I have the Bodyguard .380 and your description of the trigger pull as being like a double action revolver is spot on. I think people who don't like it are disappointed that it doesn't have the shorter, lighter trigger of a striker gun. Personally, I find the long, heavy pull comforting with it in my pocket.

I recently had a local PD officer explain to me how much of an advantage a legally armed civilian with a small pocket 380 has over an assailant in a self defense encounter in that the pistol can be easily concealed yet withdrawn pretty quickly if need be. That's why of all the pocket 380's out there, I chose the M&P 380 bodyguard. The double strike capability and S&W's reputation was the deal maker for me...

I have a P238 which is my first auto loader purchased a couple of years ago when I first got my CCW. I've live in California for over 60 years and never felt the need for anything like this until recently. All my other experience is with revolvers (little) and hunting long guns (a lot). The safety has never been a problem, probably because it is a part of operating a hunting weapon, except that I use the off hand to re-engage it. I have never had a failure, FMJ, hollow point, xtreme defender, nothing, never. I really love this gun! I understand there were problems with the P238 in the past, at a certain point they were fixed, and there are not problems with guns manufactured after that. It would be useful if anecdotal comments of 'some are good' and 'some are bad' would include the relative age of the gun. Maybe it could be narrowed down to 'all are bad' and 'all are good' depending on the age of the gun. I think this is a good choice with the xtreme defender but would trade it immediately for a P938 if they were available in California. I would recommend a P238 to anyone.

My love for the 380 began over 40 years ago with my AMT Backup. This pistol traveled all over the country with me on back packing, climbing and hunting trips. When the LCP came out I was the first in line to get the same ballistic punch while carrying half the weight. Now my Glock 42 is in the rotation also and has never jamed. I find plenty of self defense load options, but Critical Defense are hard to beat. Thank you for the great video!

Now that summer is here I love carrying my LCP. With the 7 round mag and one in the pipe along with the stock 6 round mag as a spare. Very light and comfortable in the pocket. I also painted the front sight orange and it glows well for a dark pistol. I love it.

It would be great to see an update to this including the Ruger LCP Max, Kahr CT380 and some other newer or updated 380 pocket rockets.

Maannn....Can I say how much I appreciate your video presentations? You're calm, focused, provide clear specific information, cause-effect insight. Thank you!

I’m 60 with a dominant wrist/thumb injury. The Glock 42 is perfect for my small hands and current injury status. I can easily rack, whereas the 43 was impossible. Shooting accuracy was easy, maybe small people (5’2) with small guns don’t experience the issues that larger people tend to experience with them? I’m just glad I found something to help me secure my home should these upheavals roll into our residential area, and I can’t wait to start competition shooting and meeting all you nice A2 supporters 🇺🇸

You are in my top 3 firearm related channels. Love your content!!! You always shoot it to us straight, after your personal experiences with a particular gun. Good, or bad. And, I respect your opinions, because I can just tell when someone has put in the work. You, my friend, are a breath of fresh air.

Ahhh, Perfecta ammo...I remember that ammo when Wally World used to carry it for $13.00 a box for .380 acp. I miss you Perfecta.

I'm not shooting for bullseye, I'm shooting to make holes in a perp.

Love my LCP 2. Lightweight, great trigger and shoot it pretty well. Highly recommend

I have a Ruger custom and a Sig P238 and when I need a pocket pistol I reach for my Ruger custom. Not because I've had problems with my P238, I haven't, it's always been reliable. My Ruger custom is just a great gun to carry in a pocket.

Love my SW Bodyguard!! Fits great in the pocket and fires without problems. Wear it with the extended magazines.. My only issue is that my wife liked it so much she took it :-(

Great video. Thanks for putting this together. I am a repeat customer, new to firearms and bought my first-ever box of ammunition from you earlier this year and have since purchased more. You covered a lot of information here with these micro 380s. I learned a lot

I have an S&W Bodyguard .380 I like this pistol BECAUSE of it's "revolver like" feel. I'm "Old School", and have carried "J"s (and even "K"s! - Love me that K frame!). I actually like the relatively long trigger pull, and DAO is fine with me because I for decades was a revolver shooter, this is the "feel" I understand.

You guys are making some of the best firearm related content on KZfaq. Keep it up!

I'd love to see a Part 2 with compact size options. Bersa Thunder Plus, PPK/s, Shield EZ, RIA Baby Rock etc. What you lose in "carry-ability" puts you in the same category of many 9mm guns. But what you gain in "shoot-ability" vs similarly sized 9mm guns is interesting to think about.

Sold both my 1st & 2nd design LCP's and picked up a G42, Love that pistol !! With that being said, I have never been without a gun and have never felt under gunned when I carry .380

As a backup I carry a North American Arms .380 Guardian. This little .380 is built like a German tank with its all stainless steel construction and it also has a stiffer trigger pull ( 10 lbs. ) that allows me to pocket carry it without the worry of a negligent discharge, plus it holds 6 rounds in the magazine plus one in the chamber giving me 7 rounds. This little Beast shoots every time I squeeze the trigger and as a backup gun I wouldn’t carry anything else!

If you're going to carry an LCP/LCP Custom, I would recommend using Ruger's extended 7 round mag. Helps give a bit extra grip. DeSantis Super Fly holster is a great pair for pocket carry.

I love my bodyguard. The size, double action only, and reputation make it hard to seriously consider a different 380

My Bodyguard is my go to carry gun on a daily basis. Especially when I want to carry but shouldn't be.

I feel confident when I have my Smith and Wesson Bodyguard in my pocket, goes bang every time!

Remington RM 380 is my favorite, but also carry the Beretta 21a for a few days a week.

I own a S&W Bodyguard and appreciate the long and hard trigger pull. Keep in mind that the use of this weapon will be at a range of five feet, more or less. It is not a target shooter. This weapon will be used at a moment of extreme stress, when a light trigger pull may result in the weapon being discharged before it’s out of the holster or pocket.

Every one of your reviews is a brilliant ad surprisingly thoughtful. Well done. This is an asset to all gunner worldwide. What would be nice to see in future is practical tasks being carried out while concealing compacts/sub compacts with different holsters. We all love seeing the performance of the guns, but in that moment when you really need it that doesn't matter as much as whether you are carrying it or not. Keep up the great work!

My favorite series in this channel. I personally don't carry a 380 pocket pistol, but I'm always intrigued by them.

The overall production of your videos is off the hook. Some of your videos I have watched multiple times. I appreciate the thoroughness and objectivity of your presentations. I also appreciate the lack of obnoxious background music. Will buy ammo from you. Thank you for the content!

I really love the trigger on my LCP2. I would trade increased trigger weight for trigger crispness any day. It is my favorite of all the polymer pocket .380s.

The Hogue grip that is made specifically for the LCP (custom and regular) is a blessing. Makes the grip a little wider and easier to grip and absorbs some of that micro pistol recoil.

When I first purchased my S&W Bodyguard I hated it. I hated the very long trigger pull, PU! So I put it away and contemplated selling it. Shortly after a friend at work talked me into shooting steel plate matches. He was a big revolver guy and soon all I was shooting was revolvers. My 1911's and HK's soon were put away for the wheel guns. So, three years learning to shoot revolvers and getting very proficient shooting them, I broke out my S&W Bodyguard from the closet and wallah! I could shoot the BG quite well, due in part to my years of shooting revolvers. I got so use to shooting long trigger pulls that the BG fit right into my shooting style. My BG goes with me just about every time I leave the house, especially in summer where it can slip into any pocket. I LOVE it now.

“Today we’re reviewing pocket pistols” “The glock is my favorite.... but it won’t fit in your pocket” 😣

A pocket pistol should not be carried loose inside your pocket. It should be in a pocket holster. Good review. Thanks

Extremely helpful analysis. I wanted a 380 for occasional pocket carry. Kahr was where I was leaning. This helped me greatly.

Great video. I’m glad you explained the different scenarios and situations when coming out of the pocket. Great video. One of the best explanation of a caliber gun I’ve seen. This is a great video.

Awesome video! Love all of the comparisons with solid explanations backed up by serious range time. We own both the Kahr Arms CW380 and CT380 which is slightly longer. Both weapons have a lot of rounds through them with out malfunction, including multiple brands of hollow point. As with all Kahr Arms, the triggers are smooth, the guns are extremely accurate and their pleasures to shoot, even for a small pocket gun.

I love my p238. Carry it every day I'm in the office. The hogue grips make a world of difference.

I like how confident and opinionated you are. It is refreshing and entertaining and your so professional about how you say it. I like your videos. Keep it up. I would love to see a video on firearm trends, and past and future firearm technology disruptions… (e.g., 1911, polymer style). I feel like firearms have to way behind where they can when compared to the progress we’ve observed with computers, cars, and mountain bikes. What is next? Who is bringing it? What will make the world safer for my kids? The fact that you mention in another video that people are shooting 50 year old walthers and Makarovs over current offerings is a case in point. I’d like to see bigger scope of discussion beyond comparisons. Maybe you guys can bring it?

What a fabulous education! Wifey wants a concealed carry and this video is a great start in assisting us to choose. Really enjoy your channel that we just discovered. Thanks.

Great information and great presentation. Always looking forward to your videos.

For my 380 needs my Kahr P380 makes me oh so happy. Such a fantastic little pistol. Stupid accurate.

I started watching your videos recently. I wasn't expecting much, but you have surprised me. You're very well spoken, and very articulate. Your video's are very polished and professional looking, and they have a lot of good information in them. Keep up the good work.

I've shot 5 of the .380s he discussed, the Kahr, the M&P Bodyguard, the Ruger LCP, and the LCP II, and the Glock. This guy knows what he is talking about, his comments are pretty much spot on. But, I had serious reliability problems with the Bodyguard wit all types of ammo. I hated the original LCP (not the custom or the 2), because it's sights were so tiny, I literally could not see them at all at my indoor range, I've never had that problem with any other gun.

In practice sessions with my LCP, I have found that self defense ammo works the most reliably.

How I reliability tested my M&P Bodyguard using 95 grain FMJ two mags each: Limp wristing, hold 90 degrees left, hold 90 degrees right, and hold 180 upside down... No malfunctions... Read somewhere to avoid import ammo as it may have hard primers. I only use Hornady Critical Defense and Speer FMJ. About 500 rounds total now no malfunctions.

All of the cons you mentioned about small semi-auto pistols is why I carry a small revolver. I also have an LCP, but I typically only carry it in situations where it's "better than nothing".

Great vid thanks for putting it together. I am really enjoying the pocket pistol series. I look forward to the revolver video.

LAPD had a large part in the bodyguard revamp. It is one of the most widely used backup/off-duty pistol in the department as long as the Lazer was deactivated. As such I can't wait to hear any stats they have after using it for it's intended purpose.

I had the original lcp and now have the lcp 2 and am accurate as I'll ever need to be with them. I CAN recommend both lcp's. They're meant to save your life, not hit clay pigeons. That's why they have minimal sights

Another excellent video. Thanks for producing such high quality content.

Love my Beretta Pico. It never makes any of these lists, but I still love it. It's not as snappy as the LCP, has good build quality and is super small. Very easy to pocket carry.

That Glock is a ringer. If you are going to throw something that big into a "pocket pistol" comparison, you must be referring to some really giant cargo pants. In that case, put it up against the Bersa Thunder 380.

I have an RM380. Either they are very reliable or I've been lucky. Only fired 150 - 200 rounds of various cheap ammo without a single issue so far... and it was under $200 shipped.

The Ruger LCP 2 hands down sir! Nuff said.

Springfield Armory 911 380 with an IWB kydex holster! It is one of my carry guns when clothing and/or circumstances require something small a discreet. It likes Federal and Speer range/target ammo. For defensive ammo it didn't like Hornady CD FTE (feed issues maybe due to the pointed nose), but loves Remington HTP. All my carry guns have an external safety, and yes they do require practice (not a bad thing) to automatically release the safety. They all have a safety that is easy to deactivate from a firing grip, which is more important than activating. Your ballistics tests are great and I have used them to aid in my 380 ACP and 9mm ammo selections. MANY THANKS!

I own a few pocket guns. I always go back to my LCR .38 Special. Always reliable and light weight.

Chris, I always look forward to your videos and this series is great with this specific video being above the already high par. Great job and good info! Looking forward to the snub revolver vid!!!

This video looks so professional. Like someone with a couple million subscribers. Keep up the work bud. U will get there!

Great video. I think the Glock is to big to be included in this video but I know how popular it is so it makes sense to include it. You did a great job of describing the perils of pulling a semi auto from your pocket. That's why I prefer my S&W 637.

The CW380 was my choice. I wanted a true pocket summer gun. It has real sights and is very light.

My CW380 has also been flawless through 700 rounds. My wife carries either her 42 or Bodyguard. For me the choice is easy for pocket carry when my 19 is just too hard to conceal. Kahr wins hands down.

Glad you liked the Kahr. I have had my cw380 for over a year and it's not failed to fire once so far at the range and it shoots really well. I have a camo version of it and the magazine drags badly when trying to remove it but otherwise, I love it.

I have an M&P380. I call it an Elevator Gun because it's useful for self defense in an elevator.

I love my Smith&Wesson M&P 2.0 EZ and it is amazing!

i have a glock 19 a g42 a m&p shield 2.0 9mm and a taurus g2c..my favorite is the glock 42..i also swapped the plactic recoil spring for a heavy duty tungsten steel rod..man its just awesome..also added 4 and 2 extra rounds

I really enjoy your videos. You explain things well and to the point. I commend you on being polite and not being a potty mouth. I usually prefer revolvers for reliability. My wife and I both have ruger lcr's. I also like smith and Wesson and some others. Thank you for your integrity.

This was the best gun review I've ever watched on KZfaq. Excellent job!! You're obviously incredibly knowledgeable, and you articulate what is most important when researching a new potential firearm for purchase.

I paid $165 out the door for my Ruger lcp. I shoot it great. If I could get a Glock 42 for that price I would go for it, but for under 200 I'll go with the rugers.

The LCP II is just great; disappears on your body; and you forget about it.

For me, the LCP 2 was the only choice. Size matters, and I wanted an easy and capable pocket carry. No mag release or failures, with the exception of Hornaday Critical DF. Two failures in one box. Zero with everything else I have run. If I were planning to be in a sketchy environment, I would just add an IWB 9mm before heading out. Everyone has their own biases and preferences, but the vast majority chooses the LCP 2 in this category.

I agree with the possibility of 380acp malfunctions, I had alot with my Kahr CT380 and factory ammo. Then I started reloading my own ammunition and I fixed it. Spend the time and find medium hot loads for your pistol and your pistol will be 100% reliable. Due to the small size of the cartridge, temperatures will make a more drastic difference in performance of the ammunition from the hottest days of summer compared to the coldest days in winter - you'll notice a difference with the exact same box of ammo, so keep your reloads on the hotter side to ensure mechanical failures. I also have a CW45 and agree it must be the most picky when it comes to ammo. Again if you roll your own you can make 100% reliable ammo. Try the cast #68 bullet and you might be surprised your Kahr CW45 could ever be so reliable haha

I carry both Glock 42 and Ruger LCP. For me the 380 is my preferred carry caliber.

I have a ppk and colt mustang in .380 and love both of them. The mustang is a little easier to rack but love the double action of the ppk.

I went to our local gun shop, already had and usually carried a 38 special Revolver. I looked at the Glock 42, and it wasn’t comfortable in my hand and just too big. I made the right choice, but the same choice isn’t good for everyone. That’s why I’m glad there are so many different styles of weapon. Something for everyone. Went with the LCP.

As always, another great video!

I have an old Keltec P3at I’ve had for many years and it’s served me well. Snappy, sure. Never failed though. Bunch of rounds and easy to carry anywhere. Good video series on all these calibers and designs. One of the best gun channels.

Really interesting. I have a G42, a Sig 238, and the M&P Bodyguard. I’ve never had a single problem with the G42 with around 5,000 rounds out through it. Shoots super straight and easy. I put better sights on it, along with a streamlight laser/light and plus 2 mag extensions from strike industries making it 8+1 The P238 has ran just as great with about the same round count fired through it. Again, super accurate and easy to shoot. I did have a mag release issue about a 1000 rounds ago. Called Sig, sent it in and they fixed it and sent it back within a week. The safety to me is not at all an issue. Practice with it and you’re good to go. I’m also not bothered by where it is place either. My thumb easily grabs it as I draw it from my holster. The bodyguard shoots ok, a little less rounds fired through it. I like the 238 and the G42 much better because bodyguard is double action and to fire it under duress potentially with one hand would present accuracy issues even with practice. I would much rather shoot a single action or a striker fired gun under duress. In addition to the double action, the recoil is significantly more than the other two. It is a bit smaller than the other two but that’s not enough for me to like it more. The key to being able to use your firearm in a threat situation with confidence, is to practice! Alot! Every time I would go shooting, I would put at least 300 rounds through the the firearm. The more you shoot, the more accurate you become, the better handle of recoil, and the more you force integrate solid firing habits, good muscle memory bla bla bla etc. Make no mistake, these 380 firearms will all absolutely stop bad guys, just practice your butt off and learn to run your weapon like a boss! 👍🏼

great video. if you're a 1911 or 2011 guy and really runs those guns really hard, the P238 is the most logical choice. the darn thing is utterly reliable and the safety is no longer an issue if you honest to goodness train with it

So clear and concise. Great video as always.😊

Hey guys, we're going to review pocket pistols and we are going to give the top rating to the only one that isn't actually suited for pocket work

Looking forward to the snub nose vid. Keep up the great work, love this channel!

Great video! Looking forward to the revolver video.

2:03 Nice way of saying "these suck less." They do. Well done! :-)

I picked up a Taurus Spectrum brand new for $137. It's super fun and cheap. Makes a great backup gun or CC.

Excellent video. Thank you so much for your time.

Crazy how Ruger turned everything on it's head with the new LCP Max. Even a separate review wouldn't do it justice.

Man, you explained everything really well. Awesome video.

Loved my Kahr until it started having light primer strikes

I wonder why the Bersa 380 didn't make your list? I've owned 1 for years shoots every time I squeeze the trigger. Reliable easy to CCW and fast on the draw. I brought 1 for my wife last year she loves it lite recoil and easy to shoot.

Great vid, as usual. Ty. I'm glad to have your opinions (and am still in pursuit of the Mustang for .380 carry).

Excellent review! Top quality stuff.

memo to gunmakers: offer your pocket 380acp in 32acp.

I wish I had them all! My LCP and 42 goes bang every time

Glock 42, if it won’t fit in your pocket, it isn’t a pocket pistol.

I really love my Sig P380, which replaced my Sig P938 in 9mm, due to recoil issues. They are otherwise virtually identical. Haven't had failure issues ... yet. At least so far. I really like the 1911 single action operation. I am very comfortable with the 1911 action.

Funny how many reviews leave out the Bersa .380cc. I've carried this in my front pocket in a sleeve, for years and although not a mini pistol, it fits well and holds 8 rounds but due to it's slightly larger size, I shoot well with it. Under $300 most places.

Thanks, the az heat is really changing my mind on pocket carry. I barely know where to start, the lcrx so far is on my list .

A very good review of a nice selection of probably the most popular pocket .380s out there. I've shot and carried many over the years. I totally agree with you on the LCP. I frankly shot my old P3AT better than the standard LCP. I haven't tried the custom or the new LCPII. A Kahr CM380 has become probably my most carried firearm, either alone or as a BUG. I have been very impressed with it's accuracy. With most micro pistols I find that shooting them one-handed gives the least amount of user-induced stoppages, and if one uses a two-handed hold, the old Cup-and-Saucer is best. Grip one the way one grips a larger pistol and there is just too much room for the frame to move ... it only takes a tiny bit after all. This isn't a huge issue as these are for in-the-heat-of-the-moment, seat-of-your-pants, heck-or-high-water, point-and-shoot kind of life-saving missions. Again, a most excellent review!

Great technical info with no clowning around