Limp wristing?

[onlymeself]

I just hoping for a little clarifaction, please.

I keep seeing the term "limp wristing" in regards to semi-auto handguns. And that it causes the gun to malfunction. So I think to myself, limp wristing is when the gun basically sags in your hand, making it hard to lift the front up to aim at target. But I don't see how this is going to cause a malfunction. So maybe I have the term limp wristing all wrong.

It's not that it's an issue with me, (but not sure what it is so I won't go counting it out) I'm just hoping to be able to understand what you all mean by the term and how it cause problems.

Peace,

Only

 

[AK103K]

Basically its not holding the gun firm enough to allow things to cycle properly, or thats the theory.

Heres a link to an informal test showing what can happen. There are a few more from the same boy on the right side too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh9JhCyFFxA&feature=related

 

[Ed Ames]

Short answer: Many handguns, especially those with very light frames, are designed to push against the hand of the shooter when recoil cycles the action. If the shooter's hand doesn't resist the push and the gun moves back with the slide, the action may not open enough or may not put enough energy into the spring to close properly, resulting in a failure of one sort or another.

It can be insufficient resistance, actively jerking back, or perhaps some other motion.

 

[tactikel]

Firing powerful ammo in an automatic requires a strong recoil spring to allow the gun to cycle, but not pound itself to pieces. the spring must push against something (the receiver). in light guns especially the receiver is too light to put enough resistance- your hand supplies the rest of resistance. Limp wristing is when your grip (hand and forearm) is too loose to give the gun enough mass to push off of, the spring cant compress completely and the gun wont cycle, jamming. Heavy autos, and guns in light calibers rarely have this problem.

 

[RobMoore]

Lots of responses telling what it is, so here is how NOT to limp wrist.

Imagine someone is about the grab the front of your slide and crank it up and back toward you. Knowing this is about to happen, you "preset" tension in your wrist to resist it (this is mainly concerning the strong hand)

If you still can't picture it in your head, empty your gun and get a full grip on it. Have someone actually pry your empty gun up and towards you to simulate muzzle flip, and learn first-hand which muscles you need to resist their pressure.

 

[jad0110]

Limp wristing is when your grip (hand and forearm) is too loose to give the gun enough mass to push off of, the spring cant compress completely and the gun wont cycle, jamming. Heavy autos, and guns in light calibers rarely have this problem.

My experience backs this up. I could pretty reliably induce malfunctions in my old Springfield XD9 by intentionally limpwristing. Same with a Glock 23 I rented once. OTH, getting my all steel M1911 to malfunction by limp wristing does not come nearly as easily.

 

[onlymeself]

You guys are great. I now have a clear picture. And I can say that I don't do this with my XDM. I always hold on to it like my life depends on it, cuz one day it might. I think I will still do as RobMoore suggest, as this will give me an idea of what muscles to work on for increased stamina.
I glad you all didn't think it was a stupid question though.

 

[KenW.]

I've been accused of limp-wristing my 1911s and my XD. Never has Caused a failure until I shot a Glock for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Got a couple of stovepipes in 100 or so rounds.

It may just be the gun in this circumstance; rather than the shooter?

 

[Zach S]

OTH, getting my all steel M1911 to malfunction by limp wristing does not come nearly as easily.

Its easier on the short pistols. My 3.5" Para hangs up with a limp wrist after about 500 rounds or so, so I keep a fresh spring in it. I havent had problems with my 4" Kimber, but it uses the same spring, so I change it out at the same interval.

Never a problem out of my 5" guns. My short ones haven't got shot much since I realized that even a skinny guy like me can CC a 5" 1911 comfortably.

 

[Geronimo45]

I'm not too shabby at limp-wristing a full-sized, full-weight 1911. I suspect that a lot of 'limp-wristing' problems are due to a lack of lubricant...

 

[Zerodefect]

Yup, lightweight gun plus lack of lube makes a gun very prone to limpwrist problems.

Glocks are a good example, plenty of new shooters with them that haven't learned to hold onto thier gun. Lightweight. And the hype that Glocks can be run dry or with little lube.

 

[RobMoore]

With little lube is how Glock says to run it.

 

[Bill B.]

Glocks are very easy to limp wrist when shooting "weak hand". I had never shot mine that way till I was invited to an IDPA match. Mine managed to stovepipe every time when fired weak hand in that match. Never no issues in normal use with my strong hand. It only gets better with practice.

 

[Cannonball888]

I've only had FTEs on a P3AT while limpwristing it. Holding it firmly solved the problem.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Most automatic pistols basically consist of two assemblies, the slide and the frame.

When the gun is fired, the slide (which contains the barrel) moves backward, while the frame is held firm. As the slide moves backward, the fired case is extracted and ejected, the recoil spring is compressed and (in most guns) the hammer is cocked. At the end of the slide's rearward travel, the compressed recoil spring pushes the slide assembly forward again, stripping a cartridge out of the magazine, chambering it, and locking the breech (for locked breech designs.)

Bearing all that in mind, imagine an automatic pistol suspended from a string and fired remotely. Slide and frame would recoil together, with relatively little relative motion between them. The fired case would not be extracted, the hammer not cocked, and of course a new cartridge would not be chambered.

In "limp wristing," the frame (butt) is not held firmly enough to allow the slide to recoil properly with relation to the frame, and the gun experiences a stoppage.