m&p bodyguard 38 locked up

[pmandayam]

So I was dry firing my polymer m&p bodyguard 38 revolver with snap caps and the cylinder and trigger started locking up. So when it did, I manually adjusted the cylinder or trigger to get it back to normal before continuing the dry fire. It slowly started getting worse, and eventually it locked up completely.

Now the cylinder is out, and I can't push it back into the frame because the metal star inside the frame that rotates the cylinder isn't pushing in all the way to make room for the cylinder.

So, is there any fix I can do that doesn't void the warranty or do I need to ship this back to S&W?

I've been aware of the "locking up" complaints levied against this model by many members on the web and especially on this forum, and I just hoped that it wouldn't happen to my gun.

What a bummer, this revolver fit my hand perfectly and was super light weight.

After S&W fixes it, I'm not sure what to do with it. I really really don't want to sell it, but if it's this unreliable, I might just trade it in for a 442 j-frame. Or just give up on revolvers altogether.

 

[jstert]

i had a ruger sp101 lock-up on me years ago. at that time i knew a decent gunsmith nearby. he fixed it for $20. i took it to the shooting range one more time then traded it at a lgs for something else.

don’t give up on revolvers or s&w just yet. i’ve sent in handguns to ruger, taurus, naa and bond arms for warranty work, but not s&w. all came back to fixed and/or improved. doing so is a bit of hassle but worth it, especially if you like the s&w bodyguard platform.

 

[ontarget]

Did some sort of debris get under your ejector star? If it's not going back into the cylinder all the way it can only be debris under the star or a bent ejector rod.
I can't imagine how dry firing could bend your ejector rod so I'd be checking under the star. Maybe small pieces of your snap caps?

 

[Zendude]

It’s worth sending to S&W. They will cover shipping.

 

[stonebuster]

I'm not familiar with that model but has the ejector rod loosened up? If it is not screwed in far enough it could cause the ejector star to protrude I think.

 

[velocette]

Sounds like the little knurled nut on the end of your ejector rod has backed out a bit. IT IS REVERSE THREADED.
Try tightening it up.
A common occurrence by the way.

 

[Targa]

It’s worth sending to S&W. They will cover shipping.

Yep, I had to send the same gun back to S&W. They make it as easy as can be, they sent me a box and off it went.

 

[BobWright]

Yep, try screwing that rod back in. And, as has been pinted iut, it s a left hand thread.

Bob Wright

 

[pmandayam]

i had a ruger sp101 lock-up on me years ago. at that time i knew a decent gunsmith nearby. he fixed it for $20. i took it to the shooting range one more time then traded it at a lgs for something else.

How come you traded it in?

 

[jstert]

How come you traded it in?

this ruger sp101 3” 38sp was going to be my primary edc when i was doing lots of road trips. even after its repair i never quite trusted it again. a smaller niggle was the sp101’s grips, i couldn’t find a replacement pair that i really liked. what sealed its fate was a high trade-in value towards a ruger bearcat shopkeeper 22lr (which i later sold for a good price as i never adjusted to the latter’s small birdshead grips).

 

[MedWheeler]

The OP is talking about the M&P Bodyguard, the polymer-framed version. This version does not have a "knurled nut" end on the rod. Also, it does not use a cylinder hand to turn the cylinder; the cylinder is instead engaged by a star drive in the center of the recoil shield. It sounds like the OP is saying that the star is not recessing into the shield when the cylinder is pressed closed, which it is supposed to do (the star can be pushed in with a finger, but a spring keeps it out to engage the cylinder, so it won't stay in if so pressed.)

To the OP: Does the star retract into the recoil shield when the cylinder release is pushed forward? It should. If not, it's possible debris may have gotten beneath the release itself, interfering with its engagement with the star drive.