Bodyguard 380: Finally Reliable!

[Heyman]

CORRECTION AND UPDATE at reply #73 in this thread.

I have been posting a series about the saga I have been going through with my Bodyguard (non-laser) 380. I stopped posting after Part 6 because it was getting depressing.

Here's a recap:

Gun #1: Numerous problems, common to this gun, all repaired by S&W except a persistent FTFire issue. All brand-name US ammo, FTFired on most brands occasionally, but most regularly on Wnchester White Box. After four trips back and forth to S&W they replaced it with:

Gun #2: A couple minor glitches, and again the FTFire. Installed Galloway spring and firing pin, made no difference. Started working with a guy from another forum who is well regarded as a BG380 expert, and took the gun apart completely for a thorough inspection. Didn't find anything that could explain the problem.

Against all common sense, I bought a backup gun, #3, to have when #2 was off getting repaired. My wife, who is normally very understanding about these things, said, "So you're buying TWO guns that don't work?!" A little crazy, but I really liked the gun and wanted it to work.

Gun #3, the backup, did the exact same thing. FTFire about 1 out of 10 rounds of Win WB.

Talked with a supervisor at S&W who was very understanding and helpful. He agreed they had been working on this problem, and hinted they thought they were on the path to a solution. I pressed him to tell me what it was and he told me they thought the length of throw of the firing pin might be too short, and they were redesigning it. So I sent gun #2 in to hopefully get it fixed.

Got Gun #2 back from S&W with their typical vague description of what they did. The minor problems were fixed, but the FTFire was the exact same. Called my supervisor connection but he could not confirm whether the new-design firing pin had been installed. Sent it back the second time. Hoped he might look after it personally.

Got Gun #2 back and took it out yesterday. Torture tested it with four brands of ammo, especially Win WB, its nemesis. Ran it hot, fired slow and easy, fast and hard, didn't clean it. After 110 rounds, the gun... wait for it...

...

...

performed PERFECTLY!

I am so pleased with this thing, finally. Despite the six times I had to send two guns back to S&W (not to mention Gun #3 that I still need fixed), S&W has really put the effort into taking care of me without a hassle.

I really like this gun a lot, as it is my EDC. Once you go small, it's hard to go back up to a 9. Next I need to see how it likes +P ammo...

So Gun #3 is going back for hopefully the same treatment, and then I'm selling it.

David

Most of my guns are S&W guns. I just love them. But excuse me when I have to disagree that they really put the effort into taking care of me without a hassle. If that were truly the case, they wouldn't have returned a gun that wasn't working on five separate occasions. I had a similar experience years ago with a M&P15. The gas keys weren't staked properly, and it took 3 trips and a nasty letter for them to finally fix the issue. Don't get me wrong, I love S&W firearms, but they could do a lot better of a job of actually correctly diagnosing an issue and repairing it properly the first time. It would save us the headache of constantly having to ship it back to them, and it would save them shipping costs.

 

[Shooter6br]

Got a revolver

I bought a 638..................100% reliable with all 38 Special ammo

 

[RV4driver]

Anyone have a good, easy solution for cleaning out firing pin channel without disassembling slide? Appreciate any feedback.[/QUOTE]

Spray any good solvent in where you can, let it sit for a bit, then use compressed air to blow out the residue and solvent. Make SURE you get all the debris and solvent out. It should be dry in the channel when you get done. Anything left in there will more gunk to adhere to what's left.

Removing the rear sight and all that entails is not something you want to do, even once, if you can help it.

 

[oldiegoldie]

appreciate your solution. Will give it a try. As for removing sights I have done that quite often, changing out firing pins on my and brothers .380 Body Guards. I use a good sight pusher, but still it is a couple of hour job [a good smith could do it in half that time] and not something I want to spend much time doing. Again, thanks for replying.

 

[David Drickhamer]

Hi All.
I recently purchased a 380 Bodyguard with the intentions of using it for concealed carry. This weekend was the first time I had it out shooting. Here's my problem. After firing about a dozen shots it will no longer function. I pull the trigger and nothing happens. The hammer will not move. I'm wondering if anyone else has had this happen or heard of this problem.
Thanks in advance for any replies.

Just got my BG back this week. Haven't shot it yet much but it works, Plus they noted they did a trigger job on it. Now I'm tempted to send back my Shield.

 

[kevinmcc2]

So I think I might purchase me one tomorrow... I am still a little leary about reliability but I need a new pocket carry gun..

 

[johnpem]

i posted earlier that my bodyguard went back for a few things. was still getting light strikes on fiocchi xtp. i put in the galloway hammer spring and fired off 40 rounds of the fiocchi and all looked good. tried several other brands again and all went bang first time, must have just been on the edge. so far so good!!!
JP

 

[martybee]

Took the BG380 to the range and shot 50 rds. of 100gr. RNFP with no light strikes or any issues. It has 700+rds. and is totally reliable.

mb

 

[stinedvd]

Thanks for the info. This thread is exactly the info I've been looking for.

 

[KSDeputy]

I studied pocket guns for a year and finally bought the BG .380 without a laser. Dry firing, it has the most atrocious trigger I have ever owned in my life. I want to shoot it. Is shooting it considerably different than dry firing it? No one makes any comment about the trigger pull, or the fact that when dry firing it, it doesn't break until almost to the back of the trigger guard. Is everyone having this experience?

 

[send my pistol back]

I studied pocket guns for a year and finally bought the BG .380 without a laser. Dry firing, it has the most atrocious trigger I have ever owned in my life. I want to shoot it. Is shooting it considerably different than dry firing it? No one makes any comment about the trigger pull, or the fact that when dry firing it, it doesn't break until almost to the back of the trigger guard. Is everyone having this experience?

That's just how it is. Your right about trigger. I found a fix to atleast feel kinda comfortable carrying it as a bug but will never carry it as a summer carry again because after taking it fully apart I just laughed how I got ripped off the kids have $4 toys from China that have better machined and molded parts in them. Should accually send it back again and hopefully get a refund but from my experience and what I read they pass it off like jeep does with the wrangler death wobble. But they feel that someone will trade or make it not there problem before sending it back to them several times just to get the run around. I got mine to be reliable for now but should have fully disassembled myself rather than relied on the web for reviews. If they offered me a full refund I wouldn't hesitate but for now I am keeping it so I can atleast have something we can laugh at in the shop. My advice send don't buy one if you do own one don't trust your life to it. I was a machining major after getting out of military and they should be ashamed they put the m&p on it. I showed the disassembled pistol it to shop I bought it from and the guy apologized and now won't take one In Trade unless he sold it. If you haven't shot it I would send it back to them and ask for full refund so you can buy a pistol made to protect yourself not a pistol designs for max profit. With its quality it probally is still profitable if they have to send each one back and forth several times till someone trade it. Any Hi points are twice the quality of the bg380

 

[Super Blackhawk]

Surprised

I was very surprised to read 380 issues. Normally Smith has no problems on a mature release forearm. I EDC either my Shield 9mm or my bodyguard 38 revolver n they are examples of flawless Smith performance n reliability....that's the only type of firearm n track record that I'd carry as SD gun.
Just wondering about the 380 now.... Sure doesn't sound like something Smith would put out there with problems to fire after 3+ years intro to the market... Any thoughts....??

 

[db4570]

So, "send my pistol back",

Exactly what did you find that was so atrocious about the machining? I have stripped down all 3 of my BGs completely to every last part, so feel I know them pretty well. I'm curious what you've found.

David

 

[Old TexMex]

I just put 150 rounds through my new BG .380, 50 Critical Defense, 100 hardball Fiocchi without a single problem.
I'm really impressed favorably.
By the way, I've carried a model 37 or 38 for close to forty years, and I have no reason to call the trigger pull "atrocious". It's a backup gun, not a Les Baer 1911, for heavens sake.

BG .380 First mag, rapid, drawn from conceal @ 30ft. Outdoor range. (Critical Defense.), after one mag rapid w/ Colt Officer ACP on first target.

 

[GTS Dean]

I studied pocket guns for a year and finally bought the BG .380 without a laser. Dry firing, it has the most atrocious trigger I have ever owned in my life. I want to shoot it. Is shooting it considerably different than dry firing it? No one makes any comment about the trigger pull, or the fact that when dry firing it, it doesn't break until almost to the back of the trigger guard. Is everyone having this experience?

I bought .380 snap caps and dry fired my BG well over 1000 times, plus lubed carefully in the right places. The trigger is really nice now, but it did not change the very late hammer drop.

I still experience occasional feed problems, despite judicious cleaning and lubrication. I had a problem this past September with the mag spring getting coil bound on itself and not moving the stack up.

 

[Silverlobo]

Add me to the Bodyguard carrying club. After reading here and watching several reviews about it, I stopped and bought one. I was mainly interested in pocket carry while I'm semi-dressed up and can't use my AG IWG/Shield combo. Starting to feel naked without carrying something.

 

[send my pistol back]

So, "send my pistol back",

Exactly what did you find that was so atrocious about the machining? I have stripped down all 3 of my BGs completely to every last part, so feel I know them pretty well. I'm curious what you've found.

David

Small designs that are made with same tolerances accepted in larger designs is a mistake. They won't admit it because it still pays them to play the send it in and back game while hand fitting and throwing parts at them. I don't know where to start but basically it's wasn't made to be a ccw it was made for max profit understood first time I took trigger and trigger bar out but that was just the beginning. I got mine to reliable now but trigger is screwed unless you want to put another 100 into a 150 dollar pistol. Compare it to a few of the cheapest pistols made or some kids toys like cheap rc cars some older appliances and you'll see same qulalities and similair materials. The slide is nice and I do like the Sig like lockup. If someone thinking about buying one I suggest tearing it down all the way and see the trigger and trigger bar.then look at some of the slightly larger 380s ( sig938 glock 42 and see if you can live with one of them.

There was a point were if I had to play Russian Roulette I would have pick that up over any revolver. Never will trust it but can't get the money I have in it so now it's just a lesson learned that goes to range and probally fail randomly again.

I understand for having three it ups.the olds of getting a shot off a bit and there easy to conceal. The restrike cap helps but my luck the magazine will fall out everytime I shoot it again if I carried it.

 

[Old cop]

The trigger pull on my M&P (no laser) .380 is about the same as my 442 so it's something I'm accustomed to.

 

[Szumi]

Primers?

I bought my BG380 no laser last weekend and only had time for 5 rounds which went bang first time and put a hurt on the plastic pop bottle I was using for a target. So far so good.

This weekend, I brought an assortment of of reloads and commercial ammo to have a go at the plate rack.

Right out of the box it was going click, click boom, click, click, click boom and I was not happy. This was with a box of Privi which must have some very hard primers based on the weakest primer indent I've ever seen.

Some magtech from back in 2000 or so took a second strike.
Some very old CCI Lawman 88 JHP was tried, only 6 rounds as I needed something to carry, but they went off with nice indents.

Looking at the pistol, it appears that the firing pin is inertial, as that the hammer hits it and the pin flies forward with the energy it picked up from the hammer. Hopefully the firing pin lock has released during that moment.

A heavier spring likely imparts a bit more velocity to the hammer and thus the pin flies a bit faster, I don't see how slightly longer pins really improve anything, if the energy required to indent a hard primers isn't there, poking it with a longer stick isn't going to help it.

I think I'm going to head up to the gun store and buy some federal primers and load up a batch of ammo to try.

It would be interesting to collect some statistics on what ammo has failed and the failure rate.

 

[Old TexMex]

Sticking with Hornady and trying PMC, put another 250 (200 PMC fmj and 50 Hornady critical defense) through with no problems. Fiocci,PMC and Critical d working fine with mine.