Well this just seems odd to me:

https://www.smith-wesson.com/f...s/mp-380-shield-ez-0

Looks like. Something made for a specific market. I wonder if that is a cocking lever? Or a grip safety.

The description says that thing is a grip safety. Is there really any advantage to one? When you grasp the gun the thing is activated (or is it deactivated?) anyway. Otherwise, a lower recoil and possibly easier to rack the slide version of the 9mm Shield.

Looks like they are listening to their arthritis sufferers. Easy to rack, grip safety,low recoil impulse cartridge. Why not? Can’t recall the number of times I’ve been at a gun counter and someone was looking for a pistol with that criteria. They will sell in bunches

As mentioned, geared to a specific market.

Not everyone can or wants to be uber tactical in their handgun choices.

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
As mentioned, geared to a specific market.

The "little old lady" market.

A modern successor to the S&W K/L-frame in .38 Special, which is what's usually suggested when someone's looking for a defensive gun for their mom/grandma, with the criteria of it being simple, reliable, safe, and easy to manipulate, while having low recoil and being large enough to easily shoot well.

The P250 Compact in .380 was geared towards the same market, before it was discontinued.

.380 not only has less felt recoil than 9mm, but allows for the use of lighter recoil springs, to make racking the slide easier.

Interesting. The spec list indicates that it is an "internal hammer fired" action. While that may well be an error on some copy editor's part, if it's not an error, this is going to be a whole different gun than any other M&P out there. Looking forward to pulling one apart and seeing what it looks like on the inside.

Interesting. If so, this would be more like a scaled-up M&P22.

Very cool. I like the grip safety...wish they were on more striker-fired pistols. Personal preference of course. If I hadn't just ordered a Glock 42 for my wife I'd point her at this one.

Well...something more usable than that POS Bodyguard 380. Kinda follows the same realm as the LC380, only much less halfhearted an attempt than the Ruger. We get plenty of physically challenged souls where most 380 designs are simply too much of a challenge or present their own set of obstacles.

As much as I dislike thumb safeties, this is one time where Glock would financially benefit in a significant manner from the use of one if they offered a TS version of the G42. I've had plenty of older folks look longingly at the G42 but won't buy it because of the lack of a positive lockup safety. It's their piece of mind that gun companies need to cater to. A grip safety is a compromise, but it still plays well with that mindset. S&W should do well with this.

Interesting. Looks like it's a pre-cocked, hammer fired gun (think Walther PPX). Should have a nice trigger pull. The $399 MSRP is going to help. My guess is we will eventually see these selling in the $299 range. Too big to pocket carry so that's going to be a minus for a lot of buyers.

Grain of salt of course it's Guns and Ammo but here is some more information about it. Pretty interesting the things they thought of.

http://www.gunsandammo.com/fir...ck-sw-mp-380-shield/

quote:

Originally posted by Photoman:
Too big to pocket carry so that's going to be a minus for a lot of buyers.

Well, it's not geared towards pocket carry. Besides, tiny little pocket guns are harder to shoot than medium-sized guns, especially for beginners. And due to their smaller sizes, they have to use heaver recoil springs than larger guns, making them harder to manipulate and more susceptible to limp-wristing-induced jams. I've never understood why "gun guys" and gun store employees try to steer new shooters (and especially diminutive female shooters) towards little pocket pistols, or why gun companies like to market their tiniest little subcompact guns towards women, with stuff such as pink coloring and the like.

This new .380 EZ is not really geared towards "serious" concealed carry use at all. The average buyer of this isn't going to strap one of these on with an IWB holster and practice shooting failure drills from concealment. It's designed more for the nightstand or glove box, for someone with minimal firearms experience and limited training who just wants something around for defense.

Keep in mind that people like us, who train regularly, spend lots of money on finding the right holster, carry all day every day, and talk guns online, represent a minority among gun owners and even among concealed carry license holders. We're not the primary market for this new gun.

Looks interesting since as I am aging pulling the slide back is becoming more difficult on some of my pistols. I like my Walther PK380 for that reason. Just might have to purchase this. Was considering getting a second M&P 2.0C for a spare and this might change my thinking.

quote:

Originally posted by dusty3030:
Grain of salt of course it's Guns and Ammo but here is some more information about it. Pretty interesting the things they thought of.

http://www.gunsandammo.com/fir...ck-sw-mp-380-shield/

From that article:

quote:

Additionally, a passive grip safety has been added to the backstrap. Though reminiscent of the M1911 beavertail grip safety, this one is not. In fact, the pivot point is at the bottom of the backstrap and it disengages the internal hammer block the instant that you start to grip this pistol.

That's a nice touch. Typical grip safeties, like the 1911 and XD, tend to not fully disengage if you have a less-than-optimal grip on the pistol. That can be frustrating for a beginner, and can spell disaster for an inexperienced user in the heat of the stressful defensive situations.

Looks like they are trying to copy Springfield's XD series with that grip safety.

I just made a check on trigger racking on several of my pistols and found the CZ P-07 has gotten harder to rack since my last time at the range. The CZ P-10C was easier and the M&P was easier. The Walther PK-380 was easier but my surprise was the Sig P290RS and the Walther PK380 the easiest.

Addition, the Sig 290RS and the Walther PK are both 380s.

Call me crazy, but I want one!

I know an 80 year old hoping to have shoulder surgery one day (who can't rack his 1911 any longer) that this might work for.