XS Express Sight Set for the Bodyguard 380

Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380 XS front port sideSomething was missing.  Hmmmm.  What could it be?  Where’s my tritium front sight?  The Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380 came with many nice features.  A pleasing hydrogen isotope glow in the foreground was not one of them.  Not that I am prejudiced against serrated front ramps, but I need the green.

There is presently only one option for low- and no-light front sights for the S&W Bodyguard 380, XS Sight System’s Tritium Express Set.  They come in Big Dot and a smaller Standard Dot.  I chose the latter.  The biggun just comes off as disproportionate on this weapon.

I had once installed a set of XS Big Dot Express Sights on my Glock 27.  Hated ’em.  I did not like the huge dot and very shallow “V” rear sight.  In my hands, they were not as precise as any of the three-dots with which I was familiar. This was borne out by my sh#*tty range scores with the Big Dot.  Whap!  Back on with the TruGlo’s.  Ahhhh, better.

For the Smith & Wesson 380, I thought the Standard Dot would pair well with the traditional rear sight and not the XS one.  Eliminating the shallow XS rear sight would solve my own accuracy issues.  I like the Standard Dot front sight on my M&P 340 revolver.  Old eyesight sucks, but the tritium vial and round white outline make this sight a standout.

Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380 stock ramp sightSmith & Wesson Bodyguard 380 XS front closeXS Sight darknessXS Express Sight Bodyguard 380The XS sights are slightly taller than the existing ones on the Bodyguard.  Mounting an XS Standard Dot on top of the slide in conjunction with the stock Smith rear sight might have caused a point of impact conflict.  After some measuring I deduced the difference would be negligible.  Besides, I could always put on the XS rear if it wasn’t.

The BG rear sight is nicely shaped and is serrated on the back for good visibility.  The rear sight channel matched the diameter of the XS front dot.  As a bonus, the S&W sight looks great compared to the blocky XS one.  And the XS rear has a painted white line, not a trit vial in this version.

XS Express rear sight Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380 rear serratedAdmission:  I did not want to mar the finish on my slide with a vise, hammer, and punch in the garage.  I have a gunsmith guy and I used him.  Don’t judge me.  For the paltry price and ten-minute wait, it was well worth it.  I walked out of the LGS happy.  The XS kit contained a plastic punch that went unused.

Having taken only the slide to the gunsmith, my next stop was to head home, reassemble the Bodyguard 380, and check the sight picture against the integral laser.  I had set the red light to co-witness the iron sights precisely at 15 yards.  Thankfully, all still lined up when the parts were mated.  A trip to the range confirmed that the sights worked accurately.

Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380 XS sight pictureTo me, a laser is a bonus and not a necessity, however, a tritium front sight is a must-have in a defensive handgun.  Visible sight acquisition in all lighting situations can help you…solve the problem.  XS’s Standard Dot is functional and looks proper on the Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380.

Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380 XS SightI now feel my Bodyguard Experience is complete.  I’ve only popped for a spare mag, a couple of holsters, and the XS Express set, which has an MSRP of $90.00.  This sight upgrade was required and makes me grin every time I see the tritium.

Randall

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