Ruger Security 380 vs Smith and Wesson Shield EZ 380 performance center Which is better? Opinions…
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- Опубликовано: 30 июн 2023
- Comparing and contrasting the Smith and Wesson Shield .380 EZ performance center and the Ruger Security 380
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I said the Shield Ez is striker fired, it’s not. It is internally hammer fired, that’s part of the reason it is so easy to rack the slide and why it has a nice trigger.
As a woman with relatively small hands, the Ruger grip felt bulky. I loved the M&P so much after I rented it that I bought one. Fired off 100 of my best pistol shots in 30yrs that afternoon at the range.
Yes, again, it is more of a preference and fit thing between the two. i love the M&P Shield EX PC .380, it is a tach driver, had a great trigger.
Good for you Miss,,, regardless of all the hype and specs pro's and con's -- it's what you like - what works for you - .. Totally agree with your point. If it works great - why change it ???
I bought 2 Rugers, because of the price and quality! I also got the new 80x! They are all great guns, but don’t overlook the Bersas! They are equally great!
A buddy retired law enforcement officer bought the Ruger Security 380 light rack. He paid 319 taxes and background check. We went to a gun show and another buddy went with us. We walked to all the booths and the last one their was 2 Ruger Security 380’s. My buddy and I bought both of them. Mine came with three 10 round mags and a hogue finger grip for $318 taxes and background check. My buddy got his with a 10&15 round mags. This was a great day.
I hope you all have as much luck with yours as I have had with mine. I love mine!
My Ruger Security 380 shipped with one, 10-round magazine and one, 15-round magazine. It is the best .380 ACP handgun I've owned.
Yeah three ten rounders is a consolation in my state because they don’t allow us more than 10 rounds. I love my security 380!
Can you put that magazine on a m&p 380 ez?
@isaacsanders6811 can you put what magazine in the M&P EZ?
added the Security 380 a few months ago. Wife and I both enjoy shooting it.... and its her carry.
Very good video! Well done, sir!
Thank you! I have done a few follow ups on this gun, it’s still reliable and accurate after many hundreds of rounds
@@crankygunreviews I've put round nose/flat nose and hp. No fails. I checked out several SEVERAL reviews... and the flat nose seems very "defensive" effective for the .380. I was going to smooth out the
load ramp.... but as it handles all comers... will leave it alone for now. Shipped to me with two ten round mags. (Gunbroker).... seemed to much of a hastle to get the 15 as advertised. Since, I have another 10 rounder. Which is just fine. One Cranky to another... lol Take care.
Ruger touched all the bases with this 380, trigger, easy racking, manual safety, barrel, 3.8, excellent sites, comfortable to grip, etc. etc, plus over all performance.....
Yeah I agree- seems well planned out, even if it feels a little cheesy in the hand
Fact error: The Shield EZ is NOT a striker fired gun; it is internal hammer fired.
No kidding keyboard Karl, if you look at the pinned comment I corrected myself.
Here's a couple items: I have the std .380 EZ and it is hammer fired. The Ruger is not stainless under amornite but the EZ is, which with my old LCP, that quality of finish led to rusting in less than a year. I totally get the ergonomics of the two grips, Ruger is much more comfortable and nestles into the hand, and, my fingers being similar to yours, it's more shootable. It's because of the rust/durability thing that I haven't been able to make myself switch. The climate here is muggy.
My climate is muggy all summer too, and even though I run AC in the summer and kee dehumidifiers in both my safes, it still gets into the 60-70% humidity range on occasion, not to mention my body sweat… I haven’t had any of my guns rust. Clean and oil them, they’ll be fine
@@crankygunreviews live in Humid florida do you think wiping down guns once a month with rem oil/ Hoppes 9 oil good enough to stop rusting?
S&W produces a superior finish
But both companies could learn something from SCCY about a tough rust free finish.. if a company that sells there products for sub 2 bills can produce their product with a finish that holds up that well , all manufacturers could be using it.
A hard Chrome finish is the most superior… I used to work outside, farm work.. my carry pice was a Glock 23 .. which I carried in rain , snow was exposed to sweat in the summer , and chemicals
I had the slide hard chromed by CCR refinishing, absolutely wonderful work…
Put a light coat of WD40 on the outside of the gun
Another great review and video. I own a Ruger Security 380 and my experience of it matches what was said. I like this channel, to the point and easy going.
Thanks! I really appreciate it!
I've never owned a 380. When it come to pistols, I'll run with Ruger. I had a Ruger 30 carbine blackhawk which I traded for a CZ-52 w/ammo and holster. My other Ruger is a 44 OLD ARMY, when created (not copied), was made to hold a charge of 44 magnum. Bill Ruger made it to be the strongest possible..
I like the sight picture and the way it fits my hand.. With the 15rd magazine, it feels really good..
I like Ruger guns a lot as well. Probably own more of those than any other brand- or maybe ties with S&W
Liking that Ruger .380! Found a few on Gunbroker, but will check with my FFL first. I’ll take 2 extra rounds and a few hundred less, but I was thinking of getting.a 9mm. Great test!
Happy 4th! 🎆🎇
The 9’s are nice too, but I have a ton of 9’s already, and the Max9 is even smaller than the security 380 so I wouldn’t buy a security 9
@@crankygunreviews I’ve had to do my buying in reverse order due to my state banning everything. First, I bought mags for guns I wanted. Then the long guns & carbines.
I have the .380EZ PC and a Canik. Really liking that .380 Ruger. I wanted the Cheetah, but it’s out of my price range for now. Not sure I heard you correctly. Does it have a 10 round version? Thanks!
You ought to check out hogue grips. They're a little rough to get on but once they get on it makes that Ruger feel really nice. I'm 6'2 I got big hands and it's enough for me to hang out to course. I'm in the area where I can get the 15 round magazine too
Mine came with the hogue grips, I pulled it off. Too fat for me, and makes it grab my cover garment.
Cool test
Thanks!
I like the content and I know that you have already addressed them both being hammer fired. One thing I would like to mention is that it would be respectful to give credit to the source of your quote about “Freedom IS the greater good.” Hopefully you know who began that, Buffalo of Buffalo Outdoors channel.
I have given credit many times, asked him about it, and even bought one of his shirts that says that on the back. I did see he was pretty upset about people using his content, that’s BS.
I've shot the first gen 380 ez , a friend from work was looking for something that was easier to rack . Since then he also got the 9mm one. Might have to see if the indoor range has a ruger to try , my sister likes the way it looks , but she's worried it might be snappy , she tried a lcp and a lc380 before, when looking . Hope you have a good independence day
The security 380 is not snappy at all/ it has a full grip
typically I am an M&P guy but for this is just luv my Ruger Security 380...
The Security 380 is really good
@@crankygunreviews TOTALLY agree!
hello thanks for this comparison. i asked about these two in your video comments yesterday. i have a s&w ez380. i don’t like the grip safety and its thinner grips. i do like the ez’s ease of both racking and mag loading. ahh what to do? i will try to find a rental ruger security 380…
The thin grip on the ez is not my favorite but I can shoot it well. The trigger is so light I have almost had AD’s with it before when I was running it fast. The security 380 is worth trying out, I really like it
Security 380 can be found sub $275 if u look, I paid 225 for mine NIB
The 380 in either of these platforms makes a fast and flat shooting pistols and are great for double tap drills ..
Yes they can always be found cheaper, I bought mine when it was just released in my state, and it always costs more when it’s new.
Just picked up a security 380. Absolutely love the beefy feel of it and the ease of racking the slide. The 15+1 capacity is wayyyyy more than my S&w bodyguard that I traded for the ruger. I WON'T BE PARTING WITH THIS LITTLE GEM.
I think it’s a huge winner!
There is a high capacity 10+1 somewhat larger size 380 that's been around for several years, that no one is really talking about anymore...and when it first came out everyone was saying "why" ...ppl thought if ur gonna have a bigger 380 why not just do 9mm? But now softer shooting 380's are very popular! The SCCY CPX3 is a soft shooter, easy to rack, 10+1 mine came w/3 magazines...and was $200.
Yeah SCCY never gained a lot of popularity, and they’re not “approved” in my state so they rarely show up therefore i don’t really care lol. I’ve heard some mixed feedback on their reliability as well, but it’s only here say not first hand
@@crankygunreviews You're absolutely correct! The one I have has been a great gun for 4 years. But it's only a sample size of 1. I'm a huge Ruger fan, they make darn good value guns. That was a very good comparison review!
The Beretta is the class act…carried mine for 20 years
Always a class act
I'm thinking of buying the Ruger. Can you tell me what brands of ammo you shot though the Ruger Security 380? I'm hearing that some of these guns don't do well with certain types or brands of ammo. Thank you.
I’ve shot a bunch of random ball ammo through it, and a couple types of hollowpoint… If I recall, Ammo Inc, Sig, New Republic, Aguila, and blazer for round nose, Winchester Silver Tip, Sig Sauer hollowpoint. This was darn near 100% reliable
Very good reviews my man keep them up.
P.S I've got an Ithica 1943 government model.
Thanks! And very cool
Oh she's a beaut my man, loud as sin though. hahaha
@@robertblake7824 that’s awesome
Would love comparison with P365 in 380!
I don’t have a P365 or a P238
i had a security 380, and i had to get rid of it, it was really touchy about ammo, i tried Fiocchi ammo and i would not feed most of the rounds...i tried aguila ammo and it worked great, i will not keep a gun that i can not depend on...so sold it...i know sometimes you will find a gun that is really touchy about ammo, but this one was bad...
Mine has not been that way. i just did an ammo test video with it a couple weeks ago, and mine has run just about everything. Some guns need a little break in time, and I also keep my mags loaded. They seem to run better the more I shoot it. Mine is a sample size of 1 though
That ammo if you look has a slightly oversized bullet making the sleeve stick out and have an edge that binds as its fed into the chamber. I own both the rugger and those bullets and experienced the same. I use Winchester UMC
I love the security 380! I don't know what state you are in, but in Texas, the Security 380 comes with a 10 round and a 15 round magazine.
I live in Massachusetts- we have 10 round mag restrictions, so they have us 3 mags as a consolation
New Hampshire here, mine came with two 15 round magazines. Maybe I just got lucky?!?
I don't know what the difference between mine and yours is but I have the Ruger 380 and I only got two magazines. I got a course. One was a 15 round and 110 round and it might be a difference between the two but so far I like it also and if you want a little bit better feel check out the hogue slide on beavertail grips. There are unbelievable. They're kind of hard to get on but once you're there they don't go anywhere and give you a rubbery texture. That is all I got to say about that
State restrictions, we can’t have 15 round mags so they give us 3 10 rounders. Mine also came with the Hogue slip in grip and I hate them, I took it off before I even shot it.
@@crankygunreviews yeah, I just don't like the polymer feel. That's why I always get slip-ons and get the rubber ring rubbery feel. I haven't got to shoot it yet though I haven't had it that long
@@rickcole2301 I don’t mind rubber, but it makes it too thick for my liking. I have shorter fatter fingers, many slip on grips or finger groove grips squish my fingers, so I tend to not always like them
Thanks for the great video. I may pick up a Ruger Security .380!
If you do, check back in and let me know your thoughts.
@@crankygunreviews Will do!
Hey just a correction the ruger comes with a 15 rd and a 10 rd magazines. And yes I love it. It shoots like a dream.
Your comment is only correct in non-communist states. I live in a restricted state, so we get 3 10 round mags as a consolation because we can’t have standard capacity mags. Ruger.com has the details on all the models they sell
Ah yes heard about that
Started reloading recently and now do .380 and I am looking for a large pistol to shoot at the range. My current ones are a PPK and LCP max. They are not fun for range plinking
This one feels great. I brought a ton of guns to the range this trip, and I just wanted to keep shooting the security 380 lol
@@crankygunreviews thanks
I haven't shot the new Ruger Security .380, but i do own the EZ .380 and it is fun to shoot at the range. It is light recoiling, easy to rack the slide, zero stoppages after hundreds of rounds, and I don't mind the beavertail safety since I had one on my old 1911.
@@pekolucky I actually prefer a safety, just have to train for it.
This is a comparison that just has to be made and you tackled it fairly.
Except I got one fact wrong, the Shield EZ is internally hammer fired as well
I have that S & W performance center 380.
I don't like it.
I'm selling it.
I have the Ruger security 380, and I love it !
That's my carry from now on.
Mine also came with a 15 round mag as well as the 10 round.
I hate to admit how good it is. And for a lot less than the Shield EZ PC
@@richardswann5300 why dont you lke it?
Do you recommend any picket pistol that I can put my 3 fingers on fully and that has low recoil??
That’s a tall order. What is too much recoil for you? 38 special? 9mm? .380?
Also, Unless you wear really baggy clothes or are a pretty large person, a pocket pistol almost always will be something you cannot get all three fingers on, and if you can it’s at least going to be a .380. If you want a rimfire, I would suggest something like a Smith and Wesson 351c which is a small frame pistol, and put a Hogue Monogrip on it which will give you three fingers, and a relatively powerful rimfire cartridge that is more reliable than 22LR, and has 7 rounds. Or you could get a Ruger LCR in 22 Magnum and put an LCRX grip on it which is longer, but the Ruger is only a 6 shot.
Anything above that you’d be looking at at least .380- you could try a Ruger LCP Max, but that pretty small, you could try a Smith and Wesson M&P bodyguard 380 with the pinky extension, or a Ruger LC9S with a 9rd mag… at that point you’re in the range of the gun being too big to not print like crazy.
Small, light recoil, and big enough to get three fingers on and be reliable is a tall order.
You may just need to try a bunch out in a gun shop. You need to know what caliber you think is too much, and try to stay below it. In my mind, 22 Magnum in a revolver, or .3800-9mm in a semi auto, and just find one that fits your hand.
I just got a LCP Max and have put 100 rounds thru it. Fits in my pocket yes. Almost three fingers with the extended magazine floor plate - But - it’s Snappy! A firm grip is essential.
@@chestnutlouie4709 can’t be any worse than an S&W Bodyguard .380
It comes with 3 mags?...i thought 2,1- 10 rd and 1 -15 rd....or 2- 10 round.
Depends on the state you’re in
Does the Ruger have a longer trigger reset?
Longer than what? The Shield EZ? Maybe a tiny bit longer
@@crankygunreviews Yeah. I know you said you were "tired" at the end where you missed the trigger reset several times on the Ruger, but I thought perhaps it was because the reset was further out than on the Smith...
@@BuckeyeBallistics I had shot about 1200 rounds at that point- 38, 9mm, 380, 22… was a nice long range trip that day :)
Prefer the Security 380, S&W grip safety, 8rd capacity, price we’re deal killers for me and I love my Ruger Security 9, so it was a no brainer; came with 3 10 rd mags, ordered 2 15 rds
Yeah, I’m really happy with mine
Beretta 80 series is a direct blow back and recoils as much as if not more than a locked-breech 9mm. I would not compare it with the Ruger S380 or EZ.
I just meant as far as pleasure of
Shooting, reliability, and accuracy. But you’re right, the direct blow back will feel snappier.
In appropriate states, the Ruger also comes with a 15 round mag.
I’m aware :)
Girsan has some Cheetah clones, one of which has a tip up barrel.
Interesting
I think that design is bordering on being a gimmick. It does not have an extractor and in the event of failure to fire the shooter has to tip the barrel up, knock the dud out, re chamber a live round (if there is a loose one available), push the barrel back and fire. It takes way too long than simply tap-rack-bang. Not to mention that the recoil is stiffer because it is a direct blow back.
Shame S&W had to put the grip safety on this pistol. Especially the performance center, with the sharper edges on it, is uncomfortable in my hand.
I have let a friend shoot it, fairly new shooter, and he had difficulty engaging it. I just tend to squeeze pretty hard on every gun so it’s not too bad for me. I think they put it there because the triggers are so light, they wanted an additional safety like a 1911. I could do without it as well though.
Is .389 enough of a cartridge?
It’s considered minimum. Some people say the hollowpoints rarely have enough velocity to be effective, so many people carry flat nose ammo. The “Punch” ammo is pretty good in these though
@@crankygunreviews will that or any .380 ammo penetrate layers of winter clothing and fat? I say fat as most people are fat nowadays.
@@deepb249 I haven’t done any testing on that. Many others have though. I think in .380 penetration is better than expansion because of the lower velocities coming out of the shorter barrels on most .380’s and the rounds themselves don’t have much velocity to begin with. Probably the best to carry in these is Hornady Critical Defense because they’re higher velocity, and have the plastic ballistic tip which keeps them from getting clogged, and allow them to expand in fatty flesh,
@@deepb249yes. Try Federal Hydra Shok Deep, Precision One JHP, Underwood 90gr +P, Underwood Extreme Defender (or Penetrator but Defender are recommended), or Barnes Tac XPD. All work great.
I thought for sure the ez has a hammer fired trigger?!?
Oh my God read the pinned comment. You’re like the 20th guy to say that, and I already corrected myself
Thumbs 👍
Thanks for the visit
Lol, I'm cleaning my .9mm EZ PC Shield in black right now.......
Nice. I really like the Shield EZ especially the PC model, I got silver cause Gold is too gaudy
EZ is also hammer fired
Yep, I corrected myself in the pinned comments. And about 20 other people corrected me too
The 380 Smith & Wesson is an internal hammer you got it rog
Yep, if you read the pinned comment first, you’d see I already corrected myself… so did about 10 others
Both these pistols are hammer fired. The S&W is internal.
Yeah I know I corrected myself in the pinned comment
Yeah I know I corrected myself in the pinned comment
The sw is also hammer fired it has internal hammer my man
If you look at my pinned comment, I corrected myself
@crankygunreviews love your video boss keep up the great work 👍
@edgarguillen4245 thanks
They both are hammer fired
I know I was corrected and pinned a comment about it already
Why do you not consider the left handed shooters? No slide release for left handed user. no safety for lefties. No mag release for lefties. On top of that it has one of the worse trigger pulls of any pistol except one. That was a WW2 P38. Probably built with slave laber in 1944. I have dryfired the 380 at least 1000 times and fired several boxes of ammo thru it and it now usable but still awful. When you review guns please remember that about 10% of people are south paws. Give us a break!
I’m not left handed. That’s why I’d usually don’t do left handed gun reviews. Many guns now have ambi controls, but many do not. I’ll try to be more sensitive.
Smith and wesson dropped the ball(rarely happens)when they made the equalizer in only 9mm and not 380 people want a 380 with high capacity even 17-23 round capacity would be dope as hell man I don't think a 17 round 380 even exists🤔 they right away assume only women and old farts shoot 380 but that's not the case, I hate when people market the gun that way it makes average men not even want it because people will says hey isn't that the gun that's for women and old people?" Haha lol shits annoying as hell 😂
Yeah, maybe they’ll make one eventually. The M&P or equalizer would be cool in .380
There both hammer fired
Ahh I just looked, you’re right.
Nice review! The gun with the two major flaws for self defense loses. Grip safety plus .380 is tipping the scales twice on the wrong side. If .380 is the most recoil somebody can manage and a 5.7 is too big, at least take one without the grip safety.
I don’t think the grip safety is a flaw, but it is one more thing to worry about, especially for new shooters. Honestly to me the Shield EZ 380 PC is more of a target gun than a self defense gun.
@@crankygunreviews one more thing to worry about - exactly what I meant. It’s a potential point of failure. Actually I have never found a test on RUclips on how likely this is to trip up a novice shooter in a high stress situation. But the many many vids of cops failing on fundamentals in tough situations make me sceptical.
@nikos6220 I'm a very novice pistol shooter, but I've shot long guns my whole life. I literally just bought the M&P yesterday and took it brand new out of the box to our gun club and put 100 rounds through it. I had 2 misfeeds that I think were probably my own fault. The first one I looked at it like "wth?!" The second one, I just racked the slide and kept it moving (my husband puts pressure on me when I'm shooting for stress training. He wants me to feel super confident in my ability to defend myself and our home)
Additionally, I have a connective tissue disorder that causes dislocations. The palm safety is great because it reminds me how tight I need to hold for a clean shot that doesn't affect my joints. It may not be the best fun for a super experienced male shooter, but my husband likes it and it's fantastic for me, which was the whole point in buying it
@@chrisna336 if the Smith is perfect for you, awesome. Obviously I am generalizing.
My distaste for grip safeties coms from experience in hunting and understanding how quickly technique falls apart under real stress. Also YT is full of cop videos in which the officers grip is just horrendously bad in a life or death situation. So in my opinion it is another failure point in a self defense scenario.
Now if statistically the risk of getting shot or shooting yourself is higher, is whole other can of worms 😂
try to learn to shoot w both eyes open
Yeah I def need to practice that
Once I got the Ruger Security 380, I sold my Smith & Wesson EZ 380 !
No comparison !
S & W 8 rounds
Ruger 15 rounds.
The Ruger feels better in my hand and has a better trigger.
Now my favorite handgun.
Yeah, I have trouble selling guns though… unless they’re really bad or I flat out hate them or don’t like shooting them