An equalizer can be any instrument one uses to balance the odds in his or her favor if faced with a violent assault by a larger, stronger or more skilled opponent. It can be anything from a 2×4 to a firearm. Thus, Smith & Wesson aptly named its Equalizer pistols.

The Equalizer is the latest addition to the excellent S&W EZ pistol lineup. EZ pistols are designed for people with low or diminished hand strength. These handguns allow users to manipulate the slide and control safely and without additional assistance from others.

About the Smith & Wesson Equalizer

Smith & Wesson’s Equalizer is available with or without a thumb safety. My equalizer is without. The handgun also features a reversible magazine release and an easy-to-rack, optics-ready slide. Its trigger is single-action. The 9mm micro-compact pistol has an Armornite finish and a Picatinny-style rail. The Maglula UpLula magazine speed loader is included, along with three sizes of magazines: 10-, 13- and 15-round.

Of all the features, I was most impressed the Equalizer shipped with a total of three magazines. This handgun can suit different shooters and different situations right out of the box with its varying capacities.

S&W 9mm Equalizer Specifications    

Caliber: 9mm
Width: 1.04 inches
Length: 6.75 inches
Height: 4.5 inches
Weight: 22.9 ounces
Barrel length: 3.675 inches
Grips: Polymer
Sights: White 3-dot
Action: Internal hammer-fired
Safety mechanism: Grip safety

All S&W EZ pistols are internal-hammer-fired rather than striker-fired. That makes the Equalizer, along with the other pistols in the EZ series, truly single-action. Their triggers only do one thing: release the cocked hammer. As such, no trigger safety lever or articulating trigger designs are used. The EZ series uses a grip safety, which deactivates automatically when the pistol is grasped in a shooting grip. If you want additional safety, the Equalizer model with thumb safety (TS) adds ambidextrous manual thumb safeties to the grip safety system.

My sample Equalizer’s smooth-faced and gently curved trigger is extremely crisp and manageable, with the pull breaking at a very nice 5 pounds, 9 ounces and about ¼ inch of takeup.

The Equalizer feels extremely good in my hand and points naturally. Its 1.04-inch width makes it feel like a single-stack pistol rather than a double-stack. The blue steel magazines load, seat and release easily. And the magazine button is easily reached. With 10-, 13- and 15-round magazines available, users can tailor the magazine selection to their hand or mission. The 10-round fits flush, which was just a tad short for me. But the 15-round extended more than I like for belt carry. The 13-round is just right for carry and gives plenty of room for my pinkie finger.

Firing the 9mm Equalizer Handgun

I used two standard pressure 9mm loads to test the Equalizer: SIG Sauer Elite V-Crown 124-grain 9mm JHPs and Federal 124-grain Personal Defense HST. While the Equalizer is rated for +P ammunition, I would stick with easier to shoot standard pressure defensive loads for carry. You don’t gain as much velocity using +P loads as you might think … but you do gain recoil and blast. With the Federal HST load for example, there is only a gain of 50 feet per second velocity over standard pressure loads.

The Equalizer was pleasant to shoot; nothing bit me anywhere as I fired it. However, I would change the plain three-dot iron sights to Tritium or Hi-Viz. A slightly enlarged slide release lever to give the thumb more leverage would also improve the design.

I set up a Thompson Target reduced B27 STOP Upper Torso Target and fired from 21 feet, using a two-hand standing position. Nine of the SIG Sauer V-Crown rounds ended in a 2 ¼-inch group, with five of those rounds landing in a single 1/2-inch hole. A called one-round flyer opened the total group to 2 ½ inches. The entire group was centered 1 ½ inches low and to the left of the center aiming point.

Moving back to 30 feet, I loaded up with six rounds of 124-grain Federal HST. This group measured 3 ½ inches and was again centered low and left from the point of aim. Moving the rear sight to the right would help compensate, as would the addition of a red dot optic. But all six rounds did land in the reduced size B27 targets chest, making the Equalizer more than adequate for self-defense. I finished up with six quick shots into the steel silhouette, all of which delivered well-centered clangs upon impact. As expected, there were zero malfunctions.

Who Should Buy the S&W Equalizer

The new Equalizer is an excellent addition to the micro-compact pistol field. It is perfect for people with hand strength issues as well as anyone looking for a great defensive pistol. If I was keeping my sample, I would use it for training new shooters. MSRP is $599.

Sources:

Smith & Wesson: Smith-Wesson.com
SIG Sauer: SIGSauer.com
Federal Ammunition: FederalPremium.com
Thompson Targets: ThompsonTarget.com