Bodyguard 380: Not Ready for Primetime

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.
 
Don't use **** ammo in BG 380

@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.
 
dmar said:
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.
Click to expand...

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
 
Diamondback 380

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
 
03GMC said:
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
Click to expand...

Well got the laser back today. Now I need to get out and try again to see if this one holds up.
 
My laser has now failed on me. Owned it for 3 months, it is my daily carry and I have put 250-270rds down range on it. I have already replaced the batteries and it is still dead. Button fix has been done already. Very disappointed in it as I also own a MP 15-22 and have been very happy with it and am looking at a full size M&P .40...but if the BG380 is an indication of quality on the semi auto handguns...I will be selling the BG380 and getting a Sig P238 and looking at a 4th Gen Glock 22
 
Turbo, I have to agree with offensive. This gun has some real problems. I usually shoot indoors and it shoots well. Today I went to an outdoor range and there was a bit of an overcast. The laser could't even be seen on the silhouette target. I was lucky to keep all of the rounds on the silhouette let alone in the center. The gun shoots at least 12 inches low from my aim point. Hell, I might have been better off throwing the gun at the target, but I CAN'T THROW 100 YARDS!. :D
 
Copnomore said:
Turbo, I have to agree with offensive. This gun has some real problems. I usually shoot indoors and it shoots well. Today I went to an outdoor range and there was a bit of an overcast. The laser could't even be seen on the silhouette target. I was lucky to keep all of the rounds on the silhouette let alone in the center. The gun shoots at least 12 inches low from my aim point. Hell, I might have been better off throwing the gun at the target, but I CAN'T THROW 100 YARDS!. :D
Click to expand...

Good one Cop... thanks. :)
 
I read about it, then I read about it again! S&W has fixed the lock falling out, they are fixing the laser on an as needed basis. They wrote some lawyerese. Now, what are they doing about improving the striker to make it reliable to dry fire? That is a deal killer for me, sorry!

I even waited and bought a later version to avoid the lock up failure issue. What is the MTBF on striker failure? That is what I care about the rest is just mean words!

Now mind the fact that I have preferred and bought S&W products for 51 years. I am not just some guy taking a verbal shot at you.
 
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Oldtrader3 said:
I read about it, then I read about it again! S&W has fixed the lock falling out, they are fixing the laser on an as needed basis. They wrote some lawyerese. Now, what are they doing about improving the striker to make it reliable to dry fire? That is a deal killer for me, sorry!

I even waited and bought a later version to avoid the lock up failure issue. What is the MTBF on striker failure? That is what I care about the rest is just mean words!

Now mind the fact that I have preferred and bought S&W products for 51 years. I am not just some guy taking a verbal shot at you.
Click to expand...

Ok, that's good to know... thanks. :)
 
Every one of these little autos from every manufacturer is having issues. They're CAD/CNC darlings to sell to newly minted CHL holders who are never going to experience a violent encounter and none of them are "enough gun." Look, if the PPK can't be made to shoot reliably, what chance does anything smaller have? Glock 26, don't go any smaller than that. Hopefully, the Shield will be an okay piece.
 
Wow has all this ever gotten off topic. I belong to other forums and haven't seen much of this kind of back and forth on them. I'm relatively new here. Hope this isn't the norm.

I posted this in another thread on here so I hope I don't bore people with it again but maybe it will help get this back on topic.

I currently own 2 BG 380's. My wife and I CC these for personal protection. We both love the small compact size of them.

To be honest I bought a Sig P238 first with the intent of using that for CC. However it is highly unreliable. It doesn't seem to matter what ammo i use it has had tons of FTE and some, but not as many, FTF. I need to take this gun to a gunsmith or see if Sig will stand behind it like S & W does because it just doesn't work right.

I bought the first BG 380 used and after shooting a couple hundred rounds through it without any issues I bought a second one. We love the gun and have had NO issues with either. I stumbled across this forum and these threads simply because I was looking for better sights for them (prefer some nice night sights). I tend to agree with whoever commented earlier in this thread about the laser not being worth it. If the day comes when I actually need this gun for the purpose I carry it (hope it never happens) there is no way the laser will help me, or at least I think it is highly unlikely to help. I'd really prefer to just upgrade to a nice set of sights.

Clearly we are fans of the BG380 and have had no issues. I have a couple of friends who also have had no issues with theirs. I guess it could be luck of the draw, who knows. I was clearly unlucky with the Sig I bought but I do own other Sigs that have no issues.

The most informative posting I've seen on potential issues with the Bodyguard 380 was in this thread -->

http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-...uard-380-anyone-had-their-misfires-fixed.html

The user BuckeyeChuck wrote a nice summary of the various issues that some on this board have had with the 380s. That thread, and specifically his summary was nicely written and helpful to anyone who owns or is thinking of buying a BG380. If you haven't read that thread I would suggest it is a good read and worth your time.
 
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