How To Clean A S&w 380 Bodyguard

Just for starters, I'm fully aware of the impotence issues with the .380 Auto. I would not recommend this caliber in a lot of situations, such as bear encounters or tactical situations, or even places where thick winter clothing is likely to be worn. For most purposes, you honestly probably want a bit more of a punch, like at least a 9mm, which can be had in similarly-sized pistols now (like the DB9, if you're interested). I will not argue the merits of the .380 Auto because I don't think it has too many, but I own this one, and I'm comfortable carrying it at present time. I live in Florida, so there will be no winter clothing around, and I like that I can fit this small little package into the pocket of a pair of shorts and no one is any wiser. It is highly concealable, even in the very minimal clothing we prefer to wear in the hot, humid summers down here, and that is my number one reason for carrying this pistol. I am also a big fan of Smith & Wesson and have owned several of them over the years. My first carry pistol was an M&P 40c (compact), and I still own and love that gun, it's just hard to truly conceal it in shorts and a tank top. Even with 6 in the mag and 1 in the chamber, I do not consider this a guaranteed man-stopper, so I always have other force options available to me for backup.

The pistol in the pics is my own and S&W has not subsidized or influenced this article in any way (but please email me if you would like to send free stuff). My pistol has been carried much and shot little. For a holster, I typically use the Crossbreed "Pocket Rocket," though I do own a Sneaky Pete. I do have one little rust spot on the slide that doesn't want to come out right now, I'm hoping it's not permanent, but high humidity and sweat will really do a number on metal parts, this is just reality. As always, prevention is the key, so if you really care, you should probably disassemble and clean your Bodyguard every 6 months or so, or you could suffer the consequences of being lazy like I did.

Now we can get to what you came here for: How to disassemble and clean this thing in a few easy steps, with pics.

Disclaimer: If you do anything mentioned on my website, you will most likely get shot, slashed, stabbed, hanged, paper cut, and hypothermia. I'm no expert on anything, so don't do anything just because I said so, use your own brain and make sure no one gets hurt. This blog is for informational purposes only, proceed at your own risk.

1) Preparation.

Don't do any gun maintenance unless you have a clean, clutter-free, and well-lit area to work in, or unless you're doing an emergency field repair. This doesn't have to be a huge area, but it should be totally free of clutter. I usually just take over the end of the dining room table.

2) Safety...

A very respected firearms instructor once told me that guns do not go off by themselves, so you have to have 3 elements for a negligent discharge: a gun, ammunition, and a person. Since I will be the person and I'm trying to clean my gun, the ammunition is the only part that I can effectively take out of the equation right now.

ALWAYS: My first step before I clean a gun is to remove the magazine, clear the weapon, empty the magazine of bullets, and then take all ammo physically to another room until I'm done. It is a little excessive, I know, but then again I personally know quite a few people who've punctured their walls, ceiling, or roof while cleaning a weapon that they "were sure was empty".
Other people may walk in and out of your work area, or you may have to get up and do something else before you can finish the task, so please leave nothing to chance, take my advice and put the ammo elsewhere until you are finished and ready to load back up.

3) The Pin.

Slide back the slide just so far, and hold in position with the slide stop, like this. Notice how the barrel protrudes out the front of the slide: you will not be able to reinstall the slide group using the slide stop, it only works for disassembly.

Swing the main pin, then wiggle it straight out.

4) Remove the slide, the captive rod, and barrel.

It will look like this. You only have to hold the slide so the spring doesn't send it flying, then release the slide stop. You can now gently slide it forward until it comes off.

You can disassemble everything further like this.

5) Disassemble the magazine.

It's easy, just press this dot here, slide the base plate, and make sure you don't lose anything due to a flying spring. As far as magazines go, this one is very user-friendly.

The spring here is not the tightest, but do try to keep a handle on things.

6) Clean all the components, lube the slide.

Don't go nuts here. None of the M&Ps have extremely tight tolerances, so avoid the urge to indulge your inner OCD: clean enough is clean enough. Take the same tack with your slide lube, and do not overdo it, just put a couple drops on and rub them around with your thumb.

Don't worry about lubricating anything in the magazine, it will just hold onto any dust or lint that gets in there and can potentially gum things up, which you don't want.

7) Reassembly.

Sliding the barrel into the slide is pretty straightforward, it will only go in one way.

The captive rod can be tricky. The skinny end goes forward toward the muzzle, the wider, flat end rests on this tiny ledge that has been machined into the barrel near the chamber.
Once you get this group back together, you can slide it back onto the grip section, but BEFORE YOU DO... please take a look at this little bugger pin, the first one you removed in Step 3. Reinstalling it is by far the most difficult part of of this entire process, continue reading about it below.

I suggest you put it into place before you deal with the barrel and slide at all, just so you can visualize how it will go back in. When we removed it, we had to swing it out of battery, but on the way back in, there is NO SWINGING NEEDED. You will just line it up with its final position and push it straight into battery, the little retention spring will catch to hold it.

First, put the slide on and push it back until you encounter the first little bit of resistance. Notice how the hole for the retention pin is blocked. This is the lower portion of the barrel. Notice on the far right how you can also see the slide rails sticking out. You're almost there.

Push the slide back until it is just flush with the grip section (the line I drew at left), and you will also notice the hole for the pin is no longer blocked, and the slide rails on the right are now fully covered by the slide.

From this position, just line the pin up, and push it straight into the hole, we are not swinging or twisting it. Line it up with its final position and push it straight in. You may have to jiggle it just a bit at the end so the tip will rest in the hole on the inside of the grip section.

Don't get frustrated. This is the hardest part of the whole procedure. Plan to fiddle with it a bit the first few times you do it.

Reassembling the magazine is a snap. Make sure you slide the spring up into the bottom of the follower first, then everything else is easy.

8) Ammo.

Inspect your ammo, wiping down the cartridges, and replacing them if you see any sign of age or corrosion. If you will be carrying or shooting this pistol, now is the time to load up and re-holster your weapon.

Thanks for reading, and as always, if you're in doubt about anything, please consult a qualified gunsmith.

Stay safe!