City Boy and Restoff
I've had my EZ since February 2018 and have fired over 1,000 rounds with no problems.

Personally, I'm not a fan of 380. not a huge fan of the ez. That being said, I can see where a LOT of people would love this pistol. size and carry-ablility, the grip safety would probably add a measure of comfort to many (the "mechanical safety" issue), and, price point is decent enough.

look, if it brings someone on the fence to our side, or keeps someone from being a victim, I think it's a win.

So what? Others have stated similar use and results with their guns too. It doesn't change what I've said one bit.

Look, I'm happy that people are happy with this gun. I'm even more happy that some here are reporting that they've had no problems because I've never seen a .380Auto NOT malfunction. But that's just my personal experience.

What's being missed is the shear volume of these guns. As I type this there are 253 posts in this thread. Even if each post was created by a happy 380EZ owner, obviously that's not the case, they still only make a tiny percentage of all the 380EZs sold.

S&W has to have sold over 100,000 of these. That means that this thread would represent less than 0.2% of the guns out there.

Let's look at it from the other side; assume everyone here was having problems. That still leaves 99.8% of the owners out there who might not be having problems. If that were the case, most people here would be claiming it's junk.

The whole point here is that no one can draw any conclusions from this thread. Neither can they draw any conclusions from the gun forum world at large. We represent just too small a cross section. Is the gun junk? Maybe. Is it the greatest thing since sliced bread? Maybe. We don't really know.

What I do know is that I've never seen a .380Auto go more than 35 rounds without a malfunction. This is my personal experience and yours may be different. Further, out of all those failures, most of the owners claimed that they've never had an issue with their guns.

If you were me, what would you think?

I do agree with this:

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Freedom isn't free.

$349 at Academy Sports before a $75 Academy gift card. It comes with a locking box, hat, knife and couple of goodies.

A friend has one and I was impressed. Easy to rack and load mags. I don't need one, but what does that have to do acquiring a new pistol?

Sorry, $50 gift card

Access Denied

I started out with 1911s, and I like the concept of the grip safety. What the hell does it hurt? I have a Beretta 84BB that I love, but I wouldn't mind having one of these as well. If, God forbid, I had to use it, it'd be a lot less painful for the cops to take the Smith ( and keep it for six months or a year) than my Beretta...

Sorry, dealers in my area can't keep this so called junk in stock

I have four .380 semi-auto pistols; Shield EZ, S&W Bodyguard, LCP II, and Glock 42. The G42 had stovepipes in the beginning, but changing my grip fixed that.

The other three never gave me any problems at all. Of course, I used what I learned about a firm grip on the G42.

We all have our opinions. My opinion does not include the .380 round as being unreliable.

I do agree the 9mm and ,45ACP is better for defense. The .357 Magnum is even better. But, when you reach your 70s, you sometimes make some concessions. Also, I like to walk my dog wearing gym shorts. A small .380 pistol doesn't pull my shorts down.

Belly band holsters come in handy for this.



I've also held the gun and the grip safety doesn't need as much inward angle as my 1911SC does to let the trigger do it's job. Once I see it in the rental case I'll let my female family members try it out. They pretty much started off with the tiny guns they though were cool and practical but recoil or slide wasn't their friend. Can't wait till way more reviews show up.

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Mostly Gen 3s

i like your way of thinking. simplicity at it's best.

I have one and I enjoy shooting it. I have over 500 rounds thru it without any problem. I wish that it was a little smaller. It would make it easier to carry.

. THAT'S A VERY VALID POINT, AS IT APPLIES SOLEY TO THE BERETTA CHEETAH MODEL. A LOT OF PEOPLE WANT THAT PARTICULAR BERETTA.....

EVIDENTLY, IN THE OP'S OPINION, THE SHIELD DOES NOT WARRANT THAT LEVEL OF ADORATION. ITS PATENTLY ILLOGICAL TO ASCRIBE TO THE ENTIRE CLASS OF SMALL .380 AUTOS, THE VIRTUES OR SHORTCOMINGS OF ONE PARTICULAR MODEL. ITS THE REASON WHY GUNS, CARS, APPLIANCES, ETC ARE ALWAYS RATED IN COMPARISON TO MODELS IN THE SAME CLASS, MADE BY DIFFERENT MANUFACTURER'S. THAT'S THE BREAD AND BUTTER OF PUBLICATIONS SUCH AS "CONSUMER REPORTS".....

NATURALLY ITS YOUR MONEY. IF YOU WANT A SHIELD THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN TO APPEAL TO THE OP, JUST BUY IT ! ! !

THEN YOU CAN GRACE THE FORUM WITH YOUR EVALUATION OF YOUR NEW SHIELD, WHICH WILL HAVE NO RELEVANCE TO A BERETTA CHEETAH.....

TRY SEARCHING ON YOUTUBE FOR A COMPARATIVE REVIEW OF SMALL .380 SEMI-AUTOS, PERHAPS BY WELL RESPECTED VLOGGER, HICKOCK 45. THAT WILL ILLUSTRATE WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT.....

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'Nam 1968-69.DAV,VFW,NRA Inst.

This is the gun review NOBODY asked for. Especially with a lack of substance and no real information. Sorry, but nope.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My wife's G19 is no longer a viable pistol for her. She can't run the slide. It FTF's every round so it is now a single shot for her. She has had a major shoulder injury and carpal tunnel and she simply can not make the G19 function at this point in her life. It worked perfectly for me.
Got her an EZ this weekend, it works. She hasn't fired a shot in four years and she was ringing a 12" plate at 10 yards right from the first shot. She tired quickly and did have last round FTF's after a few mags of shooting, but it ran perfectly for me as I put another 50+ through it.

BINGO, and there you have it.
Another shooter is back on the range, having fun and honing her skills. Sorta puts the poop on all the naysayers. Nicely done, Smith & Wesson!

I've been struggling since I finished my throat cancer treatments back in the summer of 2015.

I seem to have lost a lot of strength in my arms and the arthritis is really making my hands unfun to shoot a sharply recoiling firearm with. Doc will fix my right hand in April, maybe, if I think I want another surgery, he'll do the left later. But for now....

I bought a P365 today (no problem racking that slide . And I bought one of the new EZs, too. EZ to rack, light trigger and the only thing I am not too thrilled with is the thumb safety. I am a little bit concerned with somehow accidently bumping the safety on, having occasion to need the gun, and not realizing why it won't fire.

I gave that a lot of thought and recall that, many years ago as a young Detective, I carried a Commander cocked and locked, and never had a problem getting it out of my belt (IWB), pressing the safety down as it cleared the holster and firing or being prepared to fire.

I'm gonna try carrying it with the safety on, recognizing that a lot of you now (if not earlier) place me with the old fuddy duddys. Oh, well.

The potential downside is carrying different firearms with what the gun rag writers call different manuals of arms. I've never had a problem with that, but we'll see.

I've ordered holsters for both the EZ and the Sig, now gotta find some night sights for the EZ or at least a front night sight.

I must say I have never been a fan of the Shield series, crummy triggers, heavy compared to similar sized guns, etc. But I like the feel of this one and may get my wife one, too, if she likes it when we shoot the heck out of these on Monday.

Bob

I never expected this thread to go for 8 1/2 months and 267 inputs.

For "Junk", this little gun has generated a LOT of interest.

Like many it is getting hard to use the slide on my Springfield & Glock auto and so I purchased the M & P Shield 380EZ and other then fail to cycle using Winchester Training ammo (was the first ammo tried) no problems on any of several other ammo including even PPG. I fired almost 200 rounds after the Winchester Training with no problems. I can honestly say that the Springfield XD9 series including Mod2 grip safety was more comfortable for me then the 380EZ.

Just for the record...

I had another class yesterday. One of the students had a .380Auto. It only went 8 rounds before it malfunctioned.

It wasn't an M&P, but my streak of .380 failures continues; I have yet to see one make it 35 rounds without a malfunction.

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Freedom isn't free.

Well, I shot my new 380 EZ today.

As an aside, I also shot my P365, two hundred rounds, Win White Box for the first hundred and Hornady Critical Defense, which I carry in 9mm 115 grain, for the second hundred.

Couldn't find a single thing wrong-worked perfectly, light felt recoil, seems to be a good gun for carry. Saw nothing indicating any pin dragging on the fired cases. Really nice trigger. Easy to rack the slide, no problem seeing the front sight at the indoor range.

Then, out came the EZ. Two hundred fifty+ rounds, first hundred were Remington Value Pack 88gr HPs. Worked fine except one failure to lock the slide back after the last round on the second mag full.

Then 50 PPU hollow points which I "think" I got from Cabela's when on sale-can't think of any other reason to have bought them. The first hundred Remingtons, I'd fired simply loading the mags. These I loaded the mags and had a chambered round for nine shot. First mag full, the first round shot, but the second went "click!" Didn't have the mag locked in. Stupid Me!

The rest worked perfectly. I noticed that I did have to slam the mag a bit harder than I do my Glock 42 and 43 to seat it when the slide is closed. It "seemed" to get easier as I shot, but I am not sure that I didn't just get used to it.

Then about 70 380 Hornady Critical Defense. All good.

Rastoff: you talk about 380s not working, my Glock 42 never has missed a beat and I've got thousands of rounds through it. Perhaps it's the shooters or ....

Bob

I'm not picking on you Bob, but this is a very common statement with just about any gun. "My gun works 100% except..." That "except" is a malfunction. No matter how small, it's a gun that wasn't flawless. I've personally watched guns malfunction and the owner still claims it's perfect.

Now, in this case, it might be a magazine issue, ammo issue, shooter issue or any number of other causes. The point is, you can no longer claim the gun has worked perfectly; it did have at least one failure.

Another perfect example is my 1911. I have one that had a couple failures to feed. I figured out the problem and it hasn't had that issue in over 3K rounds, but it did happen. Calling the gun flawless would be disingenuous.

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Freedom isn't free.

I haven't read every post, and if this is repeat info, please excuse.

I read somewhere that the grip safety on the EZ serves two operating functions (in addition to being an external safety). The article said that it:
1. Makes the gun drop-safe.
2. Pre-cocks the hammer, which is what makes it possible for the trigger pull to be so light.

I have no idea if this info is accurate, but that's what it said.

For the record, I (as an older female) can see the need for this handgun. I have four semi-autos, and all of them have slides that are difficult for me to rack. At first I couldn't rack them at all, but with practice I now can using the "hold the slide, and push the frame with the strong arm" method, but it's still not easy. I like my revolvers, but my fingers are weak and after the first few shots I now have to use BOTH index fingers to pull the trigger. But it works (for now) and doesn't wreck my accuracy.

So, someday I may need the EZ, and I'm glad S&W makes it. (I understand why many don't care for it, but strong people have dozens of models to choose from.)

Oh, and as several have pointed out, like many of the M&Ps, the EZ is available both with and without the thumb safety.

It doesn't pre-cock the hammer...it's only a safety... I own an EZ and with the slide removed, you can see exactly what the grip safety does.

Lets put this one to rest. The thread,not the gun

The thread HAS served its purpose, introducing the .380 EZ and giving everyone a chance to comment on the pistol. It definitely is a success for American Outdoor Brands/S&W, which give it credit for increased profitability in the last quarter.

Small pistols tend to have reliability problems, from what I've read and heard. The mechanics and geometry of short actions are probably to blame. (This seems to be true of any small pistol, and can be seen in the small 9mm's and .45's, too).

I'm hoping the Shield .380 EZ, being a bit larger than other .380's, obviates these reliability problems. It's larger frame (compared to most .380's) has a longer action (so timing is less critical) and a bigger grip (so limp wristing is less problematic). Time will tell, but it seems like "functional reliability" would be a good focus for a serious review of the Shield .380 EZ (using various ammo types, in large volumes) by either a reputable gun mag or perhaps one of the independent gun reviewers on the web.

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S&W Rover

What make and model was it this time?

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Release the Kraken

We actually sell a lot of the EZ models. They are very popular with ladies and some of our older customers who don’t have the grip strength they once did. At least in our shop, they are quite popular.

GS

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“Deus vult”

Sig Sauer P238

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Freedom isn't free.

Picked one up this week from Bud's for $322. It's the offering that includes the lock box. Gun, insurance, spare mag and ffl fees for just short of 400$.
My hope is that my wife will like and adopt it. Currently she has 'appropriated" my Ruger lcrx in 38 special, which I happen to shoot better than most all of my small frame revolvers. I will shoot the b'jesus out of it this friday, I'll see how it goes from there....

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John Wayne was right.....

Just the opposite. This is just the gun that scores of women and elderly and others with grip or hand strength issues have been clamoring for. You don't really think that a company like S&W would invest a bunch of time and resources to develop and produce a brand new product line without doing a bunch of market research ahead of time?

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Life Member B.A.S.S., NAFC

Me too and I have to agree. NOT JUNK. I'm closer to 70 than I care to admit and have been and avid gun enthusiast/collector dating back to my days in grade school.

Needless to say, my wife also LOVES shooting too and has her CCW permit. She normally carries a M&P FS 9mm, she also has a Shield 9 but had a bit of an issue racking the slide and the FS 9 was just a bit easier for her. One of, well more than one of the women she works with carry 380's and she decided maybe it was time for something new (no argument from me on that ). At the time, M&P EZ380's were gone as soon as they arrived (and nothing with-in 50 miles), so there wasn't any hands on with one and she didn't care for ANY of the other 380's (and price isn't/wasn't any issue). I had my LGS hold one (EZ) and call me when it showed up to get a hands on with it. As soon as she opened the box and had it in her grip, racked the slide all she said was perfect. Handed it to me and told the owner she new "that" look on my face and he'd better order two. Got the thumb safety on both, she loves the grip safety and I also ordered 4 extra mags. They are our first (and probably only) 380's we'll ever own, but they are keepers, tack drivers and fun to shoot. As of yesterday morning (we tried out a new indoor range about an hour away) we each hit the 1000 round count with zero issues or problems shooting all Fiocchi 95 GR FMJ 380AP. That's 1000 rounds for each EZ, and ZERO issues for both. They also get cleaned and lubed after every shooting. They've been quick fired, but no extended mag dumps.

This is also one handgun (besides a 22) that she didn't get tired of shooting because of the weight and take a break like shooting with my 45ACP's.

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THIS WE'LL DEFEND ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

Interesting thread here. Junk? Rather see s&w put time an money on something else? Grip safety? Striker fired? Just purchased a 380EZ. No range time due to weather but cleaning, racking slide and dry firing both my wife and I are enjoying it. Really anxious to get range time.

Doesn't feel like "junk" at all. We are in our 70's and she shoots a Glock 42 and I have 43 but also a Shield .40 and 9mm. Due to carpal tunnel, I've had to give up my favorite carry gun - Kahr CM9. Could not even get the takedown pin back in gun. So I think S&W has done some market research and found a niche market that will have a certain degree of success. Ease of use important to older hands but only if reliable and I intend to check that out very soon. Have not seen many comments on the reliability issue yet but time will tell. As for my wife and I, we like it. And she can take it down easily which she is unable to do with the Glock. Remember - to each his own. And, once you get beyond the laws of physics, EVERYTHING is just opinion.

So, is a 380 really snappier than a 9? I fo7nd the Shield 9 very snappy—I didn’t like it. I’m thinking this EZ might complement my 9c.

Seems as though some here do not like the 380EZ.
Perhaps they may be those that are not yet required by IRS regulations to start RMD from their various retirement investments.
That's OK, for it assures that we who understands the above will have a market for our 380EZs when we really are ready to hang up the shooting glasses and tired of the smell of Hopes No. 9.

I think it's a nice concept, I am fortunate to be in good health and a strong 34 year old guy but, my wife who has very small petite hands and not much strength might really benefit from a gun like this.. From what I understand the grip safety helps make the slide easier to rack, also I've always thought grip safeties are a nice passive safety feature, I like them on the XD guns I used to carry... The 380EZ might find a place in our armory if my wife ever decides to get with the concealed carry program.. As far as the might as well get a 9mm comments people should carry what works for them, if the lower recoil of the .380 is a big benefit in control and ability to run the gun IE racking the slide, I think you're better off with a .380 that you can shoot quickly and fully operate effectively than a 9mm that is a little too much to manage that one has difficulty racking the slide on and handling the recoil of... I recently went from 45 acp to 9mm for all of my defensive pistols because the guns are just quicker for me to run...

The idea that S&W is trying to appeal to a new, emerging market is good, very good. I know older folks who know they are at greater risk to violent crime, but do not want to become a "gunfighter". They just want something reliable and easy and SAFE to use. Many of the older men are vets whose only exposure to a handgun may have been in the military, and that means the 1911, which has a safety, and a grip safety. They are going to influence their female counterparts, who also may suffer from the "old hands" problems. The more folks who own handguns the better. These old folks vote too, you know. And if they rely on their only handgun for personal safety, they are more likely to vote for pro gun candidates.
And I can assure you that older folks spend more time thinking about voting than some younger generations, who seem to vote on emotion, rather than the issues.
I sense that S&W has put some thought into the BG 380, and its potential market.

Perfectly said! Thank you!

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

Hmmm . . . sounds like particularly bad luck. My wife shot a Bersa Thunder in her qualification a couple years back. No malfunctions through the entire course of fire. I stood directly behind her as her "safety partner" and watched the whole thing.

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Or something like that . . .

Nope. Not even close. It has "some", but nothing close to a 9.

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THIS WE'LL DEFEND ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

I don't own a 380 EZ and I never shot any .380 (not really true but that was over 40 years ago) so I won't bad mouth them. I carry a 9mm Shield for strictly defensive reasons. I think a 9mm is about as small a caliber I'd go and have any stopping power. Unless the 380 is a melon shot. I weigh about 200lbs so there's a lot of people bigger than me. 300 lb guys and even women is common place these days. A .380 might look nice on paper...but paper doesn't shoot back. I'd carry an elephant gun if they made one pocket size with at least a 10 rd mag. My 9mm Shield fits in my pocket and I have 4 10rd extended mags that I carry in my pocket and the 7+2+1 in the gun in my other pocket. I have a OWB holster but rarely use it. If you see me with my right hand in my pocket it's not because I'm fumbling for pocket change or playing pocket pool...I'm happy with my 9mm Shield.

Do your homework, this .380 is not striker fired my friend and not a joke to most of the folks from the reviews I have read. It has a niche just like any other firearm. Here is a very good review for those that are considering a .380 EZ. I strongly think the grip safety is a bit to emasculating for some of you hombres.

Needs more safety features, like a trigger safety and a Hillary hole hammer lock!

And complete set of various color clamshell trigger locks to "accessorize" with. Maybe even a few bicycle/barrel "cable" locks.

Said in jest while running in a zig-zag manner...…..

My wife absolutely insists on nothing larger than a .380 with regards to semi-autos, but yet loves her S&W Airweight .38spl.

I'd love to see how she runs one of these without the manual safety option of course. She always forgets about the dang safety.

Dale

to bad smith didnt recycle the old norinco and lignose where you could rack the slide with one hand. Would have been a neat feature for one armed folks with disabilities.

I have not got to handle one of these yet. Kind of stinks if its not double stack or rated for extended +p ammo.

lets see....

single hand slide operation
double stack 15 rd magazine
beefier build for +p ammo if needed
Threaded barrel for supressor (hearing safety of course)

That is a good point about .380's in general. Have you seen similar problems with M&P .380 EZ's in particular?

I'm hoping the M&P .380 EZ might avoid many of the reliability problems that small .380's tend to have. It is not a blowback, which are notoriously ammo-sensitive. It has a light slide and recoil spring. And it is a bit larger than the typical .380 so has a longer action (and more time in the sequence to fire, extract, eject the case, go all the way to the rear, have a round come up in the magazine before the slide goes forward, etc.).

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S&W Rover

I don't know what kind of .380s are involved that can't go 35 rounds without a failure, but I've worked with over a dozen different .380 pistols from the Browning/Beretta at the top end in size & manufacturing quality on down to the Taurus $200 Spectrum.

The only one I had significant problems with was Springfield's new 911; it was too tightly fit & needed more break-in.
I own two Smith .380 Bodyguards & one Shield EZ, the only three .380s I've kept over the years.


I've put quite a few more than 35 rounds through my EZ, with no malfunctions, and the write-up's currently in print comparing it to the Springfield & the Taurus.

The EZ is simply, as I've mentioned before, the modern equivalent of Colt's 1903/1908 Pocket Hammerless, one of the most popular pocket pistols of the first half of the last century.

It fills a niche today, and it's one of S&W's best pistols on the market.
It mystifies me why people are still knocking this gun so long after its introduction.


If it doesn't fit your lifestyle, don't buy one.
Otherwise, let those who do find a spot for one enjoy spending their money in peace.
Denis

After working and dealing with the public in more than just a few different categories and degrees over the decades. I've found some people just like to complain, find fault with EVERYTHING (no matter what it is) and NOTHING is ever good enough. If ones bad, there all bad, regardless and they are never wrong... I guess it's easier to complain about something (they might not even have), then to troubleshoot the problem and fix it.

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THIS WE'LL DEFEND ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

I am a 57 year old male, I am not physically impaired in any way. I bought this gun so my wife can shoot also. She would rather have the 22. I am very pleased with the feel and performance of the 380 ez. I dont understand the negative comments. Both safeties have been trouble free. I dont even feel the beavertail safety at all. I dont fit the demographics it was designed for, but my wife will be able to use it if the need arises, and I have a good time shooting it. It was a great purchase. My only complaint is the price of 380 ammo, a bit higher than 9mm but still affordable.

I watch many shooters at the range struggle to manage 9mm handguns, particularly recoil. Most hand gun owners are not professionally trained, do not practice enough, and shoot as a hobby but want to own a firearm for personal defense. The EZ is a fantastic firearm and from my own experience, extremely reliable, and a absolute pleasure to shoot. I also like the safety features for carry since it reduces the likelihood of accidental discharge during holstering. There are many, many unfortunate accidents with firearms during holstering and the EZ directly addresses this. With new ammo technology (like XP Xtreme) the 380 is a viable defense round that is significantly more manageable than a 9mm. Just because a firearm is harder to rack, doesn't make it better, in fact I think it makes more dangerous. Smith & Wesson is going to sell a ton of these.

Wrong about racking. It takes LESS force to rack the EZ, hence the name EZ. Some people have difficulty racking a 9mm. But the EZ not so much. Age and gender isn't always the reason for an easier to handle pistol.

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CERAKOTE Svcs.
Class 01 FFL

I finally had a chance to shoot my buddy’s EZ and I was very impressed. It fed 100 rounds of ball straight out of the box with no issues at all. It shot to the sights, was indeed very EZ to manipulate, and it kicked noticeably less than my .380 Pocket Hammerless.

I don’t get the comments that it should be in 9mm. The whole idea is that it kicks less. If anything they should come out with a .32 version and call it the .32 EZ-er.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”