gun with an easier to rack slide

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wormraper

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well, to set the ground work. I have a 78 year old mother who owns a shield 1.0. She shoots it well enough and is perfectly comfortable with the manual of arms, it's just that she's a petite woman and the shield's got a notoriously tough slide to rack. Now it's not a big deal under fire as the slide would lock back during a reload. It's just that it takes her 1 or 2 trys to lock the slide back to disassemble and I wonder if the slide lock doesn't engage when she needs it (god forbid) it could create a messy situation as she struggles to rack a round out that didn't fire, or chamber a new round.

I though that it might be best to look and introduce her to some guns with an easier to rack slide and I'm trying to "rack" (pun intended) my brain about common guns with a nice and soft slide rack. I've got a Glock 19 that feels like the easiest of the compact/sub compact world to rack, and of course I THOUGHT about buying her a shield EZ to replace her regular shield, but the reports of the 380 EZ having a lot of problems made me hesitate as I would definitely want to get her something reliable.

any suggestions? As I said, she can manipulate the shield slide, it's just that it's a beotch to do in one smooth motion for a 78 year old 5 foot 2 inch woman even using the classic "push" method that is taught to women
 
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beaverislander said:
I'm not sure what you're referring too, but I've never had a single problem with my S&W 9mm EZ.
Click to expand...

there's a big recall going on from S&W because of hammer issues, and a lot of people are having problems with the last round in the mag stove piping, or failure to feeds
 
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Perphaps buy a spare recoil spring or two-or three, cut a coil, see how that works for her, check for functioning of course.
 
wormraper said:
any suggestions? As I said, she can manipulate the shield slide, it's just that it's a beotch to do in one smooth motion for a 78 year old 5 foot 2 inch woman even using the classic "push" method that is taught to women
Click to expand...
I don't know what the classic "push" method is, (and this may be it) but I find the easiest method is:

1. Pistol in right hand point it to the left, level and hold close to the chest.

2. With left hand, reach across and grip slide. Push slide with left hand while pushing pistol in opposite direction with right hand.

Kind of a "push", "push" action, but one seems to have more strength with the pistol held close to the chest and pushing opposite direction.
 
cndrdk said:
I don't know what the classic "push" method is, (and this may be it) but I find the easiest method is:

1. Pistol in right hand point it to the left, level and hold close to the chest.

2. With left hand, reach across and grip slide. Push slide with left hand while pushing pistol in opposite direction with right hand.

Kind of a "push", "push" action, but one seems to have more strength with the pistol held close to the chest and pushing opposite direction.
Click to expand...

yup, that's what I was talking about.... she has really long fingers, and it's hard for her to grip the slide compared to a wider and thicker gun like a G19, so it makes it doubly hard for her... I taught her that trick off the bat and it makes it easier for her to rack, but still not easy enough for my peace of mine.
 
The SIG P238 is an excellent quality, easy to rack sub-compact pistol, though with a different manual of arms than the pistol she is used to. I love it wearing the Hogue grip sleeve.

Sent from my motorola one 5G using Tapatalk
 
bigwheelzip said:
The SIG P238 is an excellent quality, easy to rack sub-compact pistol, though with a different manual of arms than the pistol she is used to. I love it wearing the Hogue grip sleeve.

Sent from my motorola one 5G using Tapatalk
Click to expand...


Yep. That was one I was actually thinking of. I had the sig p938 and it was also a stupid easy slide to rack. The 380 version would be like butter
 
My wife had a Glock 19 and she had the same problem of racking the slide. Got her a Shield 380EZ. The first hundred rounds, it had the problem of the last round stove piping and on a few occasions, the last round would fly from the top of the magazine completely out of the slide without being fired. It would happen only on the last round in each magazine. I read in this forum that the fix to this was to scratch up the top of the follower on the magazines and make a rougher surface. Did that and problem solved. Have about 350 trouble free rounds thru it, including several hollowpoint rounds. The slide is much easier for her to manipulate and she is more comfortable with the recoil of a .380 instead of a nine.
 
Blowback actions vary in how easily the slide is to pull back because the spring tension is sized to the expected recoil. Dropping down in caliber would make for an easier-to-rack slide, so a .380 would be easier to operate than a 9mm, a .32 would be easier than a .380, etc.

Or.... switch her to a revolver, she would only have to adapt to trigger pull and difference in operation (loading/unloading, SA/DA, etc). No field strip required for cleaning.
 
I purchased a SCH9 charging handle assist for my Shield 2.0. I have arthritis in my hands and wrists and this made it much easier to rack. I’m very pleased with it.

Another more radical option, introduce her to a 38 special revolver. Not an air weight, a steel frame like a 640 no dash or a model 10 2”. A new Colt Cobra 2” is another good choice.
 
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My Grandmother carried a revolver ... who said it was a must for older folks to have to deal with loading magazines and racking slides .
She could shoot and reload that 5 shooter with nary a problem .
She liked Speed Strips ...kept two in her purse .

More than one way to skin a squirrel ... consider options that don't need racks .
Gary
 
gwpercle said:
My Grandmother carried a revolver ... who said it was a must for older folks to have to deal with loading magazines and racking slides .
She could shoot and reload that 5 shooter with nary a problem .
She liked Speed Strips ...kept two in her purse .

More than one way to skin a squirrel ... consider options that don't need racks .
Gary
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly. That's the path my wife took-didn't want to deal with all the extra manipulations and potential malfunction clearing required of a semi-auto pistol. The revolver is as simple and reliable as it gets-load, point, shoot.
 
A bit off the beaten path, maybe a Ruger LCP in .22? A woman I know carries one, very very easy to operate.
I wouldn’t want 11 rds of Stingers headed my way.
 
cndrdk said:
With left hand, reach across and grip slide. Push slide with left hand while pushing pistol in opposite direction with right hand.
Click to expand...


I have to use this method on a P226 with worn slide serrations and it works very well.
 
I have both the 380 and the 9 EZ have not had a problem with either.
The recall was for guns manufactured prior to October 2020. Hundreds of trouble free rounds down range in both guns.. I find them both rack as specified.
I have found the Shield Plus also is easier to rack then most standard Shields
 
wormraper said:
there's a big recall going on from S&W because of hammer issues, and a lot of people are having problems with the last round in the mag stove piping, or failure to feeds
Click to expand...

I have an EZ9, and I think it's great. In an experiment I ran a couple different brands of shells through it and with one brand it developed some failure to feed, but with the other brand it didn't miss a beat. So with ammunition of sufficient strengh for me it would shoot just fine.
 
Truckman said:
One feature I've always admired about the Browning Hi Power is the ability to operate the slide one-handed against a hard surface...Whether her hand would fit the grip is another question...:)...Ben
Click to expand...

I have both a BHP and a full-size Glock 9mm. The slide on the BHP is a LOT harder to rack than the Glock. The High Power has a fairly svelte slide that needs a lot of recoil spring resistance to the power of the round and also has a heavy mainspring for the same reason. The Glock relies more on weight in the slide. If you have steel sights, it's easier to rack the Glock one-handed as well.

The grip circumference on the BHP is quite a bit less than the Glock (even with the stock grips). It's a little wider, but much shorter, backstrap-to-frontstrap. Slim grips would help even more.
 
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