S&W Equalizer

[M-Quigley]

I was browsing in an area gun store and saw a S&W Equalizer. I liked the features: 1) hammer fired, 2) EZ type slide, and 3) double stack magazine. I'm debating getting one for traveling since it's small enough for me to easily stash in my console and with the EZ slide should make it easy for my wife (who has very bad arthritis in one of her hand. Has anyone played around with one?

I think you're best bet (if it's available as a range rental in your area) is to rent one and you and your wife try it out. Even if someone on here likes it or not doesn't mean you will or won't like it. Being a S&W, most ranges that rent guns might have one, unlike some other brands. I'm planning on doing that the next time I go to an indoor range. Although I don't need an EZ slide I have a slight preference for hammer fired handguns to striker fired, so I'm curious.

[M-Quigley]

I would never leave a gun in a car unless I absolutely had to for some reason. I could never live with myself thinking my gun was in the hands of a bad guy. My dad and older brother were LEOs and many other I know, so it would be a very rare occurrence. It would be secured in a special box fastened a special way. Right now I can’t even think of the last time I did it.

In my experience that's an unrealistic attitude, too much guilt. I once had a gun stolen out of the locked, diamondplate aluminum lockbox attached across the bed of my pickup truck. That took a serious pry bar to achieve.

I notified the local police to report the crime. Made sure to tell them it was an AR-15. They were meh about the type of gun. At first they weren't even filling out a report. That got me mad, and demanding a sergeant. Then, they didn't bother to enter its description and serial number into the National Crime Information Center database until I raised serious hell with their chief several days later. THEY DIDN'T CARE, WHY SHOULD I?

I had put the gun in that box the night before going to my gun club. Why, you ask? So that my neighbors didn't see me hauling that long gun case to my vehicle in broad daylight. You spin the wheel and live with what comes up.

You don't think that the possibility they didn't want to file a report was because, no, never mind, won't go there.

I agree with you, there's only so much you can do to secure a gun (even in your house when you're away) and if a thief is determined enough it's going to get stolen. All you can do is take reasonable precautions.

I used to live in a place like yours. I friend of mine came over and showed me his new rifle, outside on my property. A neighbor called the cops on us, claiming things that didn't happen in the handling of it. I don't know if she consciously knew she was lying or her anti gun attitude made her project actions that never happened.

[Brian D.]

You don't think that the possibility they didn't want to file a report was because, no, never mind, won't go there.

That night where the theft occured, my truck was literally parked on Main Street in a large northern Kentucky city. In front of a "This is a Neighborhood Watch Community" sign. Not kidding. Cameras are plentiful there, including a couple mounted outside of businesses that appeared to point at my parking spot. The cops never made inquiries at those places. (I asked.) And of course the businesses wouldn't let me see the footage, which is their right, but makes me think they're not very proactive about wanting to reduce crime in the area.

Let's get back to whatever we were discussing in this thread before I interrupted.

[tracker1]

I would never leave a gun in a car unless I absolutely had to for some reason. I could never live with myself thinking my gun was in the hands of a bad guy. My dad and older brother were LEOs and many other I know, so it would be a very rare occurrence. It would be secured in a special box fastened a special way. Right now I can’t even think of the last time I did it.

In my experience that's an unrealistic attitude, too much guilt. I once had a gun stolen out of the locked, diamondplate aluminum lockbox attached across the bed of my pickup truck. That took a serious pry bar to achieve.

I notified the local police to report the crime. Made sure to tell them it was an AR-15. They were meh about the type of gun. At first they weren't even filling out a report. That got me mad, and demanding a sergeant. Then, they didn't bother to enter its description and serial number into the National Crime Information Center database until I raised serious hell with their chief several days later. THEY DIDN'T CARE, WHY SHOULD I?

I had put the gun in that box the night before going to my gun club. Why, you ask? So that my neighbors didn't see me hauling that long gun case to my vehicle in broad daylight. You spin the wheel and live with what comes up.

It looks like someone seen you put the gun in there to go to all of that trouble to get in that box.

[Brian D.]

It looks like someone seen you put the gun in there to go to all of that trouble to get in that box.

No. The theft occured ten miles from home where I loaded the long gun case into the toolbox. Pretty sure nobody tailed me from Cincyland to Covington Kentucky.

Some dirtbag thought they were gonna be stealing power tools, most likely. Easy to fence or pawn. Who knows what happened to the rifle. In all these years it's never gotten a hit on the NCIC database, far as I know. It's presumptuous to believe that all police departments use the database to reunite rightful owners with stolen property. Especially firearms.

[skylinechiliboi]

Did you ever get your hands on the Equalizer? I had not heard of it until i saw a review for it online somewhere. I would be curious what you though of it.

I recall it being marketed or suggested for a person with low grip strength (slide racking) and would be curious if it really makes much of a difference.

[dustymedic]

Sorry for not replying sooner, I've been laid up due to surgery. I did get an Equalizer back in April. Very nice to fire, low recoil compared to my Shield 2.0. I like the the higher capacity and since it uses the Shield Plus mags, its been very easy to get spares. It's supposedly slightly heavier than my Shield, but it seems to me to be much easier to carry at 4 O'clock position. I've gotten a Holosun Red Dot for it, I'm looking forward to getting back out to the range to try it when I'm back on my feet.

And it is amazingly easy to rack. You can do it one handed on a door frame.