My EDC for the last several years has been the Smith and Wesson M&P 2.0 3.6” chambered in 9mm. I really love that semi-auto pistol a lot and had no desire to carry any other pistol, let alone one in 380 ACP.
Even though the new Smith and Wesson Bodyguard 2.0 (launched in July 2024) has become very popular, primarily due to its diminutive size and impressive 12+1 capacity, I had resisted getting one, until now.
Why? Of course, there were situations where I wouldn’t mind having a much smaller carry gun, particularly for appendix carry and during the Summer months. It seemed, the Bodyguard 2.0 was simply too good to pass up, especially since it was on sale for just $359.99 at my local gun store.
Variants of the Bodyguard 2.0
Smith and Wesson offers three variants of the Bodyguard 2.0.
- TS: Thumb Safety
- NTS: No Thumb Safety
- Compliant TS: Thumb Safety model for those states limiting magazine capacity to 10 rounds.
Features of the Bodyguard 2.0
- Very slender polymer grip with fairly aggressive texture, similar to the M&P Full and Compact 2.0 series
- Striker fired
- Flat-faced trigger
- 2.75” stainless steel barrel with Armornite® corrosion resistant finish.
- Black u-notch rear sight
- Front sight has a Tritium insert
- 18-degree grip angle
- Stainless Steel Slide with Armornite® corrosion resistant finish with aggressive front and rear serrations to give the user various points of grip for slide manipulation
- Includes 10-round and 12-round steel magazines
- Optional manual thumb safety
Dimensions of the Bodyguard 2.0
- Overall Length: 5.5″
- Width: .88″
- Height: 4″ with 10-round magazine (4.4″ with 12-round magazine)
- Barrel Length: 2.75″
- Weight: 9.8 oz. (for reference, my M&P 2.0 Compact 3.6″ weighs 25.9 oz.)
Pricing
MSRP is $449.99. Street price is about $399.99. I purchased mine on sale for just $359.99.
At the Range
Having sent 150 rounds of Magtech 380 ACP, 95 Grain FMJ, down range, I experienced no malfunctions with the Bodyguard 2.0 and found it to be accurate.
Clearly, the Bodyguard 2.0 is a very small pistol. In fact, it is about the same length and height as the Sig P238, but about 5.4 oz lighter! Despite its diminutive size, I like how the Bodyguard 2.0 feels in my hands even with the 10-round magazine. Surprisingly, it’s not too snappy to shoot either.
Ergonomics
Like all other Smith and Wesson semi-auto pistols, the Bodyguard 2.0 uses their very comfortable and more natural pointing, 18-degree grip angle. The Bodyguard 2.0 also incorporates an extended beavertail to mitigate the risk of slide bite and a more pronounced trigger guard undercut, that helps you get a higher grip on the frame. This in turn, translates to a lower bore axis which helps to reduce muzzle flip.
Slide Manipulation
It’s worth noting that the slide is a lot harder to pull back compared to a Sig P238 and an M&P 380 Shield EZ, so if you have weak hands or lack wrist strength, the Bodyguard 2.0 may not be the best choice.
Slide Stop
Out of the box, I found the slide stop to be very stiff, so much so, that with the slide locked back, I needed to push down at the rear top corner of the slide stop lever in order to release the slide. After doing that several times, I was then finally able to push down on the entire slide stop lever to successfully release the slide.
Magazines
The Bodyguard 2.0 comes with both 10-round and 12-round magazines. However, I found that loading the last round by hand in the 12-round magazine was difficult. Using an UpLULA pistol magazine loader proved quite helpful.
The Trigger
Unlike the previous generation Bodyguard, the 2.0 is a striker fired pistol with a much better trigger (both shorter pull and lighter pull weight). While Smith and Wesson does not officially state the trigger pull weight, according to my Wheeler digital trigger gauge, a 10-pull average was just under 5 lbs.
The Bodyguard now uses a flat-faced trigger, similar to those on their updated M&P line. While it is a significant improvement over the first generation’s trigger, it’s clearly not as nice as an Apex flat-faced forward set trigger. And to that point, the Bodyguard 2.0 trigger has more take-up that is gritty, with a longer and laggy reset. As mentioned earlier, the trigger pull weight is just under 5 lbs on average, which I find to be more than acceptable for my needs.
Video of Bodyguard 2.0 trigger pull
Video of Bodyguard 2.0 trigger reset
Final Thoughts
If you are looking for an extremely small, lightweight, striker-fired, semi-automatic “pocket” pistol, with a good trigger and an impressive 12+1 capacity, you may want to check out the new Smith and Wesson, Bodyguard 2.0. So far, I really like the Bodyguard 2.0. If it proves to be as reliable as my M&P 2.0 Compact 3.6″, I will definitely start carrying it on a regular basis.
CYA IWB Holster for the Bodyguard 2.0
I just purchased the CYA Supply Company “Base IWB” holster for my new Bodyguard 2.0 pistol. You can read my review of it here. CYA holsters are precision engineered from 3D scanned molds of the actual firearms using CAD. Additionally, CYA holsters are made from Boltaron, a thermoform plastic similar to Kydex, but considered to be a better material. Why? Boltaron generally provides better impact resistance, especially in colder climates.
Boltaron also offers better consistency of thickness and grain pattern. I can certainly attest to this as my Bodyguard 2.0’s CYA holster is indeed very well made, tough and has a really satisfying retention “pop”. My CYA holster also includes a full sweat guard that even covers the mag release button, a feature I really like. The CYA holster is also made in the USA, which is another big plus.
As an option, I also purchased CYA’s Discreet Carry Concepts Monoblock Metal Gear Clip 1.5″ (MSRP of $9.99). At the moment, CYA is offering a 15% off coupon, which I gladly used on my entire order.
Bottom Line: CYA Supply makes a great quality, USA made, thermoplastic IWB holster for a fantastic price that is about half of what many Kydex holsters cost!
CYA Holster Pricing: $39.74 with NO Tax and FREE Shipping
