So what's going on with the 380EZ?

[cnj]

Are the most recently manufactured pistols still having feeding and jamming issues? Would like to pick up a new Performance Center model, but not spending the money on it if Smith still hasn't fixed its issues.

 

[crracer_712]

I've got an original, never had the issue. Sorry, I know that's no help.

 

[Lightning69]

Same here. One of the first. Never an issue. Haphazard I guess.

 

[The Mighty S&W]

Mine is less than a year old and has given me no problems whatsoever. I have four magazines for mine and aside from the two newer mags that I bought being significantly stiffer to load, I don’t see any differences in them.

 

[CajunBass]

I had a slight issue with the last round occasionally stovepiping. It only happened a couple of times. I roughed up the magazine follower with a pocket knife blade and it hasn't done it again. I don't know if that had anything to do with it or not, but it didn't hurt.

Other than that. No problems.

 

[NukeRef]

Color Code

Mine is less than a year old and has given me no problems whatsoever. I have four magazines for mine and aside from the two newer mags that I bought being significantly stiffer to load, I don’t see any differences in them.

Just curious, what color are your magazine springs? Are the OEM and the two newer springs the same color code?

 

[STEALTh Inst.]

My wife purchased an EZ .380 Performance Center in black and chrome three months before the China virus stopped the world. It has over a 1,000 rounds through it including Civil Defense ultra high velocity non-lead rounds. One stovepipe in the first 50 rounds, most likely due to her transition from her Colt Detective custom to a square gun and not keeping a firm grip. "Some days you eat the bear and on others the bear eats you".

 

[The Mighty S&W]

Just curious, what color are your magazine springs? Are the OEM and the two newer springs the same color code?

As a general rule, I don’t ever take my pistol magazines apart, so I cannot say if there may be a paint applied to the top or bottom most coils of the springs. From outward appearances, the magazines appear to be identical.

I can say that the 2 new magazines were purchased from Academy Sports around Christmas time, and they are enough stiffer than the original magazines that came with the gun that I initially believed they might have been defective. I can assure you that there is certainly nothing “EZ” about loading the newer magazines. All seem to work the same though.

 

[NukeRef]

I had a slight issue with the last round occasionally stovepiping. It only happened a couple of times. I roughed up the magazine follower with a pocket knife blade and it hasn't done it again. I don't know if that had anything to do with it or not, but it didn't hurt.

Other than that. No problems.

The day we picked up my wife's EZ we took it straight to the range and learned about the magazine issue the hard way. Long story short, we have 10 magazines for the EZ. I scuffed five of them with sandpaper and Gorilla Taped the other five. No problem since.

 

[Paul in Nevada]

There haven't been any revisions since the yellow mag springs so I would assume the problem persists on new guns. My personal theory is that the difference between those who have the malfunction and those who don't comes down to whether or not you leave the mags loaded for extended periods of time.

...I cannot say if there may be a paint applied to the top or bottom most coils of the springs....

You would see paint on the coils with the magazine unloaded.