Why is the Shield EZ just for weak hands?

[straightshooterjake]

One of the more prolific YouTube gun reviewers has an interesting perspective on the Shield EZ. He said he first thought the EZ might be a good gun for people with physical impairments and the EZ has proven to be great for those people. However, he now believes the EZ is ideal for the much larger group of people who never practice to become proficient with their larger-caliber guns.

I don't exactly disagree with the above statement. I do think that for less proficient shooters, an easy gun to shoot is preferable. But with that said I would like to offer an alternate perspective.

I talk to lots of people who have problems manipulating the slide on a semi-auto pistol. Some of the them do fit the stereotype of women with hand strength problems, but many of them don't. I have known plenty of capable looking men who have had major shoulder surgery and have had upper body strength restrictions for many months or longer.

Regardless of the cause, hand strength issues are a real mechanical problem, and an equipment solution is a good approach in these cases. I think the Shield EZ fills an important niche by being designed for easier use.

People who are unwilling to practice enough to achieve basic proficiency don't actually have an equipment problem. I would agree that giving them equipment that is easy to use can help avoid making the problem even worse, but fundamentally, the problem not solved by equipment.

 

[Balrog]

I have long thought that a medium sized, striker fired 380 semi auto with 10-15 round capacity would be a good seller for people who are sensitive to recoil. Glock makes a G19 sized pistol in 380 for some foreign markets. I think it would sell here, but would probably be better if it was downsized slightly.

The Beretta Cheetah 380s, especially the single stack version, work well for people with small hands, but the DA/SA mechanism is off putting to some shooters, especially people who shoot infrequently.

 

[cougar1717]

It's simply that S&W designed a product with a certain set of features and launched a marketing campaign to persuade why someone would want that set of features. If a person who does not fit the target market of the marketing campaign likes the product, they won't be thought of as being lesser. A "strong handed" shooter who likes this firearm will not be considered weak just for liking or owning a 380EZ. I think most of this goes back to 1. Believing marketing hype and 2. Others parroting marketing hype. It seems like no one can like something and not care what anyone else thinks anymore. (I am saying this generically and not aimed at the OP.) This "groupthink" part of our American society drives me nuts where a person's satisfaction in a product is dependent on someone else's opinion, of whom the buyer may not even know (like a review or a forum). People seek reassurance, but they must look to something beyond to find it.