Bodyguard 2.0 easier on older hands

[Anothergrumpyoldman]

I just purchased a New Bodyguard 2.0 a week ago. Born on date was 03/19/2025. Shot it for the first time today. I am going to be 78 in 5 days. My right hand has had 2 surgeries and has arthritis. My thumb is fused at the middle joint. The reason I stated all this is that I have trouble shooting smaller guns, except this one.
I sold my Ruger LCP Max last month. The pain from shooting it was horrible. Bought the Bodyguard 2.0 as a hopeful replacement. All shooting at 7 yds. I 1st put 75 rounds of Speer Lawman RN ammo though it. Shot about 1 inch to the left of center. Next was 50 rounds of Academy Monarch ammo. Dead center. Then 50 rounds of some XTP hollow points. Again Dead Center. Finished with 20 rounds of Hornday Critical Defense. Slightly high Center. My hand was sore, but not bad. The slide locked back every time on an empty mag.
That was the good part.
Not so good. Had 4 jams. 2 FTF. Case was half way in . Had a bad angle. Both were with Lawman. 2 FTE Case was halfway out. Slide holding it in place. 1 with Lawman and 1 with XTP. The Lawman ammo was some of the dirtiest ammo I have ever used. Lots of blowback on the cases. None with any other. I don't know if this caused the problems or helped to cause them. Mag problems- Got 10 in the 10 round one, but can't lock it with the slide forward. Can only get 11 rounds in the 12 round mag. With 11, can't lock it in with the slide forward.
Sights. I really like the front sight. Don't care for the back one for 2 reasons. It is too wide for me, but I could live with that. the fact I have to remove the rear sight to take the striker assy. out to clean it is ridiculous. S&W could have at least made the sight with a set screw to make it easy to remove. If, after a few hundred more rounds , the functioning problems go away, I will replace the rear sight. I really want to be able to carry this gun.

 

[Cphobes]

Only 4 jams wouldn't concern me, I'd try to get more rounds through it. Magazines should loosen up a bit so leave them loaded to the max and get a magazine loader. Maglula is the one I use and it works fine, though that last round will be tough for a while.

Sights are definitely a user's preference. Some love the factory ones, some like me replaced them with the XS sights.

How often do you need to clean the striker assy? I've never cleaned any of mine, but yes you have a good point.

 

[nathanmancillas1970@yahoo]

I just purchased a New Bodyguard 2.0 a week ago. Born on date was 03/19/2025. Shot it for the first time today. I am going to be 78 in 5 days. My right hand has had 2 surgeries and has arthritis. My thumb is fused at the middle joint. The reason I stated all this is that I have trouble shooting smaller guns, except this one.
I sold my Ruger LCP Max last month. The pain from shooting it was horrible. Bought the Bodyguard 2.0 as a hopeful replacement. All shooting at 7 yds. I 1st put 75 rounds of Speer Lawman RN ammo though it. Shot about 1 inch to the left of center. Next was 50 rounds of Academy Monarch ammo. Dead center. Then 50 rounds of some XTP hollow points. Again Dead Center. Finished with 20 rounds of Hornday Critical Defense. Slightly high Center. My hand was sore, but not bad. The slide locked back every time on an empty mag.
That was the good part.
Not so good. Had 4 jams. 2 FTF. Case was half way in . Had a bad angle. Both were with Lawman. 2 FTE Case was halfway out. Slide holding it in place. 1 with Lawman and 1 with XTP. The Lawman ammo was some of the dirtiest ammo I have ever used. Lots of blowback on the cases. None with any other. I don't know if this caused the problems or helped to cause them. Mag problems- Got 10 in the 10 round one, but can't lock it with the slide forward. Can only get 11 rounds in the 12 round mag. With 11, can't lock it in with the slide forward.
Sights. I really like the front sight. Don't care for the back one for 2 reasons. It is too wide for me, but I could live with that. the fact I have to remove the rear sight to take the striker assy. out to clean it is ridiculous. S&W could have at least made the sight with a set screw to make it easy to remove. If, after a few hundred more rounds , the functioning problems go away, I will replace the rear sight. I really want to be able to carry this gun.

Hello and good evening. Have you ever seen the .380 EZ by S and W? That is a very nice and easier to use pistol. Smaller round and less in the magazine but very good on old hands.

 

[HardToHandle]

First, shooting LCP Max at your age/condition sounds pretty stout and studly. I have a Keltec P3AT that reminds me why I dislike shooting it every time I go to the range. Even if the Ruger is 50% better than the P3AT in managing recoil, I cannot picture how to handle it with a fused thumb.

I have a Bodyguard 2.0 that I am still trying to feel comfortable with. I had two FTFs in the first 100 rounds. After that, reliability was high… No more FTFs.

I suspect those terribly heavy magazine springs contribute to an occasional issue. As you’re aware, the magazines have Superman-type springs but I have noticed some improvement after 7-8 reload cycles. If the magazine springs continue to loosen in a linear manner, they may be too light in 25-30 reload cycles (unlikely and I have noticed no factual basis of this to date). I need a loading tool for the last 2-3 rounds in 12-round magazine… It is a bear to load.

The other issue I ran into was some old steel case Wolf .380. The dimensions of the Bodyguard 2.0 were incompatible and the rounds would not chamber. (The Keltec P3AT never had any issues with the nasty Wolf steel case).

For folks with less hand strength or dexterity, I find the Bodyguard 2.0 fairly hard to manipulate the slide. The recoil spring is heavy relative the available grasping area. It is hard for me to really slingshot the slide with authority. Instead I have a death grip squeeze and a more deliberate racking.

 

[geeollie]

That is good news that you can shoot the new gun. Glad found one that is not so painful.
Since you BG 2.0 is new your report is valuable, but may not mean a lot after you use it a while.
....clean it and go shoot some more.....repeat a few more times. Hopefully 4 jams and 2 FTF will be a thing of the past.

 

[CajunBass]

I'm glad you like the BG-2. I tried one, and really liked the gun. I just couldn't hit anything with it. Everything went low left. It was me, not the gun. Shot from a bench, rested, everything was right to point of aim. Standing up, low left. I eventually gave up and went back to an EZ 380 which I continue to use as my EDC. Love that gun. It is my Goldielocks gun. On the BG-2, I tried different holds, different trigger positions, you name it. I put a Talon grip on it. It just didn't work for me. I didn't adjust the sights. Shooting from the bench told me they were not the problem.

At first it (the BG-2) was a bear to load and rack the slide, but it got better as I shot it. I'm not sure if it got better or I just got used to it to be honest. I really liked the gun. Or I wanted to. I just couldn't shoot it. The EZ worked for me. A Glock 42 works for me, and I'm no Glock fanboy, but that one works. A Browning BDA 380 works. But the BG-2 just didn't for some reason.

But the more I keep reading positive reports on the BG-2 I might, MIGHT give another one a try. If I find a nice used one for a good price...maybe (I don't often buy a "new" gun).

 

[Wreckless]

Do you have a Dremel tool with a buffing attachment? Just polish up the feed ramp, and you should have no more feeding issues. That is what I did to cure mine.

 

[TwinV10]

No trouble racking that stiff slide with those bad hands? It was the biggest drawback for me. It gets better with use like the magazine springs but still....the LCP is much easier.

 

[oldbbb]

Bought a BG 2.0, date on box was 01/22/2025, cleaned it and found a small bur on the edge of one of the rails, hit it with some emery cloth. Lubed with oil and used PTFE fine powder in the striker channel and in the mags. Loaded the mags and locked back the slide for seven days.
Took the new bodyguard to the range today. Test Ammo = 100 rounds Winchester 95 gr FMJ, 100 rounds Aguila 95 gr FMJ , 50 rounds 90 gr PMC bronze, 50 rounds Monarch 95 gr FMJ brass case and some defensive ammo 20 rounds Norma NXD 56 gr, 25 rounds Sellier & Bellot XRG 77 gr.
The Norma NXD seemed to be a little long with a “plunk test” it looked like the bullet would engage the rifling and I did have one round that did not feed all the way in the chamber. The slide did lock back every time on an empty mag but two times I slammed the next mag in the slide closed by its self, maybe my thumb was on the slide lock.

 

[tarheel13]

Took the new bodyguard to the range today. Test Ammo = 100 rounds Winchester 95 gr FMJ,

Oldbbb, was this 95 gr Winchester the Flat Nose FMJ? Did you notice any problems with it at all?

 

[oldbbb]

The Winchester were Flat Nose FMJ and I had no problems. I really don't like Winchester because of how dirty it is.
Of the 345 rounds just the one issue and it was after I fired the Winchester come to think of it.

 

[halfmoonclip]

Mag capacity: Some 10s hold 10 with room to spare, others barely hold 10, and won't lock in, against a closed slide, unless you get downright medieval seating it. No amount of "leaving it loaded" will solve the problem; it's a clearance issue.
Slide effort:grab it overhand, rack it like you're trying to break it, when charging.
Ammunition: not every gun likes every round. My two have been running 100% on 900'sec handloads, and Hornady defensive stuff. Find something it likes, which will be just about everything. But stay away from cheap chit, and the wretched steelcase junk. If your car is specced for high test, would you run 87? (Don't laugh, a cheap buddy wanted to do just that.)
LCPs: Longtime owner, they are the most miserable thing to shoot, which discourages practice.
BG2.0 fit: The designer had my hands; even the 10 round mag leaves nothing hanging off the bottom, and the low bore axis reduces felt recoil. I'm 76, and routinely put 50 rounds through mine. Our carry gun league had one course of fire that demanded one hand/strong/weak shooting, and even that wasn't a problem.

 

[jjfitch]

Only 4 jams wouldn't concern me, I'd try to get more rounds through it. Magazines should loosen up a bit so leave them loaded to the max and get a magazine loader. Maglula is the one I use and it works fine, though that last round will be tough for a while.

Sights are definitely a user's preference. Some love the factory ones, some like me replaced them with the XS sights.

How often do you need to clean the striker assy? I've never cleaned any of mine, but yes you have a good point.

The source of the jams could be traced back to the hand surgeries and arthritis. A few hundred rounds and a little more hand strength might just solve reliability issues.

 

[BillinAlamo]

I'm 72, with some arthritis in both hands. I confess that racking the slide and running the safety and slide release on the BG 2.0 is a bit of a challenge. Look forward to breaking this thing in, because it fits my hand and points so naturally.

 

[agksimon]

The Talon slide grips make a huge difference in being able to rack the slide. I no longer need a slide racker tool.

 

[leadhead2]

I'll be 83 next month and I found that after a couple hundred rounds, the recoil spring
seemed to get a lot softer. The mags too have gotten easier to load, but the 12 rounder
I don't think will ever be easy to load. Doesn't matter as I load one down iun the mags
anyhow.

 

[Wildbillaz]

Mag capacity: Some 10s hold 10 with room to spare, others barely hold 10, and won't lock in, against a closed slide, unless you get downright medieval seating it. No amount of "leaving it loaded" will solve the problem; it's a clearance issue.
Slide effort:grab it overhand, rack it like you're trying to break it, when charging.
Ammunition: not every gun likes every round. My two have been running 100% on 900'sec handloads, and Hornady defensive stuff. Find something it likes, which will be just about everything. But stay away from cheap chit, and the wretched steelcase junk. If your car is specced for high test, would you run 87? (Don't laugh, a cheap buddy wanted to do just that.)
LCPs: Longtime owner, they are the most miserable thing to shoot, which discourages practice.
BG2.0 fit: The designer had my hands; even the 10 round mag leaves nothing hanging off the bottom, and the low bore axis reduces felt recoil. I'm 76, and routinely put 50 rounds through mine. Our carry gun league had one course of fire that demanded one hand/strong/weak shooting, and even that wasn't a problem.

I have shot a couple 100 round matches with my BG2.0 no steel and indoors. I wouldn't have even dreamed doing that with my LCP Max