My Old Lady is Struggling to Rack A Slide

[ShadeRabbit]

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?

[Emptymag]

The only reason we own a Glock G19 is because that was the first auto my wife ran across that she could rack the slide on.

That said, I didn't know about the "push/pull" method back then to show her, or she may have had luck with some other handguns.

As you pull back on the slide with one hand, "push" the gun forward with the hand holding the grip.
Maybe it will work for her and maybe it won't, but I would give it a few tries before saying it can't be done.

At the time, every gun shop spewed the same garbage - "Get her a revolver". Sigh.
Well, THAT solves the "can't rack the slide" issue alright, but now you have either a heavy, double action trigger pull, or you have to pull a hammer back to cock it - neither of which were something she could do without great effort. A revolver was not going to work.

As I looked at guns on the wall at the gun shop, I heard the sound of a slide being racked. I turned around saw her at a counter where an employee was helping her look at handguns, and asked "Did you do that???"
Yep. We then went to the indoor range and rented one for her to try shooting.
Went back upstairs and bought a G19.

[Ilikebuckets]

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?

Supposedly the new Ruger security .380 is easy to rack. Might be worth checking out. Supposedly they reduced the tension of the recoil spring making it easier to rack.

https://ruger.com/products/security380/models.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guvlxJ-yLe8


A nice 2 minute video talking about the Ruger and the S&W EZ

[littlefitz]

The Smith and Wesson EZ line of pistols is marketed as being easy to rack. I've never tried one though.

[MikeinPhilly]

Have her practice on you to gain some grip strength and it'll be a win for both of you.

[sota]

HK VP9(SK) with the cocking wings on the slide.
it was the answer for a lady friend of mine who had decreased grip and function of her non-dominant hand.

alternatively, anything with an optic with a sturdy frame.

[ShadeRabbit]

Have her practice on you to gain some grip strength and it'll be a win for both of you.

How now? I weigh 50 lbs more than her, not sure how we're going to compare. I tell her to practice racking them a little more and she'll get it more. But she insists that guns are sexist and they're not built for women (sigh, the Democrap mentality, which she is, boo hoo hoo hoo her, although I've made a few political inroads on her)

She's retired for the evening, I'm going to try the push-pull method that EM suggested tomorrow, see if she can make it work I did already foolislhy pollute her mind with the idea that if you have a problem with a revolver firing, you just keep pulling the trigger til one goes bang....right? I have next-to-zero confidence of her clearing a semi-auto jam under pressure (confidence in myself is only slightly higher)

[JaySmith]

How now? I weigh 50 lbs more than her, not sure how we're going to compare. I tell her to practice racking them a little more and she'll get it more. But she insists that guns are sexist and they're not built for women (sigh, the Democrap mentality, which she is, boo hoo hoo hoo her, although I've made a few political inroads on her)

I think he was talking about more of a handjob. Hand exercise, she wins, hand job, you win.

At any rate, I have a saturday night special in .38spc i stick in my wife's purse when I'm wearing attire that makes it difficult to carry. That way I don't have to worry about round in the chamber and a hair trigger. She only has her LCTF to carry firearms for me when I can't.

[Emptymag]

Those guns above are good suggestions too. Purposely made to address this issue.

Here are some vids on the technique I mentioned...

[Emptymag]