Shield .380 EZ

My new 380EZ came in today and hopefully I will get to shoot it tomorrow. I ran a few dummy rounds loaded with Hornady XTP's and they wanted to hang up some what, so I polished the feed ramp and it smoothed out some what. Just needs to be fired I think. Oh, and I did clean and oil it. Not a fan of the grip safety but I know why it is there, sure has a nice trigger pull. I will get back after I shoot it.
 
I just saw a post over on Sig Forum that says S&W has suspended sales of the thumb safety version of the .380 EZ. I haven't yet had the money to get one and I guess that has been a blessing in disguise (if the sales suspension is true).
 
Have not seen the post on Sig forum, but when I called my LGS yesterday to see if they hadt the non thumb safety model, the owner informed me that the model without the thumb safety had been recalled. Guess I'll just wait and see what S&W has to say. Regardless, my EZ with thumb safety arrived back at S&W yesterday to get the TS problem resolved.
 
I stopped by a store last night - sporting goods manager said they had gotten several in, but that they were called back by the distributor before they could get them logged in. He didn't say what version, but I wasn't much on asking either.

(I used the word "recalled" in another thread, and got jumped all over because it is supposedly an "upgrade", so I've edited my comments. Not much difference in my mind. They want it back to fix, they pay the freight, good enough).
 
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Don't know about any recall but I shot this thing a few minutes ago and am very impressed with the gun. I put 150 rounds without any problem except not gripping the gun for the grip safety, but I got used to that real quick. This thing is better to me than all of the other descriptions I have read. As said before all of the 380" I have shot were snappy in my hand bit not this one. It is real smooth. I put 50 Sig 95gr,, 50 S&B 90gr and 50 of my reloads with 95gr hardcast bullets. No problem with the safety for me.
 
Now if you have read kahless 's post, we get to send our 380ez's back to S&W. The news is on the S&W web site
 
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Here's the skinny, straight from S&W's site:

M&P®380 SHIELD™ EZ™ Consumer Advisory

Like any firearm, the function of the M&P®380 Shield™ EZ™ Manual Thumb Safety pistol can be influenced by the type and quality of ammunition used with the pistol. In the case of the M&P 380 Shield EZ Manual Thumb Safety, we have found that in very rare circumstances, ammunition that produces a high level of felt recoil can cause the manual safety to move from the fire to the "safety on" position during firing. Should this occur, you will not be able to fire the next round unless and until the manual safety is reset to the fire position.

At Smith & Wesson, we are committed to designing and producing firearms that meet the highest quality and performance standards. To ensure that every Smith & Wesson handgun meets our standards for reliability and performance, as of April 4, 2018, we have engineered the manual safety so that it will be less susceptible to the influence of ammunition weight, velocity and loads. Any M&P 380 Shield EZ Manual Thumb Safety pistol produced before April 4, is eligible for a no-cost upgrade. To determine if this consumer advisory applies to your pistol, please utilize our serial number verification tool on our consumer advisory page. CLICK HERE to navigate to that page.

If your pistol is subject to this advisory, please call Smith & Wesson at 1-800-331-0852 or email us at [email protected]. A FedEx return label and shipping instructions to facilitate the return of your M&P 380 Shield EZ pistol will be mailed to you promptly. If you have any questions, you may call 1-800-331-0852 for more information.

WARNING: READ AND FOLLOW THE WARNINGS IN YOUR OWNER'S MANUAL. NEVER USE "PLUS-P" (+P), "PLUS-P-PLUS" (+P+); OR RELOADED AMMUNITION WITH THE M&P 380 EZ. ALWAYS USE FACTORY MANUFACTURED AMMUNITION PRODUCED TO SAAMI SPECIFICATIONS.
 
FYI, none of the 30 personal defense ammo rounds I fired through my EZ were +P. They were Hornady, Gold Dot and Remington Golden Saber.
 
I did go to the gun show in Pasadena yesterday and they were not told to stop selling the 380ez with the safety but other stores in this area were told to stop.
 
UPDATE: I called S&W today and gave them my serial number (NCC062x) and they said "Send her in." Two minutes later I had a FedEx Express label in my email, and I shipped the gun off today (9 Apr). Will update when I get the gun back.

Also, I asked about when the channel would be "full" of upgraded pistols, so you could be assured of getting "a good one." She thought maybe a few months to catch up.
 
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I did go to the gun show in Pasadena yesterday and they were not told to stop selling the 380ez with the safety but other stores in this area were told to stop.

That just means some did not get the message or they decided to pass the problem on to the customer.
 
am going to wait for feedback from those who had Smith fix their EZ's before thinking about sending mine back. have had no problems with mine so far. very nice pistol....i'm impressed.
 
one of the reasons I sent mine back is if I ever try selling the pistol I can say it was upgraded. And I might give it to my daughter and if so I want it to work without any problems.
 
My "no thumb safety" EZ from Brownells arrived today. Just cleaned it and plan to hit the range later this week. Having fired the thumb safety version, I definitely prefer the NTS version that I purchased. Those safety levers (even if/when they work properly) are too large to suit me...
 
250 rounds down range today from my EZ NTS...used 4 different brands of ammo, Perfecta, Winchester white box, Hornady Critical Defense, and Federal Premium HST.
Zero issues. Life is good.
 
Like Christak I purchased a non safety model this week from Brownell's, 200 rounds of PMC FMJ and she ran like a well oiled sewing machine throwing brass and emptying mags as fast as I could get the two reloaded. The pistol has nothing but positives for me although a bit large for carry, it has an honored space in the safe, next to the Compact .22 which is exactly the same size. Definitely a keeper, probably add a light for night use in my home.
 
I took my 380EZ to the range for the first time this week. Non side safety version. Had (3) issues in 220rds fired. Two live rounds ejected after spent casing. One stove piped live round with bullet facing up. Sounds like this is becoming a common issue. SW wants it back to evaluate. Anyone have this issue - sent it in and got it back?
 
Fast forward to 4:10 to see the double ejection malfunction. As long as it only is occasional, and the gun continues to run, I can live with it.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO4nQYe0sHM[/ame]
 
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Thank you Smith & Wesson

As I have progressed in age, my hands have gotten weaker and more problematic. What use to be easy peasy, racking the slide and loading magazines, is getting harder. Got the UPLULA loader finally and that was a help. But finally a major manufacturer has made gun the senior crowd can function as it was designed. I got my 380 EZ two weeks ago have had about 300 rounds through it. No problems at all. It is a soft shooting gun. The slide is extremely easy to rack and lock back if needed. I can't do that hardly with the Shield. What is most wonderful is loading the mags. The button on the side works just like on many 22s, pull the button down and drop in the rounds. I'm selling some revolvers now and intend to rely on my 380EZ for carry and home defense. That is once I get it back from the mothership and the safety fix.
 
My EZ with thumb safety has been back at S&W since 4 April. In the meantime, I picked up a new non-safety version EZ yesterday. Don't know when I'll get it to the range.
 
Thanks for posting that, Wyo. That is what I've experienced with my 380EZ on several occasions. Seems to happen only with the last round in the magazine, and most times the cartridge doesn't fully eject but rather, it stands up blocking the slide.

There's been some suggestion that it may be related to shooting +P, or near +P cartridges, but I'm not sure about that. My loads were near the upper end of the normal range; around 0.2 grains of W231 above the minimum required to cycle its action (3.2-to-3.4 gr W231 above 105 gr coated TGC's). I'll play around with my loading to try and get some parametric data on that possible cause.

Anyways, thanks for bringing that back up. -S2
 
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I was shooting Blazer Brass 95gr and American Eagle 95gr when my gun ejects live rounds - no +P. Had issue occur with both types.
 
Love my new .380 EZ!!!

Picked up my EZ on Friday and took it to the range for the first time yesterday. I bought the cheapest ammo I could find (Monarch FMJ) and went through 200 rounds. No cleaning first, etc. Absolutely zero issues. Everything worked perfectly. This gun is a joy to shoot and probably my new favorite pistol. So easy to load, shoot, and very accurate. Well done S&W! This one's a winner.
 
I bought one of these by accident today (:o), what an interesting little pistol. I can see where some people won't get it, or will understand but just don't like it.

It's neat that you can cycle the slide with the thumb safety on. I did read about the recall/upgrade/whatever of the models with a safety, but I think I'm going to shoot a few hundred rounds to see if mine has a problem before I send it in.

I have a Glock 42 .380, which is smaller, but also a locked-breech design. It'll be interesting to shoot them side by side.
 
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Well, I sent mine in to S&W and then bought another one without the safety. Took it to the range the last couple of days and had no problem when I gripped it correctly. I have a lazy hand sometimes. I shot Hardcast, ball ammo and XTP's and Golden Sabers and all functioned great. But I had a problem with the hollow points in my Walther PPK,S. I also have a PPK but it functioned well with all ammo. I will go to the Walther Forum with that problem. I do like this 380ez.
 
M&P Shield 380EZ

My wife and I bought two 380EZs last month at Americana Arms in Beeville, TX. I have put about 200 rounds through mine and really love the gun. In fact, I used it to qualify for the Texas LTC and scored a 246 out of 250. I carry a Shield 9, but have trouble racking the slide at times due to old age. Alas, since they are both thumb safety models, they will shortly be goning to S&W for mod. I'm going to miss ir while it's gone. As soon as more holster makers starting producing holsters for this gun, it will probably replace my Shield 9 as my EDC.
 
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