M&P bodyguard light striking.

dixie-cup-dan said:
it's light striking again!
I put about 40 rounds through it today and had 4 light strikes with CCI blazer ammo, but that wasn't the bad part about today's shooting experience.

The freaking thing basically exploded in my hand today. The take down pin blew out the side and split my thumb open. The entire upper portion of the gun was on the ground, as I held only the frame in my hand. At first I thought I had really hurt myself, but it was just a small flesh wound despite scarring the **** out of me.

Never again!. I'm done with this gun. I do like S&W, but this gun is garbage.
Click to expand...



Can I have it?[emoji3]


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Funflyer said:
Glad you're okay, could've been worse. Was it a kaboom, or just the TD pin breaking allowing the slide to come off? Some people have reported having problems inserting the TD pin. They don't get it seated properly or hooked on the spring all the way which could cause it to bind and break. Pictures?
Click to expand...

Just the TD pin blowing out. I'm not sure if the pin broke, as I couldn't find it. A pic wouldn't really show anything other than you can see that the spring that the TD pin fastens to is bent out a bit and the polly looks a little bulged around the slot that the pin fits into.

The injury is just a small cut and some bruising, but when it first happened I thought it was worse because of all the blood.
 
dixie-cup-dan said:
Just the TD pin blowing out. I'm not sure if the pin broke, as I couldn't find it. A pic wouldn't really show anything other than you can see that the spring that the TD pin fastens to is bent out a bit and the polly looks a little bulged around the slot that the pin fits into.

The injury is just a small cut and some bruising, but when it first happened I thought it was worse because of all the blood.
Click to expand...

dixie-cup-dan:
I feel your pain! I also have been getting light strikes with my BG380!
I have over 1500, rds. through my BG380. It is one of the original issue BG380's with the Insght Laser®. The laser has been replaced by S&W, (Crimson Trace®).
Up until now, no issues w/gun. At about 1,350 rds. the weapon began to exhibit "Light Strikes." I now get them about 8% of the time! Other then the LS, I love the way it handles and shoots, but I have no longer have confidence in the gun! It is not my CCW. (All rds. were at my LGS&R). Mostly ball ammo. The defensive rds. that I have shot, have not displayed any LS.
Needless to say, I am pondering the idea of putting it up for sale! I have the Shield 45 that I now shoot at the indoor range and it is every bit as good as the BG380! I though the Shield 45 would be difficult for me to shoot (I'm going on 86 years.) but it is as easy as the BG380! That little pocket gun is very snappy!
I'm hoping S&W comes out with a Small Shield 380 which I believe would be so much nicer than the hammer fired .380.
Until then, I will continue to shoot and enjoy my Shield 45 and 9mm.
Thanks for letting me vent!
 
I feel your pain matrybee b/c I really like the gun too but when I lose confidence in a carry gun that's it. I've carried a J frame for well over 40 years and never had a problem related to reliability. The newest one is a 340PD which is about the same weight as the LCP I p/u on sale just prior to the LCP II coming out. During my 30 year LEO career I had to my service revolver in the line of duty more than once and it save my butt so some of my revolver "love" may be emotional, but I know it will work when/if needed.
 
Old cop said:
I feel your pain matrybee b/c I really like the gun too but when I lose confidence in a carry gun that's it. I've carried a J frame for well over 40 years and never had a problem related to reliability. The newest one is a 340PD which is about the same weight as the LCP I p/u on sale just prior to the LCP II coming out. During my 30 year LEO career I had to my service revolver in the line of duty more than once and it save my butt so some of my revolver "love" may be emotional, but I know it will work when/if needed.
Click to expand...

I think you have a very unique and fine piece in the 340pd! Small CCW in a 5-shot J-frame 357 magnum!
Congrats!
 
When the first one`s came out i bought one `cause i liked the laser design of it , but it started having LS issue`s somewhere around my 300 to 400 rounds fired mark , i couldn't figure it out and talking to S&W back then was a joke so when the M&P version came out and was getting good reviews i traded my old one in on a new one , And , at less than the same rounds fired mark as my old one had it started having LS issue`s worse than the old one ! I was getting 3 to 4 LS`s in every magazine i tried to shoot , but the funny thing is it would shoot the first 3 or 4 mags with no problem , i really was PO`d about this and got back online and seen im not the only one again with issues ! So because i really like this little excuse for a pistol i bought the Galloway trigger kit for it and installed it without the hammer spring because i could hardly pull the trigger with it installed , while i had the slide apart and the firing pin out i polished the firing pin channel and lightly deburred and polished the pin and the blocker bar (i guess its called) and reassembled , now after 150 rounds that varied of different brands i had on hand i only had 2 LS . I dont know what did it , the trigger kit or the polishing but i did notice that when watching the hammer as it is released from the trigger pull ( dry fire with a snap cap ) that it travels in a sort of right to left kind of arc ( i went and looked at a few more at a couple different gun stores and it seems a common thing ) and im wondering if the hammer is skimming on the inside of the slide somehow when things are heated up that's causing LS issues or maybe the blocker pin isnt being lifted high enough ? When you break down the pistol completely and take a good look at how the pistol is made and how it functions you`ll see that it "should" work as designed and reliably at that ,,, im just trying to understand why it doesn't and fix it . I have gotten a little closer i think , from listening to everyone else`s experiences and what they are trying. Thanks for posting your experiences !!!!
 
Mine had every problem that you have ever read about. I sent it back to S&W and when they returned it I traded it on a Sig. Best move I ever made on the small 380s. Glad I did and never looked back. My P238 would shoot rocks if you could load them.
 
lmacrichter said:
Mine had every problem that you have ever read about. I sent it back to S&W and when they returned it I traded it on a Sig. Best move I ever made on the small 380s. Glad I did and never looked back. My P238 would shoot rocks if you could load them.
Click to expand...

I've been looking at the P238. People complain that they're too much, but I have no problem paying that amount for a carry gun. I've never understood how someone could spend 2k on a custom over-under shotgun, but refuse to spend less than half of that on a carry gun that your life may one day depend upon.
At the end of the day, I have 5 guns that are designated as defense weapons, and I trust all of them with my life.

-My home defense guns are a plane Jane old cop style Remington 870 in the closet, and a CZ-P01 in the night stand. Both guns are as reliable as it gets.......100%

-My woods/camping gun is a S&W model 66 .357 mag. It's accurate, flawlessly reliable, and with a 6" barrel pushing 200 grain cast loads, it will stop any four legged creature in my part of the country.

-My daily carry is once again a $200 Kel-tec p3at with a crimson trace. It's ugly, but it goes bang every time and it carries easier than a wallet. The bodyguard has been retired.

-My SHTF gun is a century arms American made AK47. it's been perfect through a couple thousand rounds of garbage ammo.


The only gun on that list I wish to replace is the Kel-tec. While it's reliable, I just can't be satisfied with it, as it looks and feels like it was built by 10 year olds in Taiwan. That's why I picked up the bodyguard in the first place. Well, the BG is going byby, so these are what I'm considering to replace the Kel-tec.

S&W model 642
Sig P238
Colt Mustang
Kahr CW380

Thoughts, opinions, and experiences with these guns would be appreciated (Particularly in regards to how they pocket carry).
 
Don't forget The LCP2 for that list.

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Dan your list of in use firearms is simular to mine except I have a Savage dbl 20"10 ga home defence and a SD9VE IN NIGHT STAND,66-1 is my woods gun,no AR or AK:eek: BUT I love my Laser BG.380 over 1500 rounds without a hicup:cool:Now your want list, I didn't like the Colt,hated the G42+Remington.380,,gave my son my 642 after I trusted the BG...I do own a P238 SAS and I shoot it great flawless most accurate.380 I ever shot but I'm not confident yet with cocked and lock,she is a quality piece:),you should try a Ruger LCP Gen II My wife has one shoots great and handles well with a Ruger 7 round mag..ALSO don't over look a Shield very nice shooter.Good luck with your quest.
 
I almost picked up a BodyGuard until I watched three videos of light primer strikes and the magazines falling out while firing. I prefer my carry gun to be capable of eating any and all ammo with no issues. My Shield 9mm has never had one issue so it stays on my hip.

They need to discontinue the BodyGuard to save a lot of embarrassment but it's really to late for that.

How can you call an unreliable gun a BodyGuard?
 
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Noting wrong with them. Relax.

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Go out and buy a gun that has no negative videos. Good luck! [emoji3]


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Mine has two light strikes and one FTE all in the same bag of ****ty steel ammo. But yeah I don't trust it. Please....

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Bodyguard 380 Light Strikes

Didn't have that problem, but it would never feed the last
round in either magazine. Back to S&W, came back ok for the most part, but still fails to feed once in awhile regardless of its position in the magazine. A carry gun it ain't. But I've gotten very good with it and it's a blast to shoot! IMHO, I think the recoil spring is a bit heavy and the slide isn't making it all the way back, overriding the cartridge. Thought about hacking off a coil. 1100 rds. and the thing isn't reliable. Wishing it was isn't going to make me believe it's a self defense pistol. Anyone else work on the recoil spring? I'm curious, wouldn't do it unless I had another on hand.
 
ThrowinRocks said:
I almost picked up a BodyGuard until I watched three videos of light primer strikes and the magazines falling out while firing. I prefer my carry gun to be capable of eating any and all ammo with no issues. My Shield 9mm has never had one issue so it stays on my hip.

They need to discontinue the BodyGuard to save a lot of embarrassment but it's really to late for that.

How can you call an unreliable gun a BodyGuard?
Click to expand...

The BG is a quality piece. It's hands down the highest quality polly mouse gun on the market. The problem is that it's got a bad rep for not being reliable. S&W needs to put out a gen-2 with the light striking nonsense resolved ASAP, or they're going to get locked out of the mouse gun market for a long time because of this gun.

If S&W made a gen-2 bodyguard 380 that didn't have the light strikes in the near future I would buy another one, but considering that it is rumered that Beretta is working on a polly mouse gun that's going to be DA/SA, I got a feeling it's going to own this market if it's reliable and comparable in size and eright to the BG, LCP, or Kel-tec.
 
The S&W M&P Bodyguard is the 2nd gen. The original was just called the S&W Bodyguard.
 
There is a new version coming along with the new compacts for shot 18. No its not confirmed, but its talk among a lot of reps.
 
ThrowinRocks said:
The S&W M&P Bodyguard is the 2nd gen. The original was just called the S&W Bodyguard.
Click to expand...

The guts are identical. The M&P Bodyguard has a different frame, and that's it.

When I say 2nd gen, I mean like a Glock or Ruger mark series where they actually make the gun functionally different besides just the look.
 
dixie-cup-dan said:
The guts are identical. The M&P Bodyguard has a different frame, and that's it.

When I say 2nd gen, I mean like a Glock or Ruger mark series where they actually make the gun functionally different besides just the look.
Click to expand...

I don't think the Glock would be a good example. lol
What is functionally different from the Gen1-4?

You can reverse the mag release on the Gen4
 
ThrowinRocks said:
I don't think the Glock would be a good example. lol
What is functionally different from the Gen1-4?

You can reverse the mag release on the Gen4
Click to expand...


Frame dimensions
Universal accessory rail
Slide
Trigger assembly
Extractor
Sights
Adjustable back-strap
Magazine
Spring-loaded bearing
Firing pin safety and spring
Firing Pin
Striker
Trigger Bar

There are probably a lot more differences, but that's just off the top of my head. The original BG and M&P BG are essentially 99% interchangeable. They improved nothing outside of the looks and feel. A true 2nd gen completely re-engineered BG would address the biggest problem with the gun in that it seems to light strike.

Honestly, I think they should start from scratch and make the BG a DA/SA. If Beretta does it well, that's where the market for micro 380's is going to go IMO. Might as well jump on it before everyone else does.
 
dixie-cup-dan said:
Frame dimensions
Universal accessory rail
Slide
Trigger assembly
Extractor
Sights
Adjustable back-strap
Magazine
Spring-loaded bearing
Firing pin safety and spring
Firing Pin
Striker
Trigger Bar

There are probably a lot more differences, but that's just off the top of my head. The original BG and M&P BG are essentially 99% interchangeable. They improved nothing outside of the looks and feel. A true 2nd gen completely re-engineered BG would address the biggest problem with the gun in that it seems to light strike.

Honestly, I think they should start from scratch and make the BG a DA/SA. If Beretta does it well, that's where the market for micro 380's is going to go IMO. Might as well jump on it before everyone else does.
Click to expand...
Accessory rail came in on the Gen3 and 4. Back straps on the gen4 and I put Gen3 trigger assemblies in my Gen4's all the time. How can they not interchange?

If you want to get technical the slide changed dimensions on the Bodyguard. I don't think you'll see a DA/SA on a pocket pistol. Lighter triggers = more chances of a ND
 
ThrowinRocks said:
Accessory rail came in on the Gen3 and 4. Back straps on the gen4 and I put Gen3 trigger assemblies in my Gen4's all the time. How can they not interchange?

If you want to get technical the slide changed dimensions on the Bodyguard. I don't think you'll see a DA/SA on a pocket pistol. Lighter triggers = more chances of a ND
Click to expand...

You said gen1-gen4

Those are the things that I could think of off the top of my head that have changed between those models.

Also, DA/SA means the first shot is DA. How is that going to increase the chances of a ND over a gun that is DA only. My CZ's have a long 11lb DA trigger on the first pull. A Beretta 92 has also has an 11lb DA first pull. If you were in the Army in the last 30+ years, I would imagine you have at least some experience with said pistol. They don't go bang on accident like a striker fired pistol.
 
Last edited:
Yeah you're right. I see where that was going and it doesn't contribute to the issue.

I should've steered clear.
 
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