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What semi-auto handguns are the easiest to rack the slide?

My wife can't rack the slide on my Springfield Armory 9mm. (1911 design) and can barely rack the slide on my Para P12-45.

The S&W 3913/908 series guns are pretty easy to rack the Springfield XD and some of the Glock models are easy. Stick with the full size guns they have lighter recoil springs. A revolver is a good choice for a person with limited strength.

My wife had the she same problem she went with the sig P232 380 and loves it. She pulls the hammer back and this makes it easier to rack. All the 9mm guns she tried she couldnt rack. She loves the sig and it is very accurate and dependable with a mininum of recoil

Thanks for the info.

I think I'll take her out to look ant the XD series.

My wife handled the Glock 17 and 19 easily. She qualified with the 17. She carries a S&W 642 snubbie. Fewer moving parts. A lot of the ladies like the wheelguns.

Question for you... how are you instructing her to rack the slide?

My wife had a problem with this because of her lack of upper body strength. She would hold the gun in her strong hand with a bent elbow and she would really struggle with it. I showed her how to extend her strong side arm fully and then rack the slide with the weak hand. She doesn't have any problem now.

Upper body strength was not an issue. She is plenty strong.

Issue #1 was her arthritis. Manipulating the semiauto pistol required more unfamiliar muscle memory than the revolver, and the new dexterity requirements caused pain in her hands.

Issue #2 - silly to us men, but meant a lot to her - she was concerned about injury from the slide whille racking and during shooting. She has seen me bleed from scratches and nicks from my semiautos. The differences between men and women are obvious at times like these. She bore my sons and tolerated the pain and was glad to do it. My hands are scarred monuments to dog bites, knife wounds, callouses from firing thousands and thousands of rounds of ammo, hammers, screwdrivers and myriads of other injuries. If she is worried about injury, she does not fare well with a weapon.

There are several ways to teach a woman to rack the slide of a semi auto.Some find it easier to hold the pistol close to the chest with the pistol in strong hand grip(finger off trigger), with weak hand on slide with thumb pointing to strong arm (overhand grip). Push pistol towards weak side with strong hand and hold slide while racking slide. Release slide when slide is at full back position.

An easy way is to insert empty clip into pistol, pull slide back to lock. Drop clip, insert full clip, extend pistol away from body and pull slide back to release slide and allow to seat round in chamber.

You just have to try several ways and see which is best for her. There are small pistols that have pop up barrels to insert a round eliminating the need to rack the slide.

old cus has it right. Bothe the ladies in my life have a Sig 232 & they both love'em. My Mother had to let her air wt. .38 sp go at 74 when it really started bruising her hand. She could not be content to shoot 30 or 40 rounds an out. She has to shoot 100 to 150. Short story is a friend let her shoot his 232 & she fell in love w/ it. Was not long before the wife had to have one & they both love them. Let your wife try one.

Guys,

Another way is to take your ladies on a date to a gun show (dinner afterward). Have her try everything that is there. Chances are she will find one that suits her.

Compvest

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?

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?

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).

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.

anygunanywhere wrote:There are several ways to teach a woman to rack the slide of a semi auto.Some find it easier to hold the pistol close to the chest with the pistol in strong hand grip(finger off trigger), with weak hand on slide with thumb pointing to strong arm (overhand grip). Push pistol towards weak side with strong hand and hold slide while racking slide. Release slide when slide is at full back position.
.

Good advice. I have taught this same technique to many people. In fact, I use it myself. I'm 6'-5".....250lbs. and do not lack any upper body strength, but this method works so well..it is what I employ. The same thing can be used to "pinch check". You need to be mindful of where the muzzle is pointed when doing this, is all that I would add.

Hubby taught me to shoot Glocks 17, 19, and 21 before anything else and I have never had a problem with the slide once I learned the "hold the gun close to the chest with the stong hand" method. Now he is having me practice extending the strong arm while holding the slide with the weak hand. It is coming along.

Practice makes permanent and I do a lot of dry firing, trying to do some everyday. There is a technique involved.

the pistol in strong hand grip(finger off trigger)

Thought this was an interesting comment as we have also had a lot of practice on where to place the index finger on the side of slide, not anywhere around the trigger guard or trigger. All this has to be put into muscle memory.

I've found that each pistol is different. I've tried the weak-hand-over-the-top-of-the-slide method AND the pull-the-back-of-the-slide-while-pushing-the-pistol-away-from-the-body-with-the-strong-hand method.

When it comes right down to it, you try both and use the one that feels most comfortable. Even with my XD 9, I've found that I fluctuate between the two methods. There is a wee bit of fear that the pinky on my left hand will get pinched. So, considering all things...I'd say practice BOTH methods and use the one that works best at the time.