Racking the slide

[2761377]

This is an excellent video for those who have difficulty racing the slide.

yes- it's perfect. I mentioned it in post 13 in this thread.

judging from the response to your post, where you spoon feed people the link, nobody has bothered to watch it. pathetic, really.

[Pofoo]

a semi auto handgun is also super simple and it only has a 5.5lb trigger for most glock/m&p/xd. why would you "cock the hammer" for target shooting with a 638-2? if that is your carry gun you won't have time to "cock it". It needs to be shot how you always carry it. Now if for some random reason you want to try some 50 yard shots, sure cock the hammer back but that isn't what you bought the thing for.

A semi auto pistol is NOT as simple as a revolver.
I have never had misfire in over 50 yrs of shooting with a revolver that wasn't ammo related. I have seen numerous ftf's with semi autos while shooting targets. Don't you think there would be more in a really stressful situation?
Most people will train for defense and also go plinking with any pistol they own. Especially, women who are not really into guns, should shoot as much as possible to cut down on their anxeity.
Defensive shooting would probably be double action at close range. If the assailant is far enough away that you would miss, even with double action, you might be in a questionable shooting.
When plinking, most/all shooters shoot revolvers single action.
You can train both ways, but a couple of hundred rounds shot double action is not fun for most of us.
Remember, we are talking about women here, who probably aren't as skillful or as strong as you.

[himurax13]

yes- it's perfect. I mentioned it in post 13 in this thread.

judging from the response to your post, where you spoon feed people the link, nobody has bothered to watch it. pathetic, really.

Well it seems that nobody knows how to use google on here or on the FB page either.

[jpx0123]

Have any in DA/SA?

Slides are (typically) much easier to rack on DA/SA guns versus striker fired.

ain't that the truth. well don't know if its actually true. but I have no issues with sigs, beretta, cz p-01 etc.. but for the life of me, half way through a range trip if im using an XD-9 it starts to get tough. not a small guy and never have an issue with the models I mentioned before.

I've also for a little while now changed the way I rack the slide as well. keep both hands closer to my body (like when you are drawing from an holster and pushing out forward to aim) I keep my hands at that point you start to push out (around my check and gut area). gives me better leverage and power. use an overhand grip on the back serrations of the slide. do almost a dual motion of pushing slide back while my strong hand pushes the frame forward. found it to be much easier that way.

[Captiontom]

I taught a girl how to shoot handguns this weekend and was even able to get her to rack the slide in my kahr cw9 which is know for its heavy recoil spring. She is small and weak even by girl standards but when I told her to push forward with her right hand as she pulls back with her left it made a big difference.

What you do is get an overhand grip on the back of the slide so your thumb is facing you then pullback the slide while pushing forward with hand that's on the grip. Before she was only pulling back and was struggling

[BonnieB]

If the lady can't rack the slide there are several possibilities, assuming her technique is good.

Some women prefer to PUSH the grip, rather than PULLING the slide
She may need to build up some strength in her hands
She may need a totally different gun, that fits her hands and strength.

But in any case, your lady needs to choose her gun herself. We have all sorts of good info on how a woman can choose her own gun on the Women's Forum, have her check it out.

[Munny$hot]

A full size USP is very easy for women to rack, but tie grip may be too wide.

[XDJYo]

Let's try to address what the OP has concerns with. They are headed to Front Sight for a training class and they're looking for a gun that the wife can easily manipulate. A revolver isn't the best solution. It doesn't address a large chunk of the training that happens at the 4 Day Defensive Handgun class at Front Sight (malfunction training on semi-autos). Front Sight DOES have instruction for revolver shooters, but part of the training will not apply to them.

If the wife has an issue with racking the slide, then suggesting a DA/SA pistol may not be the best solution either. Why? Since they train you to shoot the pistol from the holster/concealment. The first shot would be DA (a difficult shot for a LOT of shooters-not saying it can't be done, but just more difficult). It isn't the most ideal of situations to put a new shooter. Having to adjust your first shot and second shot from DA to SA is also going to hamper her enjoyment of the class. This is one of the reasons why she sold her Sig SP2022 (DA/SA) for a Glock 19 Gen 4 (ahhh...the good ole days!).

They usual round count is probably around 500 to a max of 600 rounds over 4 days (not 2). Yes, you will be tired, but they do spread out the shooting. Front Sight isn't a Combat training camp. They aren't drill sergeants. They are one of the best places for a woman to learn to shoot (aside from female-only training classes). That is the one constant of the Front Sight classes. They are nice, friendly and consistent in their program. They won't let mall-ninja tacti-cool operators in their front door to teach, no matter what their background is.

Try a Glock 19. It was SUPER easy for the wife to rack.

OP-Hope you find a pistol that your wife likes. BonnieB has it right. She needs to be the one to choose it. I strongly suggest a striker fired polymer pistol. I know the XD line of pistols are tougher to rack than the Glocks. Also, the smaller/compact pistols are harder to rack too.

Happy shooting, shopping and be safe. Most of all, have a great time at FS!

[Sikvenum93]

Is there a minimum size of handgun the class requires? Because if not maybe you can get her one of the Beretta/taurus tip up barrel pistols In 32 or 380? That way you can just load a round in the barrel and not have to deal with a slide at all.

[Sleighter]

Is there a minimum size of handgun the class requires? Because if not maybe you can get her one of the Beretta/taurus tip up barrel pistols In 32 or 380? That way you can just load a round in the barrel and not have to deal with a slide at all.

There is a minimum size for front sight classes.

[CandG]

I tried to read the whole thread before posting my suggestion, but I gave up, so forgive me if someone has already posted this.

I haven't tried this product myself, since racking my glock slides isn't difficult for me, but it might be something to look into. If nothing else, as a training tool?

http://www.amazon.com/Brass-Stacker-Slide-Pull-Large/dp/B00AOMO3SY

Like I said, I have have no idea if it's really a helpful product or not, just trying to provide some info for your quest to help your wife learn about shooting. Good luck, and congrats on finding a wife who's interested in shooting!

[Champagne-N-Beer]

I agree on the aspect of DA first shot, as this can take time to get used to - but I wouldn't toss out the baby with the bath water - little bit of practice can clean that right up, and if ease of slide manipulation is top concern DA/SA is going to be easier.

[Bobby Ricigliano]

An M&P 9mm FS and also a 9C are my daily carry guns. Both were really stiff when new. After 500-1,000 rounds they break in nicely. The trigger improves as well, without throwing a bunch of aftermarket parts into it.

[Soginator]

Sometimes it's just the gun. I remember when I bought my TRP operator I literally could not lock the slide back for the "safe handling" demonstration. Turns out that they are just made like that and once you break them in it's fine (once I hit close to 500 rounds, I have literally no problem racking the slide).

[North Bay Guy]

My wife prefers our XD9 Service Model over our G19. She says she likes the XD9 over the G19 because the frame is slimmer, which gives her a better grip. I think having a good grip helps her to operate the gun better too. I taught my wife to grab the slide over the top and push the frame forward method. Have your wife try an XD9. The XD9 is a popular choice among women.