I know this thread is a few months old, but being able to rack the slide has always been one of my concerns with the guns I've looked at. Until I found my Colt Pony Pocketlite, I carried a Beretta Tomcat in .32, loaded with Silvertips, as my BUG (or when I couldn't carry something larger, due to whatever circumstance).txinvestigator wrote:Beretta makes a .380 and a .32 with a tip-up barrel.
You load the mag, insert it, then flip a lever to tip the barrel up. You then directly chamber a round and press the barrel back down. No need to rack the slide.
Or consider a revolver?
Because of fibromyalgia, and dealing with CTS in both wrists for several years, my hand strength isn't something I can always rely on. The Tomcat's tip-up barrel means I can load safely, even when dealing with a flare up. My only problem with the Tomcat is a stiff trigger, but I know that I could have that improved by a competent gunsmith (and probably will, in the not-too-distant future). The Pony also works well for me, and it's .380 instead of .32 so I feel a little more secure with it; but I'm keeping the Tomcat just in case.
Curiously, I find that because of the fibro/CTS I don't do as well with polymer framed pistols. The heavier, all-metal frames are easier for me to control since they absorb more of the shock of recoil, and I don't have to fight as hard to bring them back on target. I just have to make sure the grips fit my hand properly.