Fired our new S&W .380 EZ today for the first time. Used Remington UMC 88-gr JHP. Gun had been cleaned thoroughly before shooting. Fired 25 rounds. All 25 cases ejected directly into the shooter's face. Will send it back tomorrow.

This is an easy fix, but a problem frequently encountered with Smith autos.

It’s a great way to develop a flinch.

Ugh. That’s a miserable first experience with the gun.

I’d try different ammo before sending it back, though. Might just be the new gun factor with that one brand.

__________________
S&W Rover

I've had my .380 Shield EZ since February when they first came out. I've fired over 700 rounds since February. I've used both Magtech and Remington UMC 95 grain FMJ
with no problem at all. I was told by my LGS that 95 grain wouldn't be a problem but if you go under 95 to a lighter grain like a 88 it will cause problems with ejecting. So before you send it back to Smith I would put a box of 95 grain FMJ thru and see if the same problem exists.

Yup, under-powered rounds CAN cause cycling as well as ejection problems in most any .380 Auto pistol.

Hemm. Worth a try. I hadn't heard that one.

I know that the .380 Shields aren't heavily sprung, but I'd try some different ammo before sending it back and I'll tell you why. When Glock came out with the Glock 42, they initially had all sorts of problems with lighter weight .380 bullets and the cases not ejecting properly. At the last armorer's class I took, we were told that you should only use heavier grain bullet weights (95+ grain bullets) in the G42. The reason given was that the lighter grain bullet weights were lightly loaded and could cause issues. The instructor suggested using American Eagle 95gr FMJ ammo since this was what they used to test the guns at the factory. I can attest to having malfunctions with lighter loaded ammo in my G42 and have never had any issues with American Eagle ammo. It's not the cheapest .380 ammo, but it has always worked well in any .380 I have tried it in. AT the very least, try different ammo that isn't Remington. I don't want to slam Remington, but most of the Rem ammo I have shot in the last few years has caused a LOT more trouble than other brands. It isn't known as high quality ammo anymore. If the gun gives you trouble with American Eagle or any other ammo, then send it back to S&W.

Different gun but related issue. My full size M&P 9mm will run with anything i feed it with the exception of winchester NATO 9mm. The gun functions fine with it except the empties fly straight back in my face. no other brand/weight/type does it. Everything else flies over to my right. 9mm NATO? In my face... Every shot. Dunno why. Perhaps you should try running different ammo first. It does mention in the owner's manual that you should try different brands until you find what works best for you.

My G-19 did the same thing with all weights.

I've shot a lot of different kinds of factory ammo through the 380 EZ, and it has not been picky. The premium defense ammo in 90 grains (Hornady Critical Defense and Custom, Federal Low Recoil Hydra Shoks), all clocked approximately 975 fps, within 25 fps of advertised velocity, and have worked flawlessly. Winchester White Box and Remington UMC 95 grain ball ran much slower than their advertised velocities, the WWB about 100 fps slower and the Remington about 40 fps slower. I had a couple of glitches with one of those when the gun was brand new, but no issues since. Heavier premium ammo also worked flawlessly, but generated more recoil (PDX1, HST (the most recoil) and Buffalo Bore hard cast). The issue mentioned in the original post is the first time I have heard that issue with the gun. But, I have not had an opportunity to shoot the ammo mentioned in the first post.

Gun was sent back to Smith. Got it back yesterday. Fired half a dozen different types of ammo through it, and it worked fine with all of them. Don't know what they did to it, as none of the boxes were checked on their repair item list.