Just had a new "glow" front sight put on my B'guard and took it to range. It is shooting five inches low; then five inches high; the four inches left. I'd be better off with a shotgun.
I know it can't be that tiny orange globe out front but could it be the box of Blazer 95 gr.fmj's? Have never shot them before, know nothing about them, but I recall they were cheap!!
Otherwise I'm at a loss. Am no great marksman but at 20-feet even I should be better than this.
Am off to the ammo store to buy something OTHER than Blazer.
Ideas and comments welcome.

Have someone else shoot your gun. Preferably a RSO or instructor if one is available.

You didn't give much background.
How long have you had your BG?
Did it shoot well before the new front sight?
What other ammo have you shot in it?
Is the BG your first pistol? If not, what are you transitioning from?

There are a lot of potential factors, other than ammo... Including the BG's revolver style DAO trigger. (if you're not used to it)

I'm guessing your BG is the .380 and if I'm right I don't know what to tell you aside from having someone else shoot it. My no-laser BG is spot on out to twenty-one feet and boringly reliable.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

Are you guys implying I don't know how to shoot! Ha Ha Ha!
I've had this little sweetheart since the non-lazers became available. Don't like lazers as I find them dangerous. Just took one OFF an LC9. I guess BLazer ammo is okay we all know it is not the new little glow ball at the muzzle so that leaves us just the operator. I've been shooting since I was about 8.....more than 65 years. I USED to know how to shoot. Looks like I just have to burn up some more of that $22 a box stuff. I am shooting about 15-20' away and I KNOW if I ever have to use this thing it I will not have a lot of time to look for an ideal sight picture . I just put the l glow ball out front so I'd have something to instantly reference when I POINT and shoot.
I conclude that somehow I am holding this little gun wrong. It was not this erratic when I first used it so I guess it's gotta be me. I'd love to have a pistol clamp/cradle to lock it down.
Thanks fellas. Oh....I think this is a terrific little pistol-compare ALL the features with a bunch prettier high society type pocket guns and see what you think.

Practice dry firing A LOT and or have someone else shoot it.

I practice dry fire a lot, it works wonders.

Doesn't matter. . Its for close work anyways.... in a room. On a bus or train. At the gas pump... hallway. . Driveway.. if you hitting paper you will be hitting body when the time comes. ..

What ammo have you been using previous to the Blazer? Seems to me common sense would dictate that you try what you were using before and see how it shoots . . . then go from there?

And . . what else have you changed? Other than the sight and ammo. Same distance you usually shoot at? Different bullet weights? Is the height of the new front sight the same as that which it replaced? Lots of variables . . .

I thought of ammo first thing but all I had at the time was the Blazer stuff. I now have some other ammo including some I have never heard of......PFV or PGY or something like that. I have a hunch it is cheap stuff.
And I AM going to have somebody else shoot it because it very well could be that I am doing something wrong. I can shoot a bunch of other stuff well ( had my LC9 there and it was as usual dead on)
If I discover anything interesting I will pass it on. And yes, I know I won't be doing any 100 yard shots with that little pistola but it is PERFECT for my pocket and ideal at ten feet.
Thanks fellas.

I generally shoot okay but have had similar experiences with a new small revolver or two... over time, I get the pattern in tighter...

I suspect it might be getting used to using the front dot, which is presumably a bit larger than the old sight post. But I wouldn't discount the ammo as a problem either. As recommended, getting someone else to shoot it might prove to be a shortcut to figuring it out. Barring that, I would go back to some proven, milder ammo and see if you can shoot it out a bit and bring the pattern in by getting used to it...

Good luck. It will work.

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S&W Rover

It for sure matters to me if I happen to be in that room or train or bus when you start shooting. Little guns are surprisingly accurate at least inherently. My Sig 938 will literally put bullets in the same hole at 20 feet if I do my part. The tiny Keltecs pat3's and Ruger lcp's are the same. The last Glock match I shot several years ago I switched from a full size G21 45 acp. To the G30 compact and shot back to back perfect scores. Smaller pistols are harder to grip and any sighting error is magnified due to the short sight radius but if the shooter does their part the guns will preform. Good luck.

You are a little older than I am. I imagine your problem is the DAO. I detest DAO with the exception of the Glocks, which are for all effects and purposes single action for the shooter. I can shoot my tiny Bodyguard pretty good. . .6 inches at 30 feet; but, I can shoot the Ruger LCP much better. We are both too old to appreciate DAO. The only thing that double action is good for is a confrontational combative situation. I realized that several years ago. Sooooo, I forced myself to learn how to shoot DA; but, my primary carry gun is a Glock.

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Dr. B

I have finally paper trained my BG380. It doesn't go all over the paper any more. I get consistent groups of about 3-4 inches at 7 yrds. For me that is good! My RO can shoot it much better, but I am happy with what it does for me. I only use the iron sights. The laser has been de-activated.

mb

It might just be the sight....I bought a revolver with a round hi-viz front sight and have had trouble hitting with it. Its fast to pick up with my "older" eyes but gives up a lot in pin-point accuracy.
I had to work long and hard to be able to hit soft drink cans at 15 feet.
with it, and I'm a decent shot.
Just keep working with it for a while, it took me a while to figure the proper sight picture to hold with that bright round ball sight. And I had to adjust the rear sight a couple times to get the groups close to where I was aiming. I find them easy to see but difficult to aim and hit with.
Gary

Mine groups within 10 inches at 25 feet and I am not a well practiced marksman. Ammo certainly can play a factor though. But as other's have mentioned, pocket carry is meant for close defense, not Red Dawn type scenarios.

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Smith all the things

Both my laser & non-laser BG380s group pretty well with aluminum case Blazer 95gr. A tad low/left (not so much with continued practice) but group 6" or less at 12-15 ft.

I wish somebody would put a bunch of these pocket guns in a Ransom Rest and do a shoot off to settle this "accuracy" discussion. These little rascals were never intended to be accurate, only reliable. Smart marketing guys know that these guns will mostly get shot at the range, and evaluated for accuracy, hence the quest for better sights. Ruger has "upgraded" the LCP with more prominent sights integrally forged into the slide, still thankfully rounded off enough to slide out of a pocket holster. I read an article years ago about how the Mossad taught combat shooting with pistols. They ground the sights off and taught instinctive pointing. Makes sense. I would argue for better triggers with less backlash and better fitting for your hand size and finger length.

Bad Breath Gun, you only use it when you can tell they have bad breath...

At what distance are you shooting. These are more of a "Belly gun", then a target gun. That's why they call it the BODYGUARD. Buy a Model 41 if you want accuracy.

As an afterthought my German Shepherd goes all over the paper, but not as bad as your Bodyguard.

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Don Mundell

Hickok45 on youtube. He can hit anything he wants with the bodyguard in his video. The gun is fine.

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Smith all the things

LCP's have sights??, never noticed them on mine

I have trouble with the small 380s and the bodyguard is not different. In my case the problems the trigger its small and my hands are pretty big.

I have trouble pulling the long trigger straight back. So I tried pushing the second pad like I do with revolvers. That worked for me.

I now believe the problem is operator error. I need to work with it a bit more. But I AM putting most of them in 10" which is all I need at 15-20 feet. But I have been trying to shoot more.
Which brings me to this: cleaned pistol yesterday and when I reassembled it the small pin just ahead of the take down pin seems to protrude more than I remembered it doing. Frankly I do not know what the pin does, but when I see things like that I tend to get nervous.
I still like this little pistol and intend to keep it. I have some other carry guns but this one disappears in a pocket or IWB. I have pushed several hundred rounds though it and currently carry it with Hornady Critical Defense 90gr.
Blew though two boxes of ammo made in S.Korea yesterday. I think they are selling us back all the brass we dumped all over Korea in '51 and '52. Ha Ha Ha!

LOL!!!

Generally, the pins should be flush with the frame or the slightest bit recessed on both sides. I would tap it back in and monitor it.

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MSP - Retired

LOL good joke.

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Smith all the things

That pin (and the trigger pivot pin under the takedown lever) secure the front housing into the frame. It's pretty normal for this pin to "walk" at times. Just tap it back in flush, it would have to fall completely out to cause any problems (if even then) and I think you'd notice it before then.

Recently purchased and trying to get a feel for it! View it as a short distance defense weapon!, I thought someone stated that the type of ammo might affect accuracy. Please explain how that is a factore in accuracy .

Many many reasons. Impossible to get into the science of ballistics in one post. Read up on it, watch you tube videos on it. Nothing wrong with firing cheap stuff at the range, but dont expect it to perform like defense rounds.

Think of it like golf balls, why do some travel longer than others? Why do some feel better?

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Smith all the things

Practice trigger control. I don't use the tip of my finger for the 380 I actually use the strong of my index finger and I shoot more accurately.

Shooting groups in different places is usually because of changing the grip. Of course, if you are only shooting 10" groups at 20 feet, then it is hard to tell. If your sight is a lot bigger and it is hard to get a really sharp sight picture (front sight even with top of rear sight, with equal light on both sides), then that might be a contributing factor. Your age is probably a factor, since your eyesight and gripping strength diminish as time goes on. I'm not far behind you in age and I respectfully disagree about laser sights. I have them on all my defense handguns. I can shoot better groups at fairly close ranges with the red dot, as long as I use very good trigger control. 1-2" groups are common for me at 21 feet with a Crimson Trace.

Okay, here is my conclusion regarding lazers: when you turn that thing on and point it your possible target , they ALSO see the red dot coming at him and clearly knows just where you are.AND...in the time I take to find the red dot and get it on my target I have left myself wide open.
Otherwise I have no trouble with lazers on the range etc.
And I think you are right that age,eyesight and poor technique are causing me to wander all over the paper at 20 feet. Gotta keep on shooting.
Thanks for the comments.

I shoot Remington ball ammo in my .380 guns at the range. My carry ammo is either Speer 95 gr hollow points, or Federal HydraShok personal defense rounds. I do not like DAO pistols. The heavy trigger pull causes the pistol to move off of target.

FWIW I shot 50 rounds of Federal ball out of my M&P .380 yesterday @ 7 yards. Nothing outside of the eight ring, about a 3" group and no failures what so ever. Also shot my Model 38 Bodyguard w/similar results. Both of these are my EDC and routine practice is a must to maintain my skills.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

By the time they notice the dot, the trigger squeeze is complete. I got worse at night firing over the years. A lot has to do with my eyesight. Although I feel comfortable point shooting at 7 yds. or less, the dot gives me advantages at longer ranges. I feel like yeah, an adversary is going to see the red light coming out of my Crimson Trace, but if he is a threat to me, he has already identified me. If I am defending an innocent third party, then the focus is upon that intended victim. The movies that show the red dot to be a line to the gun are Hollywood hype. It is possible under certain conditions, but is the exception.

Shooting a pistol isn't easy. Most handgun owners today have no conception of what is required to shoot a handgun accurately. Back in the olden days, when revolvers ruled the earth, I spent a lot of time training myself to shoot double action. I think the time was well spent. A lot of folks and gun manufacturers try to "sell" the story that this feature, that feature, grip, trigger, ammo is the answer to good marksmanship. The fact is that getting good trigger control comes with training. IMHO, it starts out at greater distances, say 15-25 yds. where errors in trigger control really show. Once good trigger control is established, speed can be increased gradually without sacrificing accuracy.