EZ 380 Shooter issue???

The last round is not held very securely and the recoil of the slide cycling causes the last round to move even before the slide is coming forward to pick up and chamber the round, so occasionally the round stands straight up and gets caught in the ejection port or is completely ejected from the gun.


Just want to clarify, are you saying the slide is moving into battery and as it is picking up the last round from the magazine to chamber, it actually stovepipes BEFORE chambering?
 
Just want to clarify, are you saying the slide is moving into battery and as it is picking up the last round from the magazine to chamber, it actually stovepipes BEFORE chambering?

I'm saying the round is sometimes moving "prior" to the return stroke of the slide when the round is supposed to be picked up (moving into battery) to be chambered. (i.e. the round sometimes moves before it should because it isn't held firmly in place and the result is a stovepipe or complete ejection)

Instead of the round only moving up into the proper position and being held firmly in place to be picked up, it moves on the follower and partially out of position in the mag so it doesn't feed into the chamber.

There is a video in one of the posts in the older thread mentioned above that shows it. There was a frame-by-frame photo from the video in the post, but I think the photo hosting service may have expired and the photo may be inaccessible now. I may have a copy...if I do, I'll try to post it here later.
 
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Hopefully I was able to attach the frame-by-frame photo here...and here is the link to the YouTube video from the other thread (I hope).
YouTube
 

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we were doing one handed drills and weak hand drills, so that was likely an issue getting a good grip. of course there are many issues like this with this model.

she has her eyes on my 9mm shield now, guess I get a new 45 [emoji6]

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

A relatively stable grip is required for pretty much any semi-automatic to cycle reliable, especially lightweight frame models chambered in lower power calibers. While a particular gun may be extremely reliable in controlled static two-hand range shooting conditions, that may not be true when firing one-handed, from an odd position, while moving or in-fighting, but in an actual defense situation that may be the reality. That’s why my carry gun is most often a revolver and I reserve the autoloaders for home/hotel defense.
 

Yep, we're on the same page.. that is bizarre, I have never seen that..

Was this clearly communicated to S&W? I only ask because terming this a stove-pipe is a misnomer.

The result is a stove-pipe, but the manner in which it occurs is atypical and feel most avid shooters would agree.

You may be correct about the mag/mag well issue, I wonder how widespread this is and what fix the YouTuber is exploring (comment section).
 
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Yep, we're on the same page.. that is bizarre, I have never seen that..

Was this clearly communicated to S&W? I only ask because terming this a stove-pipe is a misnomer.

The result is a stove-pipe, but the manner in which it occurs is atypical and feel most avid shooters would agree.

You may be correct about the mag/mag well issue, I wonder how widespread this is and what fix the YouTuber is exploring (comment section).

Having worked with Smith from January through August 2019, I very clearly described the issues I was experiencing. It was a painful and frustrating experience going through the process especially considering that over a year later I still have the same problem. I don't know how widespread the issue is, but it's certainly a pretty big problem if you have a gun that is affected. The mag well is very loose and the recoil can move the mag in the well. That coupled with the weak mag springs that wear quickly is a recipe for trouble in the EZ...my opinion.
 
It is such a peculiar issue you would think S&W would be interested in paying more attention to it-- that is not a fired cartridge stove-piping on extraction/ejection, that is an unfired cartridge stripped from the mag stove-piping.

Have truly never seen that.

Not that it should come out of your pocket, have you tried to locate a local gunsmith? What makes you say the mag springs wear quickly?
 
I am just wondering why some people have problems with last round stovepipes and others don't? Seems like if it was a magazine problem we should all experience it. I for one have never had a stovepipe with either of the one's I fired. I sold the original one and got a performance Center. Not one stovepipe in either one. I used the magazines that came with them and also extra one's I purchased on E bay. I have also read other comments on this forum that say they have never had the problem also.
 
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It is such a peculiar issue you would think S&W would be interested in paying more attention to it--

Once they have your money, you are confusing them with somebody that gives a rat's.

Look on the bright side, Walther just announced a 380 version of their CCP M2 that is very easy to rack. Who knows, it might even come with mags that work.
 
I am going to shoot it again very soon, maybe today. is the issue with last round only from a full mag? if i put 5 rounds in, would you expect the issue on the last round then?

someone in our class was a gunsmith there and suggested it could be that it hasn't been broken in yet, it has 250 rounds through it now

To be clear, the problem with your wife's EZ may involve limp-wristing, which lets a pistol's frame move too much for the slide to cycle properly. And your lack of a problem shooting the pistol supports that conclusion.

I recounted my wife's last-round stovepipe problem because it is similar to what a number of other owners have experienced. It can also be a little challenging to isolate the problem. Some owners have problems with all of their magazines; my wife only had one problematic magazine, but that actually made it slower to be able to isolate the problem.

If your wife had problems with one magazine and you had no problems, but with a different magazine, you might need to go back and carefully observed both/all magazines.

As to when my wife's EZ has had problems:
  • only with one magazine;
  • not every time, but over half the time;
  • only on the last round, and;
  • with from 2 to 8 rounds originally loaded in the magazine.
While it is not a very satisfactory solution, I have been able to make the one problematic magazine consistently operational by putting an empty casing between the bottom of the magazine spring and the base plate's inner retainer. That effectively turns the magazine into a 7-rounder, but it is a 7-rounder that always works.

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Small pistols like Shield's and 3 inch 1911's have stiffer springs for a reason. If weaker springs in a small pistol were a good idea, all of them would come with weaker springs.

People choose the EZ because of hand strength issues, so it's no small stretch to think that many issues are limp wrist related.
Couple that with weaker recoil and mag springs and it's no wonder that there are so many threads about issues with the EZ.
 
sandog, you are spot on, and I believe the EZ is a poor attempt at resolving poor form, but give the youtube referenced a look-- this failure has nothing to do with limp wristing
 
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Not that it should come out of your pocket, have you tried to locate a local gunsmith? What makes you say the mag springs wear quickly?

I've had the gunsmith at my local range look it over a couple of times. He concurs that it's a magazine related design issue. Regarding the springs, I've had 11 magazines (currently have 8) and have replaced the springs twice in most of those mags. Each time, the length of the old spring has been shorter than the new springs by roughly an inch and that is after firing only a few hundred rounds (I've fired a total of 3835 rounds through my EZ). In addition, the tension of the spring when pressing down on the follower is considerably less on the older springs. I don't mind changing out springs, but they should last for several thousand rounds before needing to be replaced. IMO, Smith has designed the magazine to be too easy to load and sacrificed reliability. Springs in all my other handgun magazines are much stiffer and hold even the last round firmly in place...not the case with my EZ.

Edit: For the record, I personally have no need for the EZ. My grip is strong and I have no arthritis issues. I've shot for years and am comfortable racking slides with very stiff springs etc. I bought the EZ thinking my wife might like it and I honestly like everything about the gun except for its last round reliability.
 
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I would agree with the gunsmith, and your assessment-- magazine related.

Also agree there is no reason a magazine cannot last tens of thousands of rounds, particularly S&W mags which have a phenomenal reputation for being well-made, reliable magazines.

Any modern firearm should be reliable, especially something from the factory. It is disappointing to hear S&W, which usually has phenomenal customer service, is simply sending you a few mags hoping to put the matter to bed.

Not that you haven't, but I would keep pushing if possible. Does not take more than a few moments to determine more of the same is going to result in more of the same. Otherwise, what options are you thinking, range gun only? Cut bait and trade it in?
 
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Not that you haven't, but I would keep pushing if possible. Does not take more than a few moments to determine more of the same is going to result in more of the same. Otherwise, what options are you thinking, range gun only? Cut bait and trade it in?

I'm considering contacting Smith again to see if they have any new info or new springs, since my mags are malfunctioning again. To be honest, I'm tired of fooling with it and them... The gun is "at best" a range gun...it's not a gun I'd carry anyway, but with the last round issue there is no chance I'd ever try to depend on it. (I typically carry a Sig P365, a CZ P-01, or a Glock 33.) Definitely in the cut bait mode, but I'm not going to sell a defective gun to anyone...I'll likely just keep it in the safe as a transition gun for new shooters or maybe "give it away" with a caveat about its issue.

Edit: Ok, I called Smith and the rep I spoke with didn't really offer any new info, but he is sending out 4 new springs. Said he'd send more if these first 4 helped. I'll let you know if the new springs seem any different from the existing ones that I have...not expecting so though.
 
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Be curious to hear how they compare, with consideration to differences in design/material.. they have to be aware of the issue if they are sending out parts in an attempt to resolve it
 
I have been able to make the one problematic magazine consistently operational by putting an empty casing between the bottom of the magazine spring and the base plate's inner retainer. That effectively turns the magazine into a 7-rounder, but it is a 7-rounder that always works.

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This is absolute madness.
 

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