Opinions on the M&P Shield EZ in .380

[PlatypusWithaGun]

I'm thinking about getting one of these for my mother. She's turning 70 next year and she has arthritis all up and down her arms. I found mention of this gun in an article for elderly shooters. It was even mentioned as having been tested by a woman with arthritis with good results. But it's hard for me to judge since I'm not 70 and don't have arthritis and it's hard to get mom to the range to let her rent one to test. Anyone have any relevant experience to share?

 

[geeollie]

We got one for many of the reasons you list.
Our experience was that a smaller hand that has not a lot of gripping power has trouble getting the grip safety to engage 100%.

If we picked the handgun up and spent time adjusting the gun in the hand. It was 100%

BUT.......grab the gun and quickly try to get off a couple shot and that grip safety did cause a few problems. It is not the grip safety causing problems but the smaller hand size limited by some ability to get a good grip while under pressure.

We went with a Ruger LCR. Using the .32 S&W Long wad cutters the gun was 100% and was comfortable. This was before S&W released the Ultimate Carry revolvers. But even now, the Ruger LCR is easy to shoot with its great trigger. There are a number of .32 S&W Long or .32 H&R Magnum rounds that many consider to be adequate for self defense. And recoil is in the same (or a little less) range as .380.

 

[Denverd0n]

My wife is mid-70s and also has arthritis in her hands. She has one and likes it very much. She has put a couple of thousand rounds through it, including training that required drawing from a holster and firing as quickly and accurately as possible.

Yes, at first she had a couple of problems with the grip safety. She was not gripping the gun properly. She would have had problems with ANY handgun, given the way she was gripping it. After we spent just a little time on the proper way to grip a handgun, she has had no further problems at all.

The basics -- grip, sight alignment, trigger control. If you do not have these down correctly then you will have trouble with ANY handgun. If you DO have these down correctly then you will NOT have a problem with the Shield EZ.

 

[CajunBass]

I've got one that is my favorite carry gun. I'm 73, and have a bad back, and arthritis in both hands. The 380 EZ is my Goldielocks gun. It is just the perfect size for me. The trigger is excellent and mine isn't the PC model, just the regular off the shelf model. The slide is "easy" to rack, the magazines are "easy" to load, although the little tabs do hunt my fingers, so I just load them like I do every other magazine and don't bother with the tabs. The plain three dot white sights are "good enough" for me. I've probably got 1000 rounds through mine and I do not recall a malfunction, and unlike a lot of smaller guns, I shoot it straight to the sights.

I've never had any trouble with the grip safety, but I've been shooting for about 50 or so years. I also practice and dry fire a lot using a laser cartridge which has gotten me used to handling the gun. Maybe an option for others.

 

[Rammer Jammer]

Try it and the Ruger Security-380

 

[Cphobes]

Try it and the Ruger Security-380

Never shot the Ruger Security-380 but have heard good things about it. I do own the 380EZ and find it quite easy to shoot. The Ruger may be easier without the grip safety, some people find that a problem. I did not.

 

[gc70]

After shooting .357 revolvers for 40 years, my wife had extensive hand surgery and had to switch to something milder. She chose the 380EZ as her replacement pistol. However, she often did not carry her gun if we were going out together because I would be armed. I didn't want to carry a gun she couldn't rack or reasonably manage to shoot if needed, so I bought a Ruger Security-380 for myself.

My wife never had problems with the 380EZ grip safety. She prefers the thinner 380EZ grip but shoots the S-380 well with no difficulty. I prefer the 15-round capacity of the S-380 over the 8 rounds of the 380EZ.

 

[lkabug]

Being in my 80th year with arthritis in my hands I have found the 380EZ to be a very worthwhile firearm. The grip safety has not been an issue for me or my wife.
Additionally, with advancements in .380 ammo, I'm not concerned about carrying it these days.

 

[BillinAlamo]

As a former range officer and pistol coach at "Women on Target" events here in southern New Mexico, I found the EZ was the one gun many gals could handle easily -- especially racking the slide SAFELY. Yes, grip fundamentals must be observed.
Not a .380, but I had an EZ in .30 Super Carry as well as a Shield Plus in .30 SC and shooting them side by side, the EZ scattered the brass all over the county and the Shield, which I still happily own, put it in a neat pile. But if you don't care a fig about handloading, the EZ may be just the right gun for older arthritic hands.

 

[robrossk]

I have two 380 EZ’s - the performance center and the regular model. The PC version is much better. Better sites, better trigger, larger grip safety, slide cuts, compensated and slightly longer barrel. Definitely worth the additional cost. The 380 EZ is outstanding firearm. I also had - key phrase had - the Ruger Security 380. Sent it back for rework and still had issues. Got rid of it with full disclosure to buyer.

 

[Law-dog]

I'm thinking about getting one of these for my mother. She's turning 70 next year and she has arthritis all up and down her arms. I found mention of this gun in an article for elderly shooters. It was even mentioned as having been tested by a woman with arthritis with good results. But it's hard for me to judge since I'm not 70 and don't have arthritis and it's hard to get mom to the range to let her rent one to test. Anyone have any relevant experience to share?

As a former CCW instructor, I trained 2 females, age 66 and 49 a couple years ago on them. My sister was the 66 year old. They are the easiest guns on the market to pull the slide back and easy to shoot and inherently accurate. I trained them about 6 months apart.

I highly recommend that gun, more so than any I can think of. I have SLAC (collapsed) in both wrists myself, everything hurts to pull the slide back, these are the easiest there is. You will not be disappointed.

I would start with low velocity ball ammo and work up to any hotter defensive ammo if she has really painful wrists. If she cannot handle this one, she cannot handle any handgun.

 

[Casper59]

Echo a lot of the same comments. Wife has the .380 EZ, small hands, carpal tunnel surgery on both hands. Only issue for her is grip safety. She says takes her focus away from aiming while she ensures correct grip position. It’s not as pronounced now as she practices proper grip. It would be nice if there was a version with a smaller grip for those women with smaller hands, because she loves the EZ.

 

[walkin' trails]

While these are great pistols for their intended purpose, I think ‘EZ’ is a bit misleading for some people. Not to condescending but I’ve seen a husbands and sons buy these things for wives mothers. Said wives and mothers have far less training on handguns to begin with and want something safe. The big problem is the grip safety and people who aren’t trained and don’t know how to grip a gun despite instructions. In one instances, a wife was starting to point her non firing EZ all over the place in frustration that it wouldn’t fire. She thought it was either jammed or wasn’t chambered or in safe while she just wasn’t deactivating the safety. Her husband, who wasn’t any better was scrambling for keep her from flagging everyone. In another instance, mom showed up with magazines already loaded - all rounds in backwards. Son was embarrassed and told her and me that was the one thing he hadn’t showed her. Then came live fire and grip safety issues were apparent. Again, not to say this is a bad gun, but it requires TRAINING. Anything does, so it’s imperative that husbands and sons, even fathers who are involved in choosing a handgun for the women in their lives should seek a professional to help, especially when they automatically assume since they’ve been to the range a few times, they’re experienced.

 

[PlatypusWithaGun]

Thanks a lot to everyone for their inputs, especially for the heads up about the grip safety providing an extra challenge and recommending the Ruger Security .380 for comparison shooting. Hopefully one of my local ranges will have them both. I'm glad the M&P Shield EZ .380 has such a good reputation. If anyone has any other models to recommend for comparison, let me know.

 

[rwsmith]

Got one for Missus Smiff. Good gun, Definitely EZ to use and she's good with it. I only have a few types of ammo that I trust in .380, though.

 

[McChemist]

I'm thinking about getting one of these for my mother. She's turning 70 next year and she has arthrniitis all up and down her arms. I found mention of this gun in an article for elderly shooters. It was even mentioned as having been tested by a woman with arthritis with good results. But it's hard for me to judge since I'm not 70 and don't have arthritis and it's hard to get mom to the range to let her rent one to test. Anyone have any relevant experience to share?

Bought one for my wife. She is 75 and has small hands and arthritis. Easy rack and very mild recoil. Mags have tabs that facilitate reloading. She can handle easily.

 

[Cheyenne WYO]

I was pretty positive on the EZ at the beginning, but the grip safety is an issue. People can start off with a good grip but back off as they keep shooting, and then the gun won't work. Unlike a 1911, you cant just depress the grip safety with the trigger already pulled. You have to totally reset the trigger before trying again. Under extreme stress, people goof up. If the pin for the grip safety was at the top like a 1911, it would be perfect. But, it's not, so it is not close to perfect.