New Smith & Wesson M&P 380 Shield EZ

[Gtwralph]

I just saw this posted on the Smith & Wesson Web site.

Here is a link for the specs. 380 Shield EZ

 

[FloridaS&W]

Grip safety plus thumb safety.
"Easy to rack" slide, "easy to load" mags.
Nice ladies gun.

 

[Raisin]

Looks interesting. The specs so far don't show width or height though.

 

[comiskeybum]

That's........odd. Not sure what market their going after with this thing other than ladies/kids who are first getting into guns maybe? 9mm or 22 would be cheaper to train with and this gun does not look very compact.

What's with the grip safety?

 

[GeoJelly]

Looks interesting - there isn't any safety on the trigger ... so maybe this is a hammer-fired auto? As noted above - sure looks big ...

Edited to add: another doh for me for failing to closely read the specs. So, it’s sort of like an M&P .22 Compact but sized and chambered for .380. My .22 Compact has been 100% reliable and the trigger pull is great – but I don’t know how much this whole grip safety appendage will impact the trigger. Looks to be huge compared to the old .380 BG.

 

[GKC]

The specs say it's internal hammer fired, available with or without a thumb safety. It's got a 3.675" barrel and overall length is 6.7", and the weight is 18.5 oz. Since it's internal hammer fired, I assume it's DAO, with no external hammer to cock, which makes me wonder about the trigger. No mention of pull weight that I saw.

This would be a whole lot more interesting if it was in 9mm or .45 ACP.

 

[gc70]

The specs say it's internal hammer fired, available with or without a thumb safety. It's got a 3.675" barrel and overall length is 6.7", and the weight is 18.5 oz. Since it's internal hammer fired, I assume it's DAO, with no external hammer to cock, which makes me wonder about the trigger. No mention of pull weight that I saw.

This would be a whole lot more interesting if it was in 9mm or .45 ACP.

The trend lately has been toward pre-cocked hammers and SAO triggers, which would explain the grip safety and manual safety.

 

[kgpcr]

my personal opinion is YUK!!! My wife has Fibro and Arthritis and her 58yr sold hands rack her Shield 9mm no problem at all. This thing is bigger than her Shield 9mm????? So why on earth would she want one?? Just my .02

 

[Dave Lively]

A gun for people that don't like guns. It might even end up being legal in California.

It is nice to see that S&W is willing to think out of box. I have no interest in this gun but might really like the next gun most people have no use for.

The target market for this gun would probably be better off buying a 38 revolver. But if they would rather buy a semiauto I hope this gun works well for them. It looks big but the specs say it is not and a slim 380 should be easy to carry. Less recoil than a 9mm but a lot more effective and hopefully reliable than a 22.

 

[comiskeybum]

Smith's answer to the XDE basically.

Sent from my Pixel XL

 

[bnolsen]

Ugh why not just slap a new barrel, recoil spring and mag into the shield platform to make a 380 version?

 

[martybee]

From what I read in the reviews, it's Larger than the Shield 45. Here is
the link for the Review of the Shield 380EZ by Guns & Ammo.

FIRST LOOK: Easy-To-Rack S&W M&P 380 Shield

 

[petepeterson]

I don't know the exact size of the .22 Compact-

What does this pistol compare to, size-wise? It looks almost like a full-size M&P.

 

[hyena]

That gun looks like the answer to a question nobody asked.

 

[bigwheelzip]

Here is the link for the Review of the Shield 380EZ by Guns & Ammo.

This wrap-up to the article makes me think it will be very successful.

"Regardless of your physical capability, the .380 chambering combined with the specially designed slide assembly and larger frame than the original Shield and Bodyguard models make recoil management of the M&P 380 Shield an afterthought. This pistol doesn’t feel like it’s torqueing in your hand or wanting to flip out of it.

With a 4½-pound trigger pull and short reset, this pistol is quick and very accurate. At the time of this writing, Guns & Ammo is still testing the performance of this model for an upcoming print issue. That said, the M&P 380 Shield appears capable of holding sub-2¼ inch groups from 25 yards making it one of the most accurate .380s G&A has ever tested."

 

[Old_Cop]

We baby boomers are aging, this .380 looks to me like a wise marketing choice for S&W. Easy to handle and work the slide. 1911s have had a grip safety since the beginning, if it gives customers confidence, then why not.

 

[Rule3]

I like 380 pistols. Have several as well as stuff up to 460SW Mag.

Would it be a pistol I would buy. No, but that is why they make all kinds of flavors of them.

I have a "regular" SW 380 Bodyguard, nice gun, but the Ruger LCP II has a nicer trigger. But it is a different kind of trigger. So different stokes for different folks

My favorite 380 is the Sig P230/232 but these days it is big and heavy.

 

[KSDeputy]

I have plenty of .380 pistols. After my experience with the first BG, there is no way I would buy another.

 

[cporfe]

Ruger did the LC380 which is the LC9 with a .380 barrel and a spacer in the mag. I bought one and loved it. Old hands and all. My youngest daughter loved it to. Need I say more? I think I'll be looking at this when they show up in force to see if it might worth a try. BTW I have an original BG380 with laser and have had zero problems with it. Still shoot it regularly. But I'm getting older and something larger might be nice.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

A geriatric .380. Nope. Ain't going there. Sorry. Now where's my drool cup????