Shield .380 EZ

[7tcu]

Walther brought out the CCP which was made to be less recoil, and easer to load and all they made was jamming queen.
all you had to do was think about limp wrist and it would jam. I wonder how this pistol is going to perform in the long run. Yes I know there are people out there that just rave about how great the CCP is.

 

[oldiesradio1560]

I brought my .380 Shield EZ and month ago
and I Love her. After owning Smith stainless .357 revolvers since the 70s my EZ is my first automatic. My EZ is now my daily carry. My other carry is my 640Pro Series. Great shooter with no jamming issues after 2 trips and 150 rounds at the range (some rapid fire). Very easy to rack and feels great in my hand. I always wanted an auto that acted like a revolver just point and shoot double action and my EZ is it. I brought the No manual safety model because the grip safety in my mind is enough.

 

[Stan W]

I messaged another owner of a 380EZ asking how they got one so fast as I understand they just came out last February. I ordered one from a police supply near my house and was told it would take 3 weeks to a couple months for it to come in because S&W was inconsistent in their deliveries. Now the salesman might have meant the distributor but he said S&W. How did all you owners of the EZ get them so fast? I live in S/E Wisconsin and no gun shops near me have them yet.

 

[Jim1392]

I messaged another owner of a 380EZ asking how they got one so fast as I understand they just came out last February. I ordered one from a police supply near my house and was told it would take 3 weeks to a couple months for it to come in because S&W was inconsistent in their deliveries. Now the salesman might have meant the distributor but he said S&W. How did all you owners of the EZ get them so fast? I live in S/E Wisconsin and no gun shops near me have them yet.

Grabagun has them in stock with and without thumb safety for $369.00. The are out there.

 

[Flyingfool]

I too live in WI and have not seen a 380ez in person or any store yet.

 

[Bill Bates]

I final got to handle an no safety EZ on Thursday. I've been curious about this pistol since its introduction. My wife because of nerve damage has no grip strength in her hands. She can no longer rack the slide on her 9mm Shield. I hope to get her into the shop to give the EZ a try.

There is a lot to like about this pistol. The slide really take very little effort to rack. It has a great trigger. The magazines should be easy to load by hand. The grip safety is unobtrusive. The slide lock can also be easily released without slip shooting the slide.

The one thing I was also curious about was the size compared to her 9mm Shield. Holding the EZ beside a 9mm PC Shield to compare size was interesting. It is about a 1/2 inch longer. The width is virtually identical to the 9mm Shield. The height is just a tad shorter than the 9mm Shield with the extended magazine and pretty close to my 45 Shield. The texture on the grip is a less aggressive than that on my 45 Shield and might be easier on your skin when carrying.

As I gun guy I really get it. What will be interesting is wether the intended market will get it. As someone one that spends time on the sales side of the counter one of the things I have found is new shooters, especially new female shooters tend to be drawn toward tiny guns. As most of us know little .380s tend to be a handful. New shooters buy them, go to the range and are done with them before they have gone through a whole box of shells. The EZ is huge when compared to the Body Guard and other micro .380 pistols and I wonder if it will be its down fall with the intended market. The EZ should be an easy gun to conceal but will that beginner shooter that lacks hand strength, female or male, will see it that way. That will be the question.

I suspect my better half will get it but she is in no way a beginner. She is a shooter that because of issues beyond her control can no longer rack the average slide.

 

[Stan W]

Thanks Bob, but the one I ordered here was $349. If I sent for one out of state I would have had to pay transfer fees besides tax and background check. I gave my request for the EZ on March 9th. I'll see how long it takes.

 

[brjr51]

I fondled one at my LGS today and hesitatingly handed it back. It sure racked easily and the little button on the mags was nice. Not sure if I'm sold on the grip safety but I spose you'd get used to it.
I almost handed him my debit card, but he said he would have some rentals in soon so I decided to wait until I could test fire one at his range.
His price was $375, could get it cheaper online but then I'd have to pay a transfer fee.

 

[Ranger17]

hey WI peeps, i saw online that the Cabelas in Sun Prairie showed one model out and one with limited stock, but both (safety or non) listed 5-8 days to store at $379 if ordered online. I didnt check the other WI stores though.

So not sure your locations vs any Cabelas, but that may be an option.

 

[bigwheelzip]

Got to handle both safety and non-safety models at the Cabela's in Greenville SC. Very impressed how the design fits a certain niche beautifully.

I'd definitely point a shooter toward it, if users prove it dependable.

 

[.41fan]

I also handled one at a LGS on the way to work, very nice! Could not believe how easy the slide racked and did not even notice the grip safety. I noticed the small "ears" on end of slide but only because I had read about them, and they were unobtrusive. I will have to show daughter as she was wanting her own firearm. The chambering doesn't concern me as I believe that proper bullet construction and proper placement are paramount.

 

[Speedo2]

LGS had 2 of them. After appropriate fondling one came home with me; intended for the wife, of course. Well, I had to try it out before I give it to her and it was mostly impressive. I shot pretty well with it; not a target gun by any means, but then again, neither am I any more.

However......one issue with the one magazine that I brought with me:

Last round FTL's 3 out of 12 times. In one instance the last round was completely ejected from the magazine without chambering; 2 others the last round was left standing straight up, 90 degrees to the chamber, unfired (obviously)and blocking the slide. This occurred with the magazine both fully and partially loaded. I suspect that I've got an overly strong spring that may improve with use. I've only put around 100 rounds through it and will give it a few more range visits before I profess it to be a significant problem. At this time my edition is not ready for prime time. -S2

 

[7tcu]

What Speedo2 reported is what I am wondering about in this pistol. I hope I get more range reports and I hope they are good reports. thanks

 

[Stan W]

I saw the Cabela's in Richfield, WI now has them and maybe all the Cabela stores do. But that's still $30 more then the one I ordered. I can wait. That 30 bucks will buy a couple boxes of .380's. Meanwhile I'll still carry my 9mm Shield.

 

[Cheyenne WYO]

In one instance the last round was completely ejected from the magazine without chambering;

I saw a video on YouTube where the gun ejected both a spent shell and an unfired round. Weird. I am glad that I have not encountered this. I would bet on the magazine, and I would put that one aside for now.

I have been chronographing ammo and learned that the gun shoots very close to advertised specs on ammo compared to shorter barreled guns. The 90 grain premium offerings (Hornady Critical Defense, Hornady Custom, Federal Hydra Shock) tend to run a little slower (972-994 out of 1000) while the Winchester PDX1 (95 grain), Federal HST (99 grain) and Buffalo Bore standard pressure hard cast (100 grain) beat factory specs. The 90 grain ammo is very mild and is easy to shoot.

I have not shot the gun enough to call it reliable enough to rely upon, but I am thinking that it will be a great choice for the shooter who is not committed to shooting regularly.

 

[camper]

Finally got my EZ with thumb safety to the range yesterday and put 50 commercial rounds of ball ammo through it followed by 50 rounds of reloads. No problems encountered. Then put 35-40 rounds of personal defense ammo, Gold Dot, Silvertip, Hornady etc., through it. Of this total, had 5-6 incidents of the thumb safety being engaged. Right handed shooter with large to extra large hands depending on brand of gloves I have purchased in the past. Got home and called S&W to see if they were doing any thumb safety mods and was told no. My conclusion is this is a great soft shooter that I will either trade for one without the thumb safety or sell to a permit qualified individual with small hands. For now, will stay with my other 380s for carry and 9s for home use. I had seen the posts concerning the thumb safety and large hands, but said to myself it could not happen to me since I had been using 1911 45s since the mid 60s. Should have taken notice.

 

[Bud33]

Range Report!

I got the new .380 Shield EZ and have spent two days breaking it in and discovering problems.
First of all, I am not a novice!.. I shot with the Navy for almost 10 years and received my DESTINGUISHED PISTOL SHOT badge in 1964.
Three problems have been found during my last two days of shooting. Some of it is probably partly my fault but I know others have found these same problems, and possibly a fix.
First of all, I found the gun shooting low and to the left. I don't think this is a gun problem as much as it is the two handed grip. I know this is now the norm, but for years I shot a .45 single handed at 25 and 50 yards and rarely was out of the black.
The two handed grip has a tendency to push the sight alignment to the left and down. This can be corrected but it will involve the way I hold the gun.
The second problem was the trigger NOT resetting after every shot. It didn't happen to often but occasionally I would have to regrip the gun to get it to reset the trigger. I found out that the grip that I am using has a tendency to not hold the grip tightly enough to allow the trigger to reset. Again my problem.
Thirdly, out of the first 300 rounds, I experienced two stove piped unfired rounds. This may improve as the gun wares in.

 

[Deadeye Dick]

First off I wish to thank you for your service to our great country Sir.

Now pertaining to your post. Do you have large hands? Hitting low left of the bulls-eye sounds like a classic case of too much finger on the trigger. This will cause you to push the pistol down and left as you squeeze the trigger. Try engaging the trigger with just the pad of your finger tip. Your second problem may be caused by you not allowing the trigger to come forward far enough to reset after the shot. As for the few stovepipes, is it possible that you "limp wristed" the pistol on those occasions?

Now I know it sounds like I'm throwing all the blame on you sir and I mean no disrespect. You certainly are more experienced than I am with the model 1911. I don't know how much experience you have with modern polymer framed pistols. Polymer framed guns have some unique quirks that only pertain to them.

 

[Ranger98]

Finally got my EZ with thumb safety to the range yesterday and put 50 commercial rounds of ball ammo through it followed by 50 rounds of reloads. No problems encountered. Then put 35-40 rounds of personal defense ammo, Gold Dot, Silvertip, Hornady etc., through it. Of this total, had 5-6 incidents of the thumb safety being engaged. Right handed shooter with large to extra large hands depending on brand of gloves I have purchased in the past. Got home and called S&W to see if they were doing any thumb safety mods and was told no. My conclusion is this is a great soft shooter that I will either trade for one without the thumb safety or sell to a permit qualified individual with small hands. For now, will stay with my other 380s for carry and 9s for home use. I had seen the posts concerning the thumb safety and large hands, but said to myself it could not happen to me since I had been using 1911 45s since the mid 60s. Should have taken notice.

I have also had the problem of the safety engaging and have sent mine back to S&W.Will be interested in seeing if and how they can correct the problem

 

[Cheyenne WYO]

The second problem was the trigger NOT resetting after every shot. It didn't happen to often but occasionally I would have to regrip the gun to get it to reset the trigger. I found out that the grip that I am using has a tendency to not hold the grip tightly enough to allow the trigger to reset. Again my problem.

One thing I noticed in function testing the gun is that, if the trigger is pulled before the grip safety is sufficiently depressed, the gun will not fire after the grip safety is depressed. The trigger must be released to the reset position and then pulled again to allow the gun to fire. Is it possible that your hand is releasing the grip safety between shots and you are pulling the trigger before re-establishing the grip adequately? I am just throwing that out as a possibility.