Is the Shield EZ .380 as good as it seems?

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I may be in the market for a reliable and accurate .380 pistol. I like 1911 style .380's but almost every one I have had or shot is ammo picky, and I'm getting tired of that.

Been thinking of getting an Shield EZ .380 PC because I rarely hear anything bad about them, and they seem to be very reliable.

What have your experiences been, and do you think they are worth a $450 (used) or $550 new price tag?

Also, feel free to post pics of your Shield EZ's :)
 
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My wife picked one up when they first came out. It's a decent shooter but we did have some issues with it stove piping the last round of a magazine. I know others had this issue as well. We sent it back to S&W and it still had the issue when it came back. This was over 3 years ago.

I am not sure if they ever completed fixed this issue as I haven't paid attention. My wife likes her revolver more so the EZ shield just sits in the safe for the most part. Some day I will probably call S&W and have it sent in again.
 
Bullet Bob said:
You don't list your state, but the prices seem high for my area. My EZ .380 has been great.
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Massachusetts. Going rate around me for a Performance center new is approx $500-550, maybe $100 less for a non PC or for a used PC model. I want a PC model.
 
Recently bought a PC .380 EZ but haven't shot yet. Cold and windy lately. If you like 1911 type I've got a Browning 1911/380 I enjoy. Hope to report back soon
 
I have no experience with the PC version. My 380 Shield EZ has been utterly reliable with every load I feed it. It's accurate and has a really good trigger. I like everything about it!

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I wouldn't pay that much (I'd buy on sale at a big box store) and I wouldn't buy a used one (who knows why the original owner got rid of it?), but the one that I shot (a friend's) was pretty nice. Completely reliable and a nice size, easy for a weak person to run. The trigger was not good - lots of creep despite the (internal) hammer ignition. But I liked my friend's well enough that I bought a (very similar) M&P Compact .22 LR as a trainer for the several pistols I have of that size that use similar controls, and I purely love it.
 
I love my EZ (9), the trigger for me is really solid vs my other MP models.
Only thing I would mention is on PC versions I have read some complain about the feel of the grip safety. Almost too sharp on the edge? Anyhow something to consider if one gets a chance to hold an EZ in PC form before buying.
 
My Shield .380 EZ has been modified with an aftermarket flat face trigger, a set of XS night sights, and wears an Olight PL2 Mini Valkyrie weapon light. I have had it for a good while now, and it remains a very reliable pistol. I’ve heard many reports of people having the last round in a magazine stovepipe, but that has proven not to be the case with mine. The price you mention sounds more than a little bit too high however. Around here, the standard version can be had for around $400-$420, and the PC model gets around a $50 premium.
 
My wife bought a very early production model of the 380 EZ. Her EZ had the stovepipe problem (documented by multiple posts on this board), but a new barrel ultimately solved the problem. Even with that speed-bump, the EZ impressed me enough to buy one in 9mm for myself.

Is the EZ as good as it sounds? If you want/need a gun that is easy to rack, I can rack my wife's 380 EZ using only my little finger on the front sight. If you want magazines that are easy to load, my wife has no problem using the nub on the side of the slide to push down the follower to allow rounds to drop in. And recoil is nearly nothing.

I took a quick look at Bass Pro prices in Massachusetts, which are $450 for a standard model and $550 for a PC model. Big-box stores like Bass Pro seem to have fairly standard pricing for their respective locations.
 
I cannot attest to the handling of the EZ 380 but I'm sure glad I picked up an EZ 9. At 70 I have a difficult time racking the slide on most automatics. No problem with the EZ.

It's surprisingly accurate and I keep all rounds inside the X ring of a Bianchi target at 7 - 10 yards. Magazines are a breeze to load and the gun takes no effort to disassemble to clean.
 

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My wife's 380EZ will stovepipe/eject the last round on nearly every magazine. We have six magazines, all with the upgraded springs. As accurate as it is, and as much fun it is to shoot; I could never recommend this as a defensive firearm.
 
The three 380 EZ’s I have purchased have worked fine—after scuffing up the magazine followers as suggested on this forum in previous threads. This eliminates the only serious problem some owners face: last-round stove piping. IMO, a new barrel or new mag springs are not the fix for the problem.

I bought two standard models. I did some polishing on firing components, especially the grip safety bar. The triggers are very good. I like not having a ported barrel on a CC gun. I gave each of these guns to a daughter for CC. I and they feel very confident it is a great, reliable, easy to use gun. One has an Armalaser TR28 laser mounted under the barrel.

BTW, the small mag spring compression knobs are rather sharp. I rounded off the top of each to make them more comfortable. Then I found an old single stack plastic ring loading tool. I modified it slightly to fit over the 380 EZ mag. Loading mags was EZ before. Now it is EZR.

Finally, I bought a PC version because it looked good with the two-tone treatment. The trigger was a little better—already polished apparently. I don’t mind the barrel/slide porting as this is not for carry. I use it to train young or new shooters on a center fire pistol. The grip safety is more pronounced. I have done some rounding/smoothing work on it to make it more comfortable.

I recommend the 380 EZ with the magazine follower alteration. The standard model is better for CC, IMO.
 

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"The three 380 EZ’s I have purchased have worked fine—after scuffing up the magazine followers as suggested on this forum in previous threads. This eliminates the only serious problem some owners face.I recommend the 380 EZ with the magazine follower alteration. "



Shouldn't have to "scuff" a mag follower on a new pistol from a major manufacturer to make a pistol run....

The Preacher
 
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Some folks (quite a few) have had that follower problem. I dealt with it and haven't had any problems since. Got a runaway price on the PC .380 model after buying the 9mm. I like it - it's a shooter. Accurate at 15-20 yards in my experience and it feeds Lehigh Defense slugs without a problem. I expect the practical range would be far less if one ever needed to call on it for defense but from what I've observed of the penetration and performance of those rounds if I do my part I think they'll do the job.
 
Ranger17 said:
I love my EZ (9), the trigger for me is really solid vs my other MP models.
Only thing I would mention is on PC versions I have read some complain about the feel of the grip safety. Almost too sharp on the edge? Anyhow something to consider if one gets a chance to hold an EZ in PC form before buying.
Click to expand...

5 minutes with some sandpaper or needle file will clear that problem right up.
Don’t be too reluctant to modify a plastic gun.
Years ago I bought a Glock. Couldn’t stand the squared off forward trigger guard. 20 minutes with a belt sander and a small piece of some fine sandpaper made it more pleasing to my eye and looked like it left the factory that way. Was rather proud of myself. The guy I traded it to later liked it too, and asked when the factory had started making them that way before I mentioned that I did it.
 
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