S&W BG 38 .38 Spl. +P
Let’s begin with the BG 38, the model designation for the new five-shot .38 Spl. +P. Visually, there is a great deal of similarity between the J-frames and the new BG 38, particularly in overall dimensions and general profile. Using that particular shape is a concession to both tradition and holster makers, who don’t have to develop new designs. The BG 38 has a cylinder that swings out to the left. It is a double-action-only that behaves like the current line of Centennial revolvers, but that’s about where the resemblance ends. The BG 38 has no mechanical resemblance to the J-frame revolver, and no parts interchange. On the new gun, the action is completely different, arranged to be easily fabricated and easier yet to assemble. Cycling the action a few times, I was startled to see that the cylinder turned clockwise, which flies in the face of millions of existing Smiths. But frankly, what difference does it really make?
The BG 38 does not have a hand that reaches through the breech face and engages notches on the extractor to turn the cylinder. On this gun, the cylinder turns by virtue of a star-shaped rod that engages matching recesses in the extractor. On the BG 38, the frame and barrel shroud are cast in one single unit (called the upper frame) from aluminum alloy, which is threaded to accept a stainless steel barrel. In the assembly process, the barrel gets screwed in place against a fixture that establishes a proper barrel cylinder gap, and then the adjustment is locked in place by installing the front sight, which extends down and into a notch in the barrel. This prevents the barrel from becoming unscrewed. The cylinder uses a new form of extractor and differently shaped flutes, but it is made from stainless steel with PVD coating.
The frame and barrel shroud may be a single unit, but unlike conventional J-frames, the entire back portion of the revolver—essentially everything aft of the cylinder—is another unit. It is called the lower frame, and it’s made of reinforced polymer. The upper frame contains the lockwork, and the lower slides onto it and is secured to it by five screws. The trigger guard is a separate unit, and there is no sideplate. All of these seemingly radical differences from traditional J-frames simplify and speed up manufacturing.
One other difference that is going to be much more controversial is the cylinder latch. Instead of a push-forward thumb piece on the left side of the frame, the BG 38’s latch is a polymer bridge on top of the frame. It is accessible from either side of the gun, and it is nestled behind the laser unit, mounted high on the right side of the frame where the top edge of the sideplate is found on most S&W revolvers.
S&W BG 380 .380 ACP
For many years, the typical .380 ACP pistol was made of steel and worked on a plain blowback system. Shooters were willing to accept the limitations on this kind of gun, which was somewhat simpler and easier to manufacture than larger and more powerful pistols. But today’s concealed-carry handgunner demands, and usually gets, a smaller and lighter gun that is easy to carry and conceal. The .380 ACP cartridge fits in these smaller platforms very well, and S&W has been a little late in offering such a handgun.
With the introduction of the BG 380, it is evident that the delay was involved with engineering a feature into the pistol that no other gun has. The new S&W has a laser integrated into the construction of the gun, not added. The gun itself is light and compact, built around a tilting-barrel form of recoil operation.
The BG 380 is a full-featured pistol with a manual safety to back up the inherently safe double-action-only trigger system. Unlike some of the competing models, the new S&W also has a slide lock that holds the slide to the rear when the last shot is fired. On the left side of the gun, the catch that does this is manually operable. There’s also a rotating take-down lever. Also, the BG 380 uses a conventional magazine catch just to the rear of the trigger guard on the left side. These are all features commonly associated with larger pistols. Even the sights, both front and rear, are full-size, easily seen and dovetailed into the slide top for drift adjustment.
