The S&W M&P Shield EZ
Over the years, as an instructor, I’ve taught thousands of people how to grip and shoot handguns. In almost every civilian course there’s been someone who struggles with recoil, weapon manipulation (racking the slide), or loading magazines. Often the person suffers from injuries, diseases like arthritis, or the one that’s going to get most of us, old age.
I’ve always struggled with advising those folks as to what gun they should purchase. Short of an ageing serum, there isn’t much most of them can do to increase their grip strength or reverse injuries; it’s a problem that is more easily fixed by purchasing a gun that’s easier to manipulate and shoot.
Rimfire handguns have been one of the only options for people who need easy. While I’m a big fan of the .22 LR and own at least a dozen of them, I don’t actually think it’s the best choice for self-defense or concealed carry. This is largely due to that fact that .22 ammo is so unreliable. Misfires are common, as are malfunctions.
Smith & Wesson saw the exact problem I’ve described and have literally engineered a gun to be easier to shoot and manipulate. The S&W Shield EZ in .380 is loosely based off the S&W Shield 9mm/40S&W. Loosely is the correct term because they actually don’t share many features once you get past the name Shield.
The Shield EZ is currently only available in .380. While this isn’t my favorite caliber, I also wouldn’t want to get shot with one. Many naysayers of the .380 forget that it has nearly the same diameter bullet as a .357 magnum (.355 vs .357) and penetration tests show that it can get the job done. Also, better bullets and ammunition have made a big difference to the lethality of the cartridge.
I’ve always argued that the best caliber is the one in the gun that you have with you. I have friends that are pretty snobby about calibers but they don’t carry every day. I’d rather have a .380 inside my waistband than a 454 Casull at home in the safe.
The Shield EZ barrel and slide are just slightly longer than a Shield 9mm. This isn’t a negative. The longer barrel will see some velocity gains over micro .380’s and a longer sight radius, in my opinion, is never a bad thing. The extra length isn’t going to ultimately make any difference to carrying it.
The Shield 9mm is on top and you can see that it’s a little smaller than the Shield EZ.
The sights are acceptable and are easy to see. There are aftermarket fiber optic and tritium sights available if something brighter is needed.
Sight picture on the Shield EZ
The Shield EZ has a loaded round indicator on the slide that you can feel in the dark to ensure the gun is loaded.
Loaded round indicator.
The frame is where there are some major improvements. The dust cover features a Picatinny rail so that lights and lasers can be mounted. This is a feature lacking on the Shield 9mm.
A Picatinny rail on the dust cover is a welcome addition for mounting lights and lasers.
The texture on the grip is not overly aggressive. It feels kind of like fine sandpaper. I prefer more texture but this will work for most people and shouldn’t tear your clothes or skin in a concealed carry situation and it’s an improvement over the original Shield.
The grip texture worked well. I shot the gun in 90-degree weather and had no problems.
Also, the frame features a grip safety. As long as you properly grip the gun you’ll never notice the grip safety and I had no problems with it working.
Top: Shield EZ with the grip safety. Bottom: Shield 9mm without grip safety.
Speaking of safeties, the Shield EZ I tested has two. The grip safety and an internal striker channel drop safety that’s automatically disengaged when you pull the trigger, similar to most striker fired guns. There is an optional thumb safety available. I personally prefer it without the thumb safety. I like simple. I carry with a round chambered and I want it to fire when I pull the trigger, similar to a revolver. The optional thumb safety has also had a recall, which goes back to my keep-it-simple philosophy. I like the grip safety and think it’s a well-engineered feature. If the grip safety is not engaged, the trigger is dead.
The striker channel safety gets automatically turned off when you pull the trigger. It prevents the striker/firing pin from falling from inertia should the gun get dropped or hit.
The trigger in the Shield EZ is also a complete redesign. Instead of traditional striker style trigger, the trigger releases an internal hammer that hits a firing pin. It’s technically a single action trigger. The internal hammer hits hard. It also makes the gun easier to rack the slide. The trigger is excellent. It feels short and crisp. It makes the gun very easy to shoot. I’d rank it as one of the best stock concealed carry triggers on the market. An average of 5 trigger pulls on a Lyman Digital Trigger Guage was 4 lbs. 15.2 oz.
The trigger is a single action and releases the hammer shown in the picture. The author is a fan of the trigger.
The gun comes with two magazines that hold 8+1 rounds each, which is excellent. More is better and this is above average. One of the features of the magazines is that they are easy to load. In fact, they are similar to a rimfire magazine. You can compress the spring with one hand and drop rounds into the mag.
The magazine features a knurled spring compression knob that you can compress and then just drop rounds in. It’s very easy to load. The gun comes with two magazines and they each hold 8 rounds.
Disassembly of the gun for cleaning is easy:
Step 1 : Make sure the gun is empty.
Step 2: Lock the slide back.
Step 3: Rotate the takedown lever down.
Step 4: Drop the slide.
Racking the slide on the EZ is similar to racking the slide on a .22 LR. The recoil spring is very light and it doesn’t take much to pull it back. I think it’s important to point out that you need to pull the slide all the way back and let go like it’s a slingshot. If you don’t, you could induce malfunctions due to how light the recoil spring is.
I wanted to make sure that the gun is really as easy to manipulate and shoot as I’m claiming so I enlisted the help of a nine-year-old to load and shoot the Shield EZ. Turns out, it’s so easy, even a nine-year-old can do it. Check out the video.
The gun worked flawlessly and without malfunctions. I didn’t clean it or oil it. I just shot it.
I shot all of the different brands of ammo represented in the picture and didn’t have any malfunctions.
Accuracy was more than acceptable with groups averaging around an inch at 10 yards after the gun broke in. I tested the gun with Magtech, American Eagle, CCI Blazer, Sig V Crown, Herters, Sig Elite Performance, and PMC. The first shots out of gun went into a five shot group that was about 2.5 inches which was disappointing. It might have been a little bit of the shooter but I think the gun actually started shooting better after about 25 rounds. I went back and shot the same ammo and it turned in a group that was a ragged hole.
This was a group shot with the Sig Elite Performance Sig V Crown. I was shooting offhand and pulled the low shot.
This was PMC FMJ’s. The gun seemed to continue to shoot better the more rounds I put through it.
This is the Sig Elite Performance FMJ 95g.
I didn’t have a single malfunction of any kind and neither did the nine-year-old.
Specs
I’ll probably continue to carry my Shield 9mm because I prefer 9mm and I have no problems with manipulating the gun or with the recoil. However, this is the gun I now recommend for anyone that struggles. It’s substantially easier than a revolver to shoot and is more reliable and packs substantially more punch than a .22. I believe it to be the easiest centerfire pistol in the concealed carry market to shoot and it might be the ultimate kids gun.
The nine-year-old would like to own it.
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My take on this is that they took 110 years to reinvent the Colt Hammerless .380. Grip safety, easy to shoot, fits well in the hand, easy to rack the slide, and rounded shape for easier pocket carry.
They did switch to a 1911-style magazine release button, which I prefer to the 1908’s butt-mounted spring catch, and they added better sights, which didn’t exist in 1908. Everything else is just hype and not new at all.
I have no use for this little pistol. But that dosnt make it bad.I like hammer fired.Dont like striker fired handguns.I like grip safeties-there I said it.JB got it right in 1911.This S&W just might be the ideal “family” gun for the home.Everyone can use it ( with training) and the 380 will get the job done.The cost of the gun wont wreck the family budget and ammo is getting a little cheaper-in bulk. As far as .22 ammo having misfires-I havnt seen it in good ammo in a long time.Cheap bulk pack will have problems.Worried about misfires? Use a revolver.My nightstand gun is a BIG ASS Ruger GP 100 22 lr. Silly? Have you ever fired a centerfire in the house? LOUD!
I tried to get my wife interested in a variety of handguns but on the auto loaders the slide is to stiff for her to operate and the mini auto loaders lcp2 are just to snappy for her. She prefers for home defense and carrying my colt detective special 38 I got in 1973. It’s 100% reliable, easy to maintain and she’s loves it for home defense and carry. The 38 is a excellent defensive round.
Well, mine should be arriving to Smith and Wesson today for its second trip back for repairs. I am so disgusted with this firearm I am considering putting it in the Bridgeport and milling it in half when I get it back. Paid a premium for their product and I am very very dis-appointed.
this article is the second one I have read that reviewed the EZ and mentioned that fiber optic sights are available for the pistol. I assume that the author researched this and did not just assume that sights would be available. I would appreciate if the author would let us know who offers replacement sights for this pistol.
Aim hard ?
Not aim well ?
Lol, peculiar syntax……
Thank you so much for this review !! after adding this review it just confirms that I made great choice for CC. After a long hiatus, I am getting back to shooting again so although I’m not new to firearm, I’ve never “carried”. My husband has carried for year and many different calibers. I am not a child, arthritic,weak or a little old lady, but I’m petite and have small hands. So after trying so many gun orf different calibers I found that this is the most comfortable and user friendly and hopefuly easiet for me to Conceal. Unfortunately I am still waiting for my LTC renewal so I haven’t been able to carry yet.
I live in a Gun-Phobic state (nope not California, other Coast) so there were several sub-compacts that we can’t have yet.
I tried to like many other calibers, but it always came back to what I could work.
I have to say that I was very surprised and disappointed by the the bias and snobbery in the Firearms world.
I am looking for holster reccomendations. I’m thinking IWB or appendix, just die to my small frame, but would love to hear any opinions.
Belly band all the way ma’am.
I like DeSantis.there are also holstershirts.
If S&W would crossbreed his with their XDS .45, they might have the perfect EDC,
I’ll stick with my Colt Detective Special (3″ bbl). All semi-autos are capable of JAMMING, aren’t they ?
Yep any wheel gun that has a very manageable DA pull (e.g. Ruger LCR) is by far the easiest, simplest and most reliable handgun for someone who has a problem racking (then inevitably followed by limp-wristing) the auto-jammers. A better S&W for the intended audience would be a J-frame in one of the .32 revolver calibers that are as effective as .380 but more gentle on the hand than .38 Spl. I guess their marketing suits said different.
I have shot revolvers for decades, and actually had two “jam” in one week. One was a S&W 642, and one a Taurus .22. The ejector rod on both had begun to back out, jamming the cylinder where the cylinder could not be opened. Strange
” I don’t actually think it’s the best choice for self-defense or concealed carry. This is largely due to that fact that .22 ammo is so unreliable. Misfires are common, as are malfunctions.” Really?
Lack of energy, yes. but so unreliable, misfires are common, as are malfunctions. Makes wonder about the rest of the review.
I was taught to shoot by my grandfather at abut 8 or 9 with an old Winchester 22 bolt action which I still own and with which I have taught dozens of kids, as an NRA instructor and range master and former Scout Master, I can say that there is nothing more rewarding than teaching young’ins how to shoot responsibly. Both my kids learned at a YOUNG age, pellet guns at 6-7. My greatest fear is not the kid at 9 who knows how to shoot but the ones who never learn and are subject to the whims of the liberals. You can come for me and mine but we will not give in until the brass is 2 feet deep.
A nine year old with a handgun. In my state a thirty year old taking a course required to get a permit to carry cannot even handle the handgun he is being trained to carry.
Maybe it’s time to either fix your liberal-ass state or move to and strengthen one that’s more conservative. An attack on your state politics not you.
If I am were to buy a large .380 I cannot make any sense out of forgoing ammunition capacity as well..
If you’re 6’5” 230lbs like me, why not. If you’re 4’6” and 90lbs like my wife…this fits her hand perfectly as designed, any bigger would be too big. She’s thinking about upgrading to the 9mm EZ soon.
That little man is a helluva shot, for sure. I’ll bet this does bring the leftist loons out by the droves but they’re out there anyway. Great report on the Shield, my Wife just might like one of those. I carry a 9mm Shield myself and love it. Carry on!
Doesn’t sound like too bad a gun for someone who needs something easy to deal with. But I have to say it’s just the latest in the never ending line of reviews promising the latest new thing that will revolutionize carry firearms.
The thumb safety model had had a small update done to it because the safety flips too easily. We had to send outs back to have it updated- to put it simply if you grip the gun high to make sure you engage the grip safety, there is a chance that during recoil you will turn the safety on.
I love this gun, but I have one major complaint. The grip safety is tricky in that it does not always disengage unless gun is grasped in a high hold manner. Not always possible to do when reaching for gun on night stand or hidden location! (try it) I’m 88 yrs old and love the sights as installed. I have terrible Arthritis in both hands now and find this pistol to be the answer too ease of operation and especially when reloading mags. I would like to see S&W change the grip safety to pivot at top like most normal guns. Or, should I say ,like 1911’s do. By the way I retired from gunsmithing after 32 yrs due to Arthritis. I thank S&W for addressing this issue.
This may be the gun for my wife. She struggles with racking the slide on most guns and worries about the gun going off. The grip safety may give her peace of mind.
Thanks bro!!! With a title like so easy a nine year old can use it…. I am sure all the libs and Democrat gun control freaks will have a field day with that one….. as if gun laws wereby stupid in cali already… this sort of sit just furthers it.
Great choice of words once again.
I have to agree. I’m a supporter of 2A rights. I not only belong to the NRA, but I give the ILA extra dollars as well.
I believe that we can do better by reporting on the benefits of the guns, the pros and cons, the reporting…and leave out the incendiary language like “it might be the ultimate kids gun.”
Sure I believe in 1A rights also. It’s not about what I can and can’t say, it’s about furthering our position of responsible gun ownership. I believe that teaching a child responsible gun handling and showing them the love of the sport is also good. I love taking my daughter to the range. I would never describe a weapon, however, as the “ultimate kids gun.”
Seems like a great firearm. Would be perfect in a 2-stack presentation. And then a Pistol-Calibre Carbine?
Now, if only the .380 ammo price would drop a bit…
So now we have to pee our pants because some 2nd Amendment bigots will be offended.?Screw them.Maybe it’s time we start getting in thire faces right back at em.The days of being milquetoast are over. Grow a pair.
Look Mike, I’m sure your truck makes you feel powerful and so alpha and stuff, but literally getting into some libs face while armed constitutes aggravated assault at the very least, and if you so much as lay a pinky on said firearm durning the confrontation, you just upgraded your charges to felony level, and a conviction which would surely happen in this cellphone camera-rich world we live in would mean you would be lifelong banned from even touching a gun again. Hopefully they’d strip your ego stroking truck as well, making you drive nothing larger than a compact economy car with a restricted horsepower rating of 95hp max.
TLDR – Don’t get in anyone’s face and STFU ya bimbo.
Sometimes the lack of logic from the gunnies here drives me batty!
The anti’s DON’T need any more excuses to come after us, they will make it up if they have to, they have proven that in the past, so whining about how a 9 year old shooting may be ‘used’ against us is just plain stupid.
I was shooting at that age, as were many others, and it is a right of passage in my family that we get our first gun on our 14th B-day, custom is a Ruger 10/22, mainly because we grew up hunting squirrels.
Before that. the family ‘heirloom’ Winchester single shot bolt rifle is what we learned on.
But we learned to shoot (and safety of course, for all you silly dilly’s) LOOONG before the 10/22 was presented!.
Agree on all points. The headline would be just as effective and clickbaity if it said 80 year old with arthritis, as was the actual point of this article and gun in the first place.
Great review!
I am old and still have my coonskin hat, for reference.
Bought the EZ when they first came out so I had to send it in for the recall even though I had zero problems with the external safety after several range sessions with two people shooting about 400 rounds through it.
I also thought that having your son learn about the pistol was wonderful, period.
I’m just glad that you did not have a Little Ole Lady do it because she would have wacked you upside your head for telling her what to do, if she was like my Little Ole Lady, aka mother.
I do like the external safety because I can put one in the pipe with the safety on reducing the chances of an AD, including at the range.
Likewise, my range experience with the EZ was that it was very reliable with my “plate knocker” reloads and it was accurate.
FWIW, I reloaded some Lehigh Defense 90gr. Xtreme Penetrator bullets using Lehigh’s reload data for True Blue, as I remember.
They worked so well I bought a box of their cartridges to try as well, for carry.
I just acquired a Labradar Doppler chronograph and will be comparing my reloads to the factory cartridges, soon.
Factory shows 950 fps.
I do not load or shoot any cartridge that is +P+, because there is no SAMMI specs for it nor do I load or shoot any +P cartridges that do not have SAMMI Specs and only shoot +P SAMMI spec loads in firearms rated for them.
.380 acp has no +P SAMMI Spec.
Check out the Lehigh Defense .380 gelatin tests if you want to see what the little ole .380 can do.
Your son was great in the video!
If your going to carry a .380, I recommend you use Lehigh Defense .380 extreme penetrator. Barrier busting, clothes tearing solid copper bullet. Go to “AmmoQuest” and look up the gel test. And no, gel tests are not the holy grail, but it is useful when comparing one to another…
Underwood is loading Lehigh Defense .380 bullets and it is also an awesome round. No, I have no affiliation with Lehigh defense, just no good when I see it,.
Very well done video. I noticed the comments on using a young boy to demonstrate the use of the pistol. It definitely reminded me of my younger days. Dad gave me a single shot .410 when I was 7 and I spent many hours hunting squirrels and rabbits with it. When I turned 12 he gave me a semi-auto .22 and a pump 12 gauge. He made sure in those early years that I was properly schooled in the use and responsibilities for these tools as he did with all tools used around the house. Putting his time and trust in with me was worth more to me than I could ever say. Dad is gone but not a day goes by that I don’t think of him. For the people reading this will your child think of you when you are gone? Spend time with them. They are the most important thing you have. Teach early and often. Be proud to be a parent. Bravo for the boy in the video. I bet he was proud of his abilities and so was Dad!
Awesome comment. My father did the same with an old Steven’s single shot bolt .22lr, that needed to be cocked before firing. around 8k-10k rounds later I was highly proficient in trigger manipulation, proper sight picture, and all things safety I was allowed to practice with larger calibers and handguns. The first pistol was a Mark 3 Ruger .22, still my favorite. 22 today along side the 10/22, both currently customized and suppressed.
My point, by age 10 I could punch the centers out of human silhouette targets at 25 yards with a Sig 226 9mm, and at 100yds with irons on a Mini 14, even the $90 gunshow SKS!
Proper training when young makes for a life time of safe, responsible, respectable, and FUN shooting!
Great review.
I’m old and still have my coonskin hat, for reference.
Bought the EZ when they first came out such that I had to send it back for the recall.
The worry-warts are out! Wringing your hands about “common sense” and whether the content of such a review could be used by the anti-2nd Amendment mob is a waste of time and energy. Of course the 9-year-old would want to own it. Just like he’d probably like to own an ATV, 84″ TV monitor, and half a dozen Catahoula leopard dog puppies.
Do you think those dishonest, despicable and disgusting bootlickers have any compunction about twisting the context of anything that doesn’t match their craven views of society? Hell no. So stop concerning yourselves about how to pacify them, and instead focus on how to defeat them. Just as Reagan did with the Soviets during the Cold War.
I handled the S&W Shield ‘EZ’ at a store just last week. It was remarkably EZ-er to pull back the slide than a typical semi-auto, which should prove helpful to users of whatever age or situation (rheumatoid arthritis, etc.) who don’t have the strength to rack the stiffer setup.
The boy is a better shot than I am. Of course, he’s got 64 years on me. 😉
Honestly – for the physical size of the gun, doesn’t seem like much of a deal.
“The sights are “acceptable””?
OTOH – call me a SNOB, but every carry pistol in my rack has Trijicons (except the FN5.7, no Trijs for that one). In fact, I usually order a set the same time I order the gun, and throw them on before I even take it to the range for the first time. I have an issue with “low contrast sensitivity” (a side effect of the LASIC surgery). Can’t see “dot sights” in low light, or shooting into bright light. So the white rings around the tubes on the Trij’s allow me so see the sights in any lighting. ALL my carries have Trijicons – so no matter what I grab off the rack – my SIGHT PICTURE IS ALWAYS THE SAME.
Recently got an SAI XDE (partially based on the review here). Same size as my Kimber Tac Ultra2 (thinner in the grip), with the knockdown of +P Corbon in .45. Easy to rack, hammer & manual safety (which I’m trying to figure out how to disable the de-cock. As 1911 carrier, I tend to “ride the safety”, and this can result in an “accidental de-cock”).
Am in the market for a Shield 2.0 in .45.
Rick
On a positive note, your review was complete in its coverage of the new vs. the old in the S&W line of Shield weapons. I was particularly impressed with the grip safety which should be utilized, in my opinion, more often in carry weapons. I carry hot always and would like the speed of a grip safety on any of my EDC weapons. Sadly, the only carry weapon I own with such a safety is a Daly .45 ACP Commander size automatic. I don’t favor this one for concealed carry because I have many other more “sizeable” CC weapons in my collection.
And I also hope that one day we will find 9mm added to this new line of Shield carry guns. I have always admired the Shield line since its inception and a 9mm may be the turning point in my adding just “one more” to the collection. If this overblown “SHTF” concept ever comes to pass, I will have enough guns and ammo to protect the entire neighborhood [or a square mile of back country woods] and still have plenty left over for barter later on.
Sorry for the double posting, our internet service is sorely lacking behind the rest of the world here on the “Forgotten Coast” of Northern Florida. Please remove the second submission. Thank you.
Great video on the S&W 380. I would have chosen a “little old lady” rather than a child to do the demo.
@srsquidizen – I have to agree with you, that thought hit me before I even got into the video! From the leader under the headline – “…. and it might be the ultimate kids gun.” You guys, who review these new products, need to keep in mind that the anti-gun crowd will ferret out ANY little statement or opinion which will add fuel to their so called “quest” to Make America “Gun Free” to expand on President Trump’s byline!! Why put a nine year old kid on the firing line, who obviously was scared to death that he was being videoed, and have him demonstrate, step by step, the loading and firing of this new weapon?? For one thing, that option is strictly for a father to teach HIS son in private so the child will become comfortable with loading and firing the weapon. I guessed that, by the similarity of hair color, he was YOUR son and I applaud your need to use him as a demonstrator so years from now you can proudly show that your son was shooting when he was nine. I would do the same but not literally in front of untold millions of viewers around the world. I can see this entire video going “viral” in a matter of weeks if the Anties get wind of the propaganda potential in the video.
And really, what impact did your “kids r us” demo have on the overall quality of the video? I was equally impressed with your “pinky” racking as I was with the boy’s “slingshot” method. And, loading a magazine backwards didn’t do much for the credibility of using a young “kid” for this video.
It’s time that we gun owners start “owning” up to our responsibilities for presenting our public image in a more mature and professional light. Just some personal feelings from an old Outdoors Guy who “shot his first squirrel when he was only 9”. [Well before the coonskin hat become the rage ….]
Yeah a little old grandma type would have made an even more impressive video because that’s somebody in the target audience (excuse pun) for this particular product, and it wouldn’t make potential fodder for the Brady bunch.
FWIW I started shooting my Dad’s old Winchester 67 that was his own first gun when I was about that age, and by not a whole lot older I was out shooting squirrels in the woods by myself. But that was on a rural farm in another time in another world. It ain’t the world we have today “by a long shot.” Still have that little .22 and it’ll still nail a varmint.
I’m a proud American…a Vietnam combat veteran…a firearm owner… and a practitioner of common sense.
Anytime you write this in a public forum you are asking for trouble. “…it might be the ultimate kids gun. The nine-year-old would like to own it.”
I fully realize the context in which it was written…but it sure will be like pouring gasoline on an already burning fire.
Good info. So far a Ruger LCR (fairly light-triggered DAO snubby) seems easiest for wife to use. This offers more than 5 shots but it’s hard to believe any gun that makes use of spring-loaded box magazines can be as easy to operate as a plain old revolver.
That video was a pretty convincing sales pitch on ease of use, though I’m afraid slices of it will probably show up on anti-2A websites as “Gun Nut Trains Kids to Kill with Fully Semi-Automatic Weapons!”
You mentioned tritium sights for this gun. I have just purchased this firearm for my wife. Would like to add a set of night sights. Could you provide any info on which companies offer compatible night sights as I have not been able to find any yet? I understand the front sight is a little odd in that it is held in place by a c clip. Thanks.
Trijicon would probably be best.
TruGlo makes the Tritium Pro which is the most reasonably priced and fits the S&W M&P including Shield & .22 models as well as the SD9 & SD40. You can check with S&W but I’m quite certain they cut their dovetails the same on all slides. I have these sights on my S&W Shield 9mm, 45 ACP and M&P Bodyguard 380. Same model fits them all. The model number is TG231MP1W. They also make combo fiber optic sights with tritium lamps behind them and although nice (best of both worlds) I have found these don’t hold up well to extended recoil and have replaced them with the Pro model. S&W sights are installed really tight and unless you have the correct tools to do the job I would have a gunsmith install them unless you want to invest a couple hundred dollars in a quality sight pusher, vice jaw pads and the time to custom grind your own dovetail punch out of hardened steel to remove the factory sights. A brass punch or even a quality sight pusher will not work in removing S&W factory sights. A sight pusher is required to install night sights because if you install them with a hammer and punch you risk breaking the tritium vials.
The sights that fit the standard M&P will not fir this pistol due to the fact that this pistol’s front sight is not held in a dovetail. I have been looking for sights for this pistol and have not found any as of yet.
Hoping S&W expands the EZ line to include a 9mm version. As the author states the improvements in .380ACP rounds gives you some great choices of defensive ammo but to keep caliber proliferation down in my gun box a version in 9mm would be great.