Easy but cheesy?
By MARJ LAW
What are you carrying?
A friend carries the Sig Sauer P365. This popular 9mm handgun weighs only 17.8 ounces. It is a striker-fired handgun. In the box, you also get 2 magazines: a 10-round and a 12-round.
Small is good when you’re carrying. If you’re short, try to appendix carry a gun with a nice long barrel and it will jab you on top of your leg while the grip will dig into your ribs. But the 365 at 5.8 inches of overall length and with a 3.1 inch barrel, it’s almost as small as you get. So, especially if you’re small-framed, a small compact or micro-compact gun like this is more comfortable than its full-sized cousins.
Size is the biggest pro I can think of for this Sig. Wear it in or outside your waistband or put it in your purse. Size is a big advantage. Another selling point is that although small, this is a 9mm handgun. The 365 has decent “take-down” power if that awful day ever comes. And it’s accurate. When I bought my 365, I liked it a lot. I could rack the slide (and yes, it did take some strength), and the trigger pull was about 6.5 pounds. Recoil wasn’t too bad either. It was great for my small hand, but the grip was too short for Joe to get more than a two-finger hold. When you have three fingers on the grip, you have a more secure control of the gun. Joe didn’t care for the gun so well because he knew if the gun had a longer grip, he’d have better control and thus would shoot better. However, something newer and maybe better would come along, and my 365 would be history.
I sold the 365 for a 9mm Stoeger. Trigger pull was light and recoil wasn’t too strong. But I hadn’t learned my lesson.
Put it in a inside the waistband holster and sit quickly? Ow! Right in the ribs! Darn thing is 7.5 inches long. And weight? At 26.4 ounces, it needed to go on a diet.
Since I got a good price for selling the 365, and since the Stoeger is pretty inexpensive, I wasn’t out any cash. But I learned a lesson. Hopefully.
A friend wanted the Stoeger. He has a much taller frame, and he had shot the gun and liked it. I gave him a great price, knowing he’ll be happy with it.
What to do for a 9mm carry gun now?
I get on the internet and start reading.
I’m looking for a small gun: as compact as possible. I’d like one that is very easy to handle. How about a slide that is easy to rack, a trigger that is light, and one that holds as many rounds as possible for its size?
So, what do you know but Smith & Wesson has now come up with another 9mm handgun called the Equalizer? It utilizes a technology which gives all those favorable qualities I desire.
Maybe. Maybe not.
Joe and I mosey on over to our local gun store. Browsing. And guess what just came in?
Yes! That very gun! The S&W Equalizer. Actually, two Equalizers! One with a manual safety and one without.
Both guns come with three, count ‘em, three magazines! They come with 10, 13 and 15-round magazines. On top of all this bounty, S&W throws in a double-stack Maglula! And the price?
I look up the price of the Sig Sauer P365. According to truegunvalue.com, the average price for one in 2022 is $623.25. On dkfirearms.com and smga.com, the Equalizer is selling at $499.
You say that’s only about $125 difference? But remember the Equalizer is adding an extra magazine worth about $40 and a Maglula worth at least another $29. Add this $69 to the $125, and the Equalizer is now almost $200 cheaper than the Sig Sauer P365! This gladdens my penny-pinching heart.
That is, if S&W’s Equalizer claims are real. Do we believe? We really want to. The S&W ends up going home with us.
This past Sunday finds us at a range. Our friend brings his Sig Sauer P365 so I can shoot it to refresh my memory. We shoot the 365 first.
I’ve forgotten that the Sig, although easy to pull the trigger, isn’t so wonderfully easy. At 6.5 pounds, the trigger seems a little on the heavy side. The trigger’s edge leaves a red mark on the outside of my index finger. Ow. Is this from trigger pull or recoil?
The slide is stiffer than I recall. Oh, sure. I can rack the slide. But I wouldn’t want to do it all day.
I don’t remember the grip being quite so small. Got a case of pinky dangle.
But remember, the 365 is really small, is a 9mm, is very concealable and doesn’t weigh much. That’s all good.
The guys agree on all counts. Except that they are all big and strong men who are easier with trigger and recoil. All have pinky dangle and want a longer grip.
Now we’re ready for the Equalizer. Did Joe and I make a good buy?
I use the included Maglula to load the 13-round magazine. Loading with a Maglula is simple.
Next, I pull back the slide. Wow. This is much lighter than the 365. Good.
Wrapping my hand around the grip, there’s no pinky dangle! None! Good.
How’s that trigger pull? 5 pounds, 10.5 ounces. Less than the 365 and no red mark on my index finger. Nice.
Recoil? Oh, it’s much lighter than the Sig 365.
The target? It has a hole right above the red bullseye. It’s touching the bullseye’s black rim, so it counts. Yay! The gun is accurate!
What’s wrong with the Equalizer? “That is one ugly sidearm…”
Ugly? How superficial can you get? The slide has deep serrations for a firm grab. It even has “ears” that protrude at the base of the rear sights for an easy pull. Give me ugly any day.
And some complain about the name, suggesting it could initiate a lawsuit. I haven’t heard any claims that shooting a Judge might be litigious. Yep. Some people worry about words and political correctness. I’m tired of tiptoeing around every single word.
Some don’t like the name “EQUALIZER” emblazoned in large, capital letters on the left side of the slide. Some equate the name to a “cheesy pickup” line. Another objection: “…like it was designed by a 90’s Jersey housewife. Throw some leopard print on it.”
Well, when it comes to potentially saving my life, function is preferable to pretty. Can we be a little more superficial?
I haven’t read anything yet on internet sites that discuss failures to fire, failures to feed or light strikes. The three men and I have no problems whatever with the Equalizer right out of the box (and cleaned and lubed first, of course). Even the man who owns the Sig Sauer P365 notes that the Equalizer is more controllable, although he has no problem with his Sig.
When it comes to guns, I want mine to be easily controllable and to never break down. Pretty doesn’t cross my mind.
I never encourage anyone to purchase a particular handgun. Handguns are personal, and they need to fit your personal needs.
If you want an easy-to-manage 9mm handgun, I won’t suggest you buy the Smith & Wesson Equalizer.
But I sure am glad I did.
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.