[zahc]

Do you rack the slide with your thumb on the weak hand side of the slide or the strong hand side of the slide? Are there names for the different ways?

Are there any good ways to rack a slide one handed?

[Soap]

Neither. I rack the slide with my weak hand with my four fingers on the strong side and my palm on the weak side. This way makes my grip sure and it is easier to clear malfs. If it is an extremely bad malf, I can hold the pistol with my weak hand while I slam my strong hand into the grip to force the malf to clear. (I've actually had to do this...) The only ways to rack a slide one handed are to catch the ejection port or rear sight on your belt/mag pouch/holster/etc. I wouldn't try this with live rounds without proper instruction first. YMMV.

[Preacherman]

Actually, I learned a new trick from Skunkabilly. I remove my shoe and sock, and rack the slide with my toes. This leaves one hand free for CQB self-defence while the pistol is out of action!

:neener: :p :D

[Navy joe]

Pretty much what Dan said. Pinch racking is slower and less sure.

Some guns like a 1911 or P35 can be racked by pushing the lower front of the slide into a solid object like a table edge, door frame edge, steering wheel, etc. Works great for clearing truly ugly malfs. I've used this before and thus prefer no full length guiderods.

[444]

As Daniel so correctly points out, you rack the slide with your whole hand. I have to admit, that I didn't always do it that way. I was taught that way at Gunsite. It had never occured to me before, but after seeing it I realized that was the right way.

The logic behind it is that under extreme stress, your body loses it's ability to use it's fine motor skills. Grabing the slide with your whole hand is a gross motor skill. Using the tips of your fingers is a fine motor skill. Whether you are racking the slide to initally chamber a round, or you are clearing a malfunction, you do it the same way every time. After repeating this action over and over it becomes a part of your muscle memory.

[cordex]

Agree with Dan & Co. regarding racking the slide with your whole hand instead of slingshotting it.
As to one-handed racking ...
If you have durable sights, you can hook the rear sight on your belt and push down hard.
Whoops ... looks like Dan remembered that the sight was an option too. Never mind.
Definitely a Last Resort kind of thing, but preparing for Last Resort is why you carry a gun, yes?

[BevrFevr]

I learn something new here every day! :)

-bevr

[MaterDei]

I GRIP the slide as Dan pointed out. However, I RACK the slide with my strong side. This allows the weapon to be brought into proper alignment quicker, at least for me. YMMV

MaterDei

[cordex]

I GRIP the slide as Dan pointed out. However, I RACK the slide with my strong side.
So you grip the slide and rack the frame?

[444]

I think he means he grasps the slide and pushes the frame forward toward the target ?

[cordex]

Yeah, that's what I was figuring.

[MaterDei]

So you grip the slide and rack the frame?

Yes that's exactly what I do, though I've never though about it in those words. :D I push the weapon forward right out of my grip hand toward the anticipated/known target.

It is also how I taught weaker shooters (i.e. my kids and wife) and those with arthritis (my dad) to do it as well. Typically people are stronger on their, err, strong side.

[striker3]

Just thought that it should be pointed out that you should never cover any part of the ejection port when racking the slide. If you do, then you might be creating a second malfunction when clearing a first. If the jammed case hits your hand, then it could fall back into the chamber as the slide seats itself.

If you always charge the weapon with your thumb on the strong side of the weapon, it alleviates this particular problem. And yes , I still grab with a large part of my hand, not just my thumb and fingers for the reasons mentioned before.

[DMK]

I rack the slide with my weak hand with my four fingers on the strong side and my palm on the weak side. How is this done without at least partially blocking the ejection port?

[BHPshooter]

As most have said, I rack the slide with the fingers on the strong side and the butt of the hand on the weak.

How is this done without at least partially blocking the ejection port?

Well, rip out one of your hand cannons and give it a whirl -- it makes a lot more sense when you see it than when you read it. The pinky finger is pretty much there for decoration anyway, so you just make sure it's out of the way, and TRAIN THAT WAY.

Cheers,
Wes

[coylh]

"Slingshot" is ok if you cant the handgun 90 degrees towards your weak hand, aka ganster-stance. You get four fingers and the length of the entire thumb on the slide. Keeps the ejection port unobstructed, but you should check to make sure your particular handgun does not eject brass straight up now that the ejection port is facing the sky.

I think this is used in the "Israeli" style. It's probably mostly suitable for shooters who use an isosceles stance.

Also to note, this method works better than the "overhand" method on small pistols which don't have much slide/rear sight anyway.

[c_yeager]

Neither. I rack the slide with my weak hand with my four fingers on the strong side and my palm on the weak side.

this is the method i use as well. Like others i tend to keep my left hand (the one on the slide) stationary and push foreward with my strong hand (on the grip). The only thing to be concerned about is a natural tendancy (at least with me) to want to point the gun to the side instead of downrange. I have also found that this method REALLY helps people with weaker hands. A really tiny female friend of mine kept trying to rack my makarov in the traditional pinch style (influenced by movies no doubt). Changing to this method made the task a breeze for her.

[444]

One note: One reason for using the whole hand on top of the slide is so you engrain this response into your muscle memory. Every time you rack the slide for any reason, you do it the same way so you don't think about it, you just do it. This includes clearing malfuctions: when you do the tap/rack/bang you grasp the slide the same way as every other time you rack the slide. Therefore, it is vitally important that you to not have the ejection port vertical when you rack the slide. You want the ejection port to be in the normal firing position or even cocked slightly clockwise to allow gravity to assist you in clearing the malfunction.

[Black Snowman]

I had to thing about this one, I only have 3 automatics and they all get racked differantly due to the radicly differant designs but each one always gets racked in "its way" and they have all become instinctive. In fact, I don't think I could describe very well how I rack any of them.

[Jeff OTMG]

Exactly, grip the slide and push the gun away from you. The Israeli method.