New S&W M&P Bodyguard Range Review

Retired-LEO

NES Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2012
Messages
3,357
Likes
2,458
Location
Framingham, MA.
Feedback: 20 / 0 / 0
This is a Brand NEW S&W M&P Bodyguard Pistol .380acp

I cleaned and inspected the pistol prior to shooting; And applied a good coat of FrogLube CLP.

All shooting was done at 50 feet (range rules) at an indoor range due to weather.
A total of 139 rounds of ammunition were fired as follows:

A) MagTech 95 grain FMJ (25 rounds), Flawless! Tight group 9"

B) PPU 94 grain FMJ (25 rounds) 1 hard primer strike, went off on 2nd strike. Group size slightly over 10"

C) Tula 91 grain FMJ (25 rounds) 4 hard primer strikes, ALL 4 went of on 2nd strike. Group size slightly under 11"

D) Sellier & Bellot 92 grain FMJ (25 rounds) 3 hard primer strikes, ALL 3 went off on 2nd strike. Group size about 10"

E) Winchester "Black Talon / 22 years old" JHP (14 rounds) Flawless! Tight group 8.5"

F) Hornady Critical Defense JHP (25 Rounds) (25 rounds) Flawless!! Tight group slightly over 9"

There were NO FTF or FTE, the pistol has a good kick! I normally would not put this many rounds through a gun of this type at one time (pocket gun)
Seeing as to how it is brand NEW I wanted to both Break-In the pistol and test it with various ammo.

I painted the front sight with white model paint to make the sight picture easier to distinguish front from rear sights (since they are completely black)

Accuracy was good considering the size of the pistol, the intended purpose and the fact that I had to shoot at 50 feet (far beyond what it was intended for)

Based on KNOWN primmer issues with both S&B and Tula in .380acp with most pistols. I feel that the pistol preformed well, and should do fine with any reputable "Carry Rounds" i.e.: Hornady Critical Defense, PDX-1, Hydra-Shok and so on...

Over the past 25+ years I have owned and shot a very large assortment of pocket sized guns; from .25acp all the way up to AMT Back-up in .45acp
Based on my experience and the results of this pistol. I have NO reservations in carrying this pistol for Personal Protection (not meant to be a caliber debate)

M&Pbg.jpg
 
Last edited:
Keep us updated as ypu keep up the round count because I have heard some realy bad reviews on the previous BG which would make me not even want to carry it.
 
Excellent review, thanks! I have only had time to hit the range briefly with mine, so I haven't yet tried shooting for groupings, I was just shooting outdoors at random objects, but the gun has a nice feel to it, and as you pointed out, for its intended use and range I'm confident that I can hit what I'm aiming at with no issues. I definitely LOVE the size, weight, and even looks of this gun.
 
Keep us updated as ypu keep up the round count because I have heard some realy bad reviews on the previous BG which would make me not even want to carry it.

That was mainly caused by the screw backing out from the laser and jamming the slide. I never had that happen, but it was one of the reasons I opted to trade my old BG in on something else. I actually vowed to replace it someday if they ever came out with a non laser version, so when this came out I knew I would have to give it a try, and so far I'm very happy with it.
 
Thanks for the excellent review. Will be interesting to see how it holds up after the reported failings of the previous generation of the bodyguard. Safe shooting
 
History repeats itself.

Any reports on the Sig P938.

Thanks for sharing your range report.

Well, I wanted the 938 really bad, but after seeing the flood of them for sale in the classifieds, I'm thinking that there must be a reason people are dumping them so quickly. There was a minimum of 4 put up in just the past week, and almost all have 100 rounds or less through them.
 
I wouldn't even consider trusting it for carry duty unless/until you can run 100+ rounds of whatever brand ammo you plan on carrying in it without a single issue of any kind. I'm sure others will say you need even more flawless rounds downrange than that.
 
My sig p 938 has about 100 rds through it and not a single issue yet.. my p238 has had more rds through it maybe about 500 and not a single issue. But for some reason I prefer my 238 because out of the box the trigger is much better imo
 
Mine was 100% function in my first outing. Shot gold dots first, just like I would carry, then magtech fmj and finally some liberty civil defense. Hit the steel every shot at 10 yards, including some fast point shooting. I did clean and lube before shooting.
 
I wouldn't even consider trusting it for carry duty unless/until you can run 100+ rounds of whatever brand ammo you plan on carrying in it without a single issue of any kind. I'm sure others will say you need even more flawless rounds downrange than that.

While I agree its a good idea to put at least 100 rounds through ANY gun you plan to carry, I disagree that it has to be 100 "carry" rounds. There is no reason not to cycle it with mostly fmj, then run a few of your expensive carry ammo through to ensure proper feeding/function. I don't know about you, but to me .380 is expensive enough even if fmj, let alone Critical Defense, or other carry ammo to not want to waste too much of that on target practice.
 
That was mainly caused by the screw backing out from the laser and jamming the slide. I never had that happen, but it was one of the reasons I opted to trade my old BG in on something else. I actually vowed to replace it someday if they ever came out with a non laser version, so when this came out I knew I would have to give it a try, and so far I'm very happy with it.

Is the trigger the same as the older BG?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
 
YES! It's a long hard pull. THey have a kit from Galloway precision to shorten the length of pull but no trigger kit. It's so small that it might be to hard or not the worth the cost to offer a trigger package. Also if it's a pocketgun you might want the harder trigger to prevent ADC. My two pennies.

Is the trigger the same as the older BG?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
 
YES! It's a long hard pull. THey have a kit from Galloway precision to shorten the length of pull but no trigger kit. It's so small that it might be to hard or not the worth the cost to offer a trigger package. Also if it's a pocketgun you might want the harder trigger to prevent ADC. My two pennies.

Thanks for the reply. I had an older BG that I regret selling now. Never had any problems with it. I do agree that long trigger pull isnt the worse thing for a pocket gun but I was hoping they shortened it a little with the new version

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
 
Mine was 100% function in my first outing. Shot gold dots first, just like I would carry, then magtech fmj and finally some liberty civil defense. Hit the steel every shot at 10 yards, including some fast point shooting. I did clean and lube before shooting.

How would you compare the recoil between those three? Did the liberty civil defense have significantly less recoil?
 
How would you compare the recoil between those three? Did the liberty civil defense have significantly less recoil?

I did not notice any difference, but I was not focusing on the recoil, more how hard the plate was moving around with the liberty. The gold dot's probably had a little more punch. I was surprised that the 50 grain liberty bullet knocked the steel plate the same as the others.
 
My BG380 (not M&P) has over 700 rounds through it. 0 FTF, 0 FTE. It's cleaned and lubed after every other range trip.

Still hate the trigger, still carry it, still shoot at least 3 magazines, every range trip.

Shoot at least 3 mags with my PM9 too, since they are my 2 alternating EDC guns.
 
We need a BG380 mega thread with all the topics.

I carry golden saber and gold dots. I know there's a few videos on ammo and everyone complains about 380 I sure don't wana be shot with it. This guy has a whole playlist on different 380

Shootingthebull410
 
This is a Brand NEW S&W M&P Bodyguard Pistol .380acp

I cleaned and inspected the pistol prior to shooting; And applied a good coat of FrogLube CLP.

All shooting was done at 50 feet (range rules) at an indoor range due to weather.
A total of 139 rounds of ammunition were fired as follows:

A) MagTech 95 grain FMJ (25 rounds), Flawless! Tight group 9"

B) PPU 94 grain FMJ (25 rounds) 1 hard primer strike, went off on 2nd strike. Group size slightly over 10"

C) Tula 91 grain FMJ (25 rounds) 4 hard primer strikes, ALL 4 went of on 2nd strike. Group size slightly under 11"

D) Sellier & Bellot 92 grain FMJ (25 rounds) 3 hard primer strikes, ALL 3 went off on 2nd strike. Group size about 10"

E) Winchester "Black Talon / 22 years old" JHP (14 rounds) Flawless! Tight group 8.5"

F) Hornady Critical Defense JHP (25 Rounds) (25 rounds) Flawless!! Tight group slightly over 9"

There were NO FTF or FTE, the pistol has a good kick! I normally would not put this many rounds through a gun of this type at one time (pocket gun)
Seeing as to how it is brand NEW I wanted to both Break-In the pistol and test it with various ammo.

I painted the front sight with white model paint to make the sight picture easier to distinguish front from rear sights (since they are completely black)

Accuracy was good considering the size of the pistol, the intended purpose and the fact that I had to shoot at 50 feet (far beyond what it was intended for)

Based on KNOWN primmer issues with both S&B and Tula in .380acp with most pistols. I feel that the pistol preformed well, and should do fine with any reputable "Carry Rounds" i.e.: Hornady Critical Defense, PDX-1, Hydra-Shok and so on...

Over the past 25+ years I have owned and shot a very large assortment of pocket sized guns; from .25acp all the way up to AMY Back-up in .45acp
Based on my experience and the results of this pistol. I have NO reservations in carrying this pistol for Personal Protection (not meant to be a caliber debate)

View attachment 103262
FOLLOW-UP

This is the 4th time to the range with this bodyguard. The second & third time I did not document.

On the 2nd, 3rd & this time I had very similar results to the FIRST time:

ALL shooting was done at 50 Feet with group sizes averaging 9-11 inches

A) MagTech FMJ (15) Flawless Rounds
B) Black Talon (10) Flawless Rounds
C) Hornady C.D. (30) Flawless Rounds

On the Next (3) Brands I keep finding a few hard primers (NOT light strikes) Each had a full strike on the primer, but due to hard primer it required a second strike.

D) Tula (15) Rounds 2 hard primers
E) PPU (15) Rounds 2 hard primers
F) Sellier & Belot (15) Rounds 4 hard primers

Both MagTech & Carry Ammo shoot fine, it is only with cheaper target brands I seem to find some hard primers.

Before bringing it to the range I (personally) installed a Galloway Short Trigger Kit & Williams Fire Sights...
The shorter trigger I like much more & the sights are a big improvement.


I am happy with the S&W M&P Bodyguard & Trust it's function and accuracy with "Carry Ammo"


BGtrigger.jpg BGsights.jpg
 
FOLLOW-UP

This is the 4th time to the range with this bodyguard. The second & third time I did not document.

On the 2nd, 3rd & this time I had very similar results to the FIRST time:

ALL shooting was done at 50 Feet with group sizes averaging 9-11 inches

A) MagTech FMJ (15) Flawless Rounds
B) Black Talon (10) Flawless Rounds
C) Hornady C.D. (30) Flawless Rounds

On the Next (3) Brands I keep finding a few hard primers (NOT light strikes) Each had a full strike on the primer, but due to hard primer it required a second strike.

D) Tula (15) Rounds 2 hard primers
E) PPU (15) Rounds 2 hard primers
F) Sellier & Belot (15) Rounds 4 hard primers

Both MagTech & Carry Ammo shoot fine, it is only with cheaper target brands I seem to find some hard primers.

Before bringing it to the range I (personally) installed a Galloway Short Trigger Kit & Williams Fire Sights...
The shorter trigger I like much more & the sights are a big improvement.


I am happy with the S&W M&P Bodyguard & Trust it's function and accuracy with "Carry Ammo"


View attachment 110971 View attachment 110972

Have you had any issues since the Galloway kit? I've read of the problems with light strikes.
 
AM13, fortunately Galloway sells this: http://gallowayprecision.com/smith-...80/heavy-recoil-spring-kit-for-bodyguard-380/

I bought it with the trigger kit and it takes care of light strikes.

Thanks, how about mag guts did you get those too? If so do the feed reliable?
I'm thinking of getting a BG for my wife so just trying to get some opinions from you guys that own one.
I've heard some negative s about them, but I also heard a lot of negative about my SD9VE and for $300 I love that one
 
Back
Top Bottom