Got a new BG380 today, serial number EAF4XXX.

Instructions say to clear the gun, lock the slide back and rotate the takedown lever to 6 o'clock and pull it out.

Mine only rotates to about 4:30 or 5, and will not come out. Anyone have any ideas how to get it out?

Mine gets a little stiff at the 5 o'clock area. Just keep rotating it around....have to go past 6 o'clock for the pin to come out.

KEEP WORKING AT IT AND IT WILL COME OUT. mINE WAS THE SAME.

bOB

Thanks guys, apparently I have little girl thumbs.

I got a piece of plastic to help push on the lever and it went further than I could pushing with my thumb, it went and came right out.

Well I suppose it's good that it's a little too tight instead of a little loose. Guess this a symptom of S&Ws fix for the ejecting takedown levers.

That is exactly what I'm thinking. Tighten it up a bunch to keep it from flying out.

I looked at the frame where the lever swings down, it appears its been flared out some to keep the lever from freely going over it.

It'll probably loosen with use.

Ironically, when you spin the takedown lever 180 degrees it does not touch the flared area of the frame. I'm not sure if the 180 degree spin was the original designer's intention but it doesn't come out of mine until I want it to. I have an EAF1XXX model. If it works I don't want to fix it. It looks like I'll be sending mine back for a laser treatment. I began getting a defused laser beam. I still have a red dot but it comes with a halo around it. I suppose it could be considered a "shot from God" if I had to actually use it that way.

Re: the diffused beam, mine got a lot of residue on the lens that covers the laser from firing the gun.

My BG380 has the halo/diffused beam around the center laser dot. I've cleaned the laser's plastic outside with CLP, but the halo is still there. Is it possible for CLP to leak into the mechanism and thus I have to clean it from the inside? Is that even possible?

Thanks, guys!

I had the same problem, I couldn't access the diode housing. S&W told me to send it back no questions asked. It was replaced and is working fine. Call customer service. Mine may have been caused during cleaning. The manual says it's ok to coat the lense with oil prior to going to the range to prevent powder residue buildup. Armed with that information, I wasn't so concerned with cleaning around the lense. I don't put oil or solvent near the lense anymore. Apparently the seal failed at the lense.

With the BG380 it seems to be just one thing after another. I personally don't believe the pistol is ready for duty.

I bought mine 2 days ago. Serial number EAH. My takedown lever is also hard to rotate past 5 o'clock. I had a wooden clothes pin sitting nearby and used the end of it to push the takedown pin and it rotated around and came out OK. I'm good with it like that. I'd rather it be a little tight to remove than have it come out too easily.

It's definitely tough to push past 5/6 o'clock. I just give it a hard push round to 9 o'clock, and then it slides out pretty easily. Pushing it that far round does not hurt the gun in any way, shape or form.

S&W says they put a heavy duty spring in because so many owners said it was too loose. Got my BG380 yesterday and could not get past 5 o'clock until I used a small screwdriver plastic handle to put it to 6 o'clock. Better too tight than too loose.