After my range sessions today, I am mildly optimistic that they fixed the trigger reset problem...at least after almost 200 rounds today, it is still ok. I am less confident that they will effectively fix the take down lever backout issue. That problem seems more dicey. I think they are going to have to put on their investigator hat to fix that one. I really hope they test fire 2 or 3 (or 4) mags of ammo through my gun after they "fix it". If they don't, then most likely, I'll have to send it in again. I asked them in the return letter to do some test firing. In that way, they can apply their fix then test the results. Again, I am not as confident this time.
Bodyguard 380: Not Ready for Primetime
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After my range sessions today, I am mildly optimistic that they fixed the trigger reset problem...at least after almost 200 rounds today, it is still ok. I am less confident that they will effectively fix the take down lever backout issue. That problem seems more dicey. I think they are going to have to put on their investigator hat to fix that one. I really hope they test fire 2 or 3 (or 4) mags of ammo through my gun after they "fix it". If they don't, then most likely, I'll have to send it in again. I asked them in the return letter to do some test firing. In that way, they can apply their fix then test the results. Again, I am not as confident this time.
Not to be a wet blanket on this whole Bodyguard issue, but to me, this new Bodyguard is a pretty big gun for the caliber. I'd go with the Kahr PM9 any day compared to the Bodyguard. About the same size, but a much more powerful round. I've carried my PM9 for 4 years now, and it's been flawless in performance, and has a great trigger. I'd be more interested in the Bodyguard, if it was chambered in 9mm, and if it was not having these types of problems being reported...
If you really want a great small .380, to me, the Kahr P380 is the best .380 size/gun. Same size as the LCP, but has a much, much better trigger, real sights, and is very accurate as a result... Kahrs are a little pricey, but are very good quality, and can't be beat for size/power. I've got an LCP (I like if fine...), and a P380, but honestly, LCP now stays in the safe (yes, someone can buy it, if interested let me know...).
Just my 2 cents, everyone has their own opinion.
If you really want a great small .380, to me, the Kahr P380 is the best .380 size/gun. Same size as the LCP, but has a much, much better trigger, real sights, and is very accurate as a result... Kahrs are a little pricey, but are very good quality, and can't be beat for size/power. I've got an LCP (I like if fine...), and a P380, but honestly, LCP now stays in the safe (yes, someone can buy it, if interested let me know...).
Just my 2 cents, everyone has their own opinion.
Having handled both, the PM9 is a good bit heavier than the Kahr P380, and the 0.2" extra width matters (to me at least) when it's in one's pocket. When attire will allow for a lumpy pocket, I carry my 340PD, which is still lighter than the PM9.
The Kahr P380 is a sweet pistol, no doubt about it. I bought one for my better half (she picked it out) shortly after I bought the BG380, and her pistol was flawless right out of the box. Well, technically she had one stovepipe in the first magazine, but I don't think that it was the pistol. No failures in the 198 rounds that followed the one stovepipe. If I were to do it over again, I might pick up the Kahr P380 for myself as well, in place of the BG380, although the BG380 does have some nice features, such as easier disassembly, a safety, a laser, etc.
Despite my argument about the size and weight advantage of the BG380 (over the Kahr PM9), like you, I now am a fan of Kahr pistols. I think my next acquisition will be a PM40 or an MK40.
I agree with Goffman that the Kahr P380 is one sweet pistol. I bought one to replace my LCP and it proved to be a much better pistol. Between the P380 and my BG380 though I still like the BG slightly better, for some reason it just feels better in my hand. Both pistols have been flawless and have been totally reliable. I know people have had problems with each pistol as having been discussed in forums. My experience with each has been very positive and I don't think you can go wrong with either.
spec5
Member
Still take down lever problems after SERVICE
Received my Bodyguard 380 back on Monday and went to the range today and it doesn't look good. After 10 rounds the slide came off and a round was still in the chamber. The take down lever backed out again. I put it back together and got a video of it backing out after the 3nd round. Pushed it back in and fired 3 more rounds and the take down lever backed out and swung up into the 12 o'clock position. I am waiting for a return call from Paul at S&W.
I got the call back from Paul and sent him a DVD of the take down lever backing out and in the 12 o'clock position. He has the gun coming to him on return.
Received my Bodyguard 380 back on Monday and went to the range today and it doesn't look good. After 10 rounds the slide came off and a round was still in the chamber. The take down lever backed out again. I put it back together and got a video of it backing out after the 3nd round. Pushed it back in and fired 3 more rounds and the take down lever backed out and swung up into the 12 o'clock position. I am waiting for a return call from Paul at S&W.
I got the call back from Paul and sent him a DVD of the take down lever backing out and in the 12 o'clock position. He has the gun coming to him on return.
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spec5
Member
You can always hope. I didn't feel good about it before I shot it as the take down lever had no tension against it and dropped down with very little pressure when I locked the slide back.
I told Paul it looks like they will have to go back to the drawing board on this problem as it appears that they didn't ever fire the gun or they would have had the same problem. He said he would take ownership of my problem.
You can always hope. I didn't feel good about it before I shot it as the take down lever had no tension against it and dropped down with very little pressure when I locked the slide back.
I told Paul it looks like they will have to go back to the drawing board on this problem as it appears that they didn't ever fire the gun or they would have had the same problem. He said he would take ownership of my problem.
Any chance you can post that video somewhere online and provide a link? For one thing, it might get S&W to speed up the "find a permanent fix" process. Nothing like bad publicity to motivate a corporation. In addition, it would be helpful to know what to watch for with regard to the take-down pin.
spec5
Member
Video of take down lever problem
I tried to send the file to Paul put the file was to big so I sent it on a DVD. I will try to edit the file and see what I can do and let everyone know where it is posted if I can figure it out.
I tried to send the file to Paul put the file was to big so I sent it on a DVD. I will try to edit the file and see what I can do and let everyone know where it is posted if I can figure it out.
spec5
Member
It is now on a popular video posting site. I don't know if I can post the link on this site after reading the rules.
Found it. Thanks for posting it. Geez, no warning whatsoever. One minute the take-down pin is locked, and the next it's barely hanging in there. What heck?!?!
PittShooter
Member
The BG is essentially the same size as the LCP. I have both. The differences are less than an inch. You would have to make the same arguement for the LCP being too large then as well. The PM9 is a great gun, but is significantly heavier than the BG (and thicker as noted by another poster). For a pocket gun, every oz counts in my book.
I also found your video on that popular posting site. Mine is doing the exact same thing. Mine is spinning and ending up in the same position.
How to post Big Files (and Videos)
Get a free account at Dropbox - Home - Online backup, file sync and sharing made easy. and publish your video in the public folder. Then you can post the link in the forum or email message. No attachments!
Get a free account at Dropbox - Home - Online backup, file sync and sharing made easy. and publish your video in the public folder. Then you can post the link in the forum or email message. No attachments!
My point was that the BG is large for it's caliber, particularly compared to increase in firepower that you get with a PM9. I'm glad the BG is to your liking, but again, I really think the PM9 is a much better defensive carry package for it's size. Here's the stats:
LCP
L - 5.16
H - 3.6
W - .82
WT - 9.4 oz (gun only)
BODYGUARD .380
L - 5.25
H - 4.1
W - .75
WT - 11.85 oz
KAHR PM9
L - 5.3
H - 4.0
W - .90
WT - 14 oz
Overall, the PM9 is right in the same dimensional ballpark compared to the BG. I agree that the PM9 is about 2 ounces heavier, but to me, it's worth it to have the 9mm vs. .380. Everyone's carry tolerance is different, but the difference is very minimal to me...
As I also mentioned, I find the P380 the best overall package for a .380 caliber carry gun. And, to your point, the LCP is lighter than the BG (by about 2.5 ounces...). I'm really not trying to be nit picky/argumentative on this, but think it's worth consideration for those that are trying to make a decision on what will be their best choice... I'm sure the BG would be a good choice (as long as they get these bugs worked out...), but to me, it does not seem like the best choice.
Actually the 14 ounces listed for the Kahr PM9 is without a magazine. A fully loaded Kahr PM9 with 6+1 rounds weighs about 18.5 - 19 ounces.
IIRC my fully loaded BG380 with 6+1 rounds weighs about 14.5 ounces. With a spare magazine of 6 rounds another 3 ounces. So for the weight of fully loaded PM9 you get 13 rounds of .380acp.
Just to add further to this point (not to dispute it), the *unloaded* weight of the PM9 is 15.9 ounces, as per the Kahr website. The unloaded weight of the BG380 is 12.3 ounces, a figure that I believe came from the meticulous examination of the BG380 on Gunblast. Ultimately, though, it's a matter of preference. Just wanted to get all of the info on the table.
I do like the PM9. I had a chance to shoot it while we were shopping for my wife's new pistol. She would have snatched it up if not for the fact that it was a bit too heavy & bulky for her daily carry, strange as that sounds.
Big Holes
Member
Bought my BG last week and fire it today for the first time. No pin problems, but at least 1 ftf per each full mag tested. Some had two to three ftf's per mag. This consistently happened with EVERY magazine I ran through it. Using three different types of ammo, range rounds to two major name brand ammo. Some ftf's shot on the second firing while some took two to three more pulls to get the round to fire. No other problems to report, but after over 250 rounds the problem didn't change....far from reliable as a self defense weapon. I would assume there is nothing I can do to fix this problem.... so I guess it is on it's way back to the factory.
Mine went back to the factory twice... first for the trigger and second for the take-down lever. They replaced the gun and when I received it the laser buttons wouldn't work. I had to pull the buttons and fiddle around with them before I could get them to work. The last thing I want in an armed encounter is to be fiddling around with laser buttons and wondering if the gun is going to work. I immediately traded it in at a sizable loss to myself. I've gone back to my P3AT which, with loaded mag and leather pocket holster, weighs in at 11.9 oz. Every ounce matters to me. For me, the BG380 is not ready for prime time.
Well I must add my 2 cents here. I have owned the S&W Bodyguard 380 for about 2 weeks now and am very disappointed with it. Not what I expected from a high priced S&W offering.
The “not ready for prime time” pretty well tells the story.
The good news is; fortunately so far the take down pin has stayed put so maybe S&W has a handle on that little ditty (Mine is the EAB serial number range frame)
The bad news is the trigger pull is horrific, very l-o-n-g pull and breaks right at the very rear of the trigger guard. In fact so far back that my finger jams up on the trigger to frame so it doesn’t always fire unless I take a second try at the trigger. Every once in a while it will also fire as I abort the shot and let up on the trigger pressure. (not what I would consider a great safety aspect on a personal protection firearm)
Another annoying problem is I have had more than expected number of FTF’s on first strike, they usually go off on 2nd strike (thank God for the 2nd strike feature). You would think with the very high trigger effort and exceptionally long trigger pull the hammer would have lots of strike energy. Something isn’t right in this area.
The other problem is with the laser, it is almost impossible to turn on and off with one hand and usually takes 2 hands to turn the laser on. A call to S&W CS got me the canned answer that the buttons were designed to use your fingernail on! Say what, I’m absolutely sure the CS rep has never actually tried that. Come on S&W the laser as I received it is worthless in a fast shoot situation. In any case it broke as of yesterday so now it only works from the left side.
SO, bottom line the gun is going back to S&W for the above. We’ll see how seriously they take their CS responsibility and how much effort they take in making this thing work correctly as a reliable carry piece.
I will post the good from S&W as well as the bad from S&W when I get it back and put a few more rounds through it.
I sure hope they (S&W) take this seriously enough to make it right as the gun is just the right size with good features to make a good pocket carry 380.
Wolverine
The “not ready for prime time” pretty well tells the story.
The good news is; fortunately so far the take down pin has stayed put so maybe S&W has a handle on that little ditty (Mine is the EAB serial number range frame)
The bad news is the trigger pull is horrific, very l-o-n-g pull and breaks right at the very rear of the trigger guard. In fact so far back that my finger jams up on the trigger to frame so it doesn’t always fire unless I take a second try at the trigger. Every once in a while it will also fire as I abort the shot and let up on the trigger pressure. (not what I would consider a great safety aspect on a personal protection firearm)
Another annoying problem is I have had more than expected number of FTF’s on first strike, they usually go off on 2nd strike (thank God for the 2nd strike feature). You would think with the very high trigger effort and exceptionally long trigger pull the hammer would have lots of strike energy. Something isn’t right in this area.
The other problem is with the laser, it is almost impossible to turn on and off with one hand and usually takes 2 hands to turn the laser on. A call to S&W CS got me the canned answer that the buttons were designed to use your fingernail on! Say what, I’m absolutely sure the CS rep has never actually tried that. Come on S&W the laser as I received it is worthless in a fast shoot situation. In any case it broke as of yesterday so now it only works from the left side.
SO, bottom line the gun is going back to S&W for the above. We’ll see how seriously they take their CS responsibility and how much effort they take in making this thing work correctly as a reliable carry piece.
I will post the good from S&W as well as the bad from S&W when I get it back and put a few more rounds through it.
I sure hope they (S&W) take this seriously enough to make it right as the gun is just the right size with good features to make a good pocket carry 380.
Wolverine
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