I picked up one last week...It's different and I've great and bad things about them...so far...I like mine..

Small pistols are difficult to shoot well.
Double-action trigger pulls are difficult for beginners to master. Single-action revolver shooting, however, will teach her nothing useful for self-defense.
The .38 Special is a low-end defense round, but it is pretty easy to control, and it will do the job of she learns trigger control and sight discipline.

My wife, Jean, likes her Airweight Bodyguard, and she can shoot it pretty well, but it's not her favorite.
(Jean is five feet zero, and weighs 100 pounds fully dressed and sopping wet.)

I taught Jean to shoot, first with a full-size, full-weight 1911 in .45 ACP. We used that because it's controls are simple for a supervised beginner, and it's very easy to handle. Its perceived recoil is less than that of almost any other self-defense pistol.
After she had learned to shoot reasonably well, we transitioned to other weapons. We were looking for one that she could both carry and shoot, since a full-size 1911 was too big to conceal comfortably on her tiny frame.
We tried the Airweight Bodyguard, a Charter Arms revolver in .38 Special, a Colt's M.1908 semi-auto in .380 ACP, and a Kel-Tec P3AT in .380 ACP. Her final choice was the Kel-Tec P3AT, and she has become quite good with it.

My wife is wanting this gun as well. Or at least to shoot it to see if she likes it. One of the gun shops here doesnt even have any in stock, or to rent. Must be that popular. She did shoot a sig and a Taurus, she liked the sig better

They are fine pistols,Just like Steve is saying. The trigger pull has a long travel,It has to be pulled all the way back for it to fire. A lot of people I see out there.Have a hard time getting to know this pistol.I picked one up for the wife about one yr ago.And it was about three days later she had it down.Being on the range with any firearm is a must.I own two now,So that is how much I like this pistol.Some don't,Thats every pistol out their.

For that size of the pistol,It is a great pistol to have. Just comes down to this ( Practice ) is everything.

I got the model 438 with the shrouded hammer although it don't say bodyguard on it, I'm assuming that's wat it is. I love mine. Easy to conceal, light and accurate at 15 tish feet. Just were you need a ccw gun at. Hg

I carry the S&W bodyguard new plastic frammed one and I like it a lot. I have other j frames but this carries very well and shoots good to. Some don't like this model because they like the older models but it doesn't mean this gun is any less leathal. I like the older guns myself but this is a nice revolver. I like it.

I bought one for my daughter for her home defense or carry. Recommended by the retired chief of police. He suggested wad cutters for her. It is intended for close range and we are working at it. Yiogo

You can buy mine, don't really like it and it has become ONLY my home defense gun. Bought it for my wife and she hates it, way too much recoil for her. If you want it just for personal defense, then it would make a great second back up gun or for close quarter protection (within three feet). I understand a lot of people will say practice, practice, practice, but this gun is not fun at the range at all. The gun itself is great, perfect at what it is designed to do, protect your body, but that's all. I will say that, there are people who believe that the .38 or .380 is an insignificant defense round, and they are wrong. Check out the ballistic test for Hornady's Critical Defense for those rounds. These guns like I said are for close quarters, using them that way, that round will do some major damage.

Originally Posted by jrwilson

...[M]y wife...hates it, way too much recoil for her...

It's not that the S&W Bodyguard (in any configuration, old or new) presents "too much recoil," but rather that the pistol has too little mass, and too small a grip, to allow relatively inexperienced shooters to control it comfortably.
Add mass (weight), and a somewhat longer grip, and recoil becomes much more controllable and comfortable.

There are larger and heavier .380 and .38 Special pistols out in the marketplace.
Your wife may actually enjoy shooting a larger S&W revolver with a longer barrel (at least 4") and a more hand-filling grip.
I believe that Bersa makes a .380 that is large enough and heavy enough to be easily controlled, and certainly an old Colt's M.1908, .380 semi-auto will fill the bill.

A retired police chief recommended wadcutters?????????

Originally Posted by berettabone

A retired police chief recommended wadcutters?????????

Back in the bad old days when I was young and dinosaurs roamed the Earth, a .38 Special loaded with either wadcutter handloads or handloads with reversed round-nose bullets was considered the bee's knees for anti-personnel activities.

I like the J-Frames better.

Wadcutters...... I used to shoot them out of my Model 19.............remember the Culture Club...." I tumble for ya"

Originally Posted by chup

I like the J-Frames better.

Than what?

Originally Posted by scottemory72

My girlfriend and I went gun shopping yesterday; after we went to a few places she fell in love with the S & W Bodyguard .38. I'd like to hear your opinions on this gun as I have no experience with it.

Wife had a 380 Bersa and slide was to heavy. She loves her Bodyguard .38 and is excellent at the range. Its simple and a excellent Theater Gun with the Build in Laser.
I bought one also and using to carry as a ankle carry. I shoot alumnium at the range because alumnium disapates quicker then brass. A lot of brass tends to get the barrel
a little warm...........Hey I'm going to war with this gun but it serves its purpose in her purse or the theater. I have added 10 more buletts inside her carry case in the form of a
bandoleer..........now she has 15 rounds.

Originally Posted by scottemory72

My girlfriend and I went gun shopping yesterday; after we went to a few places she fell in love with the S & W Bodyguard .38. I'd like to hear your opinions on this gun as I have no experience with it.

Excellent pistol, S&W makes arguably the best revolvers in the world. Bought a 637 and it is a real shooter, sub moa @ 15 yards no problem. To those who say it's only accurate close up is mistaken, at least with the one I own. The 38 special is and has been for decades a fine self defense cartridge and police cartridge. In my opinion the 38 special is superior to .380 as I know of no .380 that can push a 158 grain bullet down range with the penetration of the 38 special. It can be shot very well and accurately and I believe all this excess talk of excessive recoil is way over exaggerated. I do for a fact recommend the Pachmayr grip however, it is a longer full grip which in the case of the 637 covers the back-strap as well and dampens recoil. Your girlfriend has great taste and will be very well protected in my opinion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDUWZuOWAeU