Are easier racking pistols available ????

blm189

Due to recent illness my left hand is much weaker now. I can still rack my Rugeer P89 but it is ackward and too dangerous. Would dropping down in cal. be of any help? The pistol is used as a carry weapon around the business and when hunting.
I had rather not change to a revolver.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!! blm189

Nighthawk

Welcome aboard,the 9mm has a weaker slide spring than would a .40 or a .45.My Ruger KP89 is not to hard to rack the slide,if yours has not been shot much maybe it will loosen up some.Im no expert on this but a guy from our community watch list had a stroke and lost the use of his right hand,but with therapy and sitting around squezing a ball has greatly increased his strength.For the mean time I would use the ever reliable wheel gun.

Best!!

Rugster

offeror

Racking is a function, partly, of caliber, because the more recoil, the heavier the recoil spring must be. It is also a function of how heavy the slide is, because if you have less slide mass you must make up the lack of inertia with more spring.

You'd do well to stop by a gun shop and ask to rack a few slides. See if the lesser calibers are more to your liking. See if a gun with a heavier slide mass has a lighter spring. I think because the Glocks have a very straight loading path from mag to ramp to chamber, they have a fairly short rack, too, which might help.

The other thing you can do is use the old "lean the slide against the edge of a table to rack the first round" method. Or hold the gun in the weak hand, rack with the strong hand, and carry with a round already in the chamber in a SA, or DA/SA gun with a safety. But I think you'll find, as I do, as a general rule, that the smaller calibers like .22 and .32 are easier to rack than .40 or .45. I would rather not go that far down in caliber, however, personally. So I'd look for other solutions.

You could also go to a lighter load, and get a set of Wolff springs for your gun, and pick the lightest spring that will reliably cycle the light load, and always carry that load.

Just a few ideas.

- Life NRA Member
"If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878

RugerNiner

Keep a Round Chambered. I do this with the safety off, if you can operate the safety quick enough for your needs than keep it on.

Use a holster that completly covers the trigger and trigger guard!
When pulling the gun use your thumb on your right hand to unsnap the Thumb Brake and lift the gun with your index finger straight out.

Practice this with your Ruger P-89 empty. Don't unsnap the thumb break with your index finger because you will be crossing the gun twice to remove the gun. I'm assuming you are Right-Handed. I carry a KP-85MKll and KP-90 this way.

Remember...Terrorist are attacking Civilians; Not the Government. Protect Yourself!

OPERATOR

Try a Beretta 92 series... its like night and day compared to ruger when racking the slide is considered.


-operator

Life is simple, living is what makes it complicated.

leeblackman

Pratice racking one handed. Using the back sight or anything that will catch on the gun, against a belt, pants pocket, a wall corner, or anything. And push against it. We trained doing this in the acadamy, incase your other had was buisy holding someone or something.

If I'm wrong please correct me, I won't be offended.

The sound of a 12 gauge pump clears a house fatser than Rosie O eats a Big Mac !

snarlgard

My wife has trouble racking the slide on a 45. But she loves to shoot the 45 so we figered out a little cheat for her to use
Now when she wants to chamber a round she will thumb back the hammer and then pull the slide back. the difference doesn't seem much to me but it makes all the difference to her.
You might try that a couple of times and see if it works for you too


SMILE...MAKE EM WONDER WHAT YOUR UP TO

Txs

It sounds like something needs to be reinvented here, because you're not alone in this. I've seen more than one person who, for different reasons, has this same problem.

I recall reading about a turn of the century semi-auto pistol that had such a horrendous recoil spring that it had a slide disconnect for chambering/clearing. The only time the recoil spring of this pistol actually impinged on the slide was when you fired it. With the flip of a lever, the slide disconnected from the heavy spring and could then be pulled back easily for cycling rounds.

It seems like this feature would come in handy for some folks on a modern pistol.

I guess I'm experiencing the fallout from disrespecting my brain cells, can someone refresh my memory on what pistol this was?

Edited by - Txs on 07/28/2002 20:05:21

royc38

Listen to Snarlgard. You can do this with any gun that has a hammer.

4wheeler

My wife has similar problem,she has had surgery on both wrists.I bought her a single six and kept her auto for myself,hey anything to get another gun

"It was like that when I got here".

offeror

You really sound like a good candidate for either cocked and locked, or a light double action trigger. Do your round chambering in the comfort of your home before you go out, and carry with chamber loaded. You can get (if I'm rememberging accurately) about a 7 lb. trigger on a Para-0rd LDA, an 8 lb New York trigger on a striker-fired Glock, or a 9 lb. trigger on the similarly striker-fired Taurus Millennium series (with a slide safety) if you feel a single action 3-5 pounder is too light. The medium pull triggers should give your trigger a good degree of AD safety while not being as heavy as those 12 lb. pull revolvers you don't like. The advice of using holsters with a trigger cover is excellent when carrying this way. If you are comfortable with 1911-style single action cocked & locked, then just be sure your holster provides a covered trigger and a thumbbreak that works with the hammer back, not forward.

There are lots of ways to rack a slide by pushing it from the front. This is usually easier on a gun that has NOT been "de-horned," or "melted". Some guys prefer always racking from the front anyway, which is why some guns are grooved in front as well as rear. You may find it easier to push than pull. Again, the Glock has a short distance to travel to rack the slide, too, and is very forgiving of a slow or short rack motion.

You can push against the front or rear sight, whichever is better suited, against a hard object to do the job, or you could wear a metal bracelet or leather watchband on the weak hand, chosen with an appropriate ledge on it, and practice pushing the slide back with that. Just be sure your trigger finger remains out of the trigger guard.

Be creative -- anyway, that's what I'd do, if couldn't cotton to carrying with a round chambered, though I still think charging the gun at home is your best solution. Also, take the advice on trying a different gun. They do vary due to engineering characteristics.

Just more thoughts.

- Life NRA Member
"If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878

martzkj@msn.com

My wife is really small, she has a hard time with slides. She found the sig p230 to work really nice for her.

Rafter-S

I have 2 fishing buddies who are in their 80's. They are in good shape for men their age but there is no way they could rack a slide on a pistol. We will all be that way if we live long enough. That's why I am hanging on to some favorite revolvers--they will be replacements for my Glock, Browning, Colt, and S&W semi-autos. You may have to go to a revolver, or step down to something like a Ruger MKII in 22 caliber. For persoanal protection, I would feel just as comfortable with my 2-3/4" S&W Model 686 as I do my Glock 27.

Edited by - Rafter-S on 07/28/2002 23:57:41

hobbist

If you want stick with automatic, I can give you one advice try Beretta. They are making few with tilted or rather rotated barrels.
It does not need rack slide.

offeror

When I get to be 80, it is just as likely I won't be able to manage a 12-pound trigger. I'm going to stick with guns that have light triggers. It's about time for a revolver revolution to LDA, I think. We're behind the times on revolver trigger pull. Engineers, take note. Maybe we need striker-fired revolvers. I'd much rather rack the slide on the dresser at home and have a loaded 5.5 lb. Glock trigger in my old age than carry a traditional DA of any kind.

- Life NRA Member
"If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878

AndyF150

You are very correct on the subject of trigger pull in revolvers, but I feel a whole lot safer carrying a revolver than a semi-auto. Don't get me wrong, I think the 1911 is the finest pistol ever made, but as far as reliability, you can't beat a revolver.

ndbilly

What hobbist said. The smaller Beretta's have tip up barrels. Wouldn't recommend a .22 or .25 ACP but the Tomcat comes in .32.

Bullzeye

If you dont have anything against CZ pistols, you might want to take a look at the CZ100 or 101. Comes in either 9mm or .40

It's got a ledge-like protrusion on the top of the slide for the specific purpose of racking the slide one-handed. It's supposedly very effective.

offeror

Wow! Lots of good advice in general, and you couldn't be righter about the CZ 100. And the .40 even has built-in compensator. Nice gun. Take a look at what I found on their website (particularly note the bold print):




The CZ 100 belongs to a new range of high capacity semi-automatic pistols incorporating a locked breech. This pistol is distinguished by its modern conceptualisation and the optimal combination of the frame with a high-impact plastic and steel slide. The consequently reduced weight significantly enhances the comfort of day-to-day carry.

The trigger mechanism is a DAO type and incorporates a firing pin safety. The pistol is equipped with a single side slide stop and a magazine catch. The slide is locked open when the last cartridge from the magazine has been fired. Its elegant shape and design facilitates shooting with gloved hands. Its operational and safety features justify ranking this handgun among the "load and forget" category.

Characteristic features of all versions are:

Its ergonomical shape allows shooting with either hand. A comfortable grip and balance. Good results at instinctive shooting (without aiming). High accuracy of fire and a long service life. Outstanding reliability - even when using various types of bullets. The slide stays open after the last cartridge has been fired. Illuminated sights for aiming under poor visibility conditions.

The pistol incorporates a DAO firing mechanism. After each shot the firing pin returns to its rest position and is blocked there. The firing mechanism is uncocked, and the pistol is safe even when dropped. The absence of an external manual safety contributes to an immediate readiness to fire, and thus ensures a heightened rapidity of response for the decisive first shot.

The wide trigger guard prevents snagging of the trigger by any objects, and also any unintentional discharge during handling or dropping of the pistol. The slide can even be cocked with only one hand by positioning the rear sight or slide protrusion against any fixed edged object and levering against that point. The CZ 100 cal. 40 S&W is provided with compensator ports to reduce muzzle climb during firing.




- Life NRA Member
"If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878

wipala

A buddy of mine is a firearms instructer. He has a lot of elderly and women students who have trouble with slides on autos. He tell them to grasp the top of the slide in the off hand set the edge of that hand on a table or other solid object so the pistol is pointing down at the ground. then they push down on the grip with their strong hand until the slide comes all the way back and then release it so it strips the top round and locks into battery. You can't just let up with your strong hand or it might hang up or misfeed.

P.S. You can do this with the slide in your right hand and use your weaker left hand to push it down with the weight of your body and a straight arm. You can also do it with an empty mag to lock back the slide to clean the gun or leave it locked back until you are ready to load it and put in a loaded mag and use the slide release.

Remember here at DeeDee"s If we can't kill it, it's immortal
D.D.Snavely

Edited by - wipala on 07/29/2002 14:55:10

shootinfool

This item reduces recoil, but it also help in the racking of the slide.

http://www.sprinco.com/recoil.html

offeror

wipala --
That idea has a lot of merit because it can be used in the field as well, and the surface need not be flat or horizontal. You could use that method leaning the weak arm against a tree or a wall or any other handy surface, meaning that it would not be absolutely necessary to carry chamber-loaded.

- Life NRA Member
"If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878