I've seen posts about cylinders locking up out of battery on these revolvers.
What I have discovered is that upon closing the cylinder if the star on the cylinder doesn't fall into the grooves in the cylinder advance wheel or paw or what ever S&W calles this thing the cylinder will not advance into battery.
As a sd piece....this is a deal breaker...PERIOD!.. I have only had this revolver for a few weeks. I haven't had a real chance to shoot it due to the weather here in South central pa. Yesterday I had the opportunity to really take some time with it and I would load and close the cylinder like I do on my 637. This consists of upward pressure with my left thumb until "click".. I had 3 failure to fires in a 50 round session. There also were a few lite strikes 5 out of 50.I did another 50 round session but this time at the end of the upward push with my thumb I pushed the cylinder until it would engage into the rotator...with a "click"...I had two instances where the star was not captured by the rotator. This would have caused a misfire. There were also 7 lite strikes in this string.
There ARE other issues with this revolver...BUT this is the most serious I have found. A phone call to S&W is DEFINITELY in order,but I would like to get some I put by others before I contact them.

Sorry, but I can't follow what you're trying to say.
Are you saying the cylinder does not rotate when you pull the trigger?

I have no idea what you mean by engaging into the rotator, or what the cylinder advance wheel might be.

If the cylinder does not rotate correctly when you close it & pull the trigger, and you're getting light primer hit misfires, get it to a gunsmith.
Denis

Hi Dennis.on other S&W revolvers there is a paw that advances the cylinder. On the M&P .38 there is no paw in the frame that advances the cylinder...there is a round button type wheel resessed into the frame that has slots that correspond to splines on the cylinder.If the splines don't fall into the grooves...or land behind the grooves the cylinder won't advance into battery until the second pull of the trigger.

Ah, that helps.

Knowing which M&P .38 you're referring to makes a difference.
You've got the plastic M&P Bodyguard .38, right?

There have been millions of M&P .38s manufactured, dating back to 1898.

Can't help you beyond what I already said about getting it to S&W or a gunsmith locally.

For future discussions, the "paw" that causes cylinder rotation is called a hand.

One thing that does occur to me is when you close the cylinder & hear the click, rotate the cylinder slightly till it locks.
Have you been doing that?
Denis

Hey Dennis.... Yes on rotating the cylinder by hand until it clicks into place.I just can't get use to having to do that.... That and the lite primer strikes..and..the laser won't hold adjustment. Seems like the more I shoot it the more gremlins pop out of it. I'm just wondering how many others are experiencing what I am with this particular revolver model. I have a few J frames... older and newer
But this pistol..except for its physical size is completely different from any of my J's. Its a super accurate revolver but it just a little to quirky for a full time SD piece. I'm gona work with it for a few hundred more rounds and then see how it goes. Thanks for the input. Will keep you posted.

Check the mainspring screw.

__________________
Mike
S&WCA #3065

I'm still unclear on your lockup.

It sounds like you have two separate issues.
Light primer hit misfires, and cylinder rotation failures.

Does the cylinder rotate correctly when the trigger's pulled, IF YOU MANUALLY ROTATE IT SLIGHTLY TILL IT LOCKS WHEN YOU CLOSE THE CYLINDER?

My only experience with that gun was handling one at the SHOT Show when it was first introduced, so I'm guessing on that issue, if I've understood you correctly.

The older Smith actions don't require rotating the cylinder into rotational lockup after closing, but I always do it on any DA revolver I shoot, so I'm used to it.

If your M&P Bodyguard needs it to mate the ratchet teeth to whatever "wheel" rotates the cylinder, then that might be what you need to do.

I can't find a parts diagram or a photo anywhere of the "wheel" you refer to as replacing the normal hand, so I'm kinda handicapped there.

But- there is no strain screw on a coil mainspring.

I'd suggest, if you're still getting light primer misfires & the laser won't hold zero, you call S&W for a shipping label.

And definitely if rotating the cylinder manually to full lockup on closing doesn't fix the cylinder advance issue.

Frankly, I think this model is too Mickey Mouse (AKA cheaply built) to bother owning, and S&W has had problems with their laser applications.
Call them.
Denis

Weird design, but mine hasn't missed a beat.

__________________
Foster Positivity.

Can you explain what "wheel" or "rotator" he's talking about that replaces the hand?
Denis

Finally found a tutorial on how to get one apart.
What a Goldberg.
Denis

Hey Dennis. I've gotten 150 more rounds through my .38 bodyguard.. I have changed the way I close the cylinder after loading on this and the rest of my S&W .38's.. No more misfires when I consciously rotate the cylinder with my thumb until it clicks into position. I'm thinking you found pictures of this wheel and star I was trying to explain. I can't find an option to send pictures on this site. I took the gun apart and smoothed all the internals. No more light strikes. By the way... Very rough inside.lot of burrs. As for the lazer... I completely removed it from the frame. I deburred the backing plate and the contact areas around the lazer body and put it back with a new set of screws and have had no problems.. I feel more comfortable with the gun now ,but not comfortable enough to depend on it for a full time sd piece...not just yet anyway. I hate to give up on these little guns without working them over first.. Hard to send them back to the factory.. Well for me anyway. Well...thanks for the info. And advice...we'll see how this little gun shakes out.