quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

quote:

Originally posted by Nismo:
Looks like as if a Shield EZ had a child with a Hellcat.

Nah, the Beretta APX and the Springfield XD-S got together. Lol.

To my eye, more like a product of an M&P Shield and a Kel Tec P17.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
These awkward-looking "easy cock" pistols are not being marketed to gun people. They seem to be intended for frail grandmas.

not just Grandmas,

they sell well to the older crowd, and anyone suffering from Arthritis, or strength issues in the hands or wrist,

quote:

Originally posted by lyman:

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
These awkward-looking "easy cock" pistols are not being marketed to gun people. They seem to be intended for frail grandmas.

not just Grandmas,

they sell well to the older crowd, and anyone suffering from Arthritis, or strength issues in the hands or wrist,

And to younger individuals that just appreciate a slide that's easier to operate. Very popular amongst our female customers of all ages, and quite a few guys that already own more "manly" semi-autos. I've been surprised at how well the Shield EZ in both calibers has done for us from a sales perspective. I admit that I thought with its rather ungainly, somewhat gawky looks (mostly due to that oh-so prominent grip safety IMO) that it would sell poorly but almost everyone who handles the guns come away impressed if not utterly smitten by the ease of its slide action, even those persons who ultimately choose not to buy or pick something else. "Ugly" becomes a non-issue...if it ever was one in the first place.

As for the 'EQ'; well, we haven't received any of those in yet so I'll reserve final judgment...but from the pictures it seems about as gawky looking as the earlier EZs. And in the end, just as it's been with the single-stack EZs I strongly suspect that none of that aesthetic stuff will matter to those looking for a pistol with an easy-operating slide that offers more firepower. I'm going to guess that it'll do okay as long as the price is in-line with what the EZs have already established.

While I realize that I'm not exactly the target demographic for the EZ line of pistols, I was unimpressed with the .380 version that I shot.

Yes, they are easy to conduct administrative operations on, which makes them attractive at the gun counter for those with weaker hand strength. However, on the range I found it to be pretty unpleasant to shoot. The narrow backstrap combined with the protruding grip safety made for an awkward grip, and the recoil drove that thing right into my palm. Recoil was by no means stout, but felt like more than was warranted from a locked-breach .380.

I'd have written it off to just being sized for people with smaller hands, but our office manager shot it as well. She's in her 60s, has small woman hands, and definitely fits the target demographic. She didn't like it either. She prefers shooting her 9mm P320, even though she has some difficulty operating the slide.

I realize this isn't the solution for everybody, but If I ever get to the point of not having the hand strength to operate a standard pistol slide I'd rather have a revolver (or two) than one of these "EZ" autos. IMO they're more of a solution for somebody who wants to own a gun but never actually shoot it.

quote:

Originally posted by Nismo:
Looks like as if a Shield EZ had a child with a Hellcat.

I'd have said a SCCY had a child with a Hi-point

quote:

Originally posted by lyman:

they sell well to the older crowd, and anyone suffering from Arthritis, or strength issues in the hands or wrist,

My older brother bought one for his wife, who could no longer pull the trigger on her 640.

It does not appear to have the same easy feel loaded chamber indicator as the EZ, if not it will be a negative selling point to us old people. If is it just a tiny witness hole, we cannot use that without a flashlight and strong glasses.

And I wonder if POI will be significantly lower than POA like many of the the EZ 9mm. S&W gave quite a boost to the aftermarket front sight manufacturers on that one.