

And I also know that if you anticipate different threats than I do, the snubby may be completely wrong. Still, I feel it's unfair to characterize them as "not enjoyable to shoot." With the right loads, they're delightful.

 

[mantawolf]

The idea of the snubby wasn't my issue. That particular gun was just so light that it hurt to shoot.

 

[Sugar Land]

The idea of the snubby wasn't my issue. That particular gun was just so light that it hurt to shoot.

That energy has to be absorbed somewhere.

 

[benenglish]

That energy has to be absorbed somewhere.

So if you don't want it to hurt to shoot, pour in less energy to begin with. The standard wadcutter load out of a snubby, no matter how light, is downright fun to shoot.

 

[Sugar Land]

I always liked shooting WC in .357. The hole is so clean even my old tired eyes can see them.