New S&W Revolver FAIL!!!

[StatesRightist]

Aside from the guy's understandable anger on his gun's failure, there is a overwhelming side point I see reading many of the responses here.

Common sense, verified by experience says carry MORE THAN ONE GUN. No one should ever walk out of the house depending on one gun, much less a snub. I get this guy was at the range, but many of you are debating which is reliable, the revolver or the Semi, the answer is neither is reliable enough to carry just one. Then there are the added issues of time to reload may not be there, access if pinned to a wall/ground etc. I have know of two people who's lives were decided by carrying a BUG and practicing with it. One had a felon on top of him beating his head into pavement, his strong hand was pinned, however he got to a BUG and shot the BG, getting him off him. The other guy carried a BUG, but apparently was not comfortable with it, he was killed at close range because he failed to realize he had time to pull gun #2, but not to reload gun #1.

Carry at least 2 guns, three is better. My usual carry is a N frame mag, a 642 and a 9mm semi, usually either a CW9 or a P228. I carry reloads for all and a knife. A knife in a closed area is invaluable in creating space to use your firearm.

Some of you may say overkill, the odds are blah blah. I have two thoughts for that.
1. How many of you expect to need a gun today? Answer 0, we all carry based on possibility not probability.
2. If you've never been in shot at or shot at someone else, be wise enough to take advice from people who have.

 

[StatesRightist]

DC, yes the "no advance" problem I saw with my BG38 (back when it actually worked) could be eliminated by doing exactly like you mention... Rolling the cylinder until it locks into place stopped mine from having the problem. However, it didn't give the same reassuring feel and click a standard S&W revolver does when it locks into place.

I also do the cylinder roll to ensure it is locked into place and because of this I never had an issue. I just wish I could still roll my cylinder!

Now Monday just before noon. Still no words from the good boys and girls at S&W.

Edmo

Edmo

Based on my dealings with S&W, call them, prepare for a 20-30 minute hold since you are not LEO, but it will get handled. Voice to voice works best with them. hope it's a smooth fix for you.

 

[spaniel]

Carry at least 2 guns, three is better.

So why not four? Five? Do they make bandoliers on which to holster all these pistols?

In twenty years of shooting, I can count the number of misfires/jams I have had which would have incapacitated my gun on one hand, and still pick my nose. These are the guns I also carry.

If the average citizen feels they need to carry three guns to feel safe, I think they need to either a) re-evaluate their choice of weapons, or b) their choice of locations frequented.

Really, in most of the SD situations ever encountered, if something happens to one's primary weapon the encounter will be over (for better or worse) before they get to a BUG and get it into play.

Are there exceptions? Sure. One could play that game forever. I bet I could find cases where people were armed and killed despite carrying, or where they were killed with their own gun...one cane use exceptions to make any point they want. But it's far more likely that additional guns will add nothing but weight than it is that they will be useful in an encounter...certainly if the purpose is to make up for a malfunctioning primary weapon.

 

[StatesRightist]

I would suggest going to KeepandBearArms.com, there are numerous reports on multiple assailants, more than 2 shot occurrences, or not. It's your decisions you live with.

Whatever you do, no sarcasm here, I hope you have a safe and routine day from now on, no sane person ever wants to get into a bad situation. If I knew I were going to get into one tomorrow, I would take the day off, stay home and watch ESPN instead.

 

[spaniel]

Nobody was citing exceptions. Thanks for your thoughts based on your adventures on the shooting range, I'll give them the weight they deserve. Please reread the possibility vs probability point I made. It's your butt, you do whatever makes you happy.

Citing a situation where a) the average person will need to defend themself, AND b) their primary weapon malfunctions, AND they have time to make use of a second gun, certainly puts any such example in the realm of being an exception. Especially when you escalate the risk of failure to the point that you recommend carrying at least 3 guns.

 

[Kavinsky]

my thought would be...using your rather lofty standards...don't trust any of them...they are mechanical and sometimes things happen...i know you have no grasp of that but....

well the thing is that stuff is usually based on who drove the car and how. Like if he drove it like a race car the brakes and tires will be well worn and the suspension will need repair or if the car took a hit on a specific side a few years earlier a part that was damaged on that side that wasn't replaced will eventually deterorate and brake.

plus the basic age of the car and if its been sitting long enough for the water thats used for the cooling system to damage and break anything in the downtime the cars had since you last drove it.

of course if something is **** from the getgo its going to perform like ****, car or gunwise. But hey that's why I like smith and wessons from the pre 1980 period as your almost always guaranteed to get a good revolver or pistol that will always work from that time period. Hell even its been abused it'll typically work.

its the 1980 - 85 and 94 to now period that has that kind of trouble though.

 

[RGMoore]

DC, yes the "no advance" problem I saw with my BG38 (back when it actually worked) could be eliminated by doing exactly like you mention... Rolling the cylinder until it locks into place stopped mine from having the problem. However, it didn't give the same reassuring feel and click a standard S&W revolver does when it locks into place.

I also do the cylinder roll to ensure it is locked into place and because of this I never had an issue. I just wish I could still roll my cylinder!

Now Monday just before noon. Still no words from the good boys and girls at S&W.

Edmo

Edmo

My BG38 failed to rotate once. It was in the middle of firing a cylinder full. BANG,BANG, Click- I thought I had a misfire but when I opened the cylinder, the second fired shell was under the hammer and I had three unfired shells left.
It only happened once but it was during the only 100 rounds I put through that gun. That and 2 misfires caused me to return it and say soyonara.

 

[kennyb]

well the thing is that stuff is usually based on who drove the car and how. Like if he drove it like a race car the brakes and tires will be well worn and the suspension will need repair or if the car took a hit on a specific side a few years earlier a part that was damaged on that side that wasn't replaced will eventually deterorate and brake.

plus the basic age of the car and if its been sitting long enough for the water thats used for the cooling system to damage and break anything in the downtime the cars had since you last drove it.

of course if something is **** from the getgo its going to perform like ****, car or gunwise. But hey that's why I like smith and wessons from the pre 1980 period as your almost always guaranteed to get a good revolver or pistol that will always work from that time period. Hell even its been abused it'll typically work.

its the 1980 - 85 and 94 to now period that has that kind of trouble though.

refer back to my prior statement...don't trust any of them...i have S&W's from 1882 to present...and they all work...no need here to divide and seperate by year

 

[Kavinsky]

Nah I've had a K22 lemon from the post 1990 time period that was sent back to the factory twice when it couldnt shoot all 6 in normal order and that was after it was sent to a gunsmith for that same problem (never did work right at all even after those trips to the factory and the gunsmith) and my father had that lemon 686.

and by abdiding by that rule I havent had a lemon since then, although I'm starting to find out that the 85 - 94 guns are as good as the early ones before 1980 and thus I'm changing that rule up abit.

 

[oldman45]

As with anything mechanical, it can fail. It is has moving parts, it can fail.
Glock fans only need to see some of the Glocks after a KaBoom or see some of the hands after the KaBoom. Each time I have to fire one of my Glocks, I think about getting a KaBoom.

As to the lockup, I cannot say what caused it in this case. I can say I have never had one but I follow the instructions (sometimes).

A friend had a lockup on his new S&W gun. It actually cracked. The fault was not in the gun but in his using hot handloads in a gun not designed for a steady diet of such. It happened on about his 20th shot.

Reading the instructions from any gunmaker says "Do not use reload ammo" Do not overheat a new firearm and many more things. People fail to read what comes with a new firearm and I am as guilty as anyone. If one asks those in gun repair shops what caused their problems, it will generally be user error.

 

[Edmo]

I Finally got the shipping label from S&W and sealed the pistol in the FEDEX Pak. Pickup is scheduled for this afternoon (8 Feb). After that, we'll hack the clock and report back with what happens.

As to hot loads, failure to follow directions, incorrect operation, abuse by the shooter, etc... We all know shooters who like to push limits. However, there is not even a chance any of that happened with this revolver so I will not entertain it. Simply put, this revolver with a limited number of "cycles" over less than a month malfunctioned. It is either a failure of an individual piece in the firearm, and/or a design flaw with this new BG38 Bodyguard action.

Regardless of the cause, it is all on S&W and a failure of their product. I'm sorry if that is hard to swallow for some of the dedicated S&W fans. I just want what I paid for, a handgun that works when I squeeze the trigger! I don't think that is too much to ask for.

More to come...

Edmo

 

[Copnomore]

I had a CCW student today with a brand new .38 Bodyguard. After firing the first cylinder full of ammo, she reloaded and brought the cylinder back into position but couldn't fire. I went to handle it as a misfire but I couldn't get the cylinder to open nor could I get it to turn. Finally, with some finagling (is that really a word?) I was able to get the cylinder to open up. The small ratchet paw in the center was stuck in the recessed position. A drop of oil failed to help. I finally thought I had it free and moving freely but it stuck recessed again. I sent her back to her dealer with an explanation and an UNSAFE remark at the bottom. They are sending it back to S&W. Tomorrow I have another new one for a class we’ll see how that one works.

 

[Copnomore]

I had a CCW student today with a brand new .38 Bodyguard. After firing the first cylinder full of ammo, she reloaded and brought the cylinder back into position but couldn't fire. I went to handle it as a misfire but I couldn't get the cylinder to open nor could I get it to turn. Finally, with some finagling (is that really a word?) I was able to get the cylinder to open up. The small ratchet paw in the center was stuck in the recessed position. A drop of oil failed to help. I finally thought I had it free and moving freely but it stuck recessed again. I sent her back to her dealer with an explanation and an UNSAFE remark at the bottom. They are sending it back to S&W. Tomorrow I have another new one for a class we’ll see how that one works.

Had another student with a new Bodyguard .38 today and it shot flawlessly!

 

[M3Stuart]

Does your Gen3 G19 have black or green plastic?

That's funny!

Is your plastic pistol black or green - LOL!

 

[andyo5]

Sorry to hear of your problem. I have had three bodyguard style guns, one steel, one scandium, and the current aluminum model 642. No malfunctions of any kind.
I know...goody goody for me. But what I mean to say is that this is not a common characteristic of these guns.
If you haven't sent it back yet, I wonder if you could remove the grips and side plate and take a photo of the internal mechanism. It sounds as though something is binding up the lockwork, which is inside the gun.
Only other thing I can think of is that the ejector rod is partly unscrewed. This would also make the cylinder very difficult to open.
But the trigger stuck backwards makes me think the problem is internal.

 

[Tyrod]

Sorry to hear of your problem. I have had three bodyguard style guns, one steel, one scandium, and the current aluminum model 642. No malfunctions of any kind.
I know...goody goody for me. But what I mean to say is that this is not a common characteristic of these guns.
If you haven't sent it back yet, I wonder if you could remove the grips and side plate and take a photo of the internal mechanism. It sounds as though something is binding up the lockwork, which is inside the gun.
Only other thing I can think of is that the ejector rod is partly unscrewed. This would also make the cylinder very difficult to open.
But the trigger stuck backwards makes me think the problem is internal.

The OP is referring to the new bodyguard 38, not the traditional J frame body guard. The mechanism is quite different. BTW the 642 is a Centennial.

 

[VaRecon]

When they make a gun that has no mechanical issues 100% of the time I'll be sure to pick one up.
I personally don't care for the BG38 but I'm sure like any mass production the occasional error will fall through.
That's why they have policies to deal with these sort of things. As for being disappointed that this occurred your first time shooting it, I would certainly rather have a gun malfunction the first time I tested it then after say a few hundred rounds when I trusted it.

 

[photoman]

BTW the 642 is a Centennial.

Ah yes... The 642 is a Centennial, not a Bodyguard and the new Bodyguard is a Centennial, not a Bodyguard. HAHA

 

[ladder13]

I Finally got the shipping label from S&W and sealed the pistol in the FEDEX Pak. Pickup is scheduled for this afternoon (8 Feb). After that, we'll hack the clock and report back with what happens.

As to hot loads, failure to follow directions, incorrect operation, abuse by the shooter, etc... We all know shooters who like to push limits. However, there is not even a chance any of that happened with this revolver so I will not entertain it. Simply put, this revolver with a limited number of "cycles" over less than a month malfunctioned. It is either a failure of an individual piece in the firearm, and/or a design flaw with this new BG38 Bodyguard action.

Regardless of the cause, it is all on S&W and a failure of their product. I'm sorry if that is hard to swallow for some of the dedicated S&W fans. I just want what I paid for, a handgun that works when I squeeze the trigger! I don't think that is too much to ask for.

More to come...

Edmo

So, what's to report?

I plead guilty to being a dedicated S&W fan, that's why I'm here. If I loved Glocks so much I'd be there.

 

[Edmo]

BG38 FAIL!!! UPDATE

I had a call today from the boys at S&W reference this faulty BG38 Bodyguard revolver of mine...

Apparently, the S&W technicians looked over my 2 month old revolver and declared it "unrepairable". The customer service rep said it would be destroyed and they would send me a new gun.

Based on my experience with the Bodyguard model BG38, I advised him I didn't want another one and instead I wanted the replacement to be a "no lock" model 642 with laser grip sights. I'll call him back tomorrow to give him an FFL in my area so he can ship it and close this chapter.

Hopefully this new little J frame will work as advertised and this will be the end of my small gun problems. I've had good service from a stainless model 60 J-frame I bought in the mid-1980s and have heard good service reports from 642 owners. The trigger will be heavier than that on the BG38, but at least the gun will will function and make BANG noises.

In the meantime, yesterday I bought another tupperware gun to fill the missing gun void!

Edmo