Smith & Wesson's Latest Bodyguard 2.0 is More than a Makeover

Putting Smith & Wesson's new Bodyguard 2.0 .380 ACP micro-sized pistol through a shootout with 10 different factory loads proved it is better than ever.

February 10, 2025 By JAKE EDMONDSON

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There’s a new Bodyguard .380 ACP semiautomatic pistol from Smith & Wesson, and it’s been updated to meet the demands of today’s handgunners. Called the Bodyguard 2.0, its magazine capacity is now 12 rounds (it comes with one 12-round magazine and one that holds 10 rounds), and the ergonomics and styling of the new version have been improved.

A Short History Lesson

Ejection port side view of the S&W Body Guard 2.0 — The author found the new Bodyguard 2.0 to be easy to load, easy to rack the slide, and very comfortable to shoot.(Photo Provided by Author)

Smith & Wesson’s first Bodyguard handgun was a small-frame double-action revolver chambered for .38 Special. The cylinder held five rounds. Officially, it was known as the Model 38 and Model 49 (the Model 38 had an aluminum frame, whereas the Model 49 had a steel frame), and it incorporated a hammer shroud that was designed to help prevent the hammer from snagging when the revolver was being drawn. The hammer could still be manually cocked in single-action mode, although that was a bit difficult, and users generally fired the gun in double-action-only mode. The Model 38 was manufactured from 1955 until 1999, and the Model 49 was produced from 1955 until 1996. In about 1989, the Models 638 and 649 with stainless-steel barrels and cylinders were produced, and in 2014, the M&P Bodyguard 38 DA revolver with a polymer frame was introduced. In addition to the polymer frame, major differences with this revolver are that it has different lockwork, meaning that other J-Frame parts are not interchangeable with it, and that the hammer cannot be cocked manually in single-action mode. The Model 638 and the M&P Bodyguard 38 revolvers are still cataloged items.

Beginning in 2010, S&W applied the Bodyguard name to a compact semiautomatic pistol chambered in .380 ACP. Called the Bodyguard 380, this pistol featured a polymer frame, a 2.75-inch barrel, fixed sights, a magazine capacity of six rounds, locked-breech operation, and a double-action hammer-fired mechanism. It had finger grooves integral to the polymer frame, and it was offered with an integral laser. It weighed 11.8 ounces and measured 5.25 inches long. In 2014 the name was changed to M&P Bodyguard 380, and the texturing on the grip and slide was modified, but it was still a hammer-fired (the hammer was bobbed), double-action pistol. And that brings us to the new Bodyguard 2.0.

The New Bodyguard 2.0

Like its predecessor, the new Bodyguard 2.0 features a 2.75-inch barrel, but its overall length is 5.5 inches. The stainless-steel barrel is finished in black Armornite, and the twist rate is one turn in 10 inches (1:10). The pistol is 4.1 inches tall with the flush-fitting 10-round magazine inserted and 0.88 inch thick. The slide proper is just 0.75 inch thick. The new pistol weighs a mere 9.8 ounces. It has a black polymer frame and a black Armornite-finished stainless-steel slide. By the way, even with the 10-round magazine inserted, I can get all my fingers on the grip, and for the record, I have medium-size hands.

View of S&W Bodyguard slide serrations and stippled grip and frame — Also new with the Bodyguard 2.0 are improved slide ergonomics that are not only stylish, but they are functional, too. (Photo Provided by Author)

The Bodyguard 2.0’s slide is contoured and has wide, angled cocking grooves up front and at the rear on both sides. They extend upward onto the beveled top edges of the slide. And there are a lot of them—more than the typical micro-sized pistol. Smith & Wesson says this “increased coverage of the slide allows you to grab and rack effectively no matter the situation.”

The grips are integral with the polymer frame, and the grip frame is nicely contoured with an arched backstrap and tacky texturing that provides a secure handhold. The grip circumference at its thickest point (slightly below the bottom of the trigger guard) measures 4.6 inches. The bottom of the trigger guard is upswept where it meets the frontstrap of the grip frame, and the trigger guard is elongated. Oh, and the grip angle is 18 degrees.

The pistol’s trigger is a hinged safety lever type that has become so popular on striker-fired polymer-frame personal-protection pistols. It has a smooth, flat face and is 0.26 inch wide. In case what I just wrote didn’t sink in, let me reiterate it. The new Bodyguard 2.0 is a striker-fired micro-size .380 ACP. In that vein, the pistol disassembles like any other striker-fired pistol, but the ejector needs to be pushed down to remove and reinstall the slide.

According to five measurements with an RCBS trigger pull gauge, our sample’s trigger pull averaged 4 pounds, 8 ounces. That’s a lot less than my 2010-vintage S&W Bodyguard 380, which has a 9.75-pound trigger pull.

The new Bodyguard 2.0’s “rapid acquisition” rear sight is dovetailed into the top of the slide, and it is drift adjustable for windage. The all-black U-shaped notch measures 0.19 inch wide at the top, and the rear sight’s face features fine horizontal grooves. The front sight has a tritium dot surrounded by a bright red/orange ring. The post is 0.13 inch thick, and the front sight also is dovetailed into the slide. The sight radius is 4.5 inches.

Three versions of the Bodyguard 2.0 are being offered initially. One version has no manual thumb safety, and it’s designated as the Bodyguard 2.0 NTS. One version has a manual thumb safety, and it’s called the Bodyguard 2.0 TS. And the third version is compliant to regulations in states that limit the magazine capacity to 10 rounds, and it is appropriately called the Bodyguard 2.0 10RD Compliant TS. Our review sample is the Bodyguard 2.0 NTS. All three versions carry an MSRP of $449. The slide stop and takedown lever are located on the left side of the pistol, and the magazine release is positioned 1911-style. It is oval in shape, and it is reversible.

Before I get to the details of shooting the new Bodyguard let me report that using my jury-rigged gauge, the slide requires 15.75 pounds of pressure to rack. That’s less than a lot of striker-fired, personal-protection semiautomatic pistols on the market. In my experience, most of them require something like 22 to 25 pounds of force to rack their slides.

To put the new Bodyguard 2.0 to the test, I fired it for accuracy at 25 yards even though the pistol is not intended for such “long-range” work. I did that because 25 yards is ST’s standard distance for handgun evaluations. I fired three, five-shot groups with each of 10 different factory loads. Bullet weights ranged from 60 to 100 grains, and I fired jacketed hollowpoint, full metal jacket roundnose, and polymer-tipped FTX bullet types. The results of all that shooting are listed in the accompanying chart.

Accuracy data from Bodyguard 2.0 with various brands of ammunition — (Photo Provided by Author)

With an overall average accuracy of 3.55 inches for all 10 factory loads, the 25-yard accuracy was well within the self-defense standard of 4.25 inches at 25 yards. As the chart indicates, two of the factory loads averaged 4.25 inches and one averaged 4.00 inches; all of the others were 3.75 inches or less. Hands down, my best accuracy was with the Federal Tactical 99-grain HST loading. It averaged 2.75 inches, and its average velocity (for five rounds chronographed 12 feet from the muzzle) was 951 fps. The extreme spread was 35, and the standard deviation was 18.

I also fired full-magazine strings (12 rounds) offhand at seven yards, and all loads put those seven-yard 12-shot strings into nice tight groups. More importantly, the pistol functioned 100 percent during my shooting session. Every type of bullet fed without a bobble. Empty cases extracted perfectly, and every single one was ejected well clear of the shooter. And by the way, for those who may be interested, the new Bodyguard 2.0 will fire with the magazine out.

Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 2.0 Magazines in 10rd and 12rd — One big improvement with the new Bodyguard 2.0 is the increased magazine capacity. It now comes with one 12-round magazine and one 10-round magazine. (Photo Provided by Author)

As for shootability, the Bodyguard 2.0 was comfortable and fun to shoot. I realize the intended purpose of this gun is a serious one—personal protection—rather than plinking and good old fun shooting, but it was still a fun gun to shoot. The .380 ACP cartridge is generally thought of as the lowest acceptable limit for personal defense and does not produce a lot of felt recoil (generally accepted to range between 2.5 ft-lbs and 5.5 ft-lbs, depending on the bullet weight and velocity), so that wasn’t a concern. But often, a .380 ACP pistol with a narrow grip frame is not the most comfortable to shoot. That wasn’t the case with the new Bodyguard 2.0. Its improved grip shape really makes a difference here.

Handling and shooting the new Bodyguard 2.0 proved to my satisfaction that its magazines load easily, its slide racks easily, and it’s much more comfortable to shoot than its predecessor. To use that old cliché, the Bodyguard 2.0 is new and improved.