Shield EZ

C

chris in va

New member
My sister bought one of these, so I had to rent one to see what all the fuss is.

S&W really went all out to make this gun user friendly as possible. I'm used to my CZ's and a new P365, so this thing felt and fired like someone took a tenderizer to a ribeye. I was shocked how...ez...everything is to operate. Slide, takedown lever force, magazine follower, massive thumb safety, crazy. Everything people gripe about operating a semiauto has been addressed. Aside from perhaps a tip-up gun, this is the answer for those that need simplicity of a revolver...but don't want a wheelgun.

The trigger was a pleasure too, much crisper than my Sig. Didn't expect that. What also surprised me is how much bigger it is, almost on par with my P01, just without 15 rounds on board. My P365 is a full inch shorter in slide and grip length.

This thing is accurate! My sis was chewing out the center at 15 yards, I believe it.

Now a question, are these rated for +p or no? I realize the recoil spring is really light, but 380 needs all the help it can get.
 
but 380 needs all the help it can get.
Click to expand...

Look at this..great carry ammo(altho the EZ is pretty big)...

Lehigh/Underwood/Blackhills

Tested better than some 9mm JHP..
 

Attachments

  • 65gr-380cal-xtreme-defender-lehigh-defense-sku-09380065S_1_of_1_2048x2048.jpg
    65gr-380cal-xtreme-defender-lehigh-defense-sku-09380065S_1_of_1_2048x2048.jpg
    180.5 KB · Views: 46
I tried one after they first came out at LGS factory shoot and I thought it was an excellent pistol for its purpose, a fine shooter with very little recoil and no need to look further for a pistol for someone with problems with weak hands as long as the grip safety is not a problem for them. I was able to rack the slide no problem on the 380 EZ by gripping it just with my thumb and pinky finger as a test. Good job Smith and Wesson. There may be a day when many if not most of us will really appreciate such a design.
 
We bought one for the wife and I to use because it is so user friendly and with proper hand loads very light recoil. Our thinking was that because of the size of the piston, ease of shooting and inexpensive to reload for that it would make a great training gun. This would enable us to work on our trigger reflex and target/sight accusation w/o beating ourselves up. It's working. Both of us have improved our accuracy.
 
Welcome to the club! :)

As I mentioned before I really hate to admit that S&W knocked it out of the park with the EZ. I had a few really bad experiences with some of their products starting in the early 2K's and kept getting bit, I swore off any and all of their new stuff. At an invitational event I got the chance to try an EZ and about fell over, ordered a pair before we left for home.

Im still beating the hell out of them but its looking like they will fall into my carry rotation. Ive already begun using them as training guns for new shooters, and quite a number of friends that have tried them quickly bought their own.

No need to mess with +P or expensive HP's that will only limit penetration (most important) if they even open at all, just run brand name ball and call it a day.
 
Last edited:
sigarms228 said:
Luckygunner did an extensive SD ammo test including .380.

Based on their results I would probably use 90 Grain FTX - Hornady Critical Defense if I used a .380 for self defense but it is expensive.

https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/
Click to expand...
I'm an avid hunter, done so for half a century, with an affinity for handgun hunting.....the FTX doesn't penetrate enough.

Expansion in common duty handgun calibers is largely irrelevant, penetration trumps it by far. Through clever marketing, gel 'tests', inner-nets arguing, and lots of emotion, the ammunition manufacturers have figured out how to get people to shell out big money for ammunition in pretty boxes.

Based on my own experience I want ammunition that penetrates 16" or better in gel, regardless of expansion. I didn't come to this conclusion by shooting blocks of jello and then measuring 'temporary stretch cavity' or 'radial tearing' or whatever other jibberish one often hears on YouBoob. Rather I've found what performs the best in the field, on actual living creatures (with a healthy dose of career experience), then I looked back at those same rounds in jello 'tests' to see what they had in common. The most effective rounds all hit the 'sweet 16' as I call it, everything else is generally fluff.

In a lightweight and relatively slow bullet, you want maximum penetration.

"Oh but the FBI, gun magazines, and YouBoobers say over-penetration is bad because I might shoot through the ninja-assassin attacking me if I don't use the $2 cartridge and hit a little innocent orphan"

No... you are more likely to simply miss the ninja and drill the orphan :p
ESPECIALLY if you can't afford to practice.

One needs to practice..... A LOT!
And at about $16 per EZ magazine, most can't afford to properly practice with something like FTX.

My personal rules have never let me down (but gimmicky bullets have)

Practice
Placement
Penetration

All else is simply hot air :)
 
Last edited:
Yeegads..$25 shipping!!
Eagle Rock America..since they all use the same services(UPS or FedEx)..why are some $25 and some $11?...
 
Let me start by saying I love this little gun! BUT-it is having teething pains with the crazy loaded round stovepipe issue where a loaded round (usually last) stands straight up in the ejection port. I think it's magazine related and it'll get figured out and fixed but at this time I can't recommend the 380EZ for defense purposes. Being a beta tester is a crap shoot and this gun has so much going for it that I made the leap and am paying the price. Still love it though and it'll be well proven by the time I need its features.
 
ChiefTJS said:
Let me start by saying I love this little gun! BUT-it is having teething pains with the crazy loaded round stovepipe issue where a loaded round (usually last) stands straight up in the ejection port. I think it's magazine related and it'll get figured out and fixed but at this time I can't recommend the 380EZ for defense purposes. Being a beta tester is a crap shoot and this gun has so much going for it that I made the leap and am paying the price. Still love it though and it'll be well proven by the time I need its features.
Click to expand...
Did you call S&W?

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
 
I keep going back and forth about ordering one. I have a LCP and Pico, so I do have some .380 ammo to shoot. Maybe for s&w's next rebate...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top