Bodyguard 2.0: Never had a new pistol with so many issues!

[Bon Vivant]

Just purchased a Bodyguard 2.0 as an EDC front pocket carry. My Keltec P380 was too limited with 6+1 and violently snappy and my SIG P365 SAS was too bulky. Now I know all pistols need break in, been shooting for close to 60 years, but this gun out of the box is not risk worthy. I can't carry it in condition 1 because the ambi safety is so damn hard I cracked a finger nail trying to work it. Racking takes double the effort of the above mentioned guns so carrying in condition 3 is futile. And with all my strength I could not get the 12th bullet in the mag...barely succeeded with my Uplula. And lastly, the 12 rd mag needed brute strength to get it to lock in. Both my SIG and Keltec were good to go out of the box and then just got better with break in, How many rounds will this thing need to be workable?

And on an aside, I noted many people complaining the gun shoots to the left. I found my rear sight drifted to the right from the factory, what is that all about?

 

[whittsailor]

Yep. The rear sight is a bit too far to the right. Might load the 12 rounder, let it sit for a few days, and carry the handgun with the 10 round inserted.

Less than 100 through mine but I absolutely love it. It’s much more enjoyable to shoot than my LCP Max.

 

[biku324]

Welcome!

You'll never run short of Bodyguard 2.0 threads to read.

 

[GnarlsR2]

I’ve been a gun owner for 47 years.

I’ve never had a firearm “out-of-the-box” not work as expected, until I bought a S&W Body Guard 2.0.

My Colt, Ruger, Charter Arms, Sig Sauer, Panther Arms, KelTec, and Remington ALWAYS worked and NEVER needed a “break in”.

 

[TigerDude]

It's striker-fired, it doesn't need a safety unless you carry it bare in your pocket (which you shouln't do anyway). That said, if the safety doesn't function, send it back for re-work.

Pretty much every new compact pistol is hard to get the last round in the mag, plus hard to insert such a full mag.

 

[gila_dog]

Why don't you need a thumb safety if a gun is striker fired?

 

[redbanks]

Welcome!

i bought mine last year. At first, I was extremely disappointed in it. Same reasons as you mentioned. Slide hard to rack, and the magazines difficult to load. To remedy those issues, I left the slide in the locked in the rearward position for a couple of weeks as well as the magazines fully loaded using a generic plastic loader. Those two things helped greatly. And you will obviously keep the mags loaded further keeping the springs compressed. Racking the slide some will also make it a little easier. The rear sight can easily be adjusted to the center. Don’t give up on it. The BG2.0 is a decent concealed carry pistol. Mine doesn’t have the safety. They are tiny and very stiff when new. Using the safety is of course your decision to make.

)

Just purchased a Bodyguard 2.0 as an EDC front pocket carry. My Keltec P380 was too limited with 6+1 and violently snappy and my SIG P365 SAS was too bulky. Now I know all pistols need break in, been shooting for close to 60 years, but this gun out of the box is not risk worthy. I can't carry it in condition 1 because the ambi safety is so damn hard I cracked a finger nail trying to work it. Racking takes double the effort of the above mentioned guns so carrying in condition 3 is futile. And with all my strength I could not get the 12th bullet in the mag...barely succeeded with my Uplula. And lastly, the 12 rd mag needed brute strength to get it to lock in. Both my SIG and Keltec were good to go out of the box and then just got better with break in, How many rounds will this thing need to be workable?

And on an aside, I noted many people complaining the gun shoots to the left. I found my rear sight drifted to the right from the factory, what is that all about?View attachment 776817

 

[tarheel13]

Why don't you need a thumb safety if a gun is striker fired?

Probably depends on your experience with handguns in the past. People who come from Glock World (like me) have never seen a need for an external safety because Glocks have 3 internal safeties that prevent a pistol from firing unless the trigger is pulled. Each internal safety is aimed at preventing an unintended discharge when a gun is dropped at a particular angle. Added to that is the fact that OEM Glock triggers are pretty stiff, averaging 5.5 lbs.

People from 1911 World are used to a trigger safety and find it useful because 1911s often have a lighter trigger and usually don't have the same 3 internal safeties that a Glock has (although the 1911 family invented the firing pin safety). Of course there are many other pistols out there, each with their own traditions.

In addition, for me the external safety represents an additional point of uncertainty. You have to remember what position of the safety does what. And you have to remember what position the safety is in. Of course, people who practice with a given safety become very good at using it properly. I prefer to use the holster itself as an "external safety". If the pistol is in the holster, the safety is "on" and when the pistol is drawn from the holster, the safety is "off" and ready to fire. There is no middle ground where the pistol is not in the holster but is still not ready to fire.

The BG2.0 has two of the internal safeties inherited from Glock and 1911s. It has a trigger safety and a firing pin safety. Because I have NEVER seen a detailed disassembly video of a BG2.0, I don't know if it has the drop shelf safety that supports the trigger bar until the trigger is pulled. If anyone knows about that, please let me know.

 

[Deke Thornton]

And on an aside, I noted many people complaining the gun shoots to the left. I found my rear sight drifted to the right from the factory, what is that all about?View attachment 776817

How does the gun group with the rear sight like that? I had to drift mine WAY over to get it to shoot straight, as long as it hits where you want it, it's fine.

 

[Rider1300]

How did you loosen the hold down screw? There is no place to fit a wrench

 

[REParker]

All this just reinforced for me S&W's need to resurrect the. Original Bodyguard, the Model 38 Bodyguard Airweight, and in blue...not pot-metal silver. With all the active interest in this sidearm on GB and similar, there appears to be a ready market for it. S&W, are you listening?