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Charles L. Cotton wrote:
Smith should go to the internal hammer on all of their M&Ps, but I doubt they will make that change. There's no reason for a striker-fired pistol to exist.

I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Chas.

Charles L. Cotton wrote:This gun was briefly discussed in February, but I must admit that I haven't looked at it until now. For many decades, fixed-barrel blow-back 380s proved they are not the gun for most women and older folks with weak or arthritic hands. Then came guns like the Bodyguard, SIG P238 and others with locking-breeches that allowed much lighter recoil springs, so I didn't see anything revolutionary about the 380 Shield. I was wrong.

I've watched a few videos reviewing the M&P 380 Shield EZ and I find it an impressive handgun for a specific market. The greatest feature is that it's not a striker-fired pistol! It has an internal hammer and that's why the trigger is so much better. It's also why Smith added a grip safety that I must admit is UGLY. I haven't handled one yet, but I'm buying one for students to try. If the videos are correct, the slide is easier to rack that the other current locking-breech 380s. This is a major advantage for a lot of folks with weak/arthritic hands. It also holds 8 rounds in a mag. that has reloading tabs like a .22LR semi-auto pistol. Again, this is a great feature for what I believe to be the target market. They also seem to be available for mid-$300 range compared to mid-$500 for the SIG P238.

I want to see more videos about it's appetite for various types and configurations of ammo. Below is a video testing different brands and types of 380 ammo, but he only fired three rounds of each.

I"ll buy one, test it and report back.