Girlfriend can't work slide on semi-auto handgun.

(originally posted by Riss) This method would not work with something like a CZ-75. The slide is not tall enough and there is not enough to grasp. But for the Glock it works well.

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I grab the slide serrations from the back of the gun with my thumb and my pointer finger at a 90 degree angle or less with my big knuckle as the axis and the end of my pointer finger faced backwards towards me so the side of my finger is on the serrations. this lets my thumb grip the serrations and my pointer finger get the most surface area possible on the serrations to grip it and slide it back. I had troubles at first because I was used to a 1911 slide (BIG difference!)

try another way

Have her try this; it may help.

Instead of drawing the slide to the rear, have her grip it tight, as usual, only have her grip it with an extended grip arm. Then push the pistol; finger off the trigger! -all the way forward until she reaches full extension of the pistol hand and forcefully pulls the slide out of her other hand. If it works the slide will have been drawn full to the rear, snatched out of her gripping hand, and will spring forward to close. The pushing while gripping is more efficient than the pulling to the rear action.

If your girlfriend has long nails, suggest she maincure, or perhaps wear thin leather (dress) gloves so as not to tear those.

Not to step on others toes or to rehash what others have said. But the racking of the slide is a common problem for new shooter men and women. I think it would certainly be beneficial to review the proper procedure of this ( excellent example in post #13) the push and pull motion is key. This small tip and review is worth a shot and could save you some money, in the form of a new gun.

Hold slide still, push the frame

A Glock should be one of the easier guns to run. They have tall blocky slides with substantial grasping grooves and, being striker fired, have no additional compression of the hammer spring. I think it is more a matter of technique than raw strength. I disagree that switching to a revolver would necessarily be easier. Pulling the trigger on some of them is a matter of strength.


There are various finger exercisers - even squeezing a tennis ball - available that can at least increase finger/hand strength. Even without the consideration of racking a slide - let alone locking the slide back to "show clear" or clearing "double feed" malfunctions - there are long term health benefits.

REVOLVER!

That's what my wife chose, after shooting a lot of bottom feeders and wheelguns. Smart girl . . . and a whale of a shot with her 3" barreled Model 37 Airweight.

She didn't want a slide to have to mess with, she wanted it to always go bang under stress, and wanted the operation to be a simple as possible. Smart girl.

Let HER decide what she wants. It will almost surely be different from what you like. If she likes her gun, she will want to go shooting with you more often . . . and be much more confident with it should she ever need to use it in a dangerous situation against some big, bad guy with a lot more swagger than she'll have.

Confidence is everything . . . along with knowing her gun is easy to shoot without anything going wrong.

My wife had the same issue with the Glocks, she could not rack them. She carries a Bersa Thunder .380 and has no problem with that slide

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Me too.

Another technique is to hold the slide and push away with the lower frame.

Let HER decide what she wants. It will almost surely be different from what you like. If she likes her gun, she will want to go shooting with you more often . . . and be much more confident with it should she ever need to use it

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Agreed. This is very good advice. People have to really love their weapons and trust them and enjoy using them in order for them to have maximum effectiveness.

I look at this kind of like having your wife/gf use your new table saw or arc welder. If she is into it and committed to learning how to do it well, then more power to her. If she would rather stick with some tools that move slower and are more forgiving then try to see that and don't force her out of her comfort zone. A revolver with a decent action job will serve anyone well as a beginners gun and if you have an auto for her to work with then keep that opportunity in front of her. If she is having problems with the slide, there might be other grip/strength issues also. Don't let your range time with her be the perfect scenario all the time and make sure everything works with some stress induced.

My S&W 3913 has bilateral decocker providing great purchase for ror racking and is easy to cock. It's also a single stack so the grip is a good size for women.

5. You will not hurt the gun, strike that; you can not hurt the gun by racking the slide. Show it who's boss; do not show fear.

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Believe it or not, I think this is one of the more common reasons why some people have trouble racking the slide. I've had more than one person ask me if they were going to break my 1911 or XD by racking it hard. Same basic deal with some pump shotgun shooters: rack it like you are trying to break it!

OTH, my wife's hands are tiny. Child-like actually. She has a tough time getting any kind of grasp on the slide - I'm serious, her hands aren't much bigger than my 3 year old son's hands. She can barely reach the trigger on a single stack 1911 or S&W J Frame. In fact, the only gun she is able to comfortably reach the trigger on is a Walther P-22.

In the end, as S&Wfan points out, let her pick what feels most natural in her hands. Better yet, rent or borrow some for her to shoot. Revolvers and autos.

I have never, ever met any adult who is too weak to cycle the action on any of my autoloading pistols, using the "push" technique. In fact, I've had a six year old demonstrate that he could do it. I refuse to accept that any adult woman without a serious medical condition is too weak to do so. Any difficulty in doing so is assuredly due to lack of proper technique and leverage, not lack of strength.

My wife cannot work the slides on my .40S&W, .45ACP pistols but has little if any problem with my Glock G34, G17, both 9mm. However she much prefers to shoot our .22lr target pistols, or my .357 revolvers.
General does the "push" technique involve pointing the muzzle at any body part including the hand? Or do you push the slide against another object? Why would anyone want a small child to operate the action on a semiauto pistol?

The answer is a revolver. Thats what I had to get for my wife. Is it a brand new glock? Newer pistols obviously have a stiffer spring.

My wife went with the revolver also.

General does the "push" technique involve pointing the muzzle at any body part including the hand? Or do you push the slide against another object?

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Neither. See video. It uses both arms pushing against each other. Even the stiffest stock recoil springs are under 20lbs. I've never met anyone who couldn't provide 20lbs of force through using both arms with optimal leverage.

Why would anyone want a small child to operate the action on a semiauto pistol?

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Firearms education is best started at a young age.

If she cant, or wont do whats needed to, work the slide on a semi auto, look into a revolver.
S&W K frame, Ruger SP101 or GP100.
My wife started with my 629, got her own GP100, then moved to her own 1911.
She has small hands and had no issue racking the slide.
Hers is a compact with a 22# spring.
She holds the slide and pushes the gun forward.


Jim

I have arthritis in a couple fingers and a fused spine (can't twist my torso to add oomph).
I use the overhand grip,elbows in, and push forward on the backstrap as I pull backward on the slide. Much easier.

Oh, I forgot to mention that she has nice, manicured nails that she's not going to cut.

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Well, there you go.

I'm 6'3" and weigh 240# and I can't rack the slide either if I'm worried about my nails. There's no way to get a proper grip, overhand or slingshot, while worried about nails.

My wife has a S&W 315 Night Guard. No slide to rack, nails stay intact, she loves it.

Wife had same problem.
The LCR works for her.

To me a big factor would be how much of a 'gun gal' is she? Nothing wrong with a simple revolver. Yes she could learn the semi-auto, IF she wants to.