Page 10 - American Rifleman (February 2020)

USMC THE KEEFE REPORT

SEMPER FI!
• Stacked leather handle f there was any doubt about the
• Combat proven design current ascendancy of the 9 mm
• USMC leather sheath ILuger cartridge, I would point to
• Stainless steel blade Exhibit A. That would be the gun
Item #17 UC3092 on the cover of this magazine—the
BUY NOW AT Smith & Wesson M&P9 Shield EZ.
Smith & Wesson had so much
success with the .380 ACP version of disengage. That’s because it does not
this gun (June 2018, p. 56) it had require much pressure, and it is hinged
to dedicate considerable resources to at its bottom. I’ve encountered no one
keeping up with demand. Going down handling either the .380 or 9 mm who

in cartridge performance allowed the has had dif culty depressing that grip
Offi cially gun to be very easy to operate, but safety. But what that safety does is
Licensed! some consumers were unwilling to ensure that this hammer- red gun is
take that step down in power. seriously drop-safe. Without that grip
Smith was asked almost immedi- safety depressed, you cannot connect
ately when it could have a 9 mm ready. the trigger bar to the sear.
And now we have our answer. Not even Another reassuring safety feature
two years after we reviewed the .380, for those interested in the EZ are the
we have the production 9 mm in hand. bilateral manual safeties. Multiple
No offense to my friends at Smith & sources report that nearly three-
Wesson, but this is like turning on a quarters of .380 EZ buyers wanted the
dime for them. manual safety. They voted for it with
While the operating system remains their wallets and pocketbooks.
the same, there was much engineering And then there is perception at
that needed to be done to accommo- the gun store counter. I have jested
date the higher pressures and energy with friends that if you want to sell
of the 9 mm Luger cartridge. A whole a polymer-stock bolt-action ri e at
new frame had to be designed and an average retailer, my advice would

molded—a not insigni cant cost, be to make sure it has a good trig-
even when you do it yourself as S&W ger and a very smooth bolt travel.
does—a new magazine had to be cre- Because those are about the only two
ated, and the mass of the slide and the things you can learn about a ri e at

recoil spring con guration had to be the counter. And now I would add
adjusted and tuned. ease of racking the slide for a 9 mm
If you read the story beginning pistol at that very same counter (even
on p. 40 we get into the gun, but we though proper technique can over-
did not spend a lot of time discuss- come just about any recoil or striker
ing the consumers embracing this spring). That’s because being able
new class of handgun. More and more to competently operate the gun is
Americans are choosing to arm them- one of the most important aspects of
selves daily for personal protection, owning a personal protection hand-
and while micro guns such as the new gun. If you can’t do it at the counter,
Spring eld Hellcat and SIG P365 are you might not be able to do it when
current category leaders—perhaps it really counts. A certain amount of
even de ning their own category— con dence comes from knowing you
Exclusive
Offer! there are some armed citizens who can operate your gun regardless of
$ 99 simply prefer other features. your physical circumstance. And that
19 9 Each I am not at all condemning this is part of the EZs’ appeal. The guns
new generation of micro compacts—I aren’t for everyone—no one gun is—

have an optics-ready model on order— but the EZs sure seem to be the ticket

< for whole lot of individuals.
but there is a parallel trend toward
ORDER TODAY! guns like the EZ, and it is based upon Sincerely,
ease-of-use and operation as well as
BUDK.COM/AR2 multilayered safety features.
With the EZ, there is a grip safety
866-246-7320 #AR2 that is very, pardon the pun, easy to
8 FEBRUARY 2020 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN