Suggestions for person with very weak hands. My wife has severe RA and poor hand (pinch) strength. She just tried a Shield 380 EZ and can not rack the slide. Neither the pinch or palm over method of racking worked.

I'm thinking a PPK/s in 22 or Ruger LCR in 22, 22 WMR or 327 Fed. Mag. She can not pull the DA trigger on my 640 Pro but that's pretty stout i.e. well over 12 lbs. Maybe a Beretta Tomcat with tip-up barrel.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks

If you go the LCR 327 Fed, do NOT have her shoot it with the 327 Fed ammo. It will scare the begezzies out of her. .32 H&R would probably OK. Another consideration would be a Charter Arms in the .32 H&R.
Is she OK with pulling the hammer to shoot in single action?

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Super Snooper

I figured the 327 mag just for the various 32 options other than the mag :-) I think single action would be OK.

Pepper spray and/or a taser. Would hate to see her loose the gun before she can manipulate it..

Beretta has been the top gun maker for people with disabilities for many years. Their tip up barreled pistols do not need the slide racked. The Tomcat which I own you put in the magazine move the lever on the side, barrel pops up, put shell in, push barrel down, and double action ready. Of corse there tip up barrel guns are small: 22, 25, 32ACP, highly sought after, and top quality. There is a larger tip up barreled model 36 Cheetah in 380ACP.

Take a look at a Kahr. Judge for yourself if you think she can manage the manual of arms for it. Those are popular in my family among the girls AND the men.. Those C models are cheaper and used works fine.

Regards, Porkie

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Least expected, you’re elected

A couple of years ago I loaned my sister a model 66 21/2 inch. She is 80 years old and had a hard time pulling a DA/SA trigger. I traded her a S&W Shield 9 mm. She cannot operate the slide due to low hand strength, but she can pull the trigger and she has 9 rounds available.

If she ever decides to take me up on my offer to go shooting. I will operate the slide for her.

My wife has similar weak hand strength issues. She carries a S&W Model 60 J-Frame revolver. If the trigger is a bit stiff you can drop in a bit lighter main spring.

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I invest in Lead and Copper!

ha, I was looking the tomcat myself

32 ACP might be the only caliber left to buy soon!

That tip up barrel design is pretty cool, too. Never have to rack a slide, very safe to load and carry and clean. 7+1

Point a gun in anyone's face and they will have a reason to leave you alone!

Beretta makes a delightful little 22 auto pistol with a tip-up barrel so no slide racking ever.

Hit a lever, barrel pops up, drop a 22lr in the chamber and snap the barrel closed.

Beretta 21A Bobcat - Wikipedia

If John Browning was still with us he would have already solved this problem, probably with an electric model.

Ditto to the flip-up barrel Berettas, the Taurus PT-22 and PT-25 load the same way, no slide racking, but have DAO triggers. Nice and simple.

I've found them to be reliable, YMMV. I would try the newer model (the poly) before the older one, since the grip is a little bit smaller.

I think the Ruger LCP-II in 22LR is advertised as very easy to rack.

If not that, I'd look at the LCR in caliber of your choice or even a J Frame Smith.

Good luck.

I've told this story many times. My wife had arthritis in her hands. She couldn't rack a slide and was recoil sensitive. She found a Model 30 2" in .32 S&W Long at a gun show and absolutely fell in love with it. She could shoot it well and had no problem with recoil.
Maybe not a powerhouse, but it sure beats harsh language.

I knew a lady w/ arthritis so bad she couldn't work the slide on any auto or double action on any revolver. It was so bad she couldn't even fire a S&W K frame single action. She carried a Ruger Single Six in .22 magnum. Not the fastest thing in the world but better than anything else she tried. She held it in her right hand & cocked it w/ her left palm. It worked on the coon that tried to invade her cabin & on the idiot who broke into her house.

OP, do I feel for your wife. I have (osteo) arthritis of the hands and wrists as well as peripheral neuropathy. Thus, much of my hand strength and dexterity have gone South. As a result, I've done a lot of research into defensive handguns that will work for me.

I have good days and bad days with my hands, and I generally prefer/use revolvers over semiautos. Reloading a handgun for me is slow and messy, so I strongly prefer, and use the New York Reload - carrying and deploying a loaded 2nd handgun rather than reloading your primary handgun. My EDC is a Model 638-1 with a Model 38-0 both chambered in .38 Special, and I carry standard velocity ammo. Both are equipped with Crimson Trace LG-405 laser grips. The LG-405s have an air pocket along the backstop that compresses under recoil. If your wife can handle it, I recommend a Model 442/642 loaded with mid-range, standard velocity wadcutters. I'd apply a set of the Crimson Trace LG-405 grips, and might consider a spring kit to reduce the trigger pull weight.

For those times when my arthritis is really bothering me, I'll switch my EDC to a Model 432PD chambered in .32 H&R Magnum and a set of LaserMax laser sights. The back-up to my back-up is a Beretta Tom Cat chambered in .32ACP. The key advantages of the Model 432PD are that it's a six-shooter, and can safely chamber and fire any .32 caliber cartridge except for the big boys like the .327 Federal Magnum. Though it's no longer in production, it can be found on the Used market if you get lucky.

You'll find in a S&W J-frame revolver that the Centennial designed revolvers (Model 442/342, 432PD, etc.) have, out-of-the-box, the lightest/easiest trigger pull. Though they're not shooters, both my wife and daughter have remarked that the Centennial revolvers in my collection have the best and easiest trigger pulls than the non-Centennial design handguns.

The little Beretta 3032 Tom Cat is a bit bigger than you might believe. I've provided photos to try to give an idea of its size in comparison with the Model 432. The tip up barrel feature is nice. The magazine ejection is very brisk. The sights are terrible, but a laser grip is available as an option, and I have no problem putting 7 rounds quickly on target at 7 yards.

I hope this is useful to you. Best of luck to you and your wife.

Regards,

Dave

Attached Images

	Model 432 & Tomcat - left.jpg (69.8 KB, 24 views)
	Model 432 & Tomcat - right.jpg (78.0 KB, 24 views)
	Model 432 & Tomcat - backstrap.jpg (61.4 KB, 22 views)
	Model 432 & Tomcat - stack.jpg (78.4 KB, 21 views)

I can’t rack 1911 slides. I have a double action first shot cz82’s in 9 mm mak. Can’t rack it too but it’s chambered.

If she cannot rack a 380EZ she won't be able to rack a Kahr. I own a CW9 and while it has a nice trigger and absorbs recoil well, none of the women I know can rack one.

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Release the Kraken

Walther P-22.

I don't own a gun easier to rack than that one.



The suppressor is extra.

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Come and take it!!

The LCR327 and the LC380 are the best choices I have found.

If you get the LCR, dry fire it several hundred times, then, as per the manual, drop a bit of oil in the side of the frame. The trigger will smooth out and lose at least a pound. Shoot it with 32 Long, then carry the 32 H&R. 327 Mag is definitely too much for her.

The LC380 (NOT the LCP) is a PPK sized polymer frame gun with a very light DAO trigger and the easiest to rack slide I have found. They are discontinued, but can be found if you look a bit, though the current insanity has made them much more scarce and expensive (like everything else that is firearms related...).

Have her hold the gun grip normally, finger off the trigger, and with the muzzle pointing down, hook the rear sight on something and push down firmly.
For some sights without a flat face to push on, you can hook the ejection port edge instead.
Good luck.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

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Slava Ukraini!

A Handi-Racker solves a lot of problems. You only need to use it for initially racking, shoot the pistol (most pistols) the slide stays to the rear. I have to use it on my HK P7.

You can go on Google and look up Pistol Charging handle. There are so many available for a large selection of guns. There may be something there that would work that don’t require pinch strength.
I had to sell my 9mm Shield because of grip issues. It was replaced with a S&W 9mm EZ and a Taurus 856 ultra light revolver.
I carry AIWB and there wasn’t any adapter for the Shield that would work for that carry position.
I hope you find something that works!

Be SAFE and Shoot often!