Description
The Smith Wesson Bodyguard 38 2.0 is the second-generation Bodyguard 38, a 14.2 ounce double-action-only revolver chambered in 38 S&W Special +P with an ambidextrous cylinder release and a genuinely usable orange dot front sight.
Smith Wesson Bodyguard 38 2.0 A Second Look at the Bodyguard
The original Bodyguard 38 was a competent carry revolver with a couple of rough edges. Version 2.0 addresses them. The cylinder release is now center mounted and ambidextrous, so left-handed shooters get the same intuitive operation right-handers always had, and the grip has been reshaped for better control without growing in size.
The upper frame is one-piece aluminum alloy, which keeps the whole revolver at 14.2 ounces. Height is 4.6 inches and width is 1.35 inches, so this fits a jacket pocket, a purse compartment or an appendix holster without a struggle.
The 1.875 inch barrel is stainless steel and the five-round cylinder is stainless with a PVD coating, which is a meaningful upgrade in wear and corrosion resistance over a plain finish on a gun that lives against the body.
Smith Wesson Bodyguard 38 2.0 sights and shootability
Small revolvers have traditionally shipped with a milled ramp front sight that disappears against anything darker than a white wall. The Bodyguard 38 2.0 uses a Patridge-style front blade with an orange dot, paired with a machined u-notch cut into the frame. That is a real sighting system rather than a token one.
The polymer boot-style grip is contoured to spread recoil rather than concentrate it, which matters a great deal in a 14 ounce gun firing 38 Special +P. Expect your little finger to ride below the grip; that is the price of a profile this concealable.
It is double action only with an enclosed hammer, so there is nothing to snag on the draw and no single-action mode to manage under pressure. The trigger is long and deliberate by design.
Carrying and practicing with the Smith Wesson Bodyguard 38 2.0
A pocket revolver needs a pocket holster. Carrying one loose in a pocket lets it shift, collects lint in the action and leaves the trigger uncovered, none of which you want. A holster that breaks up the outline of the cylinder also does more for concealment than anything else you can buy for the gun.
Practice sessions should be short and frequent rather than long. Fifty rounds of standard-pressure 38 Special in one session will teach you more than twenty rounds of +P that leave your hand sore, and the trigger stroke is the skill worth building. Dry fire costs nothing and this action tolerates it well.
Reloading a five-shot revolver under pressure is slower than reloading a semi-automatic, so a speed strip or speedloader in a pocket is worth carrying and worth practicing with. Most defensive encounters end well within five rounds, but the reload is cheap insurance.
Smith Wesson Bodyguard 38 2.0 specifications
- Manufacturer part number: 14507
- Caliber: 38 S&W Special, rated for +P
- Capacity: 5 rounds
- Barrel: 1.875 in. stainless steel
- Cylinder: stainless steel with PVD coating
- Frame: one-piece aluminum alloy upper frame
- Action: double action only
- Cylinder release: ambidextrous, center mounted
- Sights: Patridge-style front with orange dot, machined u-notch rear in frame
- Grip: polymer boot-style
- Weight: 14.2 oz
- Height: 4.6 in.
- Width: 1.35 in.
- Warranty: Smith and Wesson Limited Lifetime Service Policy
- UPC: 022188905229
Why Buyers Choose the Smith Wesson Bodyguard 38 2.0
An ambidextrous cylinder release is rare on a small revolver and genuinely useful, whether you are left handed or simply want to be able to reload with either hand.
The orange dot front sight is the single biggest practical improvement over older pocket revolvers. Being able to find the front sight quickly is what turns a belly gun into one you can shoot at ten yards.
Fourteen ounces means the revolver actually gets carried. Weight is the main reason people leave a defensive handgun at home, and this one removes that excuse.
A double-action-only revolver has no safety to forget, no slide to rack and no magazine to seat, which suits shooters who do not train constantly.
Who should buy a Smith Wesson Bodyguard 38 2.0
The Smith Wesson Bodyguard 38 2.0 suits concealed carriers who want a light, simple revolver for pocket or purse, left-handed shooters who have been frustrated by right-side cylinder releases, and anyone wanting a backup gun. Expect sharp recoil with +P loads and plan on practicing with standard-pressure 38 Special.
What to buy with a Smith Wesson Bodyguard 38 2.0
Practice with standard-pressure ammunition and carry what you have tested. Remington UMC 38 Special 158gr is the volume load; Fiocchi Defense Dynamics 148gr JHP is the defensive option. Put a box of the carry load through it before you trust it, because a 1.88 inch barrel does not give a hollow point much velocity to work with and some designs simply will not open. If you want a load engineered for exactly this barrel length, Buffalo Bore 38 Special +P 110gr TAC-XP is built for short barrels, though we hold it thinly.
If you want a laser fitted from the factory, the Bodyguard 38 2.0 with the integrated laser is the same revolver with the unit built in, and the 642 with Crimson Trace grips is the aluminum-frame alternative if you prefer the classic J-frame shape.
Before you order a Smith Wesson Bodyguard 38 2.0
Confirmed from the distributor record: five shots of 38 Special +P, a 1.88 in. black stainless barrel, a black PVD cylinder, a black aluminum alloy frame, a black polymer grip and a concealed hammer (manufacturer part number 14507, UPC 022188905229). A concealed hammer means it will not snag coming out of a pocket and it also means double action only — there is no thumb-cocking for a deliberate shot.
Chamber and pressure standards for 38 Special and 38 Special +P are published by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute; the factory page is at Smith and Wesson.
Every firearm we list ships to your chosen FFL and is transferred there after a background check.
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