The Smith & Wesson Bodyguard is a family of small revolvers with shrouded hammers manufactured by Smith & Wesson. They are available chambered in either .38 Special or .357 Magnum.

Models

Model 38 The Model 38 is aluminum-framed, has a carbon steel barrel, a carbon steel cylinder with a five-round capacity, and is chambered in .38 Special.

Model 49 The Model 49 is an all-carbon-steel-framed revolver chambered in .38 Special.

Model 638 The Model 638 is aluminum-framed with stainless steel cylinder and barrel. Chambered in .38 Special.

Model 649 The Model 649 is an all stainless-steel framed revolver. Chambered in .357 Magnum or .38 Special.

M&P Bodyguard 38 The M&P Bodyguard 38, introduced in 2014, is the latest incarnation of a Smith & Wesson revolver using the Bodyguard name.

It is a polymer framed revolver chambered in .38 Special, and available with a Crimson Trace (previously Insight) red-dot laser sight integrated in to the grip. Like previous Bodyguard models, it has a five-round cylinder and a concealed hammer but unlike the previous models, the hammer cannot be cocked for single action fire.

The lockwork is different than any other Smith & Wesson revolver and the model has no parts interchangeable with the J-frame series.

In 2018, S&W announced a new version of the Bodyguard which lacks the integrated laser sight. It is most closely related to the Centennial models.

Users

Massachusetts State Police Plainclothes officers Clyde A. Tolson, special assistant to FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover, owned a Model 38 Airweight, serial number 512236, with his name engraved on the side.

Former users Kingdom of Laos During the Laotian Civil War Royal Lao Army (RLA) Royal Lao Police (PRL)

During the Rhodesian Bush WarLocke & Cooke, Fighting Vehicles and Weapons of Rhodesia 1965-80 (1995), p. 3. Civilians Air Rhodesia aircrews

During the Vietnam WarTarrius, La Police de Campagne du Sud-Vietnam 1967–1975 (2005), p. 42. Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) Republic of Vietnam National Police (CSQG)

During the Portuguese Colonial WarTelo and Álvares, Armamento do Exército Português Vol. I – Armamento ligeiro (2004), p. 82. Civilians Government officials

Criminal activities Nguyễn Ngọc Loan, South Vietnam's chief of National Police, was photographed using a Model 49 Bodyguard to execute a Viet Cong prisoner, Nguyễn Văn Lém, during the Tet Offensive of 1968.

Bernhard Goetz used a Model 38 Bodyguard in the controversial 1984 New York City Subway shooting.

See also Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380 Smith & Wesson Centennial Smith & Wesson Model 36

References

Bibliography

António José Telo and Mário Álvares, Armamento do Exército Português Vol. I – Armamento ligeiro, Prefácio, Lisbon 2004. (in Portuguese) Valéry Tarrius, La Police de Campagne du Sud-Vietnam 1967–1975, in Armes Militaria Magazine No. 236, March 2005, Histoire & Collections, Paris, pp. 37–43. (in French) Peter Gerard Locke & Peter David Farquharson Cooke, Fighting Vehicles and Weapons of Rhodesia 1965-80, P&P Publishing, Wellington (New Zealand) 1995.

External links User Manual