S&W Shield 380 EZ equivalents?

1

1_pointer

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My wife and I both recently received our lifetime carry permits for Indiana. On the way to our son's basketball tournament we stopped by a large-ish local gun store to look at handguns. The counter guy showed her a few in 380 and 9mm (Glock, S&W, Taurus, Canik, etc) and really pushed the idea of a revolver for her. The standout for her was the S&W Shield in 380 with the EZ function. My wife really like how much easier it was to work than any other option available. From knowing my wife, I think I'll have a hard time getting her to buy anything else. I am somewhat ignorant when it comes to pistols. That said, are there others similar to the S&W EZ (comes in 380 and 9mm) that you would recommend we look at? Ease of racking the slide was a big selling point to her. This would be for in the purse/vehicle carry as well as for use at home.

Thanks in advance.
 
I don't think there is anything like the S&W EZ series out there stock. For my wife she carries the G42 but with some aftermarket parts i put on for you to manipulate the controls better. I used an extend slide stop/release, i also put the slideracker backplate on it to help her work the slide. The aftermarket parts, not counting the sights were like $40-50 total. I wish the S&W EZ was out when i got her the carry gun, but not changing now as i switched all to glock from others like S&W so she can easily pick up my gun/s if need be and know the manual of arms of them. If the purse is big enough to easily hold it in a purse holster i say go for the EZ S&W. in the 9 if she is comfortable with the recoil or the 380 if she isn't.
 
The Sig P238 has a slide that is pretty easy to operate. My wife has one that we bought several years before the Shield EZ came out and she really likes it.
 
Tyler my wife tried a bunch and really likes the slide and simpleness of her Walther CCP M2 9mm. She almost went with the Walther PK380 .380 ACP but wanted a bit more firepower.
 
JLS said:
Revolvers are just so simple....
Click to expand...

The muscle memory required to operate them under pressure is so much less. If you draw a semi auto with a weak or awkward grip when the meat is hitting the metal, failure to extract/feed/stovepipe is much higher. Consistent strong grip is critical to the function of a semi auto pistol. I have seen large grown men swear all of their magazines are bad, but the reality is they just have a shitty grip....
 
JLS and MH, you comments aren't falling on deaf ears. That said, they're not my wife's ears either. lol. I doubt a revolver is going to happen, she does like them, even just the look of them.
 
A J frame S&W is tough to beat for a reliable pocket rocket, but since that's off the table, I'd recommend the Sig P238 or P938. I've got the 938 and it's been flawless through the first 400 rounds or so. Recoil is very manageable, so I would imagine the 238 is more so.
 
My wife Started with the Glock 26 and switched to the shield and loved it
 
I know 9 or 10 people (both men and women) that switched their carry pistol to the EZ 380 in the past couple of years. One friend of mine now carries the EZ 9. These folks switched from very good pistols (and Kimbers) due to the ease of use of the slide. They are an excellent choice if hand strength or arthritis are a problem.
 
1_pointer said:
My wife and I both recently received our lifetime carry permits for Indiana. On the way to our son's basketball tournament we stopped by a large-ish local gun store to look at handguns. The counter guy showed her a few in 380 and 9mm (Glock, S&W, Taurus, Canik, etc) and really pushed the idea of a revolver for her. The standout for her was the S&W Shield in 380 with the EZ function. My wife really like how much easier it was to work than any other option available. From knowing my wife, I think I'll have a hard time getting her to buy anything else. I am somewhat ignorant when it comes to pistols. That said, are there others similar to the S&W EZ (comes in 380 and 9mm) that you would recommend we look at? Ease of racking the slide was a big selling point to her. This would be for in the purse/vehicle carry as well as for use at home.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
I own a G42, G43 and a Ruger LCPII. I also have owned several Smith's as well. Cartridge aside, all 3 are good shooters and all 3 carry and conceal well for a smaller person. As far as ease of use,, well that really depends on the person when it comes to a semi auto handgun. My wife has a bit more difficult time operating the slide on the Glocks than she does with the Ruger but she target shoots the Glocks better. When it comes down to it she prefers to carry the Ruger LCPII over both Glocks because of it's size (smaller than both the Glocks) and her ability to operate it much easier and I think she is correct in her decision (regardless of caliber or weapon if you don't like operating or shooting it for whatever reason and it gives you pause to carry it or you find yourself not carrying it then it's not the correct weapon).
 
The EZ is an OK firearm. Just that, OK. It is marketed to women and smaller statued people. The Sig 238 is a better quality firearm with a very easy slide pull, but is not a double action only pistol. It is also a few hundred dollars more than the EZ. If you decide on the EZ 380 make sure you get a recently produced one. Smith recalled the 380 EZ recently to fix an internal part.
 
If she likes the EZ, get her the EZ. I used to work behind the counter, and the amount of guys trying to shoehorn their wives into getting something that wasn't suitable for her was astounding. That's why it's such a prevalent stereotype/inside joke in the gun world. The EZ9 or EZ380 was built from the ground up to be a platform that people with smaller, weaker hands, could manipulate and conceal. She already gave you her answer, and it's a decent gun for the circumstances that you are considering it for.
 
The local range here in WI has what they call a "speed dating" night for the ladies only. They get to shoot i think 5 different guns out of the counter to get a feel for what they like and don't like. Perhaps you could find something local to you like that for her to try?
 
I like what SSMusicman said. see if your shop/range has one of these that you can rent to test out. Also, if it was my wife, i would stay away from 1911 style small guns. I will get hate from this but from my extensive experience over the years, i have seen more issues with small/compact 1911 style guns than any other gun out there. that is not to say it won't work, i am sure many of them or most of them work flawlessly. could it of been a bad mag...sure, could it of been the ammo...yeah, but all the issues i have seen first hand majority of them had one common denominator and it was the small 1911 guns.
 
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