The Hunchback of Smith & Wesson

Err... I mean the Model 38 Airweight Bodyguard

S&W Model 38

Howdy folks, and welcome back to another Tale of a Gun.

Before we get started, a quick note about last week’s post. As a sharp-eyed reader pointed out, the six shot .32 caliber I-frame I was describing is properly called the “.32 Hand Ejector.” The Terrier was a later five shot I-frame in .38 S&W, a shorter and less powerful precursor to .38 Special, essentially an intermediate step between the .32 Hand Ejector and the Chief’s Special. Mea culpa. I conflated the two.

Speaking of the departures from the six-shooter formula, however, it’s interesting to note just how much of the “innovation” in the revolver world in the last fifty years has revolved, (so to speak,) around monkeying with the traditional caliber/frame size combinations. The Terrier, Chief’s Special, and Charter Bulldog all represent someone shoe-horning five rounds of a larger caliber into the next frame size smaller. As you might imagine, this is excellent for portability, but at the expense of shootability. As another sharp-eyed reader,

Jesse James Fain

, pointed out: Airweight .38s (like most of the “shoe-horn” jobs,) are a handful.

There have been cases of “innovation” going the other direction, as well. S&W has the 686 Plus, a .357 Magnum seven shooter, built on the L-frame, a somewhat reinforced medium frame. A step farther is the S&W 627, with eight rounds on the big N-frame. The custom gunsmithing world has taken the “how many holes can we drill” exercise a step further. In this case, someone was able to squeeze ten rounds of .32 into the .44 sized cylinder.

Today’s gun, though, is definitely on the portability end of the spectrum. It’s a Smith & Wesson Model 38, originally known as the Airweight Bodyguard. Incidentally, this one was nearly as challenging to research as the gun that doesn’t exist, since probably half the guns Smith have ever made have been .38 caliber. Also, they have since re-used the “Bodyguard” moniker. If a person was trying to spoof a search engine, they couldn’t do a much better job.

So what is a Model 38? It’s a 5-shot, .38 Special J-frame, with a 1 7/8” barrel, much like the Model 36/Chief’s Special. Unlike that all steel gun this one’s frame is aluminum, hence “Airweight.” Also unlike the Chief’s (all except mine, anyway,) spurred hammer, this one is shrouded.

What’s a shrouded hammer? Aha, that brings us to the Bodyguard’s party trick. The frame shoulders up around the hammer, (which is admittedly odd-looking) but still leaves the smallest bit of the spur exposed, which runs in an open track. That means the hammer can’t snag. Not only if you’re drawing it out of a pocket, but even if you don’t. It can be fired from inside the pocket, and the protected hammer won’t foul on the lining, which can cause a conventional gun to misfire.

The Centennial frame, with its completely enclosed hammer, also permits this trick. The difference is the Centennial is strictly double action only, while the Bodyguard can still be cocked to fire single action.

Which is the better system? The Centennial does a better job at keeping pocket crud out of the works. The Bodyguard is probably more versatile. With the modern emphasis on learning to really run a double action trigger, though, the ability to fire single action has become less relevant. For many years, all three options, the traditional spur, the Bodyguard’s shrouded hammer, and the Centennial internal hammer were all produced side-by-side.

Today, the Centennial-framed 642 and 442 have become the de-facto standard for small defensive revolvers, but the Bodyguards have had less success. The Model 38, with its aluminum frame and blued carbon steel barrel and cylinder, was discontinued in 1999, about ten years after my example was made. The 638, with aluminum and stainless construction has soldiered on, but is a rarity. I think I’ve seen one for every twenty 442/642s.

Maybe if I sell a whole lot of books, *hint, hint* I can pick up one of the new Ultimate Carry Centennials, with their modern sights and improved lockwork, and tell you all about it.

Or, since innovation has brought things full circle, I might try the 432 in .32 H&R Magnum. Since law enforcement isn’t creating pressure to share ammo with their long-gone service revolvers, they’re exploring the greater shootability and capacity of the .32. What an exciting modern age we live in. It’s a six-shooter!