New 380 EZ: Will I be disappointed?

As I proceed through my 70th decade I can still easily handle all my pistols (S&Ws, Sigs, Walthers, Berettas, etc.) but I had a hankering for a new gun so I thought I'd prepare for the day when age or infirmity will limit my ability to rack a slide. Saw a good price on a 3800EZ and am jumping on it.

I've read the reviews, watched the YouTubes, and decided I'd go 1000% and get the 380 instead of the 9EZ to keep recoil down. I expect a decent trigger, modest accuracy out to 10 yards, and flawless operation.

So, from folks used to shooting CS9s or 45s, 39s, or 4006 or 4513s, what can I expect? What should I be aware of, what should I "know?"

I'm assuming it'll be like any other SA type gun, just a bit easier to manipulate. Am I correct?

When it arrives and I get the sheriff's ok, I'll post some pics and a range report.

I bought one and sold it. I then bought a Ruger custom .380, the one with the red trigger. It was made a short time, then they changed to another model. I still like it. I carry it in a pocket holster around the farm.

My daughter with arthritic hands bought a 380 EZ after trying both 380 and the 9 mm rentals at a range. The dirty, used rentals were trouble free. Her’s with scuffed mag followers has been trouble free.

I focused on 9mm as my sole defensive round about five years ago. I got rid of my .40’s and .380’s. I did a little internal polishing on hers for faster break in and a few hundred dry practice trigger and slide cycles. It’s very smooth and the trigger is better than most other S&W pistols.

The problem of last round stove piping never occurred because the simple fix of scuffing the magazine followers worked (other threads on this forum).

I have a few .22 LR handguns for fun and training new shooters, many of whom are my grandchildren. One of their favorites is the full size M&P .22, a close copy of my carry 9mm.

The light bulb went off in my head that a .380 EZ would be an excellent step up from .22’s as an introduction to center fire cartridges—a direct size-weight-function transition. So I bought one, did the same work as on my daughter’s, and it has been flawless through hundreds of rounds. It is a keeper and a favorite with all shooters.

Your intended future use makes sense. Ammo prices are high right now, but if you buy some break in ammo (150 rounds) of fmj and some high quality defensive ammo, penetrating not fragmenting, you will be fine.

The thumb safety model is redundantly redundant to me, but my daughter bought it because she purse carries and has kids. None of my on-body carry guns has an extra manual thumb safety. Just be aware there are two models and make an informed purchase.

Redcoat3340 said:

As I proceed through my 70th decade I can still easily handle all my pistols (S&Ws, Sigs, Walthers, Berettas,

Click to expand...

At almost 700 years old, I admire your ability to plan for the future...

Redcoat - I am not too many years behind you, although I am not 700 yet . I picked my 380EZ up a couple of weeks ago and have had it out to the range twice. I don’t think you will be disappointed, and I hope you won’t be! Mine has been perfect, functionally, using both magazines. Due to the price of .380, I have only fired reloads in mine. Most of my recent .380 reloads use a mild Blue Dot load, and the EZ gobbled them up. No hollowpoints yet - I use Berry’s plated hollow-base bullets.

Several of my students have the 380EZ. A frequent "problem" is a failure by the shooter to grip the pistol high enough and tight enough to depress the poorly designed upside down grip safety. It is beyond me why they put the memory bump at thetop of the grip safety, rather than at the bottom where it would be easier to employ.

As a shooter of all the S&W models you mentioned, it is apples and oranges comparing the CS9, 4513, ect to a 380EZ. I do not consider them to be comparable.

Suffice it to say that MOST of the 380EZs I have shot - 8 different examples, will hold 4 inches at 7 yards using 115 grain range fodder ball. The last example I shot, belonging to a student, last Thursday, was actually quite accurate. It put 3 rounds of Federal 124 grain into 1.25 inches at 10 yards. That one was new, made in June 2021. The triggers range from "meh" to bad - gritty. Reset is positive and tactile......till its not.

The slides are very easy to rack and the mags are VERY easy to load. Which I guess is the 380EZs claim to fame.

Our two range rental 380EZs have multiple thousands of rounds through them, are rarely cleaned and seem to tick along with no issues. They are 2020 examples, bough new by the owner.

Recently we have seen two different customers, with brand new 380EZs that had "dead triggers". Both pistols were brand new. When the slide was racked to chamber a round, the chambered round would fire. But the triggers would not reset and no subsequent rounds could be fired. Charging the pistol - ejecting the chambered round - and the pistols would fire the hand charged round and once again, the triggers would not reset.

Both pistols are currently on their way back to the factory under warranty. Asking about this issue ona couple of other gunboards resulted in two other 380EZ owners who had the same experience and sent theirs back.

Those are the only problems we have seen with a wide sampling of 380EZs. The 9mm EZ is a different story. We are on our 3rd example in the range rental case. The previous two were replaced under warranty. We have also heard and seen nothing but problems with customers who own them. Broken trigger pins, cracked breach face, FTE/FTF, poor accuracy ect. Our single range rental EZ9 is not a frequently rented gun.

Good luck! Hope this helps. Regards 18DAI

Mrs Engineer has an M&P 380EZ that is factory stock. She has no problems with racking the slide, grips safety, or trigger. After 5 rounds the mag spring does get tough with out a mag loader to depress the top round.

She also shoots 1911 style pistols. She shoots a light target load in 45 ACP with a 12# spring. She shoots only "her" reloads in her guns without problems. I offer this information for comparison only between the 2 pistols.

Finding a sufficient quantity of ammo in which to practice with and become proficient may be your only issue with a .380.

I kind of don't get the 9mm "EZ".

The .380 I get. The benefit of using a short-recoil locked breech design in the .380 is the reduced recoil vs the usual blowback models. It also allows a lighter recoil spring making it "EZ" to operate the slide. Make it a slightly larger than the usual .380 so you can put some weight to the slide and that also helps. Should be a very soft recoil.

I have two .380's of nearly identical weight, one a blowback the other a locked breech, and the latter is definitely easier on the recoil. Not that the former is anywhere near painful. But still, you can really tell the difference.

But these advantages don't exist with the 9mm. They are of course all locked breech (with a notable exception). How is the 9mm version "EZ"ier than any other 9mm? Am I missing something?

I do like the concept of using the larger .380's as training guns in the transition to centerfire, and that's what mine mostly get used for. They are inexpensive to reload and I find them more accurate than the 9mm in general, given a fair comparison. People tend to love them when they shoot them.

Like you I'm keeping them for when I start losing my strength. I've also have a .22 with a rail and bought a scope mount for my other .22 for when my eyesight goes....

I wanted the 380 EZ but couldn't find any ammo for it at any local stores or on the internet at the time I was interested.

I did have over 1000 rounds of 9 mm on hand so I went with the EZ 9.

I have a problem loading any of my older autos do to arthritis so I wanted something I could get loaded with no problems but bigger than a .22

Recoil is amazing on the EZs. It's has less felt recoil than my Glocks or CZs and all the EZ selling points really work. Magazines load like a dream, slide is easy to manipulate, etc.

You do have to make sure your hand is high on the gun and depresses the grip safety. I only had a problem my first shooting session but learned to grip it better. Mine has the optional safety. No need for it on this gun but it doesn't get in the way and if you don't want to use it just don't put it on.

Had .380 ammo been available I probably would have gone that route.

We went with the 380, Could have had the 9mm for an extra $10

glenwolde said:

I kind of don't get the 9mm "EZ"....How is the 9mm version "EZ"ier than any other 9mm? Am I missing something?...

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Yes.

I have a M&P 2.0 9mm 4.25" and a M&P Shield EZ9.

1. The EZ is much MUCH easier to rack.
   
2. And even easier to load the magazines. No sore thumbs or mag loader.

Those two are the reasons the model exists.

SchemaEnigma said:

Yes.

I have a M&P 2.0 9mm 4.25" and a M&P Shield EZ9.

1. The EZ is much MUCH easier to rack.
   
2. And even easier to load the magazines. No sore thumbs or mag loader.

Those two are the reasons the model exists.

Click to expand...

O.K. good to know. I wonder how they did that. Is the slide heavier on the EZ? I wouldn't think so. I'm just curious about the engineering. Surely it's not just lighter springs. The EZ would beat itself to death.

If the slide isn't significantly heavier one would think that however they accomplished it they could apply the same engineering to the M&P 2.0 and make it easier to rack.

Don't have an EZ (not even a Shield, either), but...

If you can find one the Beretta Model 86 (380acp with the tip barrel) is, IMHO, the ultimate gun for the application you envision: all steel, DA/SA, and you never have to rack the slide if you don't want/need to...

More the like of the Gen 3s you referred to in the original post. $pendy, but you won't be disappointed.

Cheers!

P.S. Welcome to the World of the Septuagenerians (X 10)!

I am 72 years old and I have a 9mm EZ. I only have arthritis in my Back and Legs so far. I am a fan of the 9mm EZ. Its very easy to manipulate, load and shoot. Last Summer I broke my back So before my surgery I had to Qualify for my CCP. I fired the entire course one handed, in a rain storm. While standing using my cane to stand. I scored 100% on the course of fire. So the S&W EZ pistols have my confidence. They are Quality Pistols.

glenwolde said:

O.K. good to know. I wonder how they did that. Is the slide heavier on the EZ? I wouldn't think so. I'm just curious about the engineering. Surely it's not just lighter springs. The EZ would beat itself to death.

If the slide isn't significantly heavier one would think that however they accomplished it they could apply the same engineering to the M&P 2.0 and make it easier to rack.

Click to expand...

IDK about the engineering of it, except to say it is hammer fired, not striker fired. This has something to do with its ease of racking, according to what I've read.

glenwolde said:

Is the slide heavier on the EZ? I wouldn't think so.

Click to expand...

That's it exactly.


The 380EZ is a very fun gun to shoot except for the last round feeding issue. We have relegated our EZ to range toy use since it can't be trusted for self defense. Leave the magazines fully loaded between range trips and you will see what I mean.

Many thanks to all who replied. It's much appreciated, especially to Pisgah who "helped" me with my math.

After his comment, and I recovered from my face plant for writing such a dunderhead thing, all I could think of was that old folk-turn parody...

… Methuselah lived 900 years
Methuselah lived 900 days
Who'd call it livin'?
No gal will give in
To no man that's 900 years

… It ain't necessarily so
It ain't necessarily so
The things that you're liable
To read in the Bible
It ain't necessarily so.

Range report and stuff when the gun arrives and I clear the WA state background check...in other words, in about two weeks.

glenwolde said:

O.K. good to know. I wonder how they did that. Is the slide heavier on the EZ? I wouldn't think so. I'm just curious about the engineering. Surely it's not just lighter springs. The EZ would beat itself to death.

If the slide isn't significantly heavier one would think that however they accomplished it they could apply the same engineering to the M&P 2.0 and make it easier to rack.

Click to expand...

The EZ is a cock-on-opening hammer-fired gun while the M&P is a cock-on-closing striker-fired gun.

The recoil energy in a hammer-fired gun:
(1) moves the slide to the rear to cock the hammer and;
(2) compresses the recoil spring, which:
(A) pulls the slide forward and;
(B) feeds a round into the chamber.

The recoil energy in a striker-fired gun:
(1) moves the slide to the rear to compress the recoil spring, which:
(A) pulls the slide forward;
(B) feeds a round into the chamber and;
(C) compresses the striker spring.

Part of a hammer-fired gun's recoil energy is absorbed by cocking the hammer, reducing the recoil spring weight needed to keep the slide from battering the frame. The recoil spring in a striker-fired gun needs to be heavier because it is the only thing absorbing recoil energy.

As a hammer-fired gun's slide closes, the recoil spring does not need very much force to pull the slide forward and load a new round. A striker-fired gun needs a heavier recoil spring because it also has to compress the striker spring as the slide closes.

In short, the mechanics of hammer-fired guns allow them to operate with significantly lighter recoil springs than striker-fired guns.

Redcoat3340 said:

As I proceed through my 70th decade I can still easily handle all my pistols (S&Ws, Sigs, Walthers, Berettas, etc.) but I had a hankering for a new gun so I thought I'd prepare for the day when age or infirmity will limit my ability to rack a slide. Saw a good price on a 3800EZ and am jumping on it.

I've read the reviews, watched the YouTubes, and decided I'd go 1000% and get the 380 instead of the 9EZ to keep recoil down. I expect a decent trigger, modest accuracy out to 10 yards, and flawless operation.

So, from folks used to shooting CS9s or 45s, 39s, or 4006 or 4513s, what can I expect? What should I be aware of, what should I "know?"

I'm assuming it'll be like any other SA type gun, just a bit easier to manipulate. Am I correct?

When it arrives and I get the sheriff's ok, I'll post some pics and a range report.

Click to expand...

[FONT=&quot]Having owned the Shield EZ standard in 9mm and a Performance Center .380 EZ and putting hundreds of rounds through both, I am impressed with both guns after initially looking askance at the aesthetics of the profile with the prominent grip safety. Personal preference, I know. No issues with the 9mm.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]But my experience with the .380 mirrors a common complaint among many owners. The infamous “last round/live round stove-pipe” jam. It is a well-documented problem as evidenced by discussions on many boards and numerous online videos. The manifestation of this is the last round in the magazine often will ‘jump’ the magazine lips/feed cycle and result in a stove pipe jam of the live round. (Over the first 200 rounds fired it seemed to happen to me at least every other magazine. Wish I had been filming to document it but I actually had one flip and feed into the chamber backwards) [Hickock 45 video, not exactly a ‘limp-wrister’ [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXfmlh27iY0"]STOVE PIPE LAST ROUND JAMS[/ame] fast-forward to 10:30, and 18:00 if you don’t want to watch the entire video; he’s always entertaining][/FONT]
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[/FONT](Not from the video)
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[FONT=&quot]Now, before the S&W fan-bois chime in “That’s never happened to me in hundreds of rounds fired (well, consider yourself fortunate); your rounds are a)too hot or b)too weak (take your pick); you MUST be limp-wristing it (no, I’m not)” . As a S&W customer and shooter for over 50 years (have owned and worked on dozens) who has shot competition, done gunsmith work, and likely fired at least near a quarter million rounds of various chamberings from BB guns to .454’s over my lifetime (I also have an engineering background) I can assure you none of the above are the culprit. My observations are that it appears that the physics of the action combined with a magazine follower that is a) too ‘smooth/slick, and b) likely rides just bit higher in the empty magazine than it should and thus allows the last round to ‘jump’ the last feed cycle and jam the action. The light magazine spring pressure (hence the “EZ" moniker) also contributes, no doubt.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]It doesn’t seem to be a problem with every one that goes out the door but happens frequently enough that it is a concern for any serious use of the gun for self defense/carry purposes. (I know, let the chorus from the macho men begin with ‘I would never carry a .380 for defense anyway; all .380’s are unreliable; get yerself a real gun’; yada, yada, yada, etc, etc, etc.) The thing that really frosts me is that I had occasion to speak with S&W Customer Service (an inconsistent appellation it would seem) on another matter and "by-the-way" asked if and when they intended on addressing the issue with the .380 EZ. I was told that they were ‘not aware of any problems’. When confronted with the anecdotal and abundant online evidence to the contrary, their response was literally, “those online complainers represent just a small fraction of the units we have out there and we have determined that it is not an issue”. So much for ‘customer service’ response.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]So just know, as per the norm in society today, S&W customer service ain’t what it used to be, they refuse to address or even acknowledge the problem and seem content with the situation.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The “fix” (not original with me) seems to be a light scoring of the top of the follower (I used a thin edged needle file) to ‘rough up’ the follower, providing just enough resistance to keep the round in contact with the follower from sliding off prematurely and jamming the gun. Receiving no aid from S&W I chose to try this recommended cure from some stalwart owners that apparently hit the same wall as I. Another 200 rounds through the gun and no repeats of the stovepipe problem[/FONT]

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[FONT=&quot]Hopefully you’ll be more fortunate with your .380 EZ and it won’t be an issue. Just know, IN MY EXPERIENCE , if it is . . . S&W was NO help in fixing it. Caveat Emptor. YMMV[/FONT]