old pipefitter
Member
What is your thoughts on the S&W 380 EZ. Thinking of the PC model for the wife. She doesn't like when I buy her guns but that doesn't stop me. I know its really big for just a .380. But EZ to rack the slide and load the Mags.
Thoughts on the 380 EZ
- Thread starter old pipefitter
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M&P 380 SHIELD EZ
I think it's a really neat little gun. Unfortunately, I can't give you an opinion on its shooting characteristics because I still haven't gotten around to firing mine.
Mine was purchased in October of last year. Ship date is September 19, 2018.
Best of luck with your future purchase!
I think it's a really neat little gun. Unfortunately, I can't give you an opinion on its shooting characteristics because I still haven't gotten around to firing mine.
Mine was purchased in October of last year. Ship date is September 19, 2018.
Best of luck with your future purchase!
My wife has MS and had difficulty racking the slide on a G19. I suggested a .380 EZ and when she handled it was all in. She chose a safety model which I was not in favor of but I'm not carrying it. No issues after 250 rounds.
I had hand issues also. Looked at this ez 380 and liked it although I had never used a grip safety. Love it. If you read the literature on this gun it says something to the affect, The designers and engineers got together and had 4 points to satisfy.
1 easy to rack
2 easy to load the mag
3 easy to shoot
4 easy to clean.
I think they accomplished all to my great satisfaction.
Morgan88
1 easy to rack
2 easy to load the mag
3 easy to shoot
4 easy to clean.
I think they accomplished all to my great satisfaction.
Morgan88
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Jon651
Member
I purchased a 380EZ for my wife and agree with all the reasons stated here by others. One thing that struck us, however, was that the version with the thumb safety was too easy to activate that safety accidently, which could lead to an unexpected no-fire situation. This was the reason why we chose the version without the thumb safety, believing that the grip safety was more than enough. After all, her previous pistol was a Rossi 720 revolver with nothing more than a firing pin block and no other safety at all so having the grip safety was one more than she had before. And if that still worries anyone about not being safe enough, you can always carry it with an empty chamber if you want to take the time to rack it as you draw it. Yes I know, an empty chamber is not recommended but the EZ is so insanely easy to rack you can do it one-handed in an emergency by rubbing against almost anything.
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I had to buy my lady her own 380EZ. It was that or she was going to declare "eminent
domain" on mine. She is an extremely accomplished shooter, and can shoot any gun, but she just loves the EZ. A couple thousand rounds down range without any problems.
domain" on mine. She is an extremely accomplished shooter, and can shoot any gun, but she just loves the EZ. A couple thousand rounds down range without any problems.
N4KVE
Member
Too big for a 380. I sell way more Ruger LCP2's on gun show day. Or, just get a Shield. GARY.
I got one for my wife and I love shooting it. Accuracy is just fine and when I get arthritis we'll argue over it or just get another. I won't get into the "safety wars," pick what yer comfortable with and you won't go wrong. As for a Shield, my slide was pretty stiff and the slide release didn't...it was a slide stop. I had a small Ruger but got it ultra cheap, it was nothing special so I sold it and made $125 on it.
If you're thinking of a smallish 9, check out the CS9 or 6906 or any of the 3rd gen Smiths. Great guns!
If you're thinking of a smallish 9, check out the CS9 or 6906 or any of the 3rd gen Smiths. Great guns!
Deckard427
Member
My wife and I have three EZ's. Two are the standard model (no safeties) and one a Performance Center model. The two standard EZ's had to be returned for extraction/ejections problems. They are both fixed now and work well. The Performance Center EZ was returned because the gold grip safety protruded so far from the back strap, that it hurt my hand to fire it. That one was returned yesterday, and now has the standard, black grip safety in it. It works fine now, and is very pleasant to shoot. Would we buy a 4th EZ? I don't know, maybe. I'm happy now with the three we own.
oldiesradio1560
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I've had my EZ since Feb. 2018 when they came out. Since the 70's I shot Nothing but 357 magnums. I LOVE my EZ. NO manual safety like a revolver, easy to rack, loading mags and easy to clean. 20 minutes vs an hour and a half on my 357's. The ONLY complaint is there was No night sights. Finally TruGlo came out with night sights so Now I have my Perfect Daily Carry!!
I have over 3300 rounds through my EZ and, with the exception of numerous live last round stovepipes and last live rounds being completely ejected from the gun, the gun has been wonderful. It's a pleasure to shoot and does everything it was designed to do. Unfortunately, because of the last round issues I've experienced, I CANNOT recommend the gun. I'm convinced the issues are magazine related. I believe it's a combination of weak magazine springs and loose fit of the magazine in the magazine well. I realize there are many that have not experienced the issue, so YMMV. But, I wouldn't buy my EZ again...
I'm a 240lb man used to shooting 44's and 1911 style weapons, and,,,,, I want one fierce. My 110lb wife on the other hand wants nothing to do with one. Go figure, we are backwards. To me. It just looks alike a blast at the range.
JNewell
Member
Echo almost everything above. I bought it for training. The low recoil makes it an ideal way to practice trigger control - basically, it's a centerfire .22. It's also an idea pistol for people who are new to pistols to shoot as an introduction to centerfire pistols.
Have not had the last round stovepipe problem myself.
Have not had the last round stovepipe problem myself.
OP
old pipefitter
Member
Thanks for all the replies. I think I'll get her one
Jon651
Member
Appreciate your point but can't agree. The EZ for me and my wife is small and light enough to be comfortable yet just large enough to control and aim accurately - unlike the pocket rocket 380's that I can barely get two fingers around and always worry it it's going to pop out of my oversized meat-hooks and is harder to get back on target. Just my two cents worth...
LVSteve
Member
JNewell
Member
In fairness, the 380EZ is actually bigger than the 9mm or .45 versions. OTOH, shooting something the size of a Glock 42 is not easy in any caliber, and you wind up with high-rate springs and small controls. For its target markets, I think the 380EZ is brilliant.
I am an instructor and RSO so I see a lot. The Shield EZ started showing up in our range right after it came out. I was very impressed with its ease of operation. A couple of our Range Officers bought them and everyone was impressed. I could spend a lot of time giving examples of inexperienced shooters that had difficulty loading mags, racking slides, managing recoil, and disassembling other semi-autos but summed up, I just bought an EZ after having my wife spend about an hour on the range with a co-worker giving her instructions.
I have a few tiny semi's that are cute and serve their purpose but if there is any chance during a critical moment something will go wrong with the operation of that firearm, I want the operator to be able to get that gun back in service immediately.
I have a few tiny semi's that are cute and serve their purpose but if there is any chance during a critical moment something will go wrong with the operation of that firearm, I want the operator to be able to get that gun back in service immediately.
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max503
Member
This is the same issue I had with my Colt Pocketlite. Needless to say, that gun has gone to the LGS for someone else to deal with. I'd love to have a medium frame 380 but it would have to function flawlessly, like my J frames do.
JNewell
Member
The curious thing (to me at least) is that although this is not uncommon, it doesn't seem to be widespread. (I know those are both quantitatively vague.)
What ever the cause is, S&W should get it fixed (should already have gotten it fixed). It's too bad to have this issue with such a great pistol.
Eski
Member
I picked one up within the first month of release.
Three people (all experienced shooters) shot it, all had issues.
My brother in law and I had a few failures to feed, but nearly every magazine dumped the last live round right out of the mag when the second to last round was fed. It would just pop out and leave a live round on the ground.
When my wife shot it, she didn't get more than three shots in a row without a failure to feed.
We only tried two kinds of ammo but neither worked well.
I really liked the size and feel of the gun but it just wasn't reliable. I could have sent it back but once a gun fails in such a way I just can't trust it... so I told my buddy at the gun shop why I was getting rid of it and traded it in.
From what I read they addressed the magazine issue with a stiffer spring.
We think my wife's issue may have been related to the grip safety altering her grip, but she doesn't have any problem with a 1911.
Who knows. It could have simply been a bad one.
Three people (all experienced shooters) shot it, all had issues.
My brother in law and I had a few failures to feed, but nearly every magazine dumped the last live round right out of the mag when the second to last round was fed. It would just pop out and leave a live round on the ground.
When my wife shot it, she didn't get more than three shots in a row without a failure to feed.
We only tried two kinds of ammo but neither worked well.
I really liked the size and feel of the gun but it just wasn't reliable. I could have sent it back but once a gun fails in such a way I just can't trust it... so I told my buddy at the gun shop why I was getting rid of it and traded it in.
From what I read they addressed the magazine issue with a stiffer spring.
We think my wife's issue may have been related to the grip safety altering her grip, but she doesn't have any problem with a 1911.
Who knows. It could have simply been a bad one.
max503
Member
Seems like everyone knows of a 380 that does this - stovepipes feeding the last round from the mag. I tried different loads, different bullets, three different magazines, and I even sent it back to Colt. I'm in no hurry to get another 380.
The May 2019 issue of American Rifleman magazine has an article showing the S&W M&P 380 Shield EZ as the top choice of the 68 ladies that tested a host of handguns for concealed carry and home defense in the 3rd annual Ladies Pistol Project (LPP3).
An expanded version of the article, along with a photo gallery/video, can be found at americanrifleman.org/llp3.
She may agree with you after a trip to the LGS for a fitting or may like a Sig P238 or Sig P365 better. Oh, joy!
An expanded version of the article, along with a photo gallery/video, can be found at americanrifleman.org/llp3.
She may agree with you after a trip to the LGS for a fitting or may like a Sig P238 or Sig P365 better. Oh, joy!
SJK2
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JNewell
Member
It's interesting. Some people definitely have had issues with various .380 pistols. I've owned and shot a PPK, 42, M&P Bodyguard and M&P 380 EZ. I've never had any feeding problems with any of them with any sort of ammo, range or SD. In fact, the Bodyguard actually feeds empty cases. Four pistols isn't a huge sample, but my experience with .380 pistols has been perfect.
LVSteve
Member
Same here. P250SC, P250C, P290RS and Ruger LCP have all been 100% so far.
