Smith & Wessons

A question to all experts out there. Newbie shooter here again. The S&W 380 EZ (I am the one with hand problems, so this works for me) has two choices for purchase: grip-safety only or grip-safety plus thumb safety. Which would be the better choice? The range where I train only has one 380 EZ in stock and it is grip-safety only.

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BTW I just looked at that NOS S&W .22 WRM and it’s a AirLite. 351-C , I haven’t seen it for about two years because I keep it in the living room in one of those clocks that opens to hiss those things in. If someone makes their way in here uninvited they will know it’s ā€œ time ā€œ to go. Lol

Counterbored? Why?

Personally, I like the thumb safety, but that’s personal preference. The gun is carried ā€œcocked and lockedā€ in that there’s a round in the chamber with the hammer pulled, and a pretty light trigger. The grip safety on these guns primarily serves as the drop safety. It puts a block in the action preventing the hammer from hitting the firing pin. The thumb safety gives you a bit of protection from accidental discharge in handling. It’s not necessary, but some folks like the added protection.

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I don’t know but I like counterbored guns, it’s kinda strange it’s not a smooth counterbore job but looks like a little mag wheel at the muzzle., could be some attempt at flash hiding , I mean although small it is a rifle cartridge that is as long as the barrel .

And the fire flies when shooting that little thing especially at night! Dam things a flame thrower! I gotta stop nodding out when I’m typing. It took me 20 minutes to type this… geesh

I love a thumb safety , I grew up with manual safeties on guns and that’s what I like and am used to. IMHO those ā€œ safe action triggersā€ like Glocks have is a joke, they basically mean if you pull this trigger this will discharge and if you don’t it won’t well duuuuh. I don’t need to hear some Poindexter tell me crap like ā€œ you’re safety is right hereā€ as he is pointing to his head because I’m concerned about getting in a physical altercation and as someone is trying to take you down and the thing goes off down my leg where that artery is and bleed out in about five minutes.

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How does some of you feel about loaded chamber indicators?

Personal preference, as @Joseph488 mentioned.
In Shield EZ - grip safety is a mandatory safety feature, usually enough to avoid negligent discharge. If you stay within this platform, nothing more you’d need.
However if you have any 1911 / 2011 style pistol as well, I recommend keeping thumb safety as a standard for all your handguns.

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For what it’s worth I prefer a thumb safety as well, Im just used to them . I don’t like to carry guns w/o a safety such as a Glock, don’t get me wrong I love my two Glocks and if the fat hits the fire my 19 will be what I grab because nothing will send rounds down range like a Glock and I mean nothing but I don’t like concealing them

:grin:

You are absolutely right… Nothing.
Even HighPoint shoots better.

:sweat_smile:
I’m sorry… I couldn’t resist…
:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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@Joseph488 and @Jerzees - Thanks. I believe the best option is to get both safeties to avoid incidental discharge. A side-benefit may be a slight (in seconds or fractions of a second) time delay if a bad actor were to wrestle the weapon away. A grip-safety may create a small time-delay (if the perp is unfamiliar with a grip-safety) to give the ā€˜attackee’ enough time to get a punch, kick, or jab in to the bad guy’s vital parts. We seniors have to be creative. Not as fast or strong as before, so the brain becomes the primary defensive-action muscle.

I like my hellcat pro for those very reasons.

And, if you have control over your finger and you can keep it off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot why do you need a safety?

I’ll say, flipping up the thumb safety on my Smith did become second nature. It was one more thing you’re going have to do in a stressful situation. A lot of stressed people don’t get that safety off and they pull the trigger and nothing happens.

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@Jerzees no prob it was a good one lol , I just think that they will shoot without any hiccups for ever ( however long that is), I wouldn’t have one until my son said they were digging them up out of the ground and-or sand when they were looking for people and they would have full mags with them and he said they would shake them for a second or two and slap the mags in them and they wouldn’t quit ! And I saw a ā€œ Tales of the gunā€ or something on the mil- Chanel and they said they would go and go because of the low tolerance’s they were made to and said the bore was actually made just a half a mil or however much over to and that polyagonal grooves was all to keep them from fouling but I ain’t a salesman for them for sure and I just thought when I saw that ā€œ maybe that’s why I personally can’t get good accuracy out of themā€ so I guess it’s a trade off aye?

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@Jerzees , Hell a couple years ago I went out looking for a Hi Point carbine and had to order the thing because everyone was sold out and couldn’t keep them in stock! I slapped a RD sight on it and it’s still sitting upstairs and has never been shot! I ordered a 20 rd. magazine for it it’s a wierd bent looking apparatus, anyhow I wouldn’t give $5 for any handgun they ever made but the carbines are pretty fun and cheap, we used to walk around the woods with them when my son was a kid but those days are gone he’s 40 now and thinks he knows more than me about everything, he may know more about guns than me but not everything lol

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@Gregory232 , yea that’s what many say and you do have a good point but some also say what if a bad guy happens to get his hands on ur gun and points it at you and pulls the trigger and it goes ā€œ clickā€ ( actually it won’t make any noise will it because it won’t fall) but you know what I mean and he has to remove his eyes to find said safety and then you can take him out with a punch or a EDC knife or whatever. But I know what’s next , ā€œ a BG shouldn’t be able to get my gunā€ so I guess it’s just one of those things that just don’t have a right or wrong answer. Actually I mostly carry pocket .380s anymore because of how I have to dress with a messed up leg and to much hassle to wear jeans and stuff anymore but my .380s have no safety’s but a good stiff first trigger pull and I’m plenty cool with that.

I don’t mind carrying my little G42 with no safety it’s got a pretty stiff first pull. I mean I will carry with no safety and one up but just don’t love to do it , it just takes experience and discipline so if you gotta draw fast you don’t shoot your own foot or if it’s in a place where other people are present you don’t hit a bystander.Just gotta watch yourself and I don’t always like watching myself so close all the time I guess.

Would love a revolver at some point.
I started carrying in 2020 with a Shield EZ.
Loved it but eventually wanted larger magazine capacity.
I now carry the Shield Plus with 13 and the 15 round Equalizer magazines.
I love it had about 4500 rounds through it.
Had a hiccup with the CT red dot not working.
Long story they sent me a shim as a fix it worked and then shot off during range time cracked screws and 2 smiths could not get them out.
CT sent me a new red dot and Smith&Wesson is currently replacing the slide.
They have great bundles on sale with the free red dot.

OK he’s taken your unloaded gun from you and it goes click what makes you think he doesn’t know how to use a gun and he’ll just pull the slide and fire.

I would suspect if it was a revolver, he would just pull the trigger again.

What makes you think you’re going to fight with this guy who targeted your weapon and disarmed you and win?

There are no guarantees in life.

I’ve been done with this one for days I want up the page and thought I was the only one on it I saw my logo . No there’s no guarantees in life and it seems I’ve known that for a couple days now I’m sure nor do I ever remember saying so . I guess this is about safety’s well I am pretty sure if someone got ahold of your gun if the safety is on no matter if he designed the gun himself it would take longer to discharge it even if for a fraction of a second. But me I like a safety because I guess when I started shooting all handguns had them unless they were a revolver