I hope I am posting this report in the right place. If not, please move it for me.
I purchased a M&P 380 yesterday at Academy Sports for 350$.
I have been looking for a good pocket carry pistol and had shied away from the Bodyguard due to the built in laser module.
I had been leaning toward the Glock 42 but after seeing they were picky about ammo and the Bodyguard ate anything, (at least from what I had read), I decided to go with the M&P Bodyguard. The decision also included my desire for a long trigger rather than the Glock "Safe Action" design. I also own a Sig P238 and love it, but I won't pocket carry a single action or a trigger safety design. That's just me.
I own two Smith and Wesson Revolvers. I have a Centennial Airweight and a Governor. The Governor is my fun gun and rattlesnake deterrent. The long trigger on the Bodyguard seemed to be similar from the reviews.
Enough intro, on to the function test.
I took this gun out and did not shoot paper for accuracy. This test was only for function and reliability, shooting into a dirt berm.
Here is the ammo I used along with the quantity shot:
Winchester PDX1 Defender 95 grain - 13 rounds
Remington HTP 88 grain - 6 rounds
Hornady Critical Defense 90 grain - 25 rounds
Monarch 94 grain - 50 rounds
I fired a total of 94 rounds through the pistol.
There were no FTFs whatsoever. The PDX1 had the most felt recoil, but I liked it. My usual carry round in all my weapons is the Hornady CD. It was soft shooting in the M&P Bodyguard. Not as soft as the P238, but easily managed. The Remington HTP functioned flawlessly. I shot those 6 rounds to get rid of it. It had given my P238 some headaches. The Monarch ammo was very soft shooting. It was almost too soft.
Now, for the interesting things that happened. I shot this ammo in the following order:
1. Winchester
2. Remington
3. Monarch
4. Hornady.
I had no issues until the Monarch ammo. With this ammo, I had to pull the trigger twice on about 4 occasions to set the round off. I am not sure why this was the case. It is cheap ammo. I was still getting the hang of the long trigger reset. It could be ammo or user error. Eventually, all rounds went bang. Did I say I like the second strike capability?
The only other issue I had was during the Hornady strings. After one of the strings of fire, the slide did not lock open. The last round ejected fine. I attribute this to the gun being dirty from the Monarch ammo, or me inadvertently tapping the slide stop after the last shot. It did not affect further strings of fire.
Overall, I am very pleased with this weapon. I had less issues with it than my Sig P238. It fits my hand better than the Sig as well. I am pleased with how well it disappears in a pocket. I'm a skinny six-footer. It's hard to make something disappear in the Texas summer.
Coming from my J-frame, after working with this trigger, I like it. If I treat it like a long revolver trigger, it performs well. It doesn't feel heavy to me, and actually seemed rather smooth. I have to let it reset all the way!
I hope this report wasn't too long winded. Enjoy the rest of your day.
I purchased a M&P 380 yesterday at Academy Sports for 350$.
I have been looking for a good pocket carry pistol and had shied away from the Bodyguard due to the built in laser module.
I had been leaning toward the Glock 42 but after seeing they were picky about ammo and the Bodyguard ate anything, (at least from what I had read), I decided to go with the M&P Bodyguard. The decision also included my desire for a long trigger rather than the Glock "Safe Action" design. I also own a Sig P238 and love it, but I won't pocket carry a single action or a trigger safety design. That's just me.
I own two Smith and Wesson Revolvers. I have a Centennial Airweight and a Governor. The Governor is my fun gun and rattlesnake deterrent. The long trigger on the Bodyguard seemed to be similar from the reviews.
Enough intro, on to the function test.
I took this gun out and did not shoot paper for accuracy. This test was only for function and reliability, shooting into a dirt berm.
Here is the ammo I used along with the quantity shot:
Winchester PDX1 Defender 95 grain - 13 rounds
Remington HTP 88 grain - 6 rounds
Hornady Critical Defense 90 grain - 25 rounds
Monarch 94 grain - 50 rounds
I fired a total of 94 rounds through the pistol.
There were no FTFs whatsoever. The PDX1 had the most felt recoil, but I liked it. My usual carry round in all my weapons is the Hornady CD. It was soft shooting in the M&P Bodyguard. Not as soft as the P238, but easily managed. The Remington HTP functioned flawlessly. I shot those 6 rounds to get rid of it. It had given my P238 some headaches. The Monarch ammo was very soft shooting. It was almost too soft.
Now, for the interesting things that happened. I shot this ammo in the following order:
1. Winchester
2. Remington
3. Monarch
4. Hornady.
I had no issues until the Monarch ammo. With this ammo, I had to pull the trigger twice on about 4 occasions to set the round off. I am not sure why this was the case. It is cheap ammo. I was still getting the hang of the long trigger reset. It could be ammo or user error. Eventually, all rounds went bang. Did I say I like the second strike capability?
The only other issue I had was during the Hornady strings. After one of the strings of fire, the slide did not lock open. The last round ejected fine. I attribute this to the gun being dirty from the Monarch ammo, or me inadvertently tapping the slide stop after the last shot. It did not affect further strings of fire.
Overall, I am very pleased with this weapon. I had less issues with it than my Sig P238. It fits my hand better than the Sig as well. I am pleased with how well it disappears in a pocket. I'm a skinny six-footer. It's hard to make something disappear in the Texas summer.
Coming from my J-frame, after working with this trigger, I like it. If I treat it like a long revolver trigger, it performs well. It doesn't feel heavy to me, and actually seemed rather smooth. I have to let it reset all the way!
I hope this report wasn't too long winded. Enjoy the rest of your day.
