New Shield 380 EZ... Nope. Junk.

[Triggernosis]

I still say that most folk who complain about .380 being snappy have never tried that caliber in a locked breech gun. It makes a HUGE difference. To my perception, a Ruger LCP (locked breech) is less snappy than a Beretta 84/85 (blowback). My wife's Sig P250SC in 380 is a locked breech pistol and is essentially recoiless.

I'll have to agree with the locked breech vs. blowback argument. I shot my neighbor's LCP once, and expected it to be a beast - I was surprised that it seemed to recoil no more than my much larger P232. I didn't know it was a locked breech design, so that explains it.
So, for everyone's benefit, let's make a list of locked breech .380's - take the list I've started and simply add to it.


Locked breech .380's:
1) Ruger LCP
2)

 

[gc70]

So, for everyone's benefit, let's make a list of locked breech .380's - take the list I've started and simply add to it.

Locked breech .380's:

Beretta Pico

Browning 1911-380

Colt Government/Mustang/Pony
--- SIG P238
--- Kimber Micro
--- Springfield 911

Glock 42

Kahr P380

Kel-Tec P3AT
--- Ruger LCP

Rohrbaugh R380
--- Remington RM380

Ruger LC380

S&W Bodyguard 380
S&W Shield 380 EZ

SCCY CPX-3

SIG P250

Taurus Curve
Taurus PT-138 Millennium Pro
Taurus PT-638
Taurus PT-708 Slim
Taurus PT-738 TCP
Taurus Spectrum

Walther PK380

 

[cnj]

Adding to the list of locked breech 380s:
Taurus PT138
Taurus PT638
Taurus PT738
Taurus Spectrum
Taurus Curve

 

[Anton Chigurh]

Its a worthless design. A backstrap safety? Really? Why? This is the reason I absolutely refuse to ever own a Springfield.

Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

I expect a bunch of women to be carrying these around in purses. It might be a good idea to have an active safety on board to keep it from firing when the car keys get in the trigger guard.
Again, don't buy one. Don't look at one. And don't talk about one, or anything else that makes you lose your mind so easily. But there is possibly a bigger market for this gun than a 4 1/2 pound .500 Magnum.

 

[KELSW]

I have a Crossbreed purse system with a kydex holster for my shield it mounts to a velcro panel that works great . I am sure if popular enough they make one for shield 380 .

 

[Skeptic 9c]

An interesting comparison video:
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OgA-wEwBdA[/ame]

Geoff
Who is interested.

 

[dipperdave]

We are Not All the Same

For me I just don't get it. not at all. My wife has arthritis and Fibromyalgia and she racks her Shield 9mm no sweat and she is a small mid 50's woman. This .380 Shield is a stunt at best! WHY? Its bigger than a shield and if you can rack the .380 slide you can rack the 9mm shield slide. So my personal opinion is its a gun with no purpose and a major step back from the 9mm Shield!!

My older brother bought a Shield last year for his wife. She is a small woman in her early 70s without noticeable arthritis in her hands. She could not reliably rack it and when she could it took several time consuming tries. She gave it a good try in both live fire and dry snapping for over a week, but in the end she just didn't like it. It was not the gun for her no matter how good it may be other people.

He traded it for a well cared for ,very smooth Colt revolver with a short barrel. It works perfectly for her. She can load it, shoot it accurately and unload it with ease. For her, it is far superior to the 9mm Shield. If she had gotten the new 380 EZ her experience may have been a more positive one.

I don't understand people who see a gun (or car or anything else) only in their own, often narrow, mindset. We are all different with different abilities, physical makeup and different likes and dislikes.

This new 380 EZ is not for me. Twenty years down the road I may be in such a physical condition that it may be the right choice. But, right this very year there are people who will like this gun because, like my sister-in-law, they can't rack a Shield or anything like it.

We should be celebrating the amazing number of handgun choices available to the American shooter in the year 2018. We should not ragging on any new choices which become available. They may not be OUR choices, but they may be exactly perfect for some other, especially older or weaker shooters. Choices are good.

I wish much success for this new Shield 380 EZ. May it live long and prosper.

 

[Joezilla]

if it is easier for some to rack and handle over say a Shield in 9mm, i dont see any reason to shoot it down before checking it out in person (pun intended lol).

I bet there is a market for something like this; perhaps like those with grip issues due to arthritis, age, etc but who still want a semi-auto. To me as long as it is built well and fills a need for other shooters, then it did its job.

If it isn't for me then i'll just pass on it, easy enough...

I may have to check this out for my wife. She needs an easy to rack firearm with little recoil. I balk at her carrying a .22LR pistol. This would fit the bill nicely.

Joe

 

[msjdgman]

I may have to check this out for my wife. She needs an easy to rack firearm with little recoil. I balk at her carrying a .22LR pistol. This would fit the bill nicely.

Joe

My wife amd I will be checking them out later this spring primarily for her. She also has racking issues due to arthritis. She has a BodyGuard 380 for carry, but the larger size of the new Shield 380 would likey be a great addition for her as a home defense gun.

 

[Tap Tap]

Not a gun for me but a smart move on Smith's part. There's a potential large market for this gun with baby boomers getting to the age were strength is fading an woman being a bigger and bigger demographic of the industry.

 

[oldiesradio1560]

I've been a revolver guy since the 70s. All .357 magnums. M66 4", 686 4", 640, 640-3 and my current concealed carry a 640 Pro Series. I never had an auto until I saw and purchased my .380 M&P Shield EZ yesterday. The .380 Shield EZ isn't Junk. Period. I have two posts up on it. Yesterday's post titled "Revolver guy considering a .380 M&P Shield EZ and today's post when I took her to the range and I wrote a full range report. Please read both of my posts then you may have more insight on the EZ.

 

[oldiesradio1560]

As you read, on Friday I purchased the .380 Shield EZ and I took it to the range on Saturday and I love her. Since this my first automatic I've ever owned,(only owned .357 magnum revolvers since the 70's) I don't understand the misinformation I've read in previous posts about the grip safety. People are talking about if the grip accidentally is depressed the gun will fire in a purse etc. Isn't there a trigger that has to be pulled before any gun fires and the grip safety suppressed at the same time for the gun to fire? I purchased the model without the manual safety. I like the grip and pull the trigger concept just like the .357s I've owned. In a self defense situation I want to pull, shoot and stop the threat just like my revolvers.

 

[Charlier26]

Just returned from the range, where I shot my brother's .380 EZ. Yes, the slide is quite easy to rack....feels mostly like my 22 Compact. The grip safety is unobtrusive.....Didn't notice it at first. Shooting it, there is barely any more recoil than the .22lr version. No, it's not a gun for me, but I definitely see a market for it. The trigger is quite light, and crisp....and...NO hinge

I only shot it at 8 yards but it was all in the bullseye, so at least at those distances it is accurate. (A real pleasant change from shooting his PK380 which was anything but accurate.)

All in all, I think they have a particular audience for this pistol, and it meets the needs of someone who is recoil sensitive and/or unable to rack 'normal' pistols.

 

[jnichols2]

As you read, on Friday I purchased the .380 Shield EZ and I took it to the range on Saturday and I love her. Since this my first automatic I've ever owned,(only owned .357 magnum revolvers since the 70's) I don't understand the misinformation I've read in previous posts about the grip safety. People are talking about if the grip accidentally is depressed the gun will fire in a purse etc. Isn't there a trigger that has to be pulled before any gun fires and the grip safety suppressed at the same time for the gun to fire? I purchased the model without the manual safety. I like the grip and pull the trigger concept just like the .357s I've owned. In a self defense situation I want to pull, shoot and stop the threat just like my revolvers.

The purpose of the grip safety is to prevent you from pulling the trigger unless you first depress the grip safety.

What people are saying is the grip safety can be easily depressed in a purse, then there is no safety to prevent something else from pulling the trigger.

I agree that purses and pistols don't mix well.

 

[dusty3030]

Not trying to split hairs, but in this gun the grip safety also deactivates the firing pin block. This is an important feature because it allows to not have the hinged or tabbed trigger. It also takes that mechanical function of deactivating the firing pin block out of the trigger manipulation which in theory should make the trigger action smoother and lighter.

 

[Paper Clip]

Not trying to split hairs, but in this gun the grip safety also deactivates the firing pin block. This is an important feature because it allows to not have the hinged or tabbed trigger. It also takes that mechanical function of deactivating the firing pin block out of the trigger manipulation which in theory should make the trigger action smoother and lighter.

Which means, if i am not mistaken (and maybe i am), if you tape, glue, or do anything to eliminate the grip safety you have effectively eliminated the drop safety of the gun. Please correct me if my thinking is incorrect.

 

[camper]

Handled one this past Saturday and really like it. Will pick one up in a few weeks after all the beta testers have commented. I would like to see night sights as part of the package.

 

[jnichols2]

Here are two seemingly conflictimg statements:
1. The Shield 380 EZ doesn't seem to be exactly my cup of tea.
2. I will probably wind up buying one.

In my early 70s, I have arthritis in both thumbs. When it gets bad, I don't have a lot of pinching strength between my thumb and index finger.

On most days, I still manage with all my semi autos. But on bad days, it's really hard to rack some of them. Racking technique helps a lot, but there are limits.

On the days I need both hands to pick up a half gallon milk (because my thumb just won't handle the weight), my Sig P227 is a real chore. Father Time told me a day will come when I'll be glad to have a gun like the EZ around. I believe him.

 

[SATX]

They put a rail on the 380 but not the other 2.0 Shields, really?

 

[LVSteve]

They put a rail on the 380 but not the other 2.0 Shields, really?

I wonder if there is a marketing thing going on here. For some reason S&W don't want to associate .380 caliber with the M&P range, but they did want a rail on the new gun.