After arguing with myself for a few weeks about whether I needed a Bodyguard my dealer won. I am an old school shooter, 77 years old, bought my first pistol when I was 14. Shot on an Air Force Base pistol team, served as a military and LEO instructor and still teach local CCW classes. Took it down to my pasture range and shot 12 rounds at 25 yards....if it won't hit a man sized target at 25 yards you don't need it. Eleven hits on an IPSC size steel target, the first few were high and I threw on over the top. a few head hits and one barely clipped the top of the right shoulder area. A few in the chest and the rest in the boiler room. I quit because it was getting dark and my eyes are not what they used to be and damn, those sights are little bitty. I will do some closer speed work but so far I am happy with this little lady. Zero function issues. Happy camper so far.

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Keep Shootin' and check 6

Good shooting, especially @ distance w/that weapon. I had a BG a few years ago that developed the light strike problems that plagued earlier models. I’d make sure yours is not similarly affected before carrying it.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

There’s nothing wrong with that. I like my Bodyguard. It’s perfect for a cargo shorts pant pocket in the summer. I changed out the sights for a set of Williams fiber optic. I think they are a big improvement. You can find them at Brownell’s.

You're doing great with the .380. I love mine, great summer carry gun. I fine mine to be very reliable especially with Lawman ammo.

I like my Bodyguard. I just ran a box of Winchester white box through it this afternoon. I also started with torso size targets at 25 yards then did close work. Not long ago I added a Hogue handall sleeve to it and it's much more pleasant to shoot.

I carry an M&P bodyguard more than any other gun. Shoot it really well too. And it’s reliable, and eats any ammo I’ve put in it.

i'll second the Hogue Handall....makes worlds of difference. it's a bearcat to install, but worth the effort.

I've had mine since 2015 been my edc never had to use second shot capability 'been very reliable.once you learn to adapt to the trigger you'll love it.the only thing I replaced was the plastic mag release with a steel one..

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I’m brand new here, but far from brand new to firearms. And, while my Bodyguard isn’t my preferred pistol for general carry duty, it has proven to be the one that gets carried when others simply can’t. It doesn’t shoot as softly as my old Glock 42, but I prefer the heavier trigger on a pocket pistol, the gun feels better in my hand, and it’s a Smith & Wesson. Haven’t had any reliability issues out of mine.

The newest ones built in the last 3 years or so do have a metal magazine release. I checked mine with a magnet.

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S&W BG380, S&W 915 9mm

Thats good to know Mike.

I really like mine. Right on about the sights! I painted my M&P 380 front sight with Testor’s bright yellow paint (see pic) and added Talon black rubber pistol grips (see pic), the best $20 I could have spent.
My carry round is Precision One 90gr hp/xtp ammo.
I carry AIWB in a Vedder kydex holster.
Runs 100% with no issues.

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Midwest Gun Works has the steel mag release for about $4.50. i just changed one out. they are a good source for the Body Guard parts. and many other firearms parts.

I have a rare one without the thumb safety . S&W discontinued this model is what i've heard? someone here must know?

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S&W BG380, S&W 915 9mm

Truth be told, I’m not sure why they even put the manual thumb safety on these pistols to begin with. Its low profile and stiffness would make it impractical to use under stress conditions, and the mile long, heavy trigger pull render it unnecessary in my opinion. I always assumed they were an optional accessory, and didn’t realize that they were discontinued. My particular Bodyguard has the safety, but it is never used.

I am on my second light-strike Bodygaurd.
Wish Smith would correct this problem.

That presents a small quandary for me. I bought my BG in 2016. Been carrying it and shooting it ever since, with the plastic mag release, and I've never had a problem. POSSIBLY because it's my practice on that particular gun to push in the mag release every time I seat a new mag. Been doing that since I first heard of the failures.

So the quandary - do I fix it if it ain't broke? But that could also be expressed do I fix it BEFORE it breaks. The cost is negligible, but I watched the Galloway video and I'd be leery of changing it out myself, even though it only took the Galloway guy like 8 minutes. I carry my BG frequently, and I'd hate to have that part fail when I needed it the most.

I have read a number of comments on this forum about the first Bodyguard having light strike issues, (thanks Old cop for your helpful comments on this subject) but not to many comments on the new M&P Bodyguards.
The question must be asked if on the first failure to fire does everyone try a second trigger pull? If the gun goes bang on the second attempt, is there successive failures to fire with the same ammo? Not all ammo (primers) are created equal. Some primers are harder than others. There are a number of reasons for what people call “light strikes” besides a hard primer. A broken firing pin, broken FP spring, gummed up firing pin hole due to carbon buildup etc..
I had a single failure to fire with my practice ammo, but it went bang with the second trigger pull. No concerns with my carry ammo.

On the subject of the mag release. If S&W thought it a good idea to replace the plastic one with a metal one, I would replace it. You never know when the plastic one will fail. It would be worth the expense of a gun smith to put in the new part for piece of mind. Not everyone feels comfortable or skilled enough to work on their guns. JMO
My local gun store has a gun smith on site and cost are very reasonable.

Happy camper this evening. Thanks for all the comments on my original post. I did take the comments by cmj8591 above to heart and ordered some Williams fiber optic sights, also a couple of extra mags. No issue with the mag eject button, it is steel. I am being pretty stingy with my .380 ammo until I can take another trip down the mountain to pick up some more; also need to get some serious situation hollow points. At any rate, shot some faster trigger work, probably about the old NRA Rapid fire speed. Eleven rounds, five at 15 yards and six at 10 yards, HAPPY with the results. I am liking the trigger, almost like a DA revolver pull. Also popped a couple shots at steel, one each quick shot at 8 a12 inch plates.....both at 10 yards and good center hits. One shot at 25 at my steel IPSC target.....good center head hit but was high, as I was going for center chest. We will work on that. As I said, Happy Camper, and thanks again for all the earlier comments.

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Keep Shootin' and check 6

I like the S&W Bodyguard. Congratulations on
your target practice.

I know this fella with a S&W Bodyguard .380 that has first
cartridge fail to fire problem. He asked me to to clean,
look it over, and try to fire it.

Well first cartridge doesn’t fire, pull the trigger again
and it fires. The rest of the cartridges in the
magazine fire. And not always the first cartridge.

What is the fix for these fail to fires?

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SD social distanc'n since 1889

While I have actually fired less than a complete box of ammo I have had no light strikes. Everyone so far has fired the first time I pressed the trigger. I think I would just try a second strike....which is one thing I like about this action, if it didn't work and happened more than once I would reconsider my interest in carrying it. I do like the trigger, it is like a DA revolver pull and let off....and I have fired a bunch of those. I would like to see S&W bring out an M&P Compact with this double strike trigger system.

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Keep Shootin' and check 6

I was in the exact same position as you. Bought mine around 2015. Had the plastic mag release. Never had a problem with it ever. But I always pressed it in when inserting a mag from day one. When I had seen aftermarket aluminum ones I thought I’m gonna change it. Then I read a few bad reviews and thought the aluminum would be just as soft as the plastic. So I kept it as is. Then S&W came out with their own steel version. So I finally decided to pick one up. It was cheap. Around 5 bucks along with a new mag release spring. Figured since I was in there anyways I might as well change the 6 year old spring. It was super easy and now I have a little bit more piece of mind.

I’ve too have had a handful of failure to fire with practice ammo but all went bang on second pull, & no issue with carry ammo.

A little insurance that your pistol will work when needed. I also replaced my recoil springs and magazine springs with new ones at 1,000 rounds. These little guns have what I call "Bic pen springs" that dont inspire confidence so I change them out regularly. Have over 3,000 rounds through my 2 Bodyguards. never any failures.

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S&W BG380, S&W 915 9mm

I owned one for a few years. After trying several brands and loads of ammo with light strike issues, I found the little gun likes Hornady American Gunner. No more issues.

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John

I’m sorry to hear that. I really liked this pistol but lost confidence in it for EDC. I p/u an older LCP several years ago, over 400 rounds of FMJ & HP, and it’s never malfunctioned.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

I’m a slow learner. I stopped at three. It’s an ideal little pocket gun design for what I need. I wish I’d had the good luck with it that others have had, but enough is enough. Three strikes and you’re out - forever. I have never seen anything like that from Smith & Wesson.

I've got the steel release and extra spring coming from Midwest Gun Works. Post office says it's supposed to be here today, but they also just show it "in transit". Anyway, I called a gunsmith who was a high school class mate 50 years ago, and he said he'd install it for me.

I am looking at getting one of these - has anyone installed a TruGlo or similar night sight on these? Wondering how the process went and how well it worked for you.

Thanks in advance!
Mike

I ordered a set of Williams fiber optics from Brownells. They are not true night sights but they are a great improvement over the factory sights. They are orange and green for contrast and highly visible even in poor light. I had my Smithy install them for me and he did it while I stood and waited. He did say that there is a very small spring under the rear sight and itis easy to lose if you aren't aware it is there. That is why I take things to the pros.

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Keep Shootin' and check 6

I got the XS Big Dots. Perfect for a small pocket gun like this.

The plain black sights are pretty dreadful so I bought the laser equipped model.

346 highlight the front site with white nail polish then cover with nail hardener.

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