Bodyguard 2.0 Owners: Impressions after a few months?

Cheyenne WYO said:
..... Hitting a 3X5 index card at 15 yards is not that hard with a little bit of concentration.
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That's excellent accuracy. I will try that next range day.

... The gun has been reliable except for a couple of light strikes with handloads that had some component tolerance stacking issues during the loading process.
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Why handloads?

I don’t have a specific performance requirement that is tied to purely objective standards. Of course, the gun has to be reliable. That includes limp wrist tests with strong and support hand only, plus accuracy testing, target transitions, fast pairs and triples at various distances. I will compare it to a current carry gun to determine if it is comparable or provides some advantages or edge in certain respects to make up for the disadvantages of being a small gun in a barely adequate caliber (and, only then, with the right ammo).
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I like the "tests" to compare. I need to start those tests.

I have to be able to answer in the affirmative that it is something that I am willing to be carrying when confronted with a really bad scenario.
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My pocket carry has to be RAT (Reliable And Trustworthy) certified. But moreover, my hesitation and some reluctance to conceal carry my P365 Micro OWB is due to the size, weight and concealability, primarily EDC comfort, is what has lead me to the BG2.

A second concern is that these tiny guns get very dirty with powder residue, including the magazines. I may be having to clean the magazines, something I rarely do with other guns’ magazines unless they get mud, snow and/or gravel in them.
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My defense pistol will be cleaned, inspected and lubed when it is in my pocket. I clean, inspect, and lube my magazines about every 3rd range day. Not having pocket carried, I am curious how much "pocket poop" the little BG2 collects after X number of carry days.

If I have trouble with the gun, I will let you know. If it continues to run well, I will buy another one and buy some more aftermarket sights for it.
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IF my BG2 becomes my pocket carry EDC RAT gun, and it gets to 1500 rounds, I will buy another one for continued practice, muscle memory, or advanced training.

Nice commentary, thanks for sharing.
 
agksimon said:
I cobbled my own sight set together a few months ago using two sets of TruGlo sights. The rear one is for the original Bodyguard and just required the usual fitting by sanding the bottom and it also has a set screw and it has held up very well. The front one was made for the EZ9 and was close, but could be pushed through with your thumb. I took a chance and used Permatex Orange Threadlocker in the channel. It's rated at three times stronger than the Blue, but unlike Red, it's not permanent. It has held the front sight just as well as if I had driven it in with a punch or sight tool and I am now approaching a thousand rounds and it has not moved a bit. Try some and see if it works for you. They make it in liquid and a gel, I used the gel.
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The installation instructions and installation videos for the XS sights don't involve putting the thread locker in the sight channel. It is just along some external seams. That seems weird to me. If it doesn't hold up, I will consider that.
 
GnarlsR2 said:
Why handloads?
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Lots of reasons. The first was to tailor loads to specific applications, like steel matches and USPSA matches. Second was expense. My wife and I were shooting a lot in the 1980s. We were shooting the local matches in Louisiana with some local guy named Jerry Miculek and a kid named "Little Max" Michel whose dad would have to bring him to Friday evening plate matches because he was too young to drive. (Too bad that there is no such thing as "skill by association.")

The more recent reason is to have ammo during scarce times. In the early 2010s I sold my first .380 (a Sig P238) because I couldn't get ammo or even components for it. By the late 2010s I was shooting around 10,000 rounds a year of mostly 9mm with some .380 strictly out of carry guns. They were costing about 12.5 cents a round with jacketed bullets. As soon as the pandemic started in early 2020, I scarfed up a bunch of primers, bullets and powder so I could keep shooting. I did have to ration a year's supply of components over 3+ years. Now the loaded ammo is getting cheaper and components are staying expensive, so I use the components to make the ammo that costs more per round. Factory 9mm has come down to about 25 cents a round shipped while is costs about 21 cents to load them. It's not worth reloading at this writing. .380 is a bit more expensive, so the 21 cents makes more sense to allocate to .380. I can load .380 with 68 grain XD ammo for under 75 cents a round, compared to about $1.50 a round for Underwood ammo when on sale. (You can save dollars per round loading stuff like .257 Weatherby magnum.)

GnarlsR2 said:
My defense pistol will be cleaned, inspected and lubed when it is in my pocket. I clean, inspect, and lube my magazines about every 3rd range day. Not having pocket carried, I am curious how much "pocket poop" the little BG2 collects after X number of carry days.
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I don't recall ever putting lube in a magazine. That's just me. I don't find that guns carried in a pocket accumulate more dirt and grime than guns carried concealed IWB. In any event, if I haven't shot them for a while, or I've been out in dusty conditions, I'll shoot them "as is", grime and all. The first shot will usually shake off a bunch of the dust. If they don't work with dust and lint, they shouldn't be carry guns.

GnarlsR2 said:
IF my BG2 becomes my pocket carry EDC RAT gun, and it gets to 1500 rounds, I will buy another one for continued practice, muscle memory, or advanced training.
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These days, I just keep shooting the same guns. I don't keep one for practice and one for training. Do the chances of a failure on the next shot of a quality gun really increase because the gun has 5000 rounds through it instead of only 500? Reading the forums, people seem to have a lot of trouble with low mileage guns. If you get 10,000 shots out of a $500 gun, that's only 5 cents a shot added to your ammo cost.

YMMV
 
Cheyenne WYO said:
Lots of reasons....

YMMV
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I admire any common sense DIYer and prepper.

I can’t justify the equipment cost and learning curve to hand load ammo. The other issue is I don’t like the idea of messing with little exploding bombs that can be lethal.

Fortunately, so far, I have not felt like the availability of ammo is an issue. I have a good stash, and I have very close retired military friends and guys employed in high security positions that will share their stash of ammo or any firearm if a SHTF event should happen.

Over the last 4 years of active shooting and research, the aftermarket products for firearms appears too often not up to the quality level or design level that I believe those products should be at. If 80% of firearms manufactured are for defense purposes, the quality level and smart design should be paramount. I will gladly pay more for it if my life depends on it.

S&W’s BG2 is a big disappointment in nearly every aspect of the release. Many of the “reviews” were more Bravo Sierra than actual detail analysis of the gun.

After purchasing 2 Sig Sauer P365s and a dozen mags, out of the box I field strip, clean and lube before firing a shot. Because the mags were difficult to fully load, I disassembled the mags to inspect them and found some kind of residue and light corrosion. I noticed after one range day the inside of the mags were coated with carbon. I started disassembling them, cleaning and lubricating the mags with silicone spray, then later just applied a very light coating of Clenzoil. I have not noticed the lubrication collecting any dust or other stuff. I noticed the follower was easier to depress when loading by hand and with the UPlula.

Regarding round count…. Sig Sauer publishes a recommended replace at 5,000 rounds for the P365 guide rod spring assembly. Why? Is that based upon their testing to the number of rounds to a failure? I can’t know if at 500 rounds my defense handgun will fail, or if it fails at 5,000 rounds. But I can very confidently assume that there is a strong correlation between the number of rounds and potential metal fatigue and component failure.

For me, I don’t see the logic in putting 5,000 or 20,000 rounds through a self-defense only carry handgun when my life could depend on its flawless performance. Spending $449.00 on another duplicate handgun for range fun, practice, and training is easy peasy. :D
 
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I gave one two tries at the range, with a few mags each time.
I guess I have become a bit of a wuss. It's just too snappy for me.
Especially when A-B'd beside my G42...it's no contest.
I have been hoping for the folks at Shield to make an 8 or 9rd steel mag
for that one as with the other Glock micros.
 
Well, XS website says that they have military/LE discounts, and to just email them at [email protected] with creds attached, and they will send a discount code. So it's been 11 days now without a word, and I was hoping to get the green front sight. Then the Prez Day sale 30% off, which I assume would include their RD3 sights, and figured well, that's a pretty good discount, I won't wait for an email any longer. So went to the website today and wouldn't you know it....... they are again sold out of the green sights. Speaking of principles only, if a company makes an offer, they need to follow through. I just sent another email. If they don't respond, I may just take my business elsewhere.
 
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VictorLouis said:
I gave one two tries at the range, with a few mags each time.
I guess I have become a bit of a wuss. It's just too snappy for me.
Especially when A-B'd beside my G42...it's no contest.
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The BG2 definitely has more recoil than the G42. Whether it is worth it or not depends on accuracy and time splits with each gun in a real world scenario, practical considerations such as the necessity for concealment, and the number of shots that will be required to solve a problem before needing a reload. People have varying theses and abilities. Improving the "abilities" part of the equation helps make better choices for their particular situations, not that there are any guarantees of the situations or the outcomes. That's as clear as mud, just like the real world.
 
Have had it only 2 months now but love it. Got lucky to get one without any issues. Gun shoots dead on. Tight groupings up to 10 yards. Have carried AIWB daily with a Vedder Light tuck holster.

-1150 FMJ and 50 JHP shot without a hiccup

-Dont like the OEM rear sights. Replaced with XS R3D 2.0 sights.

-Wrapped grip tape on the handle pretty thick to create a palm swell. Width in the middle of grip now matches the width of a G43X grip. Feels better for me

-Slide is harder to rack than a lot of other handguns... Was going to get one for my girl but now I'm not sure. She can't rack the slide.

-Need a Maglula for the 12th round still.

-Since i have it on my person at all times I do clean and lube after every range trip.

My ability to CC with this thing is unmatched. I love it
 
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I picked one up last month and I've put 300 rounds thru it so far, mostly ball. I find it much more comfortable to shoot than my LCP Max, also more accurate. I had to drift the sights a bit, but no big deal.

I just picked up a set of XS Green sights and a Galloway Precision recoil spring but haven't had a chance yet to install them. The Galloway spring looks like it may be adjustable for tension but not sure yet. I'm hoping Galloway or Dawson has a metal trigger in the works.
 
nle said:
Have had it only 2 months now but love it. Got lucky to get one without any issues. Gun shoots dead on. Tight groupings up to 10 yards. Have carried AIWB daily with a Vedder Light tuck holster.

-1150 FMJ and 50 JHP shot without a hiccup

-Dont like the OEM rear sights. Replaced with XS R3D 2.0 sights.

-Wrapped grip tape on the handle pretty thick to create a palm swell. Width in the middle of grip now matches the width of a G43X grip. Feels better for me

-Slide is harder to rack than a lot of other handguns... Was going to get one for my girl but now I'm not sure. She can't rack the slide.

-Need a Maglula for the 12th round still.

-Since i have it on my person at all times I do clean and lube after every range trip.

My ability to CC with this thing is unmatched. I love it
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You must have been making some deposits in your Karma Bank.

The Talon Grip on the rear of the slide makes a big difference.
 
GnarlsR2 said:
You must have been making some deposits in your Karma Bank.

The Talon Grip on the rear of the slide makes a big difference.
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Does it really? Interesting. For 10 bucks its probably worth a try
 
Cheyenne WYO said:
The BG2 definitely has more recoil than the G42. Whether it is worth it or not depends on accuracy and time splits with each gun in a real world scenario, practical considerations such as the necessity for concealment, and the number of shots that will be required to solve a problem before needing a reload. People have varying theses and abilities. Improving the "abilities" part of the equation helps make better choices for their particular situations, not that there are any guarantees of the situations or the outcomes. That's as clear as mud, just like the real world.
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Just about every discussion regarding a defense firearm, especially a handgun, recoil and muzzle flip is a main subject.

Back in the good ol’ days, when I wanted a defense weapon while frequently camping in the boonies, my retired Viet Nam vet friend suggested I have basically two choices – a shotgun or handgun. We went to the range, and I shot a 357 revolver and Colt 45 ACP. There was no question which one I chose.

In 1978 I purchased my first firearm, a Colt 45 Mark IV Series 70. At that time, I had one pistol to compare recoil. I just accepted the recoil of my Colt was it is what it is.

I practiced a little and got comfortable carrying it while out in the middle of nowhere.

Will less recoil allow follow up shots to be more accurate, yes.

Standing at the lane in my indoor range, 18”x24” splatter target at 7 yards, my Walkers on, 10am Saturday morning, I’m all fresh and ready, again, to show myself how good I think I am. I like to start with my favorite toy fun-gun, my laser equipped KelTec P17 22LR. I can put 15 out of 17 rounds in the A zone with rapid fire. With my Colt 45 (it’s been accurized) I can get 4 out 8 in the A zone with semi-rapid fire. With my P365 I can get 10 out of 13 in the A zone with semi-rapid fire. I’m still working on my BG2.

In a very unlikely, real-world, unpredictable, 5-second self-defense altercation, where I make a millisecond decision to draw, aim and fire to defend my life, is that good enough in a defense situation?

Based upon real-world documented defense events, I probably won’t see my sights, I’ll just point with a one-hand grip, recoil will not be felt, my hearing goes blank, and I wish I had a spare pair of pants.

Recoil and muzzle flip are over-rated. :D
 
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bodyguard 2.0

Installed new sites and Recoil spring .. Fixed the issues. Shoots great now 1000% better
 
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