Hello, I am a newbie to this forum and I've had some issues with my Bodyguard .380

I have owned guns for many years, but I have never been an avid shooter. I've been getting more into it lately. I have the SD9VE and I can shoot it great. When I shoot my little Bodyguard I get occasional fail to feeds: the round starts to load, but the cylinder won't close all the way. I'm willing to entertain the possibility that I am "limp wristing". I think that is a bit of a misnomer. I'm 6'0, just over 200lbs with an athletic build. I know my wrists are strong enough. I assume there is something wrong with my grip or technique. I went from an unconventional grip to a 2 thumbs forward grip, but still have an occasional jam.

I love the concealability of the bodyguard, because I am a jeans and T-shirt kind of guy. I can easily conceal it in a pocket holster no matter what I wear

I just ordered some Garrison grips so I can get my pinky on the bottom of the trip. I'm hoping that helps

Could some of the more experienced shooters give me some tips on taming a sub-compact pistol?

Have you tried different brands of ammo? Some types or brands might not feed well and that could be causing your problems, especially with fail to feed.

Do you clean it? If it won't quite go all the way into battery, that can indicate a problem with the extractor. I've never had any problems with my BG380.


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As was posted above, make sure it's cleaned and try different brands of ammo. Some guns don't like flat nose(truncated)ammo if that's by chance what you were using.I've not had any failures with mine using winchester white 95gr fmj; winchester white 95gr jhp; magtech 95gr fmj; ppu 94gr fmj; remmington 95gr fmj.

I clean it well after every trip to the range...and it seems to be with any ammo

Call the factory and ask for a shipping lable to send it in for repairs.

These are mass produced inexpensively so are not finely tuned guns.

Best let Smith figure this out on their dime

This isn't the first complaint like this they've had.

They will know what's wrong and how to fix it.

Yeah, I think I need to do that. I just hate that it takes so long to get back. My SD9VE is just too big to carry in the waistband. I have a buddy selling a used SCCY. Maybe I'll pick that up in the meantime.

Polishing the feed ramp [just polish, don't remove material], and using a very fine stone with a little oil to polish the rails [they should be smooth as glass]....and using a good grade of synthetic grease on the rails. Everyone has their favorite. I like TW25b. very fine little .380 and mine is with me every day as a backup or main pistol, in a pocket or outside waistband Wright holster.

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Little .380's are notorious for frequently being finicky. It's kind of hit and miss whether you get one that will run or not. The bodyguard is no exception.

I have a SCCY CPX2. Save your money and buy a slingshot.


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Avoid the SCCY. Probably the only pistol WORSE than the bodyguard. I have had 3 come through the range with new shooters. Long horrible triggers. Poor build quality.

Try the Glock 42. In 380 mouse guns its about as good as it gets. Good luck! Regards 18DAI

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7 +1 Rounds of hope & change

My last option is to trade it in on a 9MM shield

Both my Bride and I each had a BG 380 acp. She still has hers but I sold mine. I put 1275 rounds thru mine in about 2 years. I had between 80 and 100 failure to fires. The BG is extremely ammo brand dependent. I remember one that I was at the range and I literally pulled the trigger 5x before the gun went bang. I initially fell in love with the gun due to it's very small size and so easy to conceal. As I said, I sold mine. I made full disclosure to the new owner as to why I was selling it. There is no way that I would trust my life to that gun. It should have been recalled and fixed. I should be able to any brand of ammo into any gun and it should go bang every time. If it doesn't, there are serious design and engineering flaws with the gun. I personally think that S&W is being unethical by knowingly selling a gun that is so poorly designed. They are literally putting peoples lives at risk. PPU brand ammo from cheaperthandirt.com is the only brand of ammo that I found to work consistently in the BG with minimal misfires. To contrast that, I have 2650 rounds thru my Ruger SR9C with zero failures of any kind - not a single malfunction! It will fire anything that I put into it. We have 900 rounds thru my Brides Glock G43 (we bought it to replace her BG) with no malfunctions of any kinds. It will fire anything that we put into it. When I sold my BG, I bought a Kahr CM9 to replace it. I bought the CM9 over the S&W Shield in 9mm because I love the concealability of the CM9. I really love the Shield in 9mm. I hope to own one one day. I personally would put the Shield in 9mm up against any other gun on the planet in for concealed carry. But, I chose to buy the CM9 because of it's small size. It is easier to conceal than a Shield. I have 950 rounds thru my CM9. I had 2 failure to ejects early on during the break in period. Every round that I put into the CM9 goes bang. Personally, if I were you, I would get rid of your BG. It is an unsafe and an untrustworthy gun. I personally think that it is a junk design. If you are set on a 380, I would recommend the Ruger LCP2, the Kahr CW380 or the Beretta Pico. The LCP2 is probably the best 380 on the market right now. They fixed the bad trigger and the slide stays open on the last round fired now.

That's funny. My BG380 runs perfectly but we just got a new SR9 that won't eject about half the time.


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No issue at all with my Bodyguard 380. No misfires whether I shoot it or my wife shoots it.

First, I polish all my feed ramps and for carry only use fed hydra shock ammo. I've not had any issues but this is not my range gun either, only shoot it to stay sharp. Mine has handled reloads also with no problems.

1,000 rounds and counting no problems here. Could be a recoil or magazine spring problem? the springs are pretty weak to begin with. s&w customer service can fix it for you

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S&W BG380, S&W 915 9mm

Hundreds of rounds through my BG, multiple types of ammo, with zero failures, once I installed the new mag springs S&W sent me. I love it.

glad that helped..thinking of calling and getting some new mag springs from CS

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S&W BG380, S&W 915 9mm

I have two BG380 guns.

One eats everything without issue.

The other is the same, except it didn't like GECO (German-made) ball ammo.
Took a second strike to fire the GECO.

I carry Hornady Critical Defense ammo in it.
The Hornady has been 100% in both guns.

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WWSSD?
What would Skeeter do?

No problems what so ever love it

... since I shoot at a home range I have had the chance to put hundreds of rounds down range with my Bodyguard 380 and I have never had a problem as long as I use the factory magazines. I do have a 10 round mag that my wife picked out for me to use on the range at home and it's a disaster! I have to re-cock the gun for every round, but like I said with the factory mags, never had an FTF or FTE.
I just love this little gun. Funny I've never owned anything smaller than a 9mm before but, this is just the perfect concealed carry gun for me. As they say, YMMV.

Safe shooting to ya-

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Tertia Optio