Well I decided to bite the bullet, so to speak, and ordered a new M&P Bodyguard 380 from a friend that is a home based FFL. I was pleasantly surprised when they released a non-laser version and added the M&P stylings.
The weapon came in last Monday and I took delivery. My initial impression was good. I liked the size, weight and feel. The trigger pull was about as bad as I expected having owned a early LCP. I eagerly took it home for it's first field strip and cleaning.
This is where things went bad. I kept obsessing over just how gritty the trigger felt and found myself with a Streamlight in my mouth as I feverishly fondled the thing as it just didn't seem right. Then I spotted it. The hammer sat straight up and down at rest but a bit of pressure from pulling the trigger made it shift and lean over to the right. As the hammer cycled through its motion, it rubbed the right hand side of the slide. Field stripping and inspection revealed a small "rainbow" on the slide where the hammer was rubbing. Not good.
That Tuesday (the day after purchase) I called Smith. Very nice people. I was assured this was not acceptable and definitely not normal. I was advised to send it in but they were not taking any new repairs until August 11. Really? I just bought a new pistol and was asked to wait several weeks before I could sent it in to rectify a defect. It is what it is I suppose. Not the end of the world.
I contacted my FFL friend and upon discussing the situation with his distributor, they agreed to replace it with another pistol. RMA number was issued and off it went.
I picked up my exchange/replacement from my FFL today. The new BG seems much better. The hammer still shifts a bit to the right when in motion, but does not appear to touch the slide....yet. For now I'll hang on to it a bit to see how it does. I always have the lifetime warranty to fall back on. I wonder if this is a characteristic of these new models or if quality control just isn't what it once was.
I'm curious, anyone else have any issues with the new model?
The weapon came in last Monday and I took delivery. My initial impression was good. I liked the size, weight and feel. The trigger pull was about as bad as I expected having owned a early LCP. I eagerly took it home for it's first field strip and cleaning.
This is where things went bad. I kept obsessing over just how gritty the trigger felt and found myself with a Streamlight in my mouth as I feverishly fondled the thing as it just didn't seem right. Then I spotted it. The hammer sat straight up and down at rest but a bit of pressure from pulling the trigger made it shift and lean over to the right. As the hammer cycled through its motion, it rubbed the right hand side of the slide. Field stripping and inspection revealed a small "rainbow" on the slide where the hammer was rubbing. Not good.
That Tuesday (the day after purchase) I called Smith. Very nice people. I was assured this was not acceptable and definitely not normal. I was advised to send it in but they were not taking any new repairs until August 11. Really? I just bought a new pistol and was asked to wait several weeks before I could sent it in to rectify a defect. It is what it is I suppose. Not the end of the world.
I contacted my FFL friend and upon discussing the situation with his distributor, they agreed to replace it with another pistol. RMA number was issued and off it went.
I picked up my exchange/replacement from my FFL today. The new BG seems much better. The hammer still shifts a bit to the right when in motion, but does not appear to touch the slide....yet. For now I'll hang on to it a bit to see how it does. I always have the lifetime warranty to fall back on. I wonder if this is a characteristic of these new models or if quality control just isn't what it once was.
I'm curious, anyone else have any issues with the new model?
