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20 COMBAT HANDGUNS NOV. • DEC. 2018
S&W M&P380 SHIELD EZ Aimed directly at those with lesser or diminished hand strength, Smith & Wesson’s new M&P380 Shield EZ doesn’t strictly fall into the pocket cateO C gory, although it could if the pocket’s sizable V HE enough, and there’s no law that confines it to your grandpa’s generation. A hammer-fired double-action-only (DAO) design with a durable polymer frame, and shipping with a N pair of steel eight-round magazines, this pistol THE CO has drawn a lot of commentary from those who don’t fully understand it. Very simply, it’s designed to be easy, just like its name suggests. The main feature is a very easy-tooperate slide that takes very little strength to run. The M2.0-style slide houses a stainless 3.68-inch barrel The S&W and is paired with a light single recoil spring on a poly(left) has the longest barrel mer guide rod, and the rear of the slide has charging (3.68 inches) supports behind the serrations for better traction. of the three With the proper support-hand technique, there’s and is the only plenty of real estate to hang onto, no 50-pound one with a rail. The Springfield springs to deal with, and no gorilla grip is needed to (center) and load, fire or clear malfunctions. Taurus (right) The EZ’s most controversial feature is the grip have 2.7- and safety, and it’s there because S&W left the M&P 2.8-inch barrels, respectively. family’s two-piece hinged trigger behind in favor of a
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f you were paying attention back in the 1990s, when the proliferation of “shall issue” carry permits took off like a Saturn V rocket to the moon, you could not possibly have missed the “Bigger Is Not Always Better” phenomenon that developed in the years since. With shiny new permits in hand, thousands of people from all levels of experience rushed to gun shops across the nation to buy a firearm for protection while out and about in daily life. Serious calibers in serious guns. Everybody knew a .45 ACP could knock an assailant down with one shot, every counter salesperson worth his or her salt was heavily pushing the hot .40 S&W zappers that all the cops were switching to, and everybody under the age of 30 had to have a high-capacity mag in whichever caliber, even if it was a “wimpy” 9mm. An interesting trend surfaced before long, though. In droves, new carriers discovered that after the first thrill of defensive freedom, those guns turned out to be big and heavy. Who knew? The bloom was off the rose, and when people began to leave their full-sized carry guns at home or in the glove box, manufacturers picked up on a whole new market. Classic .38 snubbies had always been always steady sellers; it was autopistols that
showed the most adaptation, and they steadily grew smaller. The 9mm became socially acceptable again, single-stack versions to reduce printing under clothes were in demand, and suddenly the lowly .380 ACP emerged as king of the pocket pistols. New advances in .380 ACP projectiles combined with new lightweight subcompacts that could actually be carried 24/7 and fired by those who might not be able to handle a larger caliber’s recoil and grip size. Pocket or purse, a diminutive .380 can go just about anywhere, and modern bullet designs make it a much more effective defensive proposition. Today, these guns are spreading like jam on toast. So let’s look at three of the latest for 2018.
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