M&P Bodyguard 38 sometimes doesn't rotate on first trigger pull

P

pmandayam

New member
Sometimes when I close the cylinder, the cylinder doesn't rotate on first trigger pull. Video demonstration. Is this normal behavior?

The chambers seem to be aligned, so I think the hammer is striking the current chamber before rotating on next trigger pull, which means the bullet will fire.

FYI, I haven't really tested this at the range, though I did experience some misfires (but I didn't check whether they were light primer strikes, no primer strikes, or something else).

UPDATE: Always read your gun's manual before using it for the first time. The first time I took it to the range, I did not clean or lubricate the gun and was using remanufactured ammo and had something like a 30% misfire rate!

I went home and checked the manual and learned that I needed to clean the gun of factory oil residue and lubricate it in five different specific areas. For one area, I had to remove the cylinder and lubricate the rod that rotates the cylinder. After doing that, the gun was slick and smooth. Then I took it to the range again and fired factory new Remington ammo and all 100 shots that I fired were successful!

Lesson learned.
 
Last edited:
I am NOT a gunsmith.

There seems to be two types on trigger pulls in your video.
1) cylinder does not rotate, but there is a click about 1/3 of the way through the trigger pull.
2) cylinder does rotate, no click about 1/3 through, and gun appears to cycle properly.

I'd guess that click when the cylinder does not rotate might have something to do with the hand not functioning properly.

If you're the original owner, you may want to call S&W.

It looked like you reset the trigger every time, but make sure you're not short stroking it.

Does this malfunction ALWAYS occur on the first shot?
 
Does this malfunction ALWAYS occur on the first shot?
Click to expand...

It doesn't always occur. It is hard to explain, but when the cylinder is indexed, you have to wiggle the cylinder until there is a second click. Here is a video demonstration of this. You will hear one click when the cylinder is indexed, and another click after I wiggle the cylinder. After this second click, the cylinder always rotates on the first full. But before this second click, the cylinder will not rotate on first pull.
 
In your second video, is the cylinder bolt making the click that's heard when you index the cylinder?

The bolt is that little thing that gives a revolver its "turn line." It's in the floor of the cylinder window, and jumps up into a notch to lock the cylinder. Is that the cause of the click?
 
I watched the videos again, and here's my guess.

"You will hear one click when the cylinder is indexed, and another click after I wiggle the cylinder. After this second click, the cylinder always rotates on the first full. But before this second click, the cylinder will not rotate on first pull."

Click 1: I think the cylinder is NOT indexed after this click. See if the bolt jumps up and hits the cylinder (making the click) without entering the notch.

Click 2: That might be the bolt jumping into the cylinder notch to index the cylinder after you twist it a bit. This may be why the gun works after it is "really" indexed.
 
First, let's see the left side
of the gun (video is flipped).

Second, let's see how you
close the cylinder into the
frame.

Third, as you close the
cylinder into the frame,
slightly roll the cylinder
as you do so. That
slight "roll" may guarantee
you've properly locked up
once the closure is complete.
 
My wife's 649 got fussy. Took off the side plate and found the factory grease had hardened up. Cleaning and fresh lube was the fix.
 
You can learn about completely disassembling your revolver on You Tube. Take it apart and thoroughly clean then lube the internal parts.
 
UPDATE: Always read your gun's manual before using it for the first time. The first time I took it to the range, I did not clean or lubricate the gun and was using remanufactured ammo and had something like a 30% misfire rate!

I went home and checked the manual and learned that I needed to clean the gun of factory oil residue and lubricate it in five different specific areas. For one area, I had to remove the cylinder and lubricate the rod that rotates the cylinder. After doing that, the gun was slick and smooth. Then I took it to the range again and fired factory new Remington ammo and all 100 shots that I fired were successful!

Lesson learned.
 
"I had to remove the cylinder and lubricate the rod that rotates the cylinder."

The ejector rod does not rotate the cylinder; the hand does. A gummed up rod can slow things down.

Either way, glad you got it cyphered out.
 
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