Easy to rack handguns?

[Jonnin]

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.

 

Nice looking one, sweet grips. 

 

About the same price here after taxes, but our state (TN) has a high sales tax.  But more or less the same price for 22.  I think 9 is about the same as well, give or take a dollar or so but a lot of that is brand name variation.  I think AE is also federal with a pretty box.

[PackinMama]

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.

 

Welcome to TGO! It's always nice to see another woman that likes to shoot and appreciates fine firearms! Very nice MK III you have there! I have a similar one, only the barrel is longer and fluted.

 

The ammo prices here are NORMALLY close to the same, but it's near impossible to actually find any .22 ammo anywhere in our country right now. Since our president got re-elected and the school shooting at Sandy Hook happened, ammo has become scarce and the prices have went through the roof.  Just recently it's been coming back a little on just about every caliber besides .22lr. Walmart and several other big retailers might get in some .22lr about once a week but it's usually gone within an hour. If you want .22lr in this country right now, you pretty much have to go to online auction sites like GunBroker.com or go to the gun shows - and then you'll pay about two to three times what it should cost. Are you able to find plenty .22 ammo in Canada right now?

Edited October 1, 2013 by PackinMama

[peejman]

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

 

 

I have a cousin and her family who lived in Chesley, near Owen Sound for many years.  Beautiful country around there.  LOTS of snow in the winter!

[Guest kschneider]

Welcome to TGO! It's always nice to see another woman that likes to shoot and appreciates fine firearms! Very nice MK III you have there! I have a similar one, only the barrel is longer and fluted.

 

The ammo prices here are NORMALLY close to the same, but it's near impossible to actually find any .22 ammo anywhere in our country right now. Since our president got re-elected and the school shooting at Sandy Hook happened, ammo has become scarce and the prices have went through the roof.  Just recently it's been coming back a little on just about every caliber besides .22lr. Walmart and several other big retailers might get in some .22lr about once a week but it's usually gone within an hour. If you want .22lr in this country right now, you pretty much have to go to online auction sites like GunBroker.com or go to the gun shows - and then you'll pay about two to three times what it should cost. Are you able to find plenty .22 ammo in Canada right now? yes. it's not to bad. we have a chain of stores called Canadian Tire and they sell everything for the house and car. specialty is sporting goods and automotive. they use to sell rifles but when our government, sorry you'll have to excuse me a minute, i always have the urge to puke when i say that word, they brought in a long gun registery, and it got to be to much B.S. to sell guns, so Canadian tire stoped selling them. They kept selling ammo however, but only in rifle calber. so they always had .22. they have Federal, American Eagle, CCI, Remington, and Winchester.then just last month we found out they are going to start carrying rifles again because the Government, oh oh ,there's that word again, scrapped the long gun registery. and they are also carrying handgun ammo now. the store is only a mile away and right next to the store i work in. now if they could carry handguns, i'd be in heaven. that probably won't happen because of the regulations. that's ok because i buy all my guns online and have delivered. it is way easier. i really find it interesting to find out the differences between our countries. her is a link for Canadian Tire to check out.http://www.canadiantire.ca/search/search_results.jsp?quick_search_term=Ammunition&searchRefinementEvent=event21&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1408474396672077&bmUID=1380636215427

[Penguin713]

Just wanted to say... I’ve had several gun enthusiast friends who recommend the rugar, and glock 43 as first time carry options for me. 

Im not super small... 5’3” 135 lbs.... but i did recently undergo ACDF surgery. Racking almost every gun back was a nightmare.... I’ve tried several different techniques and it was still difficult. 

Being a woman... a shiny blue Kimber micro caught my attention at the store ... so I looked at it and a SIG as well. Ended up purchasing a SIG .22 and a kimber micro .380 and am in love with both handguns. Best decisions I have made! I considered a SIG P238 but liked how the Kimber fit in my hand better. 

[TGO David]

1 hour ago, Penguin713 said:

Just wanted to say... I’ve had several gun enthusiast friends who recommend the rugar, and glock 43 as first time carry options for me. 

Im not super small... 5’3” 135 lbs.... but i did recently undergo ACDF surgery. Racking almost every gun back was a nightmare.... I’ve tried several different techniques and it was still difficult. 

Being a woman... a shiny blue Kimber micro caught my attention at the store ... so I looked at it and a SIG as well. Ended up purchasing a SIG .22 and a kimber micro .380 and am in love with both handguns. Best decisions I have made! I considered a SIG P238 but liked how the Kimber fit in my hand better. 

Have you tried the Smith and Wesson M&P Shield 380 EZ yet?   The "EZ" in that is, as you might guess, pronounced easy and is a nod toward the fact that it was designed to have a slide that is easily manipulated.

https://www.smith-wesson.com/firearms/mp-380-shield-ez-0

 

 

[DWARREN123]

The Pavona  (Sar or Witness) 9mm pistols are supposedly easy to rack. I tried one and it was very easy but the frame was pink so I did not get it. 

[Ray Z]

5 hours ago, TGO David said:

Have you tried the Smith and Wesson M&P Shield 380 EZ yet?   The "EZ" in that is, as you might guess, pronounced easy and is a nod toward the fact that it was designed to have a slide that is easily manipulated.

https://www.smith-wesson.com/firearms/mp-380-shield-ez-0

 

 

+1 on the M&P EZ. Bought my wife the Walther P380 after she tried it at the NRA show last year. Bought her an EZ after she tried it at a gun store, she liked it better.

 

[peejman]

On 8/26/2013 at 9:29 PM, peejman said:

It's a matter of technique. Women tend to be tentative with guns and that's absolutely the wrong thing to do when trying to rack a small semi auto.

http://www.corneredcat.com/article/running-the-gun/rack-the-slide/

My 5'2" wife can easily rack my .45 compact when using the above method.

Interesting and somewhat disappointing... they demonstrate poor technique several times in that M&P video. If you have trouble, don't try it like they show, pinching the rear of the slide and pulling. That's probably the hardest way to do it. Check the link above... 

[1fast4by]

Old thread... But +1 for the Shield EZ, my 71 year old mother has one and she can manipulate it just fine

[bduncan1231]

I’m “thirding” the S&W 380EZ.  I’ve got one and it’s as easy or easier than My Ruger 22/45.  It’s an awesome pistol for what it isn’t designed for!

[TrickyNicky]

4th on the EZ  Mom got one a few months back and it surely is easy to load, rack and a good shooter too. 

[Steelharp]

I'll take the 5th on the EZ! (UH...) You can rack it with your pinky.

[owejia]

How about the Beretta Tomcat 3032 with the tip up barrel you can load with out racking the slide. Maybe for older arthritic hands.

[enfield]

On 8/26/2013 at 10:32 PM, c.a.willard said:

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

Which is only slightly more difficult than teaching a cat to tap-dance.

[owejia]

Now that is funny.

[MrsMonkeyMan2500]

This whole thread makes me feel way to masculine. My EDC is a G29 and I always carry 3 extra mags. I'm either way too big or way too butch. 

But in all seriousness, my husband has the small .380 bodyguard that he carries as a secondary backup.  (There were issues with creepers at work). That little guy is easy and quite fun to shoot.

[DaveTN]

So its been 5 years now. OP, did you find a Ruger SR9? Did it work out okay? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Guest PAULSHOOT]

Old Thread as last post May, 2019.

Now there is 9MM EZ as well the 380 EZ. A bit harder than the 380, but EZ. 

Better buy as cheaper AMMO. 

 

[xtriggerman]

Last month I looked at the 9mmEZ and I was impressed. As a gunsmith, I kept thinking, they must have done more to the gun than meats the eye of just a light recoil spring. Feeding Must be as slick as can be since auto loaders with a full mag when even slightly sticky will hang up feeding with such light pick up energy.  Like an AK, generous bolt face over travel past the rim pick up point is essential for added reliability. S&W has all ways had pretty good R&D in building guns. Should be a good seller.

[Mamba]

Walther CCP M2 (nothing wrong with my M1, but the M2 is much easier to field-strip), is an accurate, ergonomic, 8+1 9mm, soft-recoiling, easy-to-rack due to it's gas-piston system. Not a pocket gun but not difficult to CC either. Not a great range gun (heat buildup after 50+ rounds) but fine for carry. I prefer more capacity and hammer-fired so I CC a PX4 Storm SC most of the time. But I keep the CCP for those not-too-distant years when I might need an easier model to operate.

[DWARREN123]

I have a Taurus G3 and it is fairly easy to rack the slide.

Pistol has been reliable and accurate.

[QuackerSmacker]

One of my friends in WY bought a Beretta full-sized .380 for his wife.  Almost racks itself.  So  E-Z

[Jeb48]

On 8/26/2013 at 9:29 PM, peejman said:

It's a matter of technique. Women tend to be tentative with guns and that's absolutely the wrong thing to do when trying to rack a small semi auto.

http://www.corneredcat.com/article/running-the-gun/rack-the-slide/

My 5'2" wife can easily rack my .45 compact when using the above method.

peejman reposted his old posting above but I wanted to put in my agreement. The push the gun don't pull the slide method was taught in an NRA pistol class I took when several small women were having problems. I have taught several people that we're having racking problems the method since.

[No_0ne]

Handguns that are easy to rack - revolvers ...