Hello all
I am new to this forum but believe my experience with the BG 380 is worth sharing.
I was really happy with my BG 380 for the first 200 rounds: I can shoot it well, the felt recoil in low, sights are good, redundant safety is nice to have when carrying near family, and it feels like a “real” gun. Yes, the trigger pull is too long and heavy and the laser control is clumsy and poorly designed, but overall a way better concealed carry than my LCP.
Then the BG 380 started to fall apart and have other reliability problems: (1)the takedown level repeatedly fell out when firing, (2) the trigger developed excessive freeplay that portends worse to come, and (3) I had 3 failure to fire on PMC FMJ( a very reliable brand of ammo), which all fired when re-loaded into the magazine.
I recognized the risk of some problems with a new gun, but expected them to be in areas that S&W could not have reasonably tested for. Not so, the problems I ( and others) have appear to be pretty basic and should have been discovered before the gun was released.
I am doing S&W’s alpha and beta testing. If there is any Corporate accountability at S&W , the project manager who declared this gun ready to be released to the market should be at home polishing his resume.

I have sent my BG 380 back to S&W after 450 rounds. Hopefully, the repairs they make will be permanent. Replacing a failure prone part with an identical failure prone part isn’t going to fix the problem.

Here’s the bottom line: The BG 380 will be an excellent gun when it’s debugged. But for now based on my experience, it’s still in the workout stage. Buyer Beware. If you plan to carry the BG 380 for self defense, make sure that you put enough mileage on it ( at least 300-400 rounds) to surface any problems .

What was wrong with your LCP.

__________________
The kool-aid Sigma drinker

3Shot, I couldn't agree with you more. I haven't experienced all of the same problems that you did, but with my trigger failure, it just seems pretty obvious that they didn't do any sort of quality testing. All they would have had to do is take a random sampling of new BG's and put a few hundred rounds down range. There is no way, these problems wouldn't have become glaringly obvious to them. When I spoke with the CSR at Smith yesterday, he said that "they" (I assume he meant the customer service reps) just recently received an overview of the gun, so he didn't have enough product knowledge to speculate on the cause of the problem. Now, he was either staying close-lipped or he truely doesn't know the product yet. Based on that, I agree with your concern about them just putting another failure prone part back in the gun and sending it out for me to continue the beta testing...of course, at our expense. I, too, traded in an LCP for this pistol. I thought it had enough advantages to merit the change, but if they don't get these fixes right and fast, I'll be moving on to another .380 pistol.

I know everyone says you shouldn't buy a gun (or other products for that matter) when they first come out, but I believe, if a company cared enough to properly test their products, the new product problems could certainly be minimized.

the last 30yrs. of smith& wesson has had a different business philosphy than the earlier days of the company. notice i said different not better.

When S&W does a run of pistols in the tens of thousands, a few problem ones will turn up. Mine has been flawless and I know two other people with them and they have experienced no problems. Ofcourse if you get one with problems you're going to be upset and rightfully so. But rest assured S&W will correct those problems as they have really good customer service. Problems like these have always occured with large manufacturers, but years ago without the internet you just didn't hear about them. I still buy S&W products and have confidence in the company because I know if I encounter a problem they will make it right.

It took S&W six years to admit there were problems with their version of the Walther PPK and to offer a fix for purchasers. Hopefully it won't take that long with the Body Guard .380, but I wouldn't hold my breath! S&W offers great customer service in most cases, but too often there would not be a need for a trip to CS if the problems had been worked out before the gun hit the market. Sorry, but the days of my depending on S&W's reputation for quality are long gone.

Took my Bodyguard .380 to the range for the third time and mine had a major problem. The take down lever backed out after firing about 100 rounds today and the slide, spring, guide rod, and take down lever blew off the gun. I was left holding only the lower with the mag in it. I picked up the pieces and put it all back together and the only way to keep the take down level from backing out was to put my finger next to it. If I would take my finger away it would continue to back out after firing several rounds. Called S&W and told them my story and I got the shipping label and just took it to FedEx. The CS person had heard the story before and they don't know a reason why it is happening. The way I see it is the take down lever is being moved by recoil when the slide is open and will drop all the way down and out of the gun. There does not seem to be enough tension on the take down lever on my gun as it moves easily on slide open or slide lock.

I just ran 200 rounds through my new BG380 and experienced no problems. I will run another 200 rounds through the pistol to see how it holds up. So far I am happy with the performance. The other posts get me worried. My wife will be carrying the pistol for protection. I need a pistol that will protect my wife. She had an encounter last month when she was leaving work late and locking up. Everything turned out ok but she had a scary experience.

I talked to someone in customer service today about some of the problems. This one major problem was identified and the problem part has been corrected (poor quality part). Hopefully, that will solve the specific problem on those leaving the factory now. They have a whole dedicated machining line for the Bodyguard .380, with orders for thousands yet to be filled. I may not get mine until November or December based on my order date. By then I would hope the bugs will all be exterminated.

I just picked mine up yesterday from a new batch. I wonder how long ago they discovered the problem. I will post the first few numbers of my serial number. Maybe we can see if there is a production range or if is just all the new ones. I am a little nervous as this gun is for my wife.

I had a failure of my trigger also -- wouldn't reset. I got two shots off before the problem developed. My BG left for S&W today and I hope to have it back soon so I can continue my reliability testing.

How long ago did you buy yours?

Oh no, talking about serial number ranges and how recently your gun was made, before or after the "fixes". This reminds me of the 15-22...

Or the Ruger LCP

I bought mine on the 3rd of August. Serial # EAA23XX.

I bought mine from a new batch yesterday and the serial number is EAA78xx. I guess I will put a few more rounds through it and se what happens.

Received my Bodyguard 380 back today August 30th and I had sent it off August 19th and they received it the 23rd which was over a weekend. Good turnaround. I had asked them for a mag for my trouble and they sent one in the box. I will report back after my next range session this week. The take down lever still seems too easy to back out but I will wait and see. I had to call as nothing was noted on the info inside the box as to what work was performed. I called the 800 number and was told they replaced a spring, barrel stop and take down lever.

Hey 3Shot, have you had any progress on your 'assembly pin backing out' issue? Just curious as I now have the same issue

My BG 380 is still with S&W. In fairness, they only received it on 8/23. I really hope they have an accurate handle on what is causing the take down pin and trigger problems, and can put permanent fixes in. I'll report back when I have the gun and a chance to run some ammo through it.

I will try to get to the range on Wed or Thu and post a reply on whether or not the take down problem was fixed for me and waiting for the a reply from 3shot also on the same issue.

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.

__________________
NRA Life Member

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.

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.

Spec5, mine is back at S&W for the same problem. What do you think the odds are that it will come back truly fixed?

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.

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.

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?!?!

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.

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.

__________________
NRA Life Member

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.

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

Sorry to hear about your experience Wolverine.

I"ve had the opposite, early EAA model, I've had it approx 6 months, give or take. Not a single FTE,FTF, or other problem, over 700 rounds now.

Laser button works easily now with a quick crisp poke at it with my finger. A little practice and now its second nature. Trigger pull has evened out over time and I have no complaints.

Don't give up yet, they can get it right.

I have sent my EAKxxxx BG380 in for numerous malfunctions twice in two months! *(The 1st time they replaced the entire lower receiver, CBGxxxx Ser# one out of a First Edition set, w/the EAK serial no#). Haven’t been to the range yet since getting it back the 2nd time but here is an excerpt from the letter I enclosed to S&W upon my second return…
“The new gun has as many problems as the first…I went to range on 3/26 with two friends, one shooting another new Bodyguard 380 and one with a new Taurus TCP380…results as follows…
(1) I had almost every round FTE w/Independence 90g FMJ 380 ammo (would jam and double feed) the other BG 380 and Taurus had no problems with the same ammo.
(2) Approx. 80% FTF rate w/PMC Bronze 90g FMJ ammo, the other friend with his BG 380 also had FTF’s but around a 40% rate (possibly bad ammo) however the Taurus TCP 380 fired and ejected every round of the same ammo without fail.
(3) The new BG 380’s laser activation buttons worked perfectly out of the box, however during the range session, the right button became almost impossible to activate requiring far too much force, rendering in essentially useless in a defensive situation.
(4) The magazines will not drop free in this new gun? They were tight and difficult to engage out of the box and have loosened up somewhat, but still fail to fall free when ejected and must be removed with a free hand.
(5) The new trigger pull on the new gun seems even longer and harder than before, with the sear releasing only when the trigger is almost touching the rear of the trigger guard? Possibly OK from a liability standpoint but doing nothing to help accuracy…feels like it breaks at over 12lbs?
On the plus side, the new receiver’s safety works much easier. I also had on hand enough American Eagle (Federal) 95g FMJ, and Speer Gold Dot JHP ammo for one magazine of each, and encountered no FTF or FTE issues.
I would respectfully request at this point that you put a priority rush on this repair or replacement, since you will likely have this gun in your possession longer than I have since purchased, and as a courtesy to me for the myriad problems and time this gun has cost me. If, upon receipt of the next gun you return to me is also problematic, I request a refund of the full value of the gun or exchange on an entirely different Smith & Wesson product.”
This 2nd time S&W replaced the extractor, ejector, and mag catch but the warranty repair sheet states nothing about addressing the misfire/FTF problem, which of course would be anyone’s main concern…it certainly is mine. Since they have done absolutely nothing to correct this weapon’s main flaw, light primer strikes/misfires both times they have had the gun in-house for repair (a total of 8 weeks for both visits) I have no reason to believe I will see reliable discharge.
I really want to like this gun and keep it if I can get it to fire 100% reliably since it has great sights, is a soft shooter & very accurate for a small 380, and the slide stays open after last round and no mag safety features. But if it continues to misfire I’ll sell it or ask for a refund since it can’t be trusted for defense.

@cyclesport

I have a BG 380 which starts w/ EAHxxxx from when I bought it new. The ONLY time I have any FTE's are when I use low quality rounds. The BG380 UNLIKE the LCP & P3AT is made to use +P rounds. That means that very, much like the Gen 4 Glocks, if you low quality rounds through it that do not provide adequate power consistently, you WILL have issues.

I suggest going w/ RWS, Speer Lawman Clean-fire, Lawman regular, Winchester WinClean, or other reliable clean firing high velocity ammo. It does not make sense to train w/ underpowered ammo, just because it is cheap. Training in a way that does NOT emulate real world conditions as much as feasible, means you probably should not train at all. You will only develop training scars that way.

Good luck!

Quite frankly, when you manufacture and sell lethal weapons, you should not let the customer do the quality control. The fact that SW released this *** on the market, with so many fundamental problems, is glaring testament to the fact that SW simply doesn't gas. This arrogance is further substantiated by the attitudes conveyed by its customer disservice
personnel. They don't care and will say anything simply to get you off the line. After reading all of these "glowing" reports, it's clear that the Bodyguard 380 will be an embossed carbuncle on SW's reputation. As for me, if I can ever get the thing back into serviceable condition, I'll dump it, never buy another SW, and buy a Colt.

S&W = life time warranty. Why? Because your going to need it with this pistol. If S&W expects the customers to do its testing on these pistols the least they could do is provide the ammo. 380 is not cheap.

would love to pick up the p380 but I am in Taxachusetts where it is not cleared and after emailing Kahr doesnt look like it will be anytime soon

I really like the look and fell of the Diamondback 380 but the net is full of similar reliability issues. It seems like the LCP might be my best 380 CC option. My wife is sticking to her 642 CT snubbie with perfect reliability.

Anyone have any idea how long it taks Smith to debug a gun? I wish there was a "clean date" for BG 380 and DB 380.

well i picked up my BG380 went to range and two mags in the laser failed to work at all. It worked at house when I was checkin the functions so I will call CS and begin the process. The gun worked flawlessly for 100 rounds

just mailed the laser out today we will see how long it takes to come back. Cust Serv said a new one would be shipped upon receipt of mine

I wish I would have listen to you sooner. I bought one and after each round fired had to push tigger forward to recock.Will not be using this weapon for CCW or backup. Will use for a paper weight. Good luck last S&W for me back to Sig's