Update on Bodyguard .380 Mag Issue

[kbm6893]

I'm enjoying my M&P BG380 and am aware of the mag hang ups as you insert a mag. I do NOT slam it in to break it in. I press the mag release button as I slide it in. But if you look into the mag well, there is a little plastic piece across from the mag release button. It is that piece that the mag hits. Pressing the mag release retracts that piece and allows it to slide in with no resistance.

But today I noticed something. With the mag out the slide lock is down flush in its slot. Inserting a magazine will raise that slide lock up to the top of the slot. I'm just gonna continue doing what I do with it but I have never seen a magazine physically raise the slide lock. Try it out. Remove the mag and as you do see if the slide lock falls. Then insert the mag and see if it rises. Mine sure does.

 

[Ballistic147]

The Bodyguard slide lock button will move up when you insert an empty mag because it's the mag follower that activates the slide lock after the last round is fired. Nothing wrong there at all.

On the mag hanging thing, there's nothing wrong with the way you're installing the mag but it's going to take a really long time to break it in if it ever does. On my wife's BG the mag is just starting to break in now after about 300 rounds and inserting a mag is much easier. I taught her to give it a good whack to get it past the hang up from the very start.

 

[kbm6893]

I don't think giving it a whack is a good idea. The mag hits that piece squarely and there have been more than one posts on here about the mag not staying in anymore. Never saw the wisdom in forcing something in that didn't want to go in. Sounds to me like "breaking it in" means wearing down the piece in question to the point that it slips by. Easy enough to do since its plastic, but I don't want to risk the magazine not staying seated.

 

[Old cop]

The only time I do the wack thing when inserting a new mag is when I'm at the range and doing a combat reload. Other than that I push in the mag release button when loading after cleaning.

 

[USMCEMBASSY]

look in here...

Hello,

I'm waiting for the return of my M&P 380 via S&W repair because my mag falls out while firing also I can wiggle the loaded mag and it too will come out.

Looking inside, appears "catch" to be rounded/chipped? another poster said his is the same... that being said, I'm unsure why the mag falls out while firing. Got the label from S&W, waiting for it return... Went and bought the Glock 42 (felt naked) without, shoots left, but that's another story.

 

[kbm6893]

Did you experience those issues right out of the box? Did you get the mag resistance and then whack it in to seat the mag?

I agree that it is a minor inconvenience to have to press the mag release to smoothly seat a mag. If there is a fix for it S&W should fix it and issue a recall. But as long as the gun is reliable, and mine so far has been, then I can live with the mag issue. I like a manual safety on a gun and the BG is the lightest and smallest gun out there with one. Much smaller than the Glock 42.

 

[USMCEMBASSY]

I totally agree sir. No problems out of the box, just after about 200 rounds problems occurred. The G42 is a bit larger, dislike no safety or double strike. At my age, light and small is what I want, just waiting for S&W to return been about two weeks now.

 

[randyr5]

I'm sure that a re-shaping of the mag catch/release would fix the problem, but I doubt that S&W will do anything about it now. I would try it myself if Smith would sell me a couple of spares, but that isn't going to happen.