Hi All,
Searched but found nothing on this. I've got a new 380EZ that I stripped, cleaned, oiled & took to the range. After over 100 rounds, I've found that it shoots low to the left & will randomly, ~ 2 times out of 10, keyhole.

My cousin who was with me also has a 380EZ & I have no problem with his. Yet he has the same problems when he shoots mine, low & to the left as well as the keyhole.

I'm going to call S&W this week about sending it in for them to look over but wonder if anyone else has seen this? We were shooting at 7 to 10 Yards, both using American Eagle 95 Gr.

I really liked his & bought mine. I have arthritis in my trigger finger and the smaller pistols play hell with it. If I put more than a magazine or two through my LCP, I can't use my finger the next day.

Thanks for any thoughts &/or ideas,

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Paul
Sandusky Bay, OH

Mine shot left, not low, and I simply adjusted the rear sight. Never heard of an EZ keyholing rounds. You do mean keyhole, right? ...rounds tumbling into your target?

Factory ammo, or reloads?

American Eagle is factory ammo.

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Freedom isn't free.

Keyhole at 7-10 yards? Full 90 degrees? Photos?

May not be keyholing at all. If you staple a loose, thin paper target up, sometimes bullet holes appear more like rips in the paper. Try a thick piece of cardboard as your target. It should show clearly if there is an issue. Low left is usually a shooter induced trigger control issue, but of course may be the sights.

Larry

Perfect reply.

Had to call my cousin for a photo. This was from the lower left of the target. He had just finished firing his 9mm which is the round to the right of the 380.

Paul

Attached Images

Keyhole S&W 380EZ.jpg (45.3 KB, 132 views)

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Paul
Sandusky Bay, OH

Hi Larry,
We had 2 of the 380EZ's at the range. I had no problem with my cousin's, he had the same problem with mine, lower left and keyhole. I'm thinking that there is something wrong with the barrel &/or the sights. I hadn't thought about the target moving, these were not paper but were hanging from clips. I've not had any problem with keyholes in the past yet will try a piece of cardboard. I like this pistol & want to keep it, so will have to get it right.
Thanks for the reply,

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Paul
Sandusky Bay, OH

Yea, sometimes a bullet hole can look weird on paper, but if it is keyholing at 7 yards, there is a definite issue with the gun. Might try a different brand / load, but the AE 95 grn is a pretty standard load for the caliber. I always like paper targets glued with spray adhesive to a cardboard backing. That pretty much shows the bullets exact angle when it hits. I tried some long range .44 mag reloads once with a particular cast bullet that would show clear, sidewise bullet profiles at 50 yards, but still grouped not all that bad. Go figure.

Larry

What comes to mind with this issue would be either damage or improper machining/finishing at the muzzle. If the points where the rifling ends at the muzzle are not exactly even all the way around then the uneven discharge of gasses as the bullet leaves the muzzle could induce a very mild imbalance, and under the right (or wrong) conditions the spin of the bullet would not be able to recover from it.

The other thing would be different rifling depths (as compared to exactly the same depths for each groove all the way around) which may also induce the same issue.

Was the muzzle end of your barrel ever dinged, dropped, struck or otherwise damaged in any manner? If you take either a magnifier or loupe and look at the muzzle, are the ends of the rifling of even depth all the way around?

A real firearms engineer may be able to better explain why (or why not) my hypotheses could be true or total BS. I only play one on TV...

Some macro photos of the muzzle might help with a diagnosis.

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Release the Kraken

Here is my unprofessional effort at posting a close-up of the muzzle end of my wife's 380EZ. Yes, it was unloaded. It's not the best photo but it might give you something to compare against.

Attached Images

Muzzle Macro.jpg (35.0 KB, 48 views)

I brought my EZ when they came out in February of last year(2018). I Love my EZ but the low and to the left shooting thing mine also did it straight out of the box. I now have over 2,000 rounds thru her. Ever since I got her I wanted to get her a set of factory night sights. I was able to do this last week as I purchased a set of TruGlo
Green rear/Orange front sights for her. Had my LGS smith install them and I told him about the low and left shooting and how I corrected the problem. At 10 yards I aim at the one 'o clock position and I can hit the center red every time. He commented that he can "take care of windage but not elevation." My EZ still shoots the same with the new night sights but as long as I aim at 1 of clock on my small 18X10" splatter target I can carve out the red center all day long.

Mine also shot low and left I also just adjusted the rear sight. Never had a 'keyhole'