By now it has been established that the introduction of the S&W Bodyguard 2.0 in .380 acp has been fraught with some issues. Some of these remain difficult to deal with while others have a solution. Hopefully, in this thread, I will be able to clarify some of the problems and present some potential solutions.

1. Sights (Part 1)

It has been well-established, here in this Forum as well as numerous videos uploaded to YouTube, that the BG 2.0 has a penchant for shooting to the left. While this issue is not universal, it has been reported widely necessitating some intervention.

Out of the box, my BG 2.0 definitely shot to the left, and I had several range-friends shoot several magazines each and they had the same result. As I said previously in another post, I took the gun to a qualified gunsmith who confirmed that the sights were indeed off and to the left, and he quickly centered both the front and rear sights for me. That is solution # 1.

Solution 2 (Part 2) is a bit more complicated. There are several talented shooters at my range and I consulted with both as to the accuracy of the BG 2.0 after the sights were drifted. The told me there was still a tendency for the gun to be somewhat inaccurate, as the rear notch is so wide that the shooter must be cognizant of where the front is exactly when shooting at a bullseye target or a silhouette. To be sure, after putting 200 more rounds through the BG 2.0 the sights were right on when the front sight was positioned exactly in the middle of the wide rear sight. My conclusion is that the current rear sight is clearly too wide to render the sight picture easily found. In other words, Solution 2 here is that the rear sight must be exchanged with a different one with a more narrow channel through which there is, like every other M&P pistol, an easier sight picture gained.

Not that I have proof that S&W was attempting to copy the Ruger LCP Max, but the wide, U-shaped rear sight currently on the BG 2.0 mimics the one used on the LCP Max. As I now own both, I note that the front sight on the LCP Max is wider and takes full advantage of its U-shaped rear companion. In other words, they are of equal size and literally are made to go together, while in my opinion, the current sights on the BG 2.0 are not.

When they are commercially available, and I wish they were right now, I will be replacing that rear sight with a more appropriate one as per the above.

2. Recoil Spring

There have also been numerous complaints on this Forum and, again, in videos on YouTube, about the lack of "play" in the recoil spring and subsequent issues with the guide rod. I, too, experienced significant difficulties with the recoil spring, until I took a very close look at it and found that on the muzzle end, where the spring ends, there is sometimes a tendency for that end piece of spring to "ride up" and place itself on the guide rod cap. If this is the case, by observation, there is a rather simple solution, even though the question remains as to why we must deal with this issue and not Smith & Wesson itself. Nevertheless, the Solution here is simple. If you find that your recoil spring will not easily fit back into the notch in the barrel, check where the front of the spring is and, if it needs to be moved back under the cap, take a small tool and do it. The recoil spring will respond as it should and you will easily be able to re-install the recoil spring as it should be within the barrel and slide.

Perhaps I am repeating what some of you have already figured out, and this post is dedicated to the frustrated who have, perhaps, turned sour on this interesting, accurate, and cool little firearm whose size may be of added benefit to us as concealed carriers.

3. Magazine Springs

The magazine springs are indeed extremely hard to load after about the 7th round. I routinely hear that the 10th or 12th round is almost impossible. I have kept each 10 round magazine I own full for the 5 days between range trips but I am convinced that my using the Uplula Magazine loader I own is easier on my aging thumbs than the strength required to load 10 rounds into the magazine. As an aside, both magazines lock back after the last round.

Lastly, I have no comment on parts such as ejectors that fall out. That hasn't happened to me and I hope it never will. By the way, my BG 2.0 has already had 400 rounds through it without a single failure-to-feed, stovepipe, or any other hiccup. It eats any kind of ammo I feed it (round-nose, flat-nose, hollow-points, etc.) with ease and I will follow the manufacturers directions and not use +P ammo in it.

Of course, YMMV.

Comments appreciated. Hope this was of help or interest.

Best to all -

Rich

I shot this group and many others like it with the factory sights. I now have a rear sight with a smaller gap and the groups are slightly smaller.

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Good to hear they are feeding Flat point 380acp because I have seen some reviews where that was causing problems and thats my preference.

2500 rounds with mine, I typically shoot at 15 yards, gun is great - I align my front sight near right rear sight because I suck like most folks, even supposed experienced shooters with micros.

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USN Retired, EDC BG 2.0

A possible solution to the recoil spring issue.

I have been using the same method of pushing the spring back over the cap or flange .

I requested and received a replacement but it was worse than my original . Because it was an extra I thought I would experiment a little .

Trying to figure why it would not compress when pushed into the slide on assembly with the spring over the flange. If you look at the spring in this position the front coil is pushed out farther than the others. I feel this causes binding in the hole in the slide.

So on my replacement spring since I had nothing to lose I took a flat file and gently removed some material from the outside of the first coil. Starting at the end of the coil a couple of strokes at a time .

A couple of passes and tried it in the slide . Then a couple more and tried . I removed very little material and from the end of the first coil only and it goes right in the slide.

I am not recommending anyone do this , just telling what I tried on a spare I had. It seems to work fine so far

Just got my BG2.0 and have been trying various types of ammo. I’m very happy to see it’s not picky at all so far. I’m particularly happy to see it shoots my SWC cast bullets, because it really helps keep the cost down for practice. Dang .380 is pretty pricey!

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Use Ammoseek and buy bulk online. I've been getting Fiocchi Range Dynamics for under $15 a box delivered.

Mine has fed flawlessly the first 100 flats I tried.

Mine has fed flawlessly for a few hundred rounds. Blazer Brass, Magtech, Sierra HP, and a box or so of "ends" of 380 HP ammo i had left over of various manufactures. I had one dud cartridge out of that batch of "ends" but I have no idea how old that round was, or who made it. It ended up in the dud can at the range.

At first I used to fight the slide. It's small and hard for my arthritic old hands to get a grip on, but time and rounds downrange have helped. Either it got better, or I got stronger. No issues with that now. Mags are still hard to load, but not as bad as at first, but that's why they make mag loaders.

The first time I field stripped it, I was so glad I had read about the problem with the recoil spring on here first. That thing was like a solid rod trying to get it back. Then I remembered a post on here, probably DrRich talking about using a tool to get the spring back where it belonged. Sure enough that worked and I haven't worried about it again.

I shot REALLY low left at first. I realized this gun takes a firm grip. If not given a firm grip, it's so light and small it will twist around in my hand. Not much, but just enough. I think it may be just a little too small for me, so I've ordered a Talon grip for it. If nothing else, it was inexpensive.

One of my favorite aids is a laser cartridge. Fits into the chamber for dry fire practice and shoots a burst of laser light when dry fired and that gives me an idea if I'm doing something wrong. And the first thing it did for me was told me there was nothing wrong with the sights themselves. (Drat. I was hoping I could blame the gun) That laser dot hit right where the sights were looking. IF I was off, the dot was off. At the range with live fire I found the same to be true. A good firm grip, and careful alignment of the sights resulted in holes in the target at least closer to where they were supposed to be. I even had a few high right. If I'm shooting poorly, it ain't the gun.

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John 3:16 .

I never had an issue reassembling the gun after a couple times but mine shot consistently left about 2-3 inches at 7-10 yards. The rear sight was off center to the left very easy to see. I drifted the rear sight over with a brass punch and it's pretty close now. certainly close enough for what this gun was intended for. I'm not worried about 25 yard accuracy.

The difficul magazine loading can be fixed by clipping off one or more coils from the magazine spring.

The wide-U rear sights are for quick combat shooting under 7 yards range.
Pie Plate accuracy is acceptable at that range however speed is crucial.
Front sight needs painted bright red or orange for this to work.

25 yards with this gun? I love it! What size group do you expect?

Kind Regards,
BrianD

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696-6906-457-38-3913-CS40-411

Did the cleaning and even ramp polish (barrel ramp did not have the ridge that some report ). FMJ flat nose, FMJ ball,FTX,XTP, feed fine. Federal HST, Speer gold dot would not feed at a rate of about 1 in 25.

What is odd is where they are hanging up. They appear not to leave the magazine and are getting caught at the bottom edge of the frame’s feed ramp. Made sure the mags are fully inserted, and feed issue is always with a fully loaded mag during reload. Wondering if the issue is with the magazines being sprung too strong.

Spent hours using a mag loader to compress and release the springs to break them in, to the point where the 10 and 12 round mags can be fully loaded easily with the uplula.

Any ideas?

First off, are you having the same troubles with both magazines? If so, I might be tempted to play with one of mags doing some mild bending on the lips, so the rounds sit just a smidgen higher. If the lips are plastic, you can do something similar with a rat tail or small file. WARNING: you can screw up a mag by doing this, so play at your own risk! Still, it might work. Just go very slowly if you chose to try this.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

My Bodyguard 380 2.0 feeds everything so far, many jhp's and fmj's, including fmj flat nose. But it won't feed Federal HydraShok DEEP! Gets caught in gap between the frames feed ramp and the barrels feed ramp. That's a bummer since that's my favorite carry ammo. I've cleaned the pistol thoroughly Any ideas on how to get this pistol to feed the HydraShok Deep?

I have shot almost every kind of ammo through my BG 2.0, including the Federal HydraShock Deep. No FTF, no stovepipes, nothing but 100% performance.

I will tell you that I unknowingly loaded a 9mm round into a mag and then it stopped at the gap. When I took it out I realized what had happened.

I have the habit of polishing my barrel ramps with "Blue Magic" so they lose the dark color and look stainless. It smooths up the entire cycle, I guess, because a little (very little) material is removed in the polishing. YMMV.

“What is odd is where they are hanging up. They appear not to leave the magazine and are getting caught at the bottom edge of the frame’s feed ramp. “

I have about 200 rounds through mine so far and it has been flawlessly feeding every type of ammo including cast and pc RF lead bullets. Then yesterday I had the same issue with a round getting stuck coming out of the 13 round mag. It worked fine when I removed the first of the 13. It was like it was too tight to feed. I can say this…I sure wouldn’t want to get into a thumb wrestling match with anybody that can load that 13-round mag without using a Uplula loader!

Don’t do this. The gun was designed to use the spring tension chosen by engineers. Clipping coils off the spring will induce feed problems - maybe not right away, but later, after the mag springs take a set.

Do any of you folks think you know more about this particular gun than the people who designed and tested it?

Of course not, it isn't a 1911.

I clipped the front tabs off of the follower which eliminated the loading issue. I polished the feed ramp bumps off which eliminated the feeding issues and I replaced the sights to a set more to my liking. The gun is now much better for me than it was before.

"My conclusion is that the current rear sight is clearly too wide to render the sight picture easily found. In other words, Solution 2 here is that the rear sight must be exchanged."

My subjective take:
Consider the BG2 philosophy of use...
It's likely true that pocket-mouse-guns' uses are close up, get-off-me firearms intended for one second acquisition and, if time allows... sight alignment.
I feel S&W was thinking about this when it comes to the larger "U" notch in the rear, I'll explain....

If found in an unfortunate situation of needing to utilize the BG2 for what it's built for, you may appreciate the rear "U" notch size. At first I recoiled at its canyon like size as well, until I thought about it... and did a little test.
Using a pistol rest at 10yds. away from the target, I centered the front sight equally inside the rear and basically shot out the 10x portion. Then pinning the left side of the front sight to the inside of the rear sight's left goal post... just enough to not allow light to be seen and fired 5rds. resulting in a nice group landing ~5" left of bullseye X. Repeating the same scenario on the right side of the front sight yielded the same results ~5" right.
Our brains/eyes are wired to naturally center the front post, and we train that way. With that understood, having a center-to-center spread of 10" at 10yds. is ideal given a potential high stress, life defending situation.
My point is this... yes, I want to be as perfect as possible at the range by taking my time, but real life won't be the same.

Well…after running a couple hundred rounds through mine, I have decided I really like this firearm. I have found it to be accurate at 10-15 yards if I take my time, concentrate on the front sight and don’t rush the trigger. Slow and smooth with practice will bring up my speed. My BG2 is well made and accurate. My 9mm Shield gets to take a vacation for a while.

I picked up a BodyGuard 2.0 today and bought an extra 12 round magazine for it. For some reason I could not get more that 2 rounds to load with a Uplula in either magazine after the initial load. This occurred with three different brands of ammunition. I did a forum search and did not see this mentioned anywhere else. Anyone else having this issue? BTW what little bit that I did get to shoot, impressed me. Just waiting for Crimson Trace or ArmaLaserto come out with a LaserGuard Green Dot sight Ivery bad eyes) and get this mag issue figured out.

The issue is with the follower, common issue. You can trim it.

What was the date in the box?

Maybe because it’s a 12 rd magazine?

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I’m your Boogie Man, uh huh.

Thanks, I trimmed the follower after I figured out where it iwas hitting. I couldn't find a date in the box. I did find what appears to be a date on the box label of 10/22/24

I put 100 rounds through mine today and had 3 FTF incidents after inserting the magazine. I released the slide in three different methods to make sure it wasn't me. (Slingshot, full grip across the top and slide release). This was all with Fiocchi ammo. Really odd. After the initial feed problem no problems. My recoil spring is VERY stiff but has loosened up some after 200 or so rounds now. Maybe me...maybe doesn't like the ammo. I love this little gun and I'm going to hang in there with it till it smooths out. And carry my LCP Max till it does.

Mine shot perfectly for a couple hundred rounds on many kinds of ammo including my reloads. I reload with Berry’s 95 grain plated round nose and also cast lead 95 grain semiwadcutters. All of a sudden, I was getting quite a few failure to go into battery issues with my Berry’s. It took a lot of head scratching to figure out the bullets weren’t seated deep enough. After adjusting my die, it’s back to 100% again. What really puzzles me, is I didn’t change anything with my seater die that would have caused this. As was pointed out to me, many barrels just don’t like certain ammo types. Maybe mine just got finicky?

I'm finding that I can purchase bulk ammo almost as cheap as I can reload.

So this past Saturday went and placed rounds 176 thru 300 down range. 100 rds of Fiocchi Range Dynamics 95g, and 24 rds of Hornady American Gunner.

All shot flawlessly.

Bench shot first 24 rds and consistency shot 3" left and 1-2" low.

So, versus changing out sights or pushing the front to the left or rear to the right, I stated aiming for the 2 O'clock position and every round after that was landing in the bullseye, at 7.5 yards and a grouping about size of an orange (minus the occasional flyer of course...).

I have spent many hours and many rounds sighting-in a firearm, verifying it’s reliability, determine accuracy at specific distances to a target, and become intimately familiar with its operation and safety features.

Having to pick up a firearm and NOT put the sights at the POI is beyond logic and pathetically absurd. If my self-defense firearm will not hit a target where I’m aiming, it might as well be a 2 pound frisbee.

If a firearm manufacturer cannot make a firearm the shoots straight out of the box they should reconsider a different product. I completely understand MTTF, QC, Design Defects, and Manufacturing Defects. I especially understand Customer Service for the consumer. Brand loyalty and brand recognition require excellent Customer Service.

I also bought a new BG2.0 in October and just shot it for the first time. With Fiochhi ammo It jams constantly and shoots to the 2" low and left at 5 yrds.
I loaded up both factory 10 and 12 rd mags with Fiocchi 95 gr and the gun wouldnt feed the first round from either mag. I couldnt get it to load rhe first round at all even if I forcedully rode the slide forward. It jammed with the round half way stripped from the mag. Ultimately it wouldnt run reliably unless the mags held only 5 to 6 rds. I will order some other brands of ammo and retest. I will also let the mags sit full for a while and see if they break-in. I havent had this much fun since my Kahr CW380.
LCP Max with same ammo was 100% reliability, hitting less than an inch to the left at 5 yrds.

Your seating plug backed up a half a thread, causing the problem. I check my dies from time to time, and mike OAL. Also, 'plonk' your ammo, factory or handload.
My 2.0 had a few bobbles early on, which has gone away completely. Our snubby league has a course of fire one hand and weak hand, and the gun has run just fine even then.
Moon

Sights and magazines:
-have two BG1.0 that I fitted with TruGlo sights, and kept the OEMs. They have a narrower window than the 2.0 rear and it makes a perfect pairing with the 2.0 front. Full disclosure; all of these sights are perfect buggers to move or remove. BTW, my pistols shot left, and even the front sight was off center.
-Magazines are an ongoing issue. I carry 10s, and have little use for the 12s. Some mags readily load 10, and can be seated against a closed slide. Others are really difficult to load the last round, and can only be locked in against a closed slide by really leaning on the magazine. Once inserted with an open slide, they run just fine, and can be trusted for carry...but not for a reload. A couple others will readily accept 10 rounds, and will easily seat against a closed slide. The guns feed about anything.
It is spring stacking, not a matter of springs breaking in. I just hope Smith will address the issue with newer magazines. I'm holding off ordering any more magazines for that reason.
Moon

My 10rd fits fine, unloaded or loaded. But my 12rd wont click into place even unloaded unless I really slap it hard.

I think you’re right, but I’ve never had that happen in thousands of rounds…but, ya never know! Anyway, I pulled the bullets, removed appropriate amount of powder and re-seated on 100 rounds. They all cycled perfectly. That was my problem…bullets not seated deep enough. I love this little gun!

The only malfunctions I've had were with some Fiocchi HP's I tried last week. I think I had two failures to feed out of 25 rounds. To make it even worse the 25 fired straight to point of aim, the only ammo I've tried that did that. The bullets are seated a little shallower than the Sierra stuff I'd been using. This will require more testing. Maybe an off box that time.

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John 3:16 .

Welp put another 100 rounds through it today and it was flawless. I use 50 Aguila nd 50 Magtech just target stuff. For some reason every ftf I had was with Fiocchi ammo. No idea why maybe ever so slight tolerance difference but I'm very happy the BG is settling in. The magazines are much easier to load and the tough racking is a bit better as well. I love this little gun, it makes my "compact" Glock 36 feel like an absolute brick.

It's the Fiocchi ammo. I had repeated FTF's with it and as posted above changed ammo and smooth sailing.

Fiocchi was goofy with me too!

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USN Retired, EDC BG 2.0

I fired close to 100 rounds of Fiocchi FMJ the other day out of my S&W Bodyguard 1.0, Ruger LCP Max and Glock 42. Functioned 100%.

Yup, it's the ammo. Always the ammo. And limp-wristing.

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Retired LE Instructor/Armorer

I'm sticking with my original Body Guard-the one without laser and is double action only, NOT striker fired.
If they can make THAT gun with a little bit wider grip holding a 10 round magazine (like I asked for originally) I'd buy one is a heartbeat. Quite frankly, given the size of the new BG 2.0 and the fact it is striker fired, I see absolutely no reason to buy it over a shield. If you are shooting at a target 25 yards away with this gun you are inviting indictment.

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Forum consigliere

We've been using our BG2.0, shooting at 8" plates at 25 yards (slow fire) and getting hits over 80 percent of the time.

I think he meant self defense distance.

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I’m your Boogie Man, uh huh.

Wrong. No limp wristing been shooting handguns since 1980. But thanks for the input champ.

I love my Bodyguard 2 with one exception, the slide tension. I find it very difficult to rack the slide. Is there a way to safely reduce the spring tension?

Get a Handi Racker. The green one fits perfectly.

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I found the amount of force to rack the slide crazy. My grip is not what it was years ago, but I do wear a size large glove.

I really like my BG2 for a pocket carry, but I need to get another 250 to 500 rounds through it with zero issues before I will carry it. I had 1 failure to feed to battery with the 12-round mag full and sling-shotting the slide. Now I only load the mags to 9 on the 10-round and 11 on the 12-round mag.

I’m a long way from an armorer or gunsmith, but I assume the spring pressure is required to compensate for the lighter mass of the slide and perhaps the 2-stage design of the ramp to the chamber is a design consideration.

At around 100 rounds from new, it would not pass the plunk test with 6 different ammo. After about 500 rounds it did pass the plunk test. My armorer said “the plunk test is meaningless”? He also said he would NOT modify the spring assembly and guide rod. I’m curious if the guide rod spring(s) could be safely modified by reducing a few coils.

My slide has loosened up a bit after about 200 rounds but still wayyyy harder than my Ruger LCP Max, not even comparable. That and the occasional ftf have really been disappointing but I'm hoping they both improve over time with more rounds through it. I love the size and trigger.

My wife bought the BG 2.0 on my recommendation, however having not done any handling of the gun. I based my choice on S&W reputation, but the slide on this gun is impossible to rack.
Extremely disappointed and now considering trading the new, unfired gun for a Ruger. She couldn't even take the gun to the range because the RO would have kicked her off the line for the antics she had to go through to rack it.
But I saw the comment about Handi Racker so she's going to give that a try. The gun is really compact and light for her to carry in her special purse. We'll see. S&W should never have let this out of the factory.