S&W "EZ" pistols - likes??

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retfed

New member
I've been having harder time racking the slide on my Kahr P380 and PM9 as I've gotten older and weaker.

So I think I'm ready to sell these and move on to easier to manipulate carry guns for personal protection. My wife was supposed to be carrying the .380, and me the 9mm. Well she didn't like the P380, and has been carrying the PM9 (which she stole from me).

So finally decided to trade in the .380 Kahr for the Smith 380EZ. And depending on her response, follow up later with the PM9 to be sold and get the Smith 9EZ for myself.

Looking for feed back on the "EZ" Smith models from people with more experience with them. Any help would be appreciated, 'cause I'm fighting more now with my Shield 9 for racking, etc.

Retfed
 
I owned a 380 EZ. It was reliable and I liked it. My son wanted it and now he has it. The only negative thing for me was that the magazine release protruded a bit too much, and sometimes handling, or laying the gun down on the release side, caused the magazine to release. I chose the model with the manual safety because I grew up shooting 1911's and browning hi-powers, and I prefer a manual safety on a hammer fired, single action pistol.

I've never fired the 9x19mm version, but if it is on the same frame as the .380, the recoil might not be pleasant for casual plinking. I think S&W makes a .22 LR version on the same frame. I've been looking for the .22 chambering to purchase.
 
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i say go for it. i bought the Shield Plus months back. i also have issues with my grip and difficulties manipulating a slide on many pistols. for me, the Shield Plus works ok. i did try the EZ at the time but felt i could get by without it. if you can try a Plus as well as the EZ and find you can make the Plus work, you will gain rounds in the mag...
 
We have a 380 EZ, and it’s a nice shooter. Not sure that I like the grip safety. And it does have a bit of a snappy recoil. I was also shooting a Beretta PX4 in 9mm, and the Beretta was more pleasant to shoot. I have not fired a 9mm EZ, but assume the recoil would be more than that of the 380EZ, and perhaps not a fun plinker.

On the plus side, the EZ pistols are small and nice in the hand. Every time I pick up the 380EZ, I’m reminded how much I like it. Still not sure about the grip safety though.
 
My wife has a 9EZ. She has weak hands and wrists from carpal tunnel surgery. She has to concentrate on keeping the grip safety depressed and the safety digs into the web of her hand. She will hurt for a couple of days after shooting a few mags through it. She can use it without pain but she has to wear a glove. I have no problem with it. It is hammer fired so it has a pretty decent trigger.
 
I have the 380EZ for my wife to shoot because she has trouble operating the slide of anything larger than 22lr. I have shot the 9mm version and I am impressed with the gun and would like to one.

I think both calibers are soft shooters, specifically the .380.
 
Wife has a 380 EZ. Easy to rack, magazines are easy to load.
She likes it---and she is picky about her carry guns.
Personally I'm not a fan of the manual safety, and with my larger
hands I sometimes fail to release the grip safety. I'm sure a little
dryfire/range time would take care of that.
 
Responses thank you & question

Thank you for the responses. It's giving me food for thought before proceeding with the 9EZ purchase.

A lot of talk about range and "plinking". Is anyone seriously using these for concealed carry? If so how are you carrying and what holsters have you found to do so?

THX again

Retfed
 
The last few months I’ve had 3 or 4 folks here to learn about handguns. Every one of them had problems with the grip safety on the EZ. Without getting familiar with the grip safety and shooting enough, the EZ might not be a good carry or purse gun.

I might be inclined to tape down the grip safety and just use the manual safety if I was going to CC with it, but that wouldn’t be smart if the pistol lives in a purse.

The EZ was for the wife, but she prefers her revolver. I’ve considered swapping the 380EZ for a 9mmEZ.
 
My wife, who is a very experienced shooter, chose the 380EZ after losing most of her grip strength following extensive hand surgery. The EZ is not only easy for her to manipulate, but she finds it easy to shoot well.

I was impressed enough with my wife's 380EZ that I bought a 9EZ for myself and like it a lot. The comments about snappy recoil and the grip safety surprise me because that has not been my experience with either EZ. I attribute much of the EZ's manageability to the full three-finger hold that the grip provides.

Both guns are very light and thin, which make then comfortable to carry. My wife and I use locally-produced kydex IWB and OBW holsters, as well as a leather OWB holster.

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I have had a 380EZ for a while and I enjoy it. I/m "older" and my grip is not like it used to be but I can do OK with my Glock 26 that I normally carry. At time I carry the 380EZ - I use a OWB holster under a shirt tail or jacket. I originally bought the EZ with the intent of fun pinker with my cast reloads. I have no issue with the grip safety and I like the pistol very much - I haven't handled the 9mm EZ, but plan to and will probably buy one as well. I have a 9mm Shield that I also carry at timed, but I find it hard to rack at times - much stiffer than the Ruger SR9 that I had at one time.
 
I have both 380EZ and 9EZ. The 380 shoots point of aim. My 9EZ shot so low I needed to replace the front sight with a custom size Dawson precision sight.
Both are easy to load, rack, shoot and takedown.
Downside: not easily concealable.
Eight in the mag is enough for me
 
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A family member has the .380 EZ (the Performance Center model) and I've spent a little bit of time with it.

Likes:
Easy to load and operate
Good hand fit
Pleasant shooting
Nice sights and trigger

Dislikes: a little prone to malfunctions induced by limp-wristing or weak ammo (shouldn't an EZ gun anticipate people with weak hands might limp wrist?) It could be that the ported barrel on the performance center model doesn't help.
Easy loading does not apply with a full mag and the slide forward. Pretty much have to download the mag one or start with the slide locked to the rear. Again, baffling on a gun made for people with weak hands.

Overall my experience was more positive than negative but said family member got the gun right at the start of Covid and ammo shortages and .380 is an absolute nightmare to come by so didn't get to put many rounds through it.
 
Not being able to find 380 caused me to start loading it. The components I didn’t have were available. I had planned originally to not load 380, but just buy what I needed. Great plan, huh?
 
I have a .380 EZ and a SCCY .380. Both are easy to rack accurate and recoil is very manageable. Neither is very concealable for a person of smaller stature. Both are fun to shoot. No issues with the grip safety.
 
For us, the 380EZ was never going to be a CC pistol. I carry a S&W Bodyguard 380 and she has a S&W 38 with the polymer frame and red dot.
 
I have shot the ez. slide was easy to rack. Gun shot well. If I were looking for a 380 it would be at the top of my short list.
 
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I opted for the EZ 9 and I'm very happy with it. At 70 I just don't have the grip strength to rack the slides on my older autos. With the EZ 9 there is no problem at all.

I was concerned about recoil with such a small gun but it's made so well that it's a pleasure to shoot. I went with the 9 because I couldn't find any .380 ammo and I did have over 1000 rounds of 9 in the house.

I love how easy the magazines are to reload. It only holds 8 + 1 rounds but I carry two extra magazines with it. If it takes more than the first 9 I'm either going to be hiding or running away at that point.
 
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