Graham Baates

Smith & Wesson has been updating and upgrading their lineup over the last year. The M&P 2.0 series quieted previous complaints about texture and trigger. We showed you the new Shield 2.0 in November. The Bodyguard hadn't been updated and fans of Browning's .380 ACP began to feel left out. Smith & Wesson heard those cries and has released a handgun that seems perfectly modeled for the non-operator types. Winged slide of the 380 Shield EZ The .380 Shield EZ is aptly named. The pistol has been made easy to operate. Starting with the largest concern for new shooters and those with reduced strength is the slide. While styling looks just like the other M&P 2.0 models the rear of the slide has subtle wings to aid in sling-shot style racking. The action follows the standard Browning locking system which is a rare find for the caliber. Thanks to the locking system the recoil spring is soft enough that I was able to rack the gun with a finger! I don't advocate doing that with a loaded gun, but tried it as a test to just how easy the gun is to rack. The external safety is easy to engage or disengage from either side. The grip safety threw the internet into a frenzy, but deactivation is easy and it serves as simple insurance for those who might carry the gun in a purse or bag. Another interesting feature is in the two included magazines. Clearly numbered magazines with thumb assist. The magazines feature a thumb knob like one might find on a .22. While not the most comfortable thing to push on, it does serve to assist in loading. The slide release/lock also feels to be more pronounced than normal. As stated earlier everything about the 380 Shield EZ is easy! The video above provides some more details on the gun. One more fun note: The 380 Shield EZ is hammer-fired! An internal hammer eliminates any of the negatives about hammer-fired guns and still provides that nice and clean break that we all love about the action. No mush from a striker, no risk of lint or filth preventing the hammer from striking. See the video for how Smith & Wesson managed to fit that system into this new design. For those of you who love to look at numbers, the specifications below are directly from the 380 Shield EZ product page. SKU: 11663 Model: M&P® 380 SHIELD™ EZ™ Manual Thumb Safety Caliber: .380 Auto Capacity: 8+1 Barrel Length: 3.675" / 9.3 cm Overall Length: 6.7" Front Sight: White Dot Rear Sight: Adjustable White Dot Action: Internal Hammer Fired Grip: Polymer Weight: 18.5 oz / 524.5g Barrel Material: Stainless Steel - Armornite® Finish Slide Material: Stainless Steel - Armornite® Finish Frame Material: Polymer Purpose: Concealed Carry, Home Protection, Personal Protection

Smith & Wesson M&P .380 Shield EZ

The .380 Shield EZ is aptly named. The pistol has been made easy to operate. Starting with the largest concern for new shooters and those with reduced strength is the slide. While styling looks just like the other M&P 2.0 models the rear of the slide has subtle wings to aid in sling-shot style racking. […]

Holster Selection: Things to Consider

During my 1,900 hours as a defensive shooting instructor one of the dominating questions I was asked was about holster selection. In my experience this is the hardest one to answer. I have good news and bad new for you: The perfect holster match for your body shape, selected firearm, carry position, and attire exists. […]

Copper Basin Takedown Backpack, Comfortably Discreet: Graham Baates Video

Copper Basin Takedown Backpack is Comfortably Discreet: Graham Baates Video

Copper Basin has a bag specifically designed for the Ruger 10/22 Takedown. We don’t own a Ruger 10/22, but were willing to take a chance, besides with a bag so well-built, how could we go wrong? Copper Basin has a bag specifically designed for the Ruger 10/22 Takedown. We don’t own a Ruger 10/22, but […]

Wilder Tactical Evolution Mag Pouches: Hold Your Gear Together

Going back to my first deployment in 2005 I can account for difficulties with transporting magazines. The issued gear, and even some of the aftermarket options were all either too tight or too loose. That was of course despite the fact that all of our magazines were the same size. After a while it became […]

Sub-Minute of Angle .308 AR for Under a Grand? Diamondback Firearms

Diamondback Firearms’ DB-10 proves excellent in testing and has an price way below the competition. The group pictured was shot by Erika and consists of five, not three, rounds of Federal Match .308 from 100 yards. Everyone has an AR-15 or three, and so now we look for something different. The AR-10 is nothing new, […]

Rock Island Armory’s Comfy Cannon, the 6 inch 10mm 1911!

Rock Island Armory has tamed the 10mm with a 6″-barreled 1911 known as the Pro Match Ultra. Anyone of those words independently hints at above average, putting them all together almost sounds a bit too far. Fortunately, with Rock Island, it isn’t and this gun delivers with features once considered custom right out of the […]

Stag 10S .308 Battle Rifle: a Little More “Boom” Than “Pew”

With all they advancements of AR-15s it’s easy to forget that the original intent of Eugene Stoner was to build a battle rifle, not an assault rifle. The original design, the AR-10 was for the .308/7.62x51mm cartridge. There are several reasons why that model was droped by the military and the M-16 was born, but […]

Hop up your Glock for $20! Change your safety plunger!

Glocks are loved and hated for their tune-ability. Owners are constantly in pursuit of that promised “Perfection”. Fortunately, there is more than enough after-market available to build a complete Glock without using any Glock parts. Some of those parts can be a bit pricey for the layman but that’s not true about all. One part […]

Shooting the perfect group: When stars align

We all go to the range with hopes of besting our last time out. What happens when you finally do? Let’s say your significant other shoots an amazing group, then you follow suit, and get it all on camera: what do you do then? It’s what we always dream of, but never seems to happen. […]

SIG Elite 9mm Performance Ammunition

Graham Baates and Erika test the SIG EPA 9mm Ammunition115gr FMJ ball ammo to see if it lives up to the SIG name.