S&W EZ9 - SUGGESTIONS PLEASE!

DOUBLESHOT

DOUBLESHOT

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A FEW WEEKS AGO I PURCHASED A NEW S&W EZ9. I AM 68 YEARS OLD AND HAVE SOME ARTHRITUS IN MY HANDS. I CAN STILL OPERATE ALL MY OTHE PISTOLS OK BUT I'M THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE. I'M HAVING A PROBLEM FULLY DEPRESSING THE GRIP SAFETY. I HAVE SOMEWHAT LARGE HANDS AND THE WEB OF MY HAND DOESN'T ALWAYS PUSH IT FAR ENOUGH. EACH TIME I TAKE IT TO THE RANGE, I PUT A 50 ROUND BOX THROUGH IT. I USUALLY GET 2 OR 3 TIMES WHEN IT WON'T FIRE BECAUSE OF THE GRIP SAFETY. AS MOST OF YOU KNOW, THIS IS UNACCEPTACLE FOR A SELF DEFENSE PISTOL.

I HAVE TRIED THE LITTLE FURNITURE BUMPS, SOFT VELCRO, ETC. I CURRENTLY HAVE A STRIP OF TALON GRIP MATERIAL ON THE GRIP SAFETY. THIS WEEK I ALSO ADDED THE TALON GRIP WRAP TO THE GRIP HOPING IT WOULD ADD THICKNESS TO THE GRIP MAKING THE WEB OF MY HAND COME CLOSER TO THE GRIP SAFETY. NOTHING WORKS. DOES THE GRIP SAFETY OF THE PERFORMANCE CENTER PISTOL WORK BETTER? I'M GETTING CLOSER TO TRADING IT IN. PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN.
 
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I use Luxon hand strengtheners and a VIVE Hand Therapy Ball kit to keep my grip strong. I use them while reading, watching TV, or browsing the internet.

The gun should function flawlessly once you fix the real problem .
 
URIT said:
I use Luxon hand strengtheners and a VIVE Hand Therapy Ball kit to keep my grip strong. I use them while reading, watching TV, or browsing the internet.

The gun should function flawlessly once you fix the real problem .
Click to expand...

MY GRIP STRENGTH IS NOT THE ISSUE. THE PROBLEM IS WHEN I GRIP THE PISTOL NORMALLY, THE WEB OF MY HAND IS TOO FAR BACK BECAUSE THE GRIP IS SO SMALL (OR NARROW). WHEN I GRIP IT SO THAT THE BALL OF MY PALM CONTACTS THE GRIP SAFETY, I HAVE LESS OF A PROBLEM. THIS METHOD HOWEVER PUTS MY TRIGGER FINGER MUCH FARTHER INTO THE TRIGGER. IF THIS WERE JUST A TARGET/RANGE PISTOL IT WOULD BE OK, BUT FOR SELF DEFENSE IT IS NOT THE ANSWER. I DON'T GRIP ANY OF MY OTHER GUNS THIS WAY.
 
suggestions please

I am assuming you are right hand. What I do, and recommend to my students, is always dry fire and practice drawing the pistol, grip, if you are right hand, and as the left hand starts to rise and and grip the right hand, disengage the safety and grip the pistol with both hands. Start slow and increase the normal speed. I use it with my Springfield XDE and other pistols with a manual safety. Hope this helps and practice.

Nick
 
Maybe a pic of your grip would help but the way most shooters are taught is to grip the pistol with the web high so there is no gap and total control of the handgun.
 
Check with Smith & Wesson. The grip safety on the standard EZ (on the left in the picture) is not as large as the grip safety on the Performance Center EZ (on the right). It might be possible to buy the larger Performance Center grip safety separately or to get S&W to switch safeties.

Some people who complained about the Performance Center grip safety being too large have reported that S&W switched the safety to the smaller grip safety from the regular model, so there is apparently precedent for a switch.
 

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TO hobby-gunsmith:

I AM RIGHT HANDED AND I DO HAVE A HIGH GRIP. I REALLY WANTED A SPRINGFIELD XD-E IN 9MM WITH EITHER THE 3.8 OR 4.5 INCH BARREL BUT THEY ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND IN MY AREA.

TO ken158: SEVERAL MONTHS AGO I STARTED USING THE THUMBS FORWARD GRIPPING METHOD. IT IMPROVED MY ACCURACY SO THIS IS WHAT I USE. MAYBE IF I GO BACKWARDS AND WRAP MY LEFT THUMB AROUND MY RIGHT HAND IT WOULD WORK. I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO KEEP CHANGING YOUR GRIP FOR EACH GUN.

TO gc70: I THINK I WILL TRY CALLING THEM AND SEE WHAT IT WOULD COST.

THANKS TO ALL FOR YOUR SUGGESTIONS.
 
try squeezing your left hand harder; that should force the right hand to hold down the grip safety.
 
Does anyone know how much pressure it takes to push in this grip safety? I don't have one, but I do have an elderly female friend that has no issues with it. Of course, since she's an old farm gal, that might have something to do with it.
Mr. Doubleshot might want to look into having the grip safety pinned in. It really doesn't add enough of a safety factor that you'd take the chance on not being able to fire the gun. Tradeoffs, ya know...
By the way: OP, WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING?!?!?!
 
GerSan69 said:
Does anyone know how much pressure it takes to push in this grip safety? I don't have one, but I do have an elderly female friend that has no issues with it. Of course, since she's an old farm gal, that might have something to do with it.
Click to expand...

The grip safety's resistance -like on a 1911- is nominal. The issue is not the pressure needed to depress the safety, but whether the safety makes contact with a shooter's hand to allow the safety to be depressed at all. It is the same issue that prompted "speed bumps" to be added to 1911 grip safeties to better ensure hand contact.
 
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Some guns just don't fit. A couple of examples in my experience.

Years ago I picked up a Star Firestar in 9mm. Compact, but with enough weight to tame recoil, I thought it would make a great carry gun. After a successful trip to the range, I got a holster and started practicing my draw with the gun. That was when it all fell apart.

I have "surgeon's hands", with slim fingers and not much beef in anywhere. The grip on the Firestar might as well have been a bar of soap when trying to draw. I could never establish a proper initial grip at the beginning of the draw. I presented the gun pointing every which way you can imagine. I still have a gun as a minor collector piece, but I'd never carry it.

Later, I bought a Ruger LC9s because I liked the way it concealed. But, I'd never shot one. Turns out there is something in that gun's recoil impulse combined with its narrow grip that I just cannot get past when it comes to making quick follow up shots. I put a Hogue grip on it, and while it helped, it was not a complete fix. The only total fixes have been a Kahr CW9 and a Walther PPS M2.;)
 
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GerSan69 said:
Does anyone know how much pressure it takes to push in this grip safety? I don't have one, but I do have an elderly female friend that has no issues with it. Of course, since she's an old farm gal, that might have something to do with it.
Mr. Doubleshot might want to look into having the grip safety pinned in. It really doesn't add enough of a safety factor that you'd take the chance on not being able to fire the gun. Tradeoffs, ya know...
By the way: OP, WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING?!?!?!
Click to expand...

This grip safety needs a speed bump. I have not problems with the grip safety on my 1911 but that grip safety gets depressed on the bottom. The EZ9 pushes in at the top. I just came back from my LGS and they have a couple of PC EZ9s in and the grip safety on those does not have to be pushed in as far. I think I will call Smith next week and see if I can get one of the PC grip safeties. (Sorry, I didn't realize I was shouting. I have to fill out some reports for work and they are in all caps.)
 
LVSteve said:
Some guns just don't fit. A couple of examples in my experience.

Years ago I picked up a Star Firestar in 9mm. Compact, but with enough weight to tame recoil, I thought it would make a great carry gun. After a successful trip to the range, I got a holster and stared practicing my draw with the gun. That was when it all fell apart.

I have "surgeon's hands", with slim fingers and not much beef in anywhere. The grip on the Firestar might as well have been a bar of soap when trying to draw. I could never establish a proper initial grip at the beginning of the draw. I presented the gun pointing every which you can imagine. I still have a gun as a minor collector piece, but I'd never carry it.

Later, I bought a Ruger LC9s because I liked the way it concealed. But, I'd never shot one. Turns out there is something in that gun's recoil impulse combined with its narrow grip that I just cannot get past when it comes to making quick follow up shots. I put a Hogue grip on it, and while it helped, it was not a complete fix. The only total fixes have been a Kahr CW9 and a Walther PPS M2.;)
Click to expand...

I agree with the fit. I probably should have waited and got the PC version as the grip safety on those sticks out more. My hands are a little on the large side but I don't have any problems holding My 92, 1911 or my P365!
 
It might just be that this gun will never work for you. I have the same situation with Crimson trace laser grips on a J frame revolver. My hands too fat and pudgy and it would never activate the laser just by the way I would naturally hold and shoot the gun.
 
Let us know how it works for you. I have the same large hand issue with my EZ .380; I sometimes have to think about more than I should, to me, to fully depress it. My hands aren't pudgy, by the way. :)
 
I tried one out at our local gun shop. I wear an extra large glove and had the same problem with the grip safety.
I wanted to like the gun but without shifting my hands around, I couldn't use it.
What good would that be in an emergency situation?
I'll stick with my snubby.
 
How about some slip on grips that would depress the safety, A strong rubber band may also work. I hate to deactivate a safety but in your case you may want to consider it.
 
This gun would be for self defense so slipping on a glove wouldn't work. I think a rubber band on the grip or pinning the grip safety would be frowned upon should I have to use it. I got to hold a PC EZ9 at my LGS today and if anyone is thinking about buying one I would get the PC version.
 
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