I'm looking at these because my girlfriend has an f'd up finger and has trouble pulling the slide on our Glock 17.

Questions:

.380 or 9mm?  Thumb safety or no?  What's the difference with the "Performance Center models?

Let the show begin . . . 

I've fingerbanged both - Personal preference - I'd go with 9mm without the safety.  I don't like how intrusive the safety is as it's very protrusive and can be accidentally engaged.

If you pull the trigger without the grip safety engaged, there's no action at all so I don't believe the safety is needed.

Unfortunate juxtaposition in the beginnings of the first two posts, but anyway...

I don't think the Shield has a grip safety, just a safe action-type trigger.

4 minutes ago, 10X said:

Unfortunate juxtaposition in the beginnings of the first two posts, but anyway...

I don't think the Shield has a grip safety, just a safe action-type trigger.

The Shield has a backstrap safety . . . 

 

24 minutes ago, 10X said:

Unfortunate juxtaposition in the beginnings of the first two posts, but anyway...

I don't think the Shield has a grip safety, just a safe action-type trigger.

OP is referring to the M&P Shield EZ 380 and EZ 9 - they're not striker fired guns, they're hammer fired with grip safety.  That's how it's easier to rack.

21 minutes ago, EdF said:

The Shield has a backstrap safety . . . 

 

Ah...poking around the Smith site, I see that some do.

MP-9 Shield  (looks like it's the EZ line that has the grip safety)

And some don't.

MP-9 Shield

(edit:  and I see Krdshrk types faster than I do)

The wife has the .380 ez performance center model, she loves it, has the back strap safety along with the thumb safety and a ported barrel, the ported barrel does nothing IMHO, also there is some added bling on it for the extra $$$. It is a very small hand gun, not sure if the 9mm is larger if that is a concern. My wife is 4'11" with very small hands, so she fell in love with the baby gun as she calls it.

6 hours ago, EdF said:

I'm looking at these because my girlfriend has an f'd up finger and has trouble pulling the slide on our Glock 17.

.380 or 9mm?  Thumb safety or no?  What's the difference with the "Performance Center models?

 

The .380 EZ is noticeably easier to operate and control than the 9mm EZ, even more so for a female with an injured finger. 

The 9mm EZ is a nice weapon but has the same 8 round capacity as the .380, thus you get more weight, recoil and a harder to operate slide for the debatable increased stopping power of 9mm.  

If it was for you I'd say get the 9mm, for her, the .380 EZ. Much better for your GF to comfortably put 8 rounds of a slightly less powerful cartridge on target then miss with a snappy 9mm.

As for the thumb safety: YES. The EZ Shields are internal hammer fired guns with short, very light triggers. 

IMO the Performance Center models are gimmicky and a waste of money. The stock trigger is already very good, (although on the light side as mentioned). And porting an already soft shooting .380 makes no sense and while putting muzzle flash in the line of sight.   

 

 

3 minutes ago, Bomber said:

The .380 EZ is noticeably easier to operate and control than the 9mm EZ, even more so for a female with an injured finger. 

She's not small . . . 5'10", 160 and works out constantly.  She can handle shooting my 17 but not the slide.  

Part of my thinking is deciding if I want stashes of both .380 and 9mm for the small difference.  

 

 

 

How long has she been trying your 17? My wife was like that initially, but got over racking slides within a month or two. Now there are very few she has trouble with.

In my experience knowing that you can do it is half the battle. Until that happens people tend to be tentative handling the slide.

2 minutes ago, 45Doll said:

How long has she been trying your 17? My wife was like that initially, but got over racking slides within a month or two. Now there are very few she has trouble with.

In my experience knowing that you can do it is half the battle. Until that happens people tend to be tentative handling the slide.

It's been a few months . . . It's not a strength issue, back in April she dislocated her pinky, broke her ring finger and chipped a bone on the middle finger of her right hand.  The pinky and the ring finger have healed crooked.  We tried a number of guns at a shop and she had a really easy time with the S&W.

30 minutes ago, EdF said:

It's been a few months . . . It's not a strength issue, back in April she dislocated her pinky, broke her ring finger and chipped a bone on the middle finger of her right hand.  The pinky and the ring finger have healed crooked.  We tried a number of guns at a shop and she had a really easy time with the S&W.

Fair enough.

I have a .380 EZ for introducing newbies to handguns so we can get right to it. My suggestion would be no thumb safety. With the mandatory grip safety, and proper handling and holstering, you don't need it. It's an additional checkpoint on your training list, and something sometimes forgotten in the heat of a moment.

1 hour ago, 45Doll said:

 

I have a .380 EZ for introducing newbies to handguns so we can get right to it. My suggestion would be no thumb safety. With the mandatory grip safety, and proper handling and holstering, you don't need it. It's an additional checkpoint on your training list, and something sometimes forgotten in the heat of a moment.

That was exactly my thinking when I purchased the .380 EZ. 

Now that I've spent time with it I'd rather have the thumb safety version. The trigger is too light and the grip safety very easy to engage. Not worth the risk with the internal hammer just for some hypothetical quick draw situation IMO.

Also, the thumb safety version can be easy converted to a non-thumb safety but not vice versa. S&W offers inserts to close the gaps in the frame after removing the safety lever.