Easiest Slide

No matter how delicate, if a woman can handle getting up and getting dressed in the morning, she's plenty strong enough to rack a slide. The issue is usually technique. Have her study the patented Cornered Cat slingshot or overhand maneuvers and see which is easier.

The deeper issue here is one of mindset. The firearm is lifesaving gear. If you think of it that way, of course racking a slide is a piece of cake. It's only going to be a problem if the user wants it to be easy, and that suggests to me that maybe this isn't the right time to be even dealing with this at all.

My wife also is a small woman that wants to carry but not very strong, or coordinated for that matter, and after getting the slide back is when the problems start for her. You might want to watch for limp wristing. This was the deal breaker for me, she is a revolver shooter now thru and thru.

My wife has trouble racking some semi-auto slides as well, her hands just aren't very strong. One of the easiest for her, of the pistols I own, is my Beretta PX4 in 9mm. The recoil spring seems lighter than most similar 9mms, probably due to the rotary locking system, and the safety on the slide gives a nice solid lump to hold on to when cycling the pistol.

I would say the Taurus 9mm model PT99AS or PT92 (same gun re-labeled) full size
but I doubt it's any easier than the Beretta 92 ("same" gun)

think about a tip up barrels, there are some tip ups in at least some smaller calibers like 32, 380
is it absolutely MUST be 9mm or larger ?
(yeah I know the implications, but a little less bang still beats a loud shout for help when there is no help)
Browning used to do a 380 tip up, ~13 rounds of "wussie" goes a long way towards curing bad attitude

is it absolutely MUST be a semi-auto ?
any revolver that has a SA hammer is real easy trigger pull, all calibers, all frame sizes

true, learning to push/pull will cure
but I have seen some who just cannot, and it just wrong to get pompous over that.. (especially w/ a wife )

Might I suggest a revolver
or a gym membership?

there are techniques, it really doesn't take that much power
often 9mm, full sized have easier slides than smaller caliber due to the fact that 9mm requires a locking action and the smaller caliber rely on slide weight and spring pressure to keep the action closed while firing.

I'd agree. Show her the push/pull way of doing it and well ... let her rack a few slides.

But on the note of you yourself saying she's neither very strong nor coordinated... I do go to the gym with my wife for exactly those reasons and that has helped in empowering her way more than getting her an easy to use gun.
These days she's the one with the .45. Not me.

Stoeger Cougar 9mm. My wife has no problems with it. Loosens up even better after the break-in period.

EDIT: Similar to Warlock's suggestion of the PX4, the Cougar has the same rotary design.

+1 shockwave! he nailed it right there, you don't do it right, it makes it really hard.

http://www.berettaweb.com/Beretta 80/Beretta 86.htm

if willing to consider, this (I think ??) is still being made/sold WRONG AGAIN NO they don't make 'em anymore, me going to shut up now
link says it all
it is NOT a mini LCP or KelTec, is is not a straight blowback, WRONG yes it is a
blowback, sorry about that it's (as some folks who make fun of 380s say), " a REAL gun"

good luck, friend
cheap it ain't, but she is worth it

Actually, to make a point
The Kel Tec P3AT, and LCP are locked with a modified Browning HP type cam, so is the P32 for that matter

But remember the lighter the gun, the bigger the round, the more the recoil, the kick.

Have you considered the Sig P239? They come in 9mm, .40 S&W, .357 Sig

...

Well, I bought my wife a NIB Sig P232 SL 380.. hard, long, DA pull, SA break was clean, but hammer hit was hard.. Racking the slide was very hard for her, plus some other things, sharp recoil being one..

So, being for my wife, I stepped up from 800 bucks, to 1100 bucks and got her the SA EMP 9mm and she loves it.. (so do I) 6500 rounds, later, proved reliable.

SA EMP SAO (light, same, trigger pull every time) 9mm 1911 9+1 load-out and she has no problems racking the slide (much less return spring force).. No double pull, just single action, and with 2 safety's, cocked and locked, she is very ccw happy with it, along with, they are little tack drivers.. Not to mention, she could, "easily" hand load all 3 new mags, all 9 rounds, with "ease" from the get-go (single stack mags), very nice feature, along with 3-dot night sights, wood grips, and, to boot, just an eloquent looking 3" bull barreled 1911

Not to mention, gun loves little hands, bigger hands.. (full grip, no pinkie extension)

Need pic, let me know


Ls

Stoeger Cougar 9mm

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. I would have to agree with this. Don't personally own one but I have racked the slide on more than one and they were all butter smooth. Ditto for the Beretta PX4.

Ruger P95.

I have a lot of guns and my Fiancee just loves the p95. Its the easiest gun to rack and the softest recoiling 9/40/45 that i have ever owned or shot.

Laugh if you will but the easiest centerfire gun to rack ive tried is a HiPoint JCP 40 s&w.

Even a "delicate flower" should be able to rack a slide, although some guns are better for this than others. (More on this later.) It is more a matter of technique than sheer strength. There are also various hand and finger exercisers available. Increased hand and finger strength also has long term health benefits, e.g., less likely to be afflicted by arthritis in later years.

Here's what we've tried so far:
- SA XD40 SC
- SA XD45 Tactical
- Kahr CW40
- Beretta 92FS
- Glock 26
- Glock 30

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I have to say, you picked some bad ones. Any .40 or .45-caliber pistol, especially a compact one, is going to have a heavier recoil spring than its counterpart in 9mm, as well as less grip and slide to hold onto. The Glock 26 has a short grip, and the Beretta has safety levers that dig in. As an additional example, the CZ75, for all its virtues, has a terrible slide to rack because there is little exposed above the frame. I would suggest trying the Glock 19. It has a full length (for smaller hands) grip, a light recoil spring, no additional tension of a hammer spring, and a tall square slide with deep grasping grooves. Another is a 1911, despite its having a thumb safety. A 9mm or .38 Super one can run a lighter recoil spring than its .45 counterpart, and it too has a tall slide with deep grooves. I also presume her hands are small. It will have a slimmer grip than anything you tried (except for the Kahr) and a lighter, shorter reach trigger.

The Beretta PX4 feels lighter than the rest that I have tried. Good luck.

Take you wife to the gun shop and let her shop
the sling shot or over hand what ever
I don't really pay attention, as I usually just make sure no fingers are in the way and cock the gun.

You do it supported, even one handed if you have to, but another way, is to hold the slide bracing the side of your non-dominate hand against the edge of a table and use your support hand like a clamp to hold the slide while you PUSH the grip/frame to cycle the slide.

ALSO, on the tilt barrels, they are still around, but often by another Italian gun maker, FIE's and few other names, but basically the Beretta copied.

Sevral years ago I purchasedthe Taurus PT-111 because the slide was able to be racked back by my wife. To make a long story short she never went through with her CPL anf I found the gun uncomfortable to shoot for extended session since my finger rubbed on the inside of the trigger guard. However for defensive purposes it still might be an option to consider.

or a gym membership?

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Yeouch. No matter how well intentioned, that's just not a polite thing to recommend.

That being said, some good triceps targeting exercises at home will work. My girlfriend did it, and it works. Just s simple dumbbell, dome overhead extensions and bent over extensions 3x a week will tone them up. My girlfriend ended up with very visible results and as a side effect, noticed she had no trouble racking my 1911 any more. In her words, "It got rid of my saggy underarms." I wouldn't have called them "saggy," but they became very firm and tone in a short time.

edit:: I've notice that anyone who has had trouble racking the slide on a 45, had the same issue with a 9mm. There just isn't that much difference. My girlfriend was equally troubled by my 1911, my old beretta 96 or my glock 19. Likewise, once she built up more muscle and became more accustomed with the techniques cornered cat mentioned...she had zero trouble with any caliber. There never was a time period where she had no trouble with a 9mm, but trouble with a 45. There just isn't that much difference in the lb ft of torque you have to expend when racking the slide. Tightening and firming up her arm, practice and technique made all the difference.

However, her focus is toning

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Same deal with my g/f. Seriously, have her try the lying triceps extensions with 5lb weights. Makes a tremendous toning difference in a very short time. IMHO it would take months of yoga/pilates to achieve what a simple dumbbell exercise can do in two weeks. My g/f is far from being a body builder and loves the short, 3 exercise, 3 set 15 rep exercise that I helped her with so much she has her friends doing it.

1. 3 sets 15x reps lying triceps dumbbell extensions.
2. 3 set of 10-15x dumbbell kickbacks
3. 3 sets of 10-15x one arm dumbbell triceps extensions (this one is really optional. If someone isn't used to low weight training, spending 10 minutes on the first two 2-3x a week will make a world of difference.)

5lbs is plenty. My g/f is 5'10" and tone to begin with, yet it took her weeks to work up to 10lbs. As a matter of fact, the first week she used only one 5lb dumbbell and I had to assist her heavily through the motions or she couldn't get 15 reps. Once she hit the 10 pounders, she no longer had trouble racking the slides.

Just my experiences with what sounds like similar issues, brother...not trying to tell you what to do. YMMV of course! Now if I can just get her to stop joking about her new "guns" while walking around the house flexing...