S&W Bodyguard 2.0 slide release issue

[Rf53]

It will get easier and better. The BG 2.0 is a tight little bugger in many ways. The magazines are a bit*h to load fully if not impossible at first by hand. The slide recoil spring is extremely stiff, most women and anyone with weaker hands will have a problem racking it. But they will loosen up with use.

Good to hear. I have no problem with the fact it has tight fittings. That is much preferable to the alternative. I did notice that the safety was very tight at first but after engaging it a few times it was easy to deploy and release. Racking has not been an issue. The only thing that seems super tight is the slide release as mentioned before. So much so that I was afraid I was doing something wrong. Now that I know it operates as a release I will work it in using dummy rounds until it feels right.

I appreciate all the assistance. My policy with a new gun is to familiarize myself with the weapon and train dry until I know how to operate every function so there are no surprises when I go live.

 

[Brian Parrish]

In a fight.

Obviously not a dumb question, judging by the opinions of our family here on this fine forum. There is no such thing as a dumb question, however the guy asking it....Ha!

I am of the slide release school of thought.
I do not mind that on the forum here there are many who use a lot of emotional intensity. I suggest we ignore it and accept it. There is probably some deep psychological reason why this is so.

The Les Baer with a recoil buffer installed simply cannot be released by me using the slingshot method. However, my 3rd gen EDC gun can be reliably and confidently operated using the slide release lever. It has never failed.

I was taught to operate the magazine release button with the support hand and also use it to operate the slide release. The two-hand hold is the default posture in gunfighting. Operating the controls with the support hand allows you to maintain a firm firing grip when moving and when in close-quarter fighting.

A very real advantage to the pull-back method appears whenever your slide happens to not lock back. If you have a practiced habit of chambering a round by grabbing the rear of the slide and pulling back, it is a simple matter to rack the new round in.

I believe that your Bodyguard 2.0 can be made to work. I agree with your plan of dry firing and breaking it in, but it does reliably lock back, and you can always chamber a round by pulling back on the slide right?
If you cannot reliably release the slide with the lever, you should get it fixed. If there is time you could send it in under warranty. If you've got the money, just go consult with a trusted gunsmith. IMHO.

Kind Regards!
BrianD

 

[Rf53]

Obviously not a dumb question, judging by the opinions of our family here on this fine forum. There is no such thing as a dumb question, however the guy asking it....Ha!

I am of the slide release school of thought.
I do not mind that on the forum here there are many who use a lot of emotional intensity. I suggest we ignore it and accept it. There is probably some deep psychological reason why this is so.

The Les Baer with a recoil buffer installed simply cannot be released by me using the slingshot method. However, my 3rd gen EDC gun can be reliably and confidently operated using the slide release lever. It has never failed.

I was taught to operate the magazine release button with the support hand and also use it to operate the slide release. The two-hand hold is the default posture in gunfighting. Operating the controls with the support hand allows you to maintain a firm firing grip when moving and when in close-quarter fighting.

A very real advantage to the pull-back method appears whenever your slide happens to not lock back. If you have a practiced habit of chambering a round by grabbing the rear of the slide and pulling back, it is a simple matter to rack the new round in.

I believe that your Bodyguard 2.0 can be made to work. I agree with your plan of dry firing and breaking it in, but it does reliably lock back, and you can always chamber a round by pulling back on the slide right?
If you cannot reliably release the slide with the lever, you should get it fixed. If there is time you could send it in under warranty. If you've got the money, just go consult with a trusted gunsmith. IMHO.

Kind Regards!
BrianD

Good advice. It is only two days out of the box and no range time yet. I will work on the release with dummy rounds in the mag and then put some rounds through it. If it is still very stiff that may be the time to consider a gun smith. Luckily the place where I purchased it is full service, but I’m sure all it needs is some exercise.

 

[LVSteve]

To me, the slide lock/release discussion marks the divide between those trained/indoctrinated with the 1911 manual of arms, and most people born after 1970. My view is the slingshot method works on 90+% of production semi-autos. The same cannot be said for the slide "whatever" lever, even between different models from the same maker.

 

[CajunBass]

Well, every pistol I’ve ever carried has had a smooth slide release that allowed easy operation out of the box. The BG2 is the first time I encounter a slide release that is so stiff. If I am reading you correctly it can be used as I have been trained and it should become easier to release with time. Correct?

I have always used that gizmo as a slide release, going back to my IPSC club days in the 80's. 1911's, Model 39's and other semi auto's. Some were stiffer than others with Glocks being about the worst I think. Shields have been pretty stiff to, but time and use seem to loosen them up. I suspect these are not precision made parts and they just don't fit together as precisely as you might think they do, and there is a lot of spring pressure on them. Time and use wear those parts together.

A drop of oil, or a dab of greese doesn't seem to hurt either.

 

[ken158]

I’m not sure you understood me correctly and I’m not sure I understand you. I do insert a full magazine with a locked back slide and then use the slide release to send one round home. That is exactly how I was instructed for many years. If you are in action and your pistol locks back empty the proper procedure is to drop the magazine, insert a fresh magazine, and release the slide. At least that’s how I was taught.

I agree that releasing the slide with an empty magazine or no magazine may be bad for the pistol because it can damage the extractor. However, this depends on the type extractor, and the type of metal the gun is made from.

I believe the slide release on the bodyguard 2.0 is very tight from the factory, but can be used as described above. I’m just trying to confirm that.

Some guns have a slide stop and some have a slide release. Although many insist on releasing the slide with a “slide stop”, it is not designed for that and why your manual will instruct the shooter to “slingshot” the slide. A good instructor will advise you how to properly release your slide.

 

[halfmoonclip]

"Pull the slide fully to the rear and lock it back using the Slide Stop. Next push down on the Slide Stop to chamber the first round into the barrel. Do not chamber a round by pulling back on the slide and letting go of the slide. This may cause the slide to not go fully into battery."
.

This is absolutely true of the Kahr, at least partially because the recoil spring shares a parts number with a Kenworth spring.... Seriously, the recoil springs are brutal, and it is difficult to fully rack them, manually.
I was in the habit of releasing with the stop, but the first stage of our current carry gun league requires picking up an empty pistol, loading a magazine, and then chambering a round, against the clock. I've found an overhand grasp, push pull is faster than using the stop.
Moon

 

[CajunBass]

To me, the slide lock/release discussion marks the divide between those trained/indoctrinated with the 1911 manual of arms, and most people born after 1970. My view is the slingshot method works on 90+% of production semi-autos. The same cannot be said for the slide "whatever" lever, even between different models from the same maker.

(Raising hand) This is me. I'm an old coot, and the Colt GM, 1911 was the first "automatic" (we never called them a semi-auto) handgun I ever fired, followed closely by the Smith and Wesson Model 39-2. I was in a local IPSC club and while I didn't worship at the feet of Jeff Cooper, he was pretty influential. It was a slide release, and got used as such. The "slingshot" was a backup methoid of charging the gun when things didn't go as planned.

Along came Glock and those rascals were as tight as ticks. You pretty much had to slingshot them, that was probably one reason I never really cared for Glocks. I mean they were good guns, but didn't really want to work the way I said they were supposed to. Same thing with the Smith and Wesson Shields. I learned the slingshot method, but didn't really like it. Eventually those guns would work in, or I bought used ones that were already broken in to where I could use the slide release the way I knew it was supposed to work and I was happy with them. Heck, I've even got a Glock I like now.