Easy to rack handguns?

[RobertNashville]

Been married 20+ years now, I know better than to tell my wife she needs to go to the gym :shake:

I hear you.  ;)

[1madss]

My post was made in jest. I probably did not use the right smiley :)

 

I do not discount the importance of physical conditioning, but I do beleive that good body mechanincs and technique can be developed more quickly than physical conditioning. Plus a 5'2" 98 lb women is only going to have so much upper body/hand strength, that's not what I married her for.

[Peace]

1) I second the Sig P238 - great handgun - though..  It is Single Action Only, first shot, and I am not a fan of cocked and locked in a pocket package..  not saying it is bad; I just haven't made peace with it.

 

2) Karh P380 - can come with night sights, great trigger, good size.  The slide may be a bit tighter than the P238.  It is a single action, striker fired handgun, so trigger discipline and holster security is more of an issue - if she is good with that, rock on.

 

3) In the 380 category, I ended up with a S&W Bodyguard 380.  It has had its hiccups, but for size, how well it point-shoots, trigger (yes, I like it), and feel in my hand, it won out.  After a few rounds of break-in, the slide on it racks like butter - but I am used to a G23.  If the BG380 gives me any trouble, I'll be sure to report it to TGO.

 

let us know what you end up with!

[A.J. Holst]

I taught my wife, daughter and sisters to use the technique in the link peejman posted. My sisters are rather petite lil thangs and lack any semblance of upper body strength. Both could lock the slide back on any of my guns once they stopped trying to muscle the slide rearward instead of anchoring the slide and pushing the frame forward.

 

This is how my wife can easily manipulate her Glock 17

 

Flipping through a gun mag today and Boberg advertises something like "easiest to rack on the planet"

 

I haven't done a price check, but  "pricey" comes to mind

Edited August 30, 2013 by Gotthegoods

[PolePosition]

Thanks for all the input! I'll report back with something hopefully this week or next.

[Wiljo05]

Technique aside, and me being partial to this round aside, the Rock Island 22TCM has the lightest slide I've ever had. Plus they now have them in commander length and soon in officers length. Soon as that happens I'm ordering another. It is as light as a Walther P22 slide, but with way more impact and pressure wounds.

[PolePosition]

Took her to the range today to rent some guns. Unfortunately, they did not have any Sig's or Walther's in .380, which surprised me since they are a Sig Master Dealer. They only had one Sig in their whole rental case. Nevertheless, we tried out the Ruger LCP and whatever the Kahr .380 is called. She HATED them. Easier to rack, sure, but she said the recoil was terrible and disliked the feel of the small guns. So then I rented some 9mm's and went over some of the techniques mentioned above. We rented a G19, XD9 compact, and SR9C. She was able to rack them all!

 

Out of all 5 guns, and her previous experience with my M&P's, she decided that she liked the Ruger SR9C the best by far. Which was surprising to me, since I had never shot one before, but after trying it, I could see why she liked it. Fit well in the hand very well (we have smallish hands) and has a great trigger. The trigger pull was very short and light. Her ranking on the trigger was SR9C > M&P9 with Apex upgrades > Glock. No reset sensation whatsoever, but I could overlook that given the great feel otherwise.The sights are interesting, as it has a large front dot, and smaller rear dots, to draw attention to the front. I like that, but I shoot the best with no rear dots and she prefers that as well.

 

So the final verdict is that we'll be looking to get an SR9C, after I find who has it in stock locally. The gun range said they don't get many in stock at their distributor because it is so popular. After purchase, next on the list is to improve her accuracy and trigger control lol.

[Guest Scwrod]

I recently had this issue with racking. Not because I am a girly man :)

I have RA and some days my hands are just to weak and hurt. I found my daily carry was difficult to handle on my off days. I started my hunt for something I knew I could handle on my worst day. I tried a ton of pistols and settled on the Walther PK-380. I have never been happier with a gun purchase. Love the slide action, re-coil is low, feels good in my hand and performs excellent.

 

I still love my other guns. This was just a choice I made for my daily carry.

[CWW710]

P238 - My wife deliberated for over an hour at the gun counter between that vs a G27.  Size, weight, and slide sold her.  End result - SHE PICKED it out (first time for that); she shoots it better than anything she's ever shot (that includes many varieties); and she absolutely loves it...so do I for that matter!

[Blitzen]

My wife checked out a number of auto's. Racking the slide was the problem with all. Settled on the Ruger 38 LCR. Loves it. Goes with her most everywhere which is the most important thing. Does not do you any good if it is not with you. Have her check out a bunch of auto's and revolvers and she should hit on what's feels best to her. Confidence is very important. The trigger pull may be high on the list for her also. Be patient looking and Good Luck!

[tbenedict]

Like opening a jar or swinging a golf club, technique is key. Got to use shoulders, not elbows.

[Guest The Itis]

[wjh2657]

Icon says it all. No problem racking!

[chances R]

I am all about technique, but today an older friend of mine simply could not operate the slide of a 709 Slim. Arthritis and age have a way of sapping your abilities. I would imagine a lot of folks, for various reasons simply can't make it work. A revolver may wind up being the best choice for some folks.

[jgradyc]

Just to present a different perspective, I don't get this concern about racking the slide.

 

My wife is not going to be shooting without me around. She isn't going to be carrying with a spare mag anyway.

 

How the gun fits the hand, accuracy, second shot target acquisition, recoil, trigger pull, caliber, comfort with whatever safety device the gun has... all of these are way more important than racking the slide.

 

Oh, to the OP, when you get that new gun, don't be surprised if it's harder to rack than the rental you shot. Guns tend to get smoother after a few hundred rounds.

 

PS. I gave up trying to the wife to be comfortable with a handgun. Her home defense weapon is a .410 Circuit Judge in a scabbard at bedside.  1. click on laser 2. put dot on target 3. pull trigger 4. Repeat as needed.

[enfield]

If your wife doesn't have a medical condition, then racking the slide is only a matter of training.

If you can train a woman in anything, you're my hero.

[enfield]

. . . a 380 is easier than a 9, a 22 is easier still, etc. . . .

T'ain't necessarily so. Most .380's are blowback action and have stiffer springs than larger caliber recoil-operated, locked slide pistols. That, combined with the pistol size, makes an NAA Guardian harder to rack for me than a 1911.

[chances R]

If you can train a woman in anything, you're my hero.

:rofl:

 

Just to present a different perspective, I don't get this concern about racking the slide.

 

My wife is not going to be shooting without me around. She isn't going to be carrying with a spare mag anyway.

 

How the gun fits the hand, accuracy, second shot target acquisition, recoil, trigger pull, caliber, comfort with whatever safety device the gun has... all of these are way more important than racking the slide.

 

Oh, to the OP, when you get that new gun, don't be surprised if it's harder to rack than the rental you shot. Guns tend to get smoother after a few hundred rounds.

 

PS. I gave up trying to the wife to be comfortable with a handgun. Her home defense weapon is a .410 Circuit Judge in a scabbard at bedside.  1. click on laser 2. put dot on target 3. pull trigger 4. Repeat as needed.

You are always with her?  Also racking the slide is a necessity for clearing malfunctions.........Murphy's Law.

[Jonnin]

T'ain't necessarily so. Most .380's are blowback action and have stiffer springs than larger caliber recoil-operated, locked slide pistols. That, combined with the pistol size, makes an NAA Guardian harder to rack for me than a 1911.

 

Yes.  I should have said, for the same general size / shape / type pistol, a lighter caliber generally has lighter springs.   

 

For that matter my wife's buckmark (.22) is worse than a number of medium caliber pistols if the internal hammer needs to be cocked.  When it jams/misfires, its a beast.    My makarov is the closest thing to a blowback 380 I have -- cock it first and its not too bad, try to rack with the hammer down, its stout enough ....

 

Lot of the pocket 380s are not blowback.  I thought most were too, but its probably closer to 50-50.

[Guest kschneider]

My first gun was this Girsan Regard MC. It is a Beretta 92F clone and starting to become popular here in Canada.The guy at the store tried to sell me a .22 Ruger Mark 3, but i got the 9mm and I didn't regret it. Oh, buy the way, I am a woman, and my husband has no interest in guns, only interested in racing circle track. Wow, go fast, turn left. Boring.

Edited September 30, 2013 by kschneider

[Jonnin]

^^^ It is not too often that someone puts up something I have never heard of, but you did.  good looking clone!  The 92 is a very pretty gun and copy or not, they did it justice there.  

 

Someday go back for the .22  if you do not have one;  its hard to beat a gun that shoots ammo that costs 1/6th or less what everything else costs.

[enfield]

Where in Ontario?  My son lives in Barrie.

[Guest kschneider]

^^^ It is not too often that someone puts up something I have never heard of, but you did.  good looking clone!  The 92 is a very pretty gun and copy or not, they did it justice there.  

 

Someday go back for the .22  if you do not have one;  its hard to beat a gun that shoots ammo that costs 1/6th or less what everything else costs.

ok you have to be a mind reader. i just picked up this Ruger Mark III because its so cheap to shoot and so darn pretty. i don't know what your ammo prices are like but up here in Canada, 50 9mm American Eagle 124 fmj are about $15, while i can get 525 Federal .22 Bulk Pack for about $25.

[Guest kschneider]

Where in Ontario?  My son lives in Barrie.

i am about a half hour west of buffalo ny. on the north shore of lake erie at the mouth of the welland canal. the town is called Port Colborne. i found your forum by googling firearms forums for women. its interesting to read about shooting in a different country. if you are interested, this is a good canadian shooting forum.http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/forum.php

[Guest kschneider]

^^^ It is not too often that someone puts up something I have never heard of, but you did.  good looking clone!  The 92 is a very pretty gun and copy or not, they did it justice there.  

 

Someday go back for the .22  if you do not have one;  its hard to beat a gun that shoots ammo that costs 1/6th or less what everything else costs.

its funny. here in canada we have this gun, the Girsan Regard MC, a Beretta 92F clone. They also make a very nice 1911 clone but we don't get it here, yet Bud's in the U.S.A. has the 1911 Girsan but not the Regard Beretta clone. Go figure.