Which S&W 380 replacement

[tjkoko]

The TandemKross replacement springs in my magazines for the 380 EZ Shield made no improvement and it's being sold as this post goes to press. ((*$#&^%*$^^

Which other S&W 380 (or380s) have proven reliability way above and beyond the Shield 380 EZ????

 

[gc70]

From small to large, 380s I have found to be totally reliable are:

• Remington RM380 - a great pocket pistol derived from the $1K Rohrbaugh models
• Ruger LC380 - an LC9 chambered in 380, so it is overbuilt and sturdy
• Sig P250 - the same size as a Sig P320 subcompact; holds 12 rounds in the subcompact grip module or 15 rounds in the compact grip module

Those three guns are all locked-breech and DAO.

 

[Paul in Nevada]

My P3AT has been very reliable over the years but it isn't in the same category as the EZ. I saw a Rock Island "Baby Rock" That looked kinda neat. Just a mini 1911 in 380. Might trade the EZ for something like that.

 

[Kansasgunner]

Glock 42, small, reliable and fun to shoot!

 

[panther]

Walther PPK, and various clones(like the Bersa Thunder).
Sig 230 or 232. They are discontinued but were great guns.
The Baby Rock or the Browning 1911 in 380
Beretta 84

 

[The Mighty S&W]

I own the Shield EZ and the M&P Bodyguard .380 ACP. Both have been solid performers for me. My wife has owned and carried an original Ruger LCP for going on ten years now and it too has been dependable. The only other .380's that I've owned in the past were a Glock 42 and a commercial Russian Makarov for which I also had a 9mm Makarov barrel that was never installed.

I would say that I've had very good luck with .380 handguns all around, but I am also not one who puts a ton of rounds through them. Each of mine only sees perhaps 100 or so rounds per year with the majority of my recreational shooting time being spent with my 9mm. I could recommend the Bodyguard as an alternative based upon my experiences alone, but there are many who report light primer strikes with it.

There are simply too many great firearms out there to waste your time on unreliable ones, so if your Shield EZ isn't up to your standards, I'd move along to something else and see how it does for you. I am convinced that different guns perform differently in different hands although there are some that are truly garbage.

 

[tjkoko]

Thanks all and I ended up purchasing a Sig P938, 9mm with 7 round mags. And the Baby Rock really sounds tempting.

 

[STORMINORMAN]

The KAHR lineup of 380acps are very reliable (but VERY different when it come to racking the slide)...

As for a larger pistol, the Beretta Model 86 Cheetah is hard to beat: it doesn't need to have the slide racked but... They are expen$ive!

Cheers!

P.S. I love my Baby Rock and KAHRs, but the SCCY CX-3 is pretty hard to beat for under $250 with a 10 round magazine capacity!

 

[oldiegoldie]

if you like da/sa the Bersa Thunder CC is hard to beat....not too small, not too large. i own more than one of the Bersa CC's, as well as most of the pistols mentioned. the Bersa gets carried. under $300. it is a ppk clone. Bud's has them for $275.

 

[robrossk]

My experience with Bersa was not good. Sold it quickly. The BG 380 was horrible to shoot. Sorry to hear you had a bad experience but my mileage with the 380 EZ had been really good.

 

[hyena]

Thanks all and I ended up purchasing a Sig P938, 9mm with 7 round mags. And the Baby Rock really sounds tempting.

I see you made your choice. I was going to suggest the SIG P238. I don't have one, but two buddies do, and they are the sweetest, softest shooting little guns I've ever shot. Me, I'm happy with my BG380. I must have gotten one of the good ones. I shoot it very well, especially since I put a Hogue handall grip sleeve on it.

There's a lot of really nice small guns out there. We're fortunate to have so many good choices.

 

[waffles]

Glock 42 would be my choice.

 

[jjmIII_Ruger]

The KAHR lineup of 380acps are very reliable (but VERY different when it come to racking the slide)...

My CW380, while smaller, was about like the OP's gun. Pure junk and sold off. I'm suspicious of a company that needs you to shoot 200 break-in rounds to get their gun going. My LCP and LCP Max have been great from the first round.

 

[LCC]

Ruger LCP 10th Anniversary edition. Long pull for pocket carry, has never burped on any fed ammo, 8 rounds on tap with 7 round factory mag.
Always wanted to try a RM380, heard good things about them.

 

[pantannojack]

I tired of my German PPK/S after I got my 66-4 RB. Both are too heavy. I went steady with the Taurus TCP 738 at 11oz for a time and have since married my Shield 45. With Small Pistol primers gone the way of the dinosaur, .45 ACP looks better.

 

[tjkoko]

Tough to find a P238 at this time.

 

[sarg1c]

The TandemKross replacement springs in my magazines for the 380 EZ Shield made no improvement and it's being sold as this post goes to press. ((*$#&^%*$^^

Which other S&W 380 (or380s) have proven reliability way above and beyond the Shield 380 EZ????

I use a 9mm conversion kit on my Ruger LC380. Would buy a new conversion kit in the new .30 SUPER CARRY round. Can still revert back to .380 when necessary. S/W will be the first to chamber the new .30 Super Carry round.
The .30 Super Carry is smaller in dia. than the .9mm but is able to add about two additional rounds in .380 or .9mm magazines. withsuperior performance being smaller and faster than .9mm. The Sheild will be the first firearm to carry the .30SC. All depends on availability of course....

 

[sarg1c]

The TandemKross replacement springs in my magazines for the 380 EZ Shield made no improvement and it's being sold as this post goes to press. ((*$#&^%*$^^

Which other S&W 380 (or380s) have proven reliability way above and beyond the Shield 380 EZ????

I have the Ruger LCP and the LC.380. I just traded a new EC9s off because I did not need two guns at the same size and with the 9mm Conversion Kit it was ok but the LC.380 had better sights and with the conversion kit could shoot either the .380 or
9mm what ever is easy to obtain.

 

[Old cop]

I've owned the original LCP for years, hundreds of rounds of FMJ & HP absent a single malfunction. I tried all the sub compacts & it's the only .380 that's been 100% reliable w/every kind of ammo.

 

[STEALTh Inst.]

I have owned and shot (through 4 recoil springs) a Beretta 84B. The pistol has been hard chromed with some action tuning. Easily 10,000 rounds through the gun. Only time it lost 100% reliability was when the recoil spring needed to be replaced. The 84 does NOT have a hammer-drop safety; I carry it C1. Love this 1982 acquisition to my collection and still carry it with the Civil Defense lightweight HP loads. P.S. My wife carries a S&W .380 EZ (Performance Center) and after 2+ thousand rounds it only "stovepiped" twice during break in. No problems at all.