Final round not chambering 380 EZ PC

[Moriarity]

Just shot my new 380 Shield EZ Performance Center today and encountered what seems to be a well chronicled issue with final round not chambering and resulting in a live round stovepiping. I searched some of troubleshooting answers as to pulling the spring to create more tension or scratching surface of follower for friction I presume. Frankly I couldn’t have cared less about easy loading magazine as I just wanted target shooting recoil. I know no other mags will fit EZ but could I take the spring out of a Shield mag and replace the one in the EZ? This would seem to increase the tension which seems to be what I need.

UPDATE

Spoke to S&W customer service today and two options:

1) send in for service/repair and prepare for 4, 5 week return or
2) send me replacement springs and followers

I opted for 2 as we go away for winter and I really wanted gun to go with me. I bought it strictly as range gun as others really not that much fun to plink with. My sense is we are probably just kicking can down the road but we will see. I may try a couple the recommended hacks before I throw in the towel.

 

[Tony S45]

Moriarity:

Suggest that you call S&W first thing Monday morning and ask them to FIX it. You paid extra $$$ for the PC gun and it still has the "last round stovepipe" problem on the .380.

S&W knows that they have a problem but haven't acknowledged it publicly.

 

[stansdds]

Welcome to the S&W Forums. Since this is a new pistol, I highly recommend you contact S&W regarding the last round failure to feed issue. You paid for a new firearm and part of that purchase price was for the warranty, make use of that warranty.

 

[photoman]

Anyone know what the fix is for this.

 

[max503]

Anyone know what the fix is for this.

Yea. Same fix I used for my Colt Pocketlite.

Sell it.

 

[Tony S45]

The internet is full of ideas:

1) Sell it.
2) Stronger mag spring. One shooter placed a spent casing between the floorplate and the spring to give it added tension.
3) Weaker mag spring (???) by cutting off a coil.
4) Scuff the follower.
5) Change ammo to find the "one" load that will fully cycle your gun.
6) Live with the irritating issue during a couple hundred round break-in period.
7) Return it to the Mothership!

I vote for #7.

 

[Tony S45]

Difference in mag springs???

http://smith-wessonforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=604450&stc=1&d=1670694326

Check out this comparison photo posted on the Walther forum. It's a comparison between mags of a S&W EZ380 and a Walther CCP M2 .380. Yes, the two pistols are quite different in design but the ammo is approx. the same, the weight of the guns is approx. the same, etc. Notice that the Walther mag disassembled on the left has a significantly longer mag spring than the S&W on the right. BTW, the Walther has an eight round mag also.

I'm not an engineer so I can't discuss tensile strength with any intelligence; however, the diameter of both springs appears to be quite similar.

Conclusion: S&W needs to do their homework on the EZs & Equalizer to ensure that they feed consistently and correctly!

 

[HEADKNOCKER]

There has been a problem for a while with the 380 EZs magazine springs being too weak to bring the last round up causing a malfunction
I have one & want to call S&W & ask for a couple NEW magazine springs
IIRC the newer spring has the yellow paint & is slightly stiffer or longer

 

[Tony S45]

Notice in my included comparison picture above that the S&W spring IS the yellow dipped mag spring yet way shorter than the .380 Walther spring.

Please let us know what S&W tells you about the last round nose up problem of the EZ 380.

 

[gwtx]

I just received a new spring and follower for my 380 ez, which I requested several months ago. Haven't had a chance to look'em over yet.
My initial problem was that I couldn't get the eighth round into the mag.
I got some "TandemKross green springs made for the Victory 22.
After some fiddlin with them, I got that problem fixed,,,I think. I haven't had the ammo to spare, and so haven't put enough rounds thru it to know(or remember) if I had a feed problem or not. I got distracted working on a new 2.0 Compact that came with a horrible trigger. Wound up putting in an Apex. I think I'm beginning to see why a lot of folks are turning to Sig. S&W either is shorthanded, or the QC is getting lax and overwhelming them with returns. My new equalizer bites my trigger finger due the "gap" between the top of the trigger and the frame. When you call them, they very nicely say "send it in, turn around is 6 to 8 weeks". It's a pain to send it in as I live in a rural area, blah, blah.
I bought the gun to use NOW, not 6 or 8 weeks from now. It'll probably come back with a " ALL IN SPEC" note, and nothing done to solve the problem. I'll either find a way to fix it myself, or sell it to someone who has fingers made of steel Sorry for the rant, but I was practicing my typing

 

[cnj]

Hope you get your 380 EZ to be reliable. Ours was completely untrustworthy. Sold it, but if Smith EVER gets off their Tookus and properly fixes this model, I will buy another. Until then, nope.

 

[Paul in Nevada]

It's not just the magazine spring. It's the follower and the feed lips. S&W knows about the problem but they refuse to acknowledge it. Save yourself the frustration and trade the damn thing. There is no fix.

 

[1sprinklerman]

The replacement they sent me is still sitting in the box. Not to be trusted or depended upon.