My Old Lady is Struggling to Rack A Slide

[MARINE DIVISION TWO]

Wonder why no one has suggested the Kel-Tec P-17 ? While I dont ccw the K T for s/d it is a very dependable range toy with 16 rounds per mag .

[chunk_norris]

Have you tried trading her in for a younger model?

[buster]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/30425617664...mis&media=COPY

[abaddon]

I've found that adding a small piece of skateboard griptape to the back of the slide really helps them grip it and rack it easier, especially in a high stress situation.

[pzartman]

The Smith and Wesson EZ line of pistols in both 9mm and .380 are right up her line. The latest S&W Equalizer in 9mm also has the EZ mechanism. They also seem to have low recoil.

[knight0334]

Beretta 81 is also very easy to rack and has barely any recoil.

I have a Beretta 81, which now with an Ulnar nerve injury, I can no longer rack it(normally). I'm a righty, the nerve damage is on my left hand. The only way I can rack any of my semi-auto's now is if I hold the gun in my left hand and use my right to grab the slide. ....then exchange the gun back to my right hand.

The only semi-auto I have that I can rack with left hand grabbing the slide is my Raven 25ACP(that is a little iffy on the worst days too). My 1911, 92FS, 81, and Bobcat require switching hands. Fortunately I have a metric shit ton of revolvers, derringers, and single shot handguns.

Its weird how losing use of (2) fingers(pinky and ring) weakens the other three. My entire left arm has atrophied since last December.

[cdi]

I don*t know if it*s been suggested yet. I*ve had contracts over the years teaching various groups the use of firearms.
Racking the slide with compromised upper body strength might be overcome by the following:

-With the pistol grasped in firing hand ready for use. Bring the pistol across the chest to body center so that if you*re facing the target the pistol now faces 90 degrees from the target.

-Grasp the top front of the slide with the non- dominant hand and using your chest and shoulder muscles, press your hands together. I*ve had good results with this method. It brings a lot more force to bare in compressing the recoil spring. It works just as well in locking the slide to the rear for showing clear, clearing malfunctions, Etc.

Some retraining and emphasis needs to be placed on keeping the muzzle controlled and pointed where you want it. Not hard to teach the person to pivot they*re body smartly to control muzzle direction.

The only times I*ve seen this method fail involved:
- People that were so fearful of pistols that they couldn*t internalize that you actually had to grab the gun and work it. I*ve had ladies that were so afraid they handled the gun like they were picking up a fresh turd. You can*t really overcome that.

Or strength was so compromised that they struggled to pull the trigger on a typical Smith and Wesson revolver six times in a row. Again, not much you can do about that. I managed to get one shooter on track by using her husbands Beretta tip up in .25 cal.

[cdi]

I don*t know if it*s been suggested yet. I*ve had contracts over the years teaching various groups the use of firearms.
Racking the slide with compromised upper body strength might be overcome by the following:

-With the pistol grasped in firing hand ready for use. Bring the pistol across the chest to body center so that if you*re facing the target the pistol now faces 90 degrees from the target.

-Grasp the top front of the slide with the non- dominant hand and using your chest and shoulder muscles, press your hands together. I*ve had good results with this method. It brings a lot more force to bare in compressing the recoil spring. It works just as well in locking the slide to the rear for showing clear, clearing malfunctions, Etc.

Some retraining and emphasis needs to be placed on keeping the muzzle controlled and pointed where you want it. Not hard to teach the person to pivot their body smartly to control muzzle direction.

The only times I*ve seen this method fail involved:
- People that were so fearful of pistols that they couldn*t internalize that you actually had to grab the gun and work it. I*ve had ladies that were so afraid they handled the gun like they were picking up a fresh turd. You can*t really overcome that.

Or strength was so compromised that they struggled to pull the trigger on a typical Smith and Wesson revolver six times in a row. Again, not much you can do about that. I managed to get one shooter on track by using her husbands Beretta tip up in .25 cal.

[RockIsland]

I don*t know if it*s been suggested yet. I*ve had contracts over the years teaching various groups the use of firearms.
Racking the slide with compromised upper body strength might be overcome by the following:

-With the pistol grasped in firing hand ready for use. Bring the pistol across the chest to body center so that if you*re facing the target the pistol now faces 90 degrees from the target.

-Grasp the top front of the slide with the non- dominant hand and using your chest and shoulder muscles, press your hands together. I*ve had good results with this method. It brings a lot more force to bare in compressing the recoil spring. It works just as well in locking the slide to the rear for showing clear, clearing malfunctions, Etc.

Some retraining and emphasis needs to be placed on keeping the muzzle controlled and pointed where you want it. Not hard to teach the person to pivot their body smartly to control muzzle direction.

The only times I*ve seen this method fail involved:
- People that were so fearful of pistols that they couldn*t internalize that you actually had to grab the gun and work it. I*ve had ladies that were so afraid they handled the gun like they were picking up a fresh turd. You can*t really overcome that.

Or strength was so compromised that they struggled to pull the trigger on a typical Smith and Wesson revolver six times in a row. Again, not much you can do about that. I managed to get one shooter on track by using her husbands Beretta tip up in .25 cal.

It was already suggested once before.

[GeneCC]

My old lady witnessed an unprovoked verbal confrontation with me and some hoodlums. She's starting to realize the importance of carrying heat. She has a LTCF, although she's never actually carried. She seems to be leaning towards revolvers, after she tried racking the slides on my 9mms and .380s (not enough wrist/grip strength). I'm not a revolver guy (I shot 2 shots out of a .357 Magnum revolver once, I thought it was nice but excessive recoil). She has shot one of my 9mms at the range, and she was able to 'handle' the recoil. What's comparable and potent in the revolver field? .38 Special?

There are other methods of racking. I was taught to hold the firearm close to my sternum, then rack it.

For funsies during a class we had someone rack a Glock 20 who could not rack a 22 LR. The instructor showed her this method. She could easily rack the Glock 20 slide.

Glock 20s use the 10mm round, and they have a very stout recoil spring.