Do all slides take about the same strength to rack?

[woody24]

My sister bought a Judge earlier this year as a home protection weapon. She went with the Judge because thats what all the vendors said to go with. She tried to pull back a slide on a couple full-sized pistols, but couldn't even really budge it.

But now she's thinking about getting a purse pistol, and I think she wants a pistol, instead of a revolver.

I have a Beretta 96 and a Ruger LC9, and they both seem to take about the same amount of strength to pull back. So I know she wouldn't be able to handle either one of those.

Are there any other guns that would be easier to pull? Or should she just stick to revolvers? Or should she just hit the gym a little harder? Or would a .22 be the only one she'd be able to handle in that style?

 

[dom1104]

Nope. they are all different.

The lightest by far is the Walther pk380, due to its tilting barrel design, and extremely weak return spring.

I believe it is the only tilt barrel .380 commonly available.

The longer the spring, and the weaker the cartridge, the easier to rack the pistol will be. <now that I look at that it sounds like Yoda said it.>

 

[TomN]

Sounds like shes doing it wrong. Have her watch this video, it shows the best way to rack the slide for someone that thinks its too hard to rack. And I apologize since this isn't a Yeager video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbayNc6D9HY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[furbymac]

alot of your poket pistols will be a little easier on her. i know when i took the g/f out shopping once she seemed to have an easier time racking the smith m&p pistols and alot of the rugers. another thing to keep in mind too i guess is to remember that the smaller the caliber the weaker the recoil spring, or atleast that is how it feels to me. i am sure someone shortly will give an example of something that prove me wrong lol.

 

[shibumiseeker]

It all depends on the recoil spring. Generally heavier calibers have heavier recoil springs, but it's also a function of the mass of the slide, so even in a light caliber if the slide is low-mass there will be a heavier recoil spring to compensate. These guns are also "snappier" to shoot.

How the slide itself is able to be gripped also makes a difference. My EAA Witness 10mm slide is small and angled so it's much harder to rack than my Glock 20.

 

[Bigshep]

Just keep in mind that when a gun is new it will be harder. Tends to get easier the more you do it. And you could have her try to rack the slide using her whole hand and not the "slingshot" method that just uses the thumb and index finger. That is if she has only tried the "slingshot" method. Believe it or not, I've seen people that didnt realize you could use more than just 2 fingers to pull the slide back.....


EDIT: Three more posts while I was typing

 

[scottka]

^^^TomN is right. That method works really well for those with weaker hands. Most importantly, get the "over the top" grip on the slide and push away from the body with the strong hand and pull toward the strong shoulder with the weak hand simultaneously.

 

[Sureshot129]

TomN's video is correct we teach and I use this method on all pistols. Additionally it keeps you in a more compact size and not hanging your pistol out to be taken in a defensive situation. I'd also say that on hammer fired pistols cocking the hammer will reduce the force necessary to run the slide.

-1 on TomN for not finding a Yeager video!

 

[indykid]

Like others have said, some pistols are harder than others based on the weight of the recoil spring, and whether they have to cock an external hammer or are striker fired.

Even striker fired don't guarantee an easy slide pull. I carry a Kahr PM9 and it take two hands and a foot to cock it. On the other hand, my Beretta 92FS can almost be racked by just looking at it.

The shape of the slide can also affect how easy it is to rack it. I have a Beretta 9000 that the slide fits inside the frame, giving very little to grab to rack it.

 

[Fordtough25]

Sounds like shes doing it wrong. Have her watch this video, it shows the best way to rack the slide for someone that thinks its too hard to rack. And I apologize since this isn't a Yeager video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbayNc6D9HY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Great video, and my wife found that her M&P 9mm was the easiest out of most. She has no problems with it.

 

[lobowind]

When I was in a few shops trying to rack the slides, I thought I surely must be the weakest woman alive. Finally in the 3rd shop I visited, one of the salesmen showed me the method illustrated in the video above. Then it became very easy for me, so your sister may possibly not be pushing forward with her off hand.

 

[rgrimm01]

My Lady tried several different companies offerings as she wanted an auto and it became apparent that this was the first hurdle. She tried to rack Glocks, Rugers, Walthers, Khars... There were only two that she could rack, all M&Ps and the Beretta 92FS.

 

[Redtbird]

I was having the same problem with my first Bersa. Over the years I have lost some grip strength and could not pull the slide back. One of the guys at the LGS I go to suggested pulling the hammer back first, then racking the slide. It worked!

Also, I have used a golf glove on my left hand and had no trouble pulling the slide back, even without pulling the hammer back first.

Just a suggestion...

 

[woody24]

Cool. Thanks for the info guys. I don't think she really gave it 100% either. She probably gripped it in a half-assed way, and tried. But if she's serious about getting one, I'll have to show her this way, and not give up if it feels weaker than she needs to be.

But I remember when I got my Beretta, I wasn't expecting it to be that hard to pull back. Never handled a pistol before that, and when the clerk handed it over, I only was able to pull it back only half way. Kind of like when you pick up a full can of soda, but you think its completely empty. Dropped a few that way.

 

[shibumiseeker]

When I got my GSG1911 .22lr I hurt myself several times racking the slide because it was so easy when I was expecting from body memory for it to be a lot harder.

 

[IndyGunner]

She went with the Judge because thats what all the vendors said to go with.

Hope she learned her lesson...

 

[HalfCocked]

Even striker fired don't guarantee an easy slide pull. I carry a Kahr PM9 and it take two hands and a foot to cock it. On the other hand, my Beretta 92FS can almost be racked by just looking at it.

+1 to that indykid, I really wanted a CM9. I may not be the strongest guy around but I do hit the gym from time to time. I really had to struggle with that slide. Ended up not getting it.

 

[blamecharles]

As everyone has mentioned, method can change things. My fiance though has trouble as she is tiny so we ended up going with a Sig238 which has been awesome for her. She is accurate and can operate it very efficiently. Low recoil, easy to use, accurate, amazing night sights, we highly recommend it.

 

[PGRChaplain]

I have a .22 that's tougher than either one of my 1911's.

 

[Leo]

A problem with many of the sub compact pistols is that they are so small you really have nothing to hold on to when you try to rack it. Even at 6'2", 220 lbs and at least as strong as average, and I haveto struggle racking some of the little slides. I carried a Beretta Tom Cat .32 with a tilt barrel when I wore a suit to work, and even though I could rack the slide, the tilt barrel feature was nice. In addition to the initial function of loading the pistol, one should to be able to rapidly clear a jam under stress.

A compact revolver is usually a lot easier to depend on.