Shield .380 EZ Range Report

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Aahzz

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Finally got to the range with mom and the Shield EZ today.

I love this little gun!

Shot really well, minimal recoil, shot to point of aim, absolutely a delight. Most importantly, mom had no issues manipulating it, she shot it well, and she had a smile on her face while doing it. She shot it SO much better than she has ever shot her revolvers, so I see at least one more of these in her future as a car gun, maybe 2, as she has tended to keep 2 stashed around her house for accessibility both for door ringing strangers and bumps in the night.

Her first shot we did have a failure to extract, but she seriously limp-wristed. I gave her a quick reminder on stance and grip, and it was flawless through 50 rounds of range ammo and 50 gold dots. Also, now that she has a gun she actually enjoys shooting, she has agreed to come with me to the range at least once per month to practice and improve.

Many, many thanks to the folks at S&W for filling this niche - my mother is safer because you saw the need and filled it beautifully!!
 
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I don't understand it. I keep reading all these great reviews of a gun some here described as "junk", too big and bulky for a .380acp with an unnecessary and (somehow) detrimental back strap safety. It would sell like snow cones in Antarctica. S&W's biggest mistake since the introduction of the .40 Short & Week. Oh wait, that one is still going pretty strong also. LOL
 
Aahzz said:
Finally got to the range with mom and the Shield EZ today.

I love this little gun!

Shot really well, minimal recoil, shot to point of aim, absolutely a delight. Most importantly, mom had no issues manipulating it, she shot it well, and she had a smile on her face while doing it. She shot it SO much better than she has ever shot her revolvers, so I see at least one more of these in her future as a car gun, maybe 2, as she has tended to keep 2 stashed around her house for accessibility both for door ringing strangers and bumps in the night.

Her first shot we did have a failure to extract, but she seriously limp-wristed. I gave her a quick reminder on stance and grip, and it was flawless through 50 rounds of range ammo and 50 gold dots. Also, now that she has a gun she actually enjoys shooting, she has agreed to come with me to the range at least once per month to practice and improve.

Many, many thanks to the folks at S&W for filling this niche - my mother is safer because you saw the need and filled it beautifully!!
Click to expand...

Good report, and I'm glad to see that you love the gun.

But my highlighted part is what this report is REALLY about. Best to you both.
 
I hear you Deadeye Dick! "You can please some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time".
 
jnichols2 said:
Good report, and I'm glad to see that you love the gun.

But my highlighted part is what this report is REALLY about. Best to you both.
Click to expand...

You are correct - the highlighted line is indeed the most important takeaway, and is the gift given to my mother by S&W.
 
Great to hear. My Mom is looking to buy her first handgun. She has bad arthritis in her hands and the Shield .380 EZ is one of the ones I recommended she try.
 
I am loving reading these positive reviews. We are interested in one for my wife due to arthritis. Locally haven't seen any show up yet, but they will eventually, and if my wife likes it, she will get one.
 
msjdgman said:
I am loving reading these positive reviews. We are interested in one for my wife due to arthritis. Locally haven't seen any show up yet, but they will eventually, and if my wife likes it, she will get one.
Click to expand...



The others I recommended to my Mom and you may want to have your wife try are the G42 and P238. Those are the two guns which I know someone who has bad arthritis says worked best for her.

I'm glad it sounds like the slide racking has become easier because that was one complaint I heard from various women regarding the 9mm Shield.
 
Shootability wise, the 380EZ wins hands down and the trigger is far superior out of the box, to that of the P238.

Slide is still easier to rack than the P238. I'm not knocking the sig, I've got one. The EZ is just a pure joy to shoot. Even with its bigger size, the grip to trigger is pretty small. It'd have to be a really tiny handed person to want/need something smaller grip wise.

Overall size, I could see where the P238 might be preferred. As for the G42, from my experience, it doesn't get along well with some of the cheaper ammo. That may be the case with the EZ as, but I haven't shot it with much variety to get an idea about that yet.
 
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crracer_712 said:
Shootability wise, the 380EZ wins hands down and the trigger is far superior out of the box, to that of the P238.

Slide is still easier to rack than the P238. I'm not knocking the sig, I've got one. The EZ is just a pure joy to shoot. Even with its bigger size, the grip to trigger is pretty small. It'd have to be a really tiny handed person to want/need something smaller grip wise.

Overall size, I could see where the P238 might be preferred. As for the G42, from my experience, it doesn't get along well with some of the cheaper ammo. That may be the case with the EZ as, but I haven't shot it with much variety to get an idea about that yet.
Click to expand...

Great points made here, and I agree with all. I own the EZ and my wife owns (3) P238s, so I wanted to also add that in terms of carry-a-bility, the alloy framed P238 may be smaller than the EZ, but it is also a few ounces heavier than the EZ. Something else to consider.
 
My sister has a P238 - mom couldn't rack it like she can the EZ. She also felt it far less comfortable to fire than the EZ. As always, YMMV, but in our case the EZ is the clear winner for ease of operation and shootability.
 
I often wonder at the narrow-mindedness of some of the shooting community. I continuously hear criticism of guns offered on the market that don't strictly fit "tactical" criteria. I'm certain a compact Glock in .357 Sig is a better tactical choice that a 380 EZ. A Mini-30 is, too, but handguns are compromises. If a person cannot reasonably use a tactically correct weapon, is he or she better of unarmed? I bought an EZ for my mother and am breaking it in for her. Shes 86. When she was in her 40's, she shot a burglar/potential rapist IN HER BED with a snub .357. She can't shoot the old Colt anymore, but was able to rack the EZ and load both magazines with her twisted, bent fingers. I'm putting a velco holster in her wheelchair. Since I am now in my 60's and have the beginnings of her arthritis issues, I am taking medical steps to reduce and retard the problem. Part of these include reducing wear and tear on the hands, so an EZ is likely in my future, too. Only I can choose for me, and only my mother can choose for herself. I'm happy we have the choice.
 
Great thread!

When I first saw/read about the Shield .380 EZ, I 'got it' in terms of it's target market.

I bought my first .380 last summer - an LCP II. I was VERY surprised at how much recoil the little .380acp had! Granted, an LCP II only weighs 10 oz and is pretty small, but it still had more recoil than I thought a 'mouse gun' would have.
(The .380 acp has been called a 9mm short)

So I'm thinking that the Shield .380 EZ might be in my future - I would love to get my wife shooting something more than just 22LR, or 38 special in a heavier steel revolver (she wouldn't care for the recoil my 638 Airweight has).
 
Not Getting Any Younger said:
Great thread!

When I first saw/read about the Shield .380 EZ, I 'got it' in terms of it's target market.

I bought my first .380 last summer - an LCP II. I was VERY surprised at how much recoil the little .380acp had! Granted, an LCP II only weighs 10 oz and is pretty small, but it still had more recoil than I thought a 'mouse gun' would have.
(The .380 acp has been called a 9mm short)

So I'm thinking that the Shield .380 EZ might be in my future - I would love to get my wife shooting something more than just 22LR, or 38 special in a heavier steel revolver (she wouldn't care for the recoil my 638 Airweight has).
Click to expand...

I have an LCP as well (not the II, though) - yeah, not a pleasant gun to shoot. I put a couple mags through it when we were testing the EZ. The EZ is WAY more fun, and mouse guns in 380 are not for the recoil-sensitive IMO. I like mine, and feel good with it in my pocket, but really don't enjoy putting more than 4 mags through it - and I'm NOT terribly recoil sensitive.
 
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