SW body guard vs kahr p380

**wellcraft** · January 17th, 2011, 11:46 PM

i finally got around to going to the range and decided to compare my SW BG and Kahr p380 to see which one i was going to keep. distance was about 5 - 7 yards with some cheap 380 ammo.

The body guard ran 100% right out of the box and because the magazine has a small lip i was able to keep a firm grip on the pistol after each shot. recoil was very manageable and if 380 wasn't so expensive i could shot this gun all day. the integral laser was dead on but not co-witnessed with the iron sites. using iron sites i was shooting a tad low, maybe 1-2 inches which isn't bad. the one bad thing that immediately stood out with the body guard was a very long drawn out trigger pull. the BG has a hammer unlike the striker fired ruger, keltec, kahr etc.

the kahr had about 3 hicups in about 10 rds where the round wasn't feeding into the chamber. it looked like the mag wasn't seated properely but a few slaps proved the mag was seated correctly. i disassembled the kahr and put some break free along the rails and aferward the kahr ran 100%. the kahr trigger was 100% better than the BG and the iron sites were dead on and easy to see. i was hitting the 10 ring consistantly almost dead center at 5-7 yards so the kahr proved to be very accurate for such a short barrel.

the down side with the kahr is it takes some effort to remove the mags from the magwell because they don't drop free. my thumb is right over the mag release button which i found annoying and i was concerned i might accidently hit the button and drop the mag while firing. fortunately this didn't happen but it's a concern and i think kahr could have came up with a better location for the mag release. the kahr would benefit from adding a lip to the magazine to aid in keeping a firm grip on the pistol while shooting. recoil was minimal and very manageable but after each shot the pistol slipped out of my grip just a tad. this problem although minor would disappear with a small lip on the mag to aid in keeping a better grip on the pistol.

overall i was very satisfied with both guns and i think both guns are keepers. it would be a difficult decision if i had to decided which one to get rid of and the only changes i would make with the BG would be to improve the trigger pull and co-witness the iron sites and laser. changes i'd make to the kahr would be add a lip to the kahr mags and the kahr would be perfect or as close as a pocket pistol can get to being perfect.

last but not least the body guard was 385 and the kahr was 525 but i can't honestly say the kahr is worth the extra 150 bucks over the SW. i purchased the kahr before the BG ever hit store shelves but i think if the BG had been available when i bought the kahr i might have went with the BG due to the fact it was 150 bucks cheaper.

**MartinBrody** · January 18th, 2011, 10:37 PM

Thanks for the write up. I love pocket guns and moved from a Tomcat to a Kahr P380 because the Kahr is smaller and has a more potent round, but is still very manageable. When the S&W hit the market I was very interested because it has a manually safety, which i prefer.

I have noticed the same thing with the Kahr where you have to re grip it after every shot. I also found it to be incredibly accurate. The mag release is fine for me, and IIRC my mags drop free, I could be wrong though. And even though I prefer a manual saftey for a pocket carry gun it is a non issue with the Kahr, the trigger is long and smooth and I feel comfortable carrying it in a pocket holster. My biggest criticism of the Kahr is the polymer frame just doesn't seem like it will hold up over time. Although i must say it actually looks better now having 500 or so rounds through it b/c the little pieces of plastic that were stripping off around the metal inserts have worn away. Who knows, it will probably outlast me.

I paid $600 for my Kahr a year ago, it is exactly what I wanted and it was worth it for me, so I am glad they make it, but that price tag is surely going to push some people toward sone of the lowest pricee 380 carry guns out there.

**noslolo** · January 19th, 2011, 01:17 AM

Nice review! I don't think you could go wrong with either one.

**Nerfsrule2** · January 19th, 2011, 01:25 AM

Originally Posted by noslolo

Nice review! I don't think you could go wrong with either one.

My thoughts exactly...thanks.. A few of my shooting friends are trying to choose between the same 2 pistols.. I will make sure they see your review...I have aPM 9 and i see they are now making them with a built in laser.. Does the 380 have this option Yet??