The Survival Wire

I won’t ever advocated bringing a pea shooter to a gunfight. I strongly concur with the late Col. Cooper, the father of modern pistol-craft and one of my personal heroes. The good Col said, ” a handgun,upon which your very life may depend, must project a round with a caliber starting with the number 4.” This is the reason why I, personally, depend upon a .45 when I am counting on a handgun.

However, Col Cooper also said, “Remember the first rule of gunfighting… ‘have a gun.’”

With the advent of modern ammo from the likes of Hornady, Winchester and Remington, 38+P and .380 may serve you well in certain up close and personal encounters, particularly as carrying a smaller gun may encourage some of you good folks to actually carry it. Fortunately, Smith & Wesson, the renowned American firearm manufacturer, has come up with another advantage for good guys carrying small guns.

Most lethal, or potentially lethal encounters usually occur and intimate distances and in low light conditions. One doesn’t always have time to acquire a proper stance and site picture. Voila, the new Smith & Wesson Bodyguard Series has a brilliant red laser incorporated into the frame of the gun. Simply draw, activate and watch the dirtbag’s face crumble as the little red dot bouncing on his chest or face changes his attitude. The laser can even pulse. What are the punks going to think about that?

As I was part of the of the development team, from the laser side(a little laser concern), I have had the opportunity to fire these little guns several times. Very enjoyable during the testing, I have to say, for both the revolver as well as the semi-automatic.

When it comes to firearms, S&W has been around for 150 years, so I’d say you can count on their reliability. My conclusion is, if you need and want a back up piece or a piece for deep concealment, S&W’s new Bodyguard revolver in .38+P or .380 Automatic should be on your short list. I think they will both be available in the $500-$600 range, including the LASER! I think they are going to give Ruger and keltec a run for their money. And Crimson Trace may not be happy; but you will be.

See my discussion of these guns during this year’s SHOT Show here; Sorry about my voice, it was the last Day of SHOT show!

Full Disclosure: I own a few shares of stock in Smith & Wesson and Ruger, the 2 publicly traded gun companies.