# S&W 380EZ or Browning????



## DOUBLESHOT (Aug 19, 2018)

Hello! I am new to this forum but have been range shooting off & on for the past 30 years. I asked this question on the Smith & Wesson forum (not this forum) and would like to hear from Browning 1911-380 owners.

I am looking for advice on which SD pistol to get. I live in the Republic of New Jersey and I am currently waiting for three Golden Tickets, and probably will be for a couple more months. I already know that I want a Victory 22. I was looking for a decent SD pistol and discovered the Shield 380 EZ. I am 65 and have a little arthritis in my shooting hand. It took me several weeks to research and become content with the idea of using the 380 for SD.I don't want a tiny pocket pistol that is hard to control and hard to rack. The 380 EZ seemed to fill all the blanks and my LGS even had one that they were holding for someone and they showed it to me. I could live with this gun. My 24 year old son however thinks I should get a better looking 380 and he suggested the Browning 1911-380. I just held two of them at my LGS and although they are twice the price of the 380 EZ, they look.....cute.....sexy.....cool! I have some time before my Golden Tickets arrive and I need advice from people who have experience with either or both firearms.


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## Craigh (Jul 29, 2016)

I really like the Browning. It is quite concealable because it's so thin. It's also very fun to shoot. It truly is a recreational fun gun. I may get it in 22 rimfire for tin cans and soda bottles with my grandchildren. Not only is it fun to shoot and though it is a bit pricey, you'll be proud to end up with an heirloom quality Browning you can pass on to a son or daughter eventually.

So in summary, the Browning 1911-380 is a fun to shoot, very high quality, good looking pistol. It would certainly be my choice if I could afford it. They also make a Commander length and fancier models like the Medallion. The standard Black Label is good enough for me.


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## DOUBLESHOT (Aug 19, 2018)

Thanks for your input. I had not considered that I will probably be leaving it to my son or daughter. My son, who still lives at home and shoots with me a couple of times a month, is pushing for the Browning. The S&W is less expensive, slightly easier to rack and has easier to load magazines. If I were to get the Browning I would get the "full size" with the 4.25 inch barrel. It has a longer sight radius and would add almost another 100 fps to the ballistics of the 380 cartridge. Since he will eventually inherit the gun, maybe I should get the Browning. I also have a Colt Python that he made me promise never to sell. (I don't plan to ever sell that one.) After going through this train of thought I realize that my head says to save $$$ and get the Smith but my heart says to get the Browning.


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## Craigh (Jul 29, 2016)

DOUBLESHOT said:


> The S&W is less expensive, slightly easier to rack and has easier to load magazines.


One suggestion no matter what you decide on, get a Uplula magazine loader. They're everywhere. They aren't that cheap, but will be your friend forever.

maglula | Tools for loading and unloading magazines


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## DOUBLESHOT (Aug 19, 2018)

Thanks but I already have one for my Beretta 92FS. (I also have the 22 conversion kit for it.)


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## SamBond (Aug 30, 2016)

DOUBLESHOT said:


> Hello! .......
> I asked this question on the Smith & Wesson forum (not this forum) and would* like to hear from Browning 1911-380 owners.*


Me too!

When the Browning first came out my wife really wanted one. I wanted her to get one so I could play with it and maybe carry it myself sometimes but having been bitten by new models in the past I wouldn't let her get it.
It's been about a year and a half now. (Well, that's when we discovered it anyway).

As luck would have it, a new rental range in my area has one we can rent. We will be trying one out in the coming weeks. 
My research on this pistol in early 2017 was not confidence inspiring. If there were new model "teething problems" Browning probably has them worked out by now. ??
I'll re-research possible problems with them if all goes well with the rental.

So like you... I'd also like to hear from Browning 1911-380 owners. Actual 380 owners, not advocates.

Sam


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## DOUBLESHOT (Aug 19, 2018)

Please let me know how it goes. I really like the looks and feel of the Browning.


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## Craigh (Jul 29, 2016)

DOUBLESHOT said:


> Please let me know how it goes. I really like the looks and feel of the Browning.


Hickok45 review






Gunblast (I like this guy)






Firearmsguy






There are a lot of reviews out there. My cousin has one and so far, it's been flawless. Who knows though?


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## DOUBLESHOT (Aug 19, 2018)

Thanks, I already saw these. Hickok 45 is my favorite. I was at my LGS yesterday with my son and had the opportunity to handle both the S&W Shield 380 EZ and the Browning 1911-380 Pro in both barrel lengths. I had to admit that the Browning was a better fit to my hand. It is also thinner, making it easier to conceal. Now my choice is which barrel length to get and which model. I am thinking the longer 4.25 inch barrel in the Black Label Medallion Pro version. The plain Pro version is the same price and if I'm going to pay this much for a 380, it might as well look good. My thoughts on the longer barrel are that it will give me a longer sight radius and a little more velocity to the round. The 380 cartridge needs all the help it can get. I am a big guy and it really won't be any harder to conceal that the compact model. Your thoughts? P.S. - I don't think I want one with the rail. It just spoils the 1911 look.


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## Craigh (Jul 29, 2016)

I agree totally with you, except maybe the longer barrel part. Myself, I'd also opt for the longer barrel but for no reason other than I like it. I doubt that small of a difference will really matter much as far as additional velocity or sight radius is concerned, but I like the longer model anyway, so that's a moot point. Sua ponte. 

To note, longer barrels do not generally affect concealability. Shorter grips do, but not so much barrels. Similarly, I don't believe less than 3/4 inch would be important, for me, as far as sight radius is concerned. I own and shoot several guns with similar length difference, and I notice no appreciable difference. Now when I move from a 5" to a long slide 6" 1911, I can tell, but not so much between a Commander and Government Model. Maybe that's just me.

I'm totally with you on the nicer finish. I had first considered the standard as fine, but in looking this over now, I see the price difference is negligible, and the nicer one is a lot nicer. I'm with you. 

I called my cousin, who has one, last night to see if he was still satisfied. He reported to me it was still his off-duty carry gun and he practiced with it extensively around once or twice a month. What can I say? He gets free ammo. He told me he had a couple baubles during the first 200 rounds, but after break-in, the gun has been flawless. He said he's still in love with his.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Craigh said:


> ...longer barrels do not generally affect concealability. Shorter grips do, but not so much barrels...


True, that.


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## DOUBLESHOT (Aug 19, 2018)

Yeah, I like the way it looks with the longer barrel also. Now I just have to wait for my "Golden Tickets."


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## SamBond (Aug 30, 2016)

One thing about a longer barrel, if you use a belt holster the bottom of the holster (barrel end) might dig into the chair when you sit... depending on???
Just something to consider.

Although I must admit, a long barreled 380 is just as neat as it can be. (4.25" is a LONG barrel for a 380 IMO).
Dang, I'm about to talk myself into buying one for me, I mean for my wife. :smt071


Sam


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## DOUBLESHOT (Aug 19, 2018)

I think your wife needs this gun, especially one with the 4.25" barrel. And as a responsible husband, you should break it in for her.


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## Craigh (Jul 29, 2016)

DOUBLESHOT said:


> Now I just have to wait for my "Golden Tickets."


Are you tied to New Jersey? I really cannot imagine living in a place with such laws. In trying to understand what you meant by "Golden Tickets," I was just reading some of NJ's gun laws. I was astounded. They seem to take trouncing on the 2nd Amendment to a new level. It said that a BB gun was considered a pistol and you had to have a permit to own one. Is that true? It also said if you shoot a home invader, you have to warn them first. Then, if you shoot, prove you were in danger of losing your life.

My friend, you should consider getting yourself and family out of there. Get to a free state before it's too late. Just leave that mentality behind and don't bring it with you. When you said you had to wait for those Golden Tickets, you seem to say it so casually. I'd be in rage. Then I'd calm down and move. No job is too good to make me stay. Family ties? Children in school? I'd take them with me and find new schools.


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## DOUBLESHOT (Aug 19, 2018)

I'm 65 and a professional photographer. I don't plan to retire until I'm 70. I don't just want to move to another state (Pennsylvania) but I want to move to a less expensive, more rural area, probably in PA. If I move there now, I won't be close enough to my work area. Our new Lib-Tard governor signed a new law last June restricting handgun mag. capacity to ten rounds - effective as soon as he signed. Before he was elected he said he wanted to make New Jersey a sanctuary state. So here come the criminals. I am waiting for three handgun permits. State law says that the local police must process them within 30 days but where I live the police like to take their time. I am hoping to get them in the next two months. My son who is now 24, wants to buy some handguns of his own. He had to apply not only for the handgun permits but also for a state firearms ID card. You can't buy any guns or ammo without it. Our previous governor (Christie) did nothing to help. When I do get my permits, they each are only good for 90 days and you can only buy one handgun every 30 days. That's why you don't apply for more than three at a time. When I retire, I am moving back to the United States. BTW if you think our gun laws are bad, you should see our property tax bills!


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## SamBond (Aug 30, 2016)

I believe it is a felony to possess a hollow point bullet in NJ... True?


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

SamBond said:


> I believe it is a felony to possess a hollow point bullet in NJ... True?


Yes, if you're neither a cop nor a criminal.


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## SamBond (Aug 30, 2016)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> Yes, if you're neither a cop nor a criminal.


Now that's too funny. (But sad). So only cops and criminals are allowed, got it.

Sam


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## Craigh (Jul 29, 2016)

DOUBLESHOT said:


> I'm 65 and a professional photographer. I don't plan to retire until I'm 70. I don't just want to move to another state (Pennsylvania) but I want to move to a less expensive, more rural area, probably in PA. If I move there now, I won't be close enough to my work area. Our new Lib-Tard governor signed a new law last June restricting handgun mag. capacity to ten rounds - effective as soon as he signed. Before he was elected he said he wanted to make New Jersey a sanctuary state. So here come the criminals. I am waiting for three handgun permits. State law says that the local police must process them within 30 days but where I live the police like to take their time. I am hoping to get them in the next two months. My son who is now 24, wants to buy some handguns of his own. He had to apply not only for the handgun permits but also for a state firearms ID card. You can't buy any guns or ammo without it. Our previous governor (Christie) did nothing to help. When I do get my permits, they each are only good for 90 days and you can only buy one handgun every 30 days. That's why you don't apply for more than three at a time. When I retire, I am moving back to the United States. BTW if you think our gun laws are bad, you should see our property tax bills!


I completely understand. It's hard to get up the gumption to move away from friend, work and family, but nonetheless, I think the situation is dire. I mean to require a permit just to have a firearm, then have to have another permit to buy a firearm is so foreign to most of us that it's unimaginable. I can imagine a state policeman saying, "Your papers, bitte. Schnell!" I wouldn't walk away. I'd run. Move to Orlando and I'll lease you half of my photography studio. Your whole family needs to leave before they are sucked into the morass. I wouldn't want my son growing up under tyranny, and to think you're paying for it.

I can imagine you have high taxes. You have to pay for big government as well as freeloaders. I've heard some states up that way have something called rent control where the government limits what a property owner can charge for rent. Moreover, the government further subsidizes the rent so freeloaders can live close to free. Again, that's unimaginable. The government telling you what you can and can't charge for your private property.


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## DOUBLESHOT (Aug 19, 2018)

SamBond said:


> I believe it is a felony to possess a hollow point bullet in NJ... True?


True but we can still use the Hornandy Critical Defense and the new bullets such as the one from Lehigh. Only the Bad Guys can use hollow points have more than ten rounds in their mags. and use a "fully semi-automatic" weapon! (LOL)


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## SamBond (Aug 30, 2016)

DOUBLESHOT said:


> True but we can still use the Hornandy Critical Defense and the new bullets such as the one from Lehigh. Only the Bad Guys can use hollow points have more than ten rounds in their mags. and use a "fully semi-automatic" weapon! (LOL)


Makes perfect sense. 
The Hornady C D bullet is nothing like a hollow point and those evil fully semi-automatics are bad business. :smt068
I can see the lawmakers there really know their stuff.....


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## berettatoter (Sep 1, 2011)

DOUBLESHOT said:


> Yeah, I like the way it looks with the longer barrel also. Now I just have to wait for my "Golden Tickets."


What is a "Golden Ticket"?


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