One Hand Tap Rack

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tarosean

tarosean

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I was perusing the internet and came across this one hand slide manipulation.

Link to youtube.
Video

While the gentlemen demonstrates going from condition 3. Ive read in other places that it maybe useful technique to learn in case your other hand is injured and you have a jam/ etc.

What say you? Useful? Dangerous? Stupid?

(Im out of the country right now so not able to try it. Just tossing thoughts around in my head.)
 
First off, that was awefully quick and an indication that he practices much.

I see little value in carrying with an empty chamber, but as you mention, it is useful to be able to rack the slide with one hand in the event that you are injured in a situation where you needed to defend yourself. We did these drills in a handgun class and I occasionally practice this when training - because you just never know what's going to happen.

I'll also practice drawing with me left hand (from right hip) and manipulating the gun with the weak hand.

It's all about training for what might happen, despite the odds of ever needing to use it. It also adds a little flavor to my range visits.
 
If you want a pretty good book on this and other stuff for the real world... You might pick up a copy of Street Survival..... it was my bible in the early eighties when I was a street cop. Much of it is very dated now but the topics discussed and the pics will definitely have you thinking about just what's involved in an armed confrontation in a variety of circumstances....
 
I don't carry empty chamber and the only reason I can think off to do so would be that in some instances it might be legal whereas having a chambered round would be illegal (for example in my home state if one did not have a permit he or she could open carry empty chamber but not with a round chambered).

That said, one handed slide manipulation is a basic technique that anyone carrying a gun should be reasonably proficient at. It is useful for clearing malfunctions. I recently discusses this on here on another thread and a gentleman suggested it was simply to slow and difficult to ever be useful. That video helps to illustrate it really is not slow or difficult. People that think such things are simply projecting their own inability on to others.

One handed drawing, one handed shooting, one handed reloads, clearing various malfunctions one handed, and doing so with both strong and support hands are all things that are fairly basic defensive handgun skills that one carry a gun should be reasonably proficient at. They are probably things you will never need, but the same is true of carrying a gun in the first place. If you are going to go to the trouble of carrying a gun everyday, then IMHO, it behooves you to be reasonably proficient with it.
 
It might be helpful it you changed your title, to something like Racking the Slide with One-handed...as there is no Tap, before the Rack. There is a technique for a one handed Tap, Rack...but this isn't it.

Being able to rack your slide one-handed should be a basis skill if you are going to use a pistol defensively. That is why I am a bit concerned by the popularity of Novak style rear sights...you need a flat front face on the rear sight to catch the surface you are going to press against
 
Being able to rack your slide one-handed should be a basis skill if you are going to use a pistol defensively.
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My pistol instructor agrees. Phase II of his training teaches almost exclusively gun handling and draws in the most oddball of circumstances.
Although I've found that if done forcefully enough Novak sights still can be used for that technique. I have good luck with that on my shoe heel.

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As for dangerous or stupid. I've always felt there is a difference in administrative gun handling and learning to fight with it. And some people out there do seem to agree. Draw practice or even movement with a loaded gun (especially climbing a dreaded fence *le gasp*) are skills you should probably know, but if we only handled our guns administratively we'd never be able to do it.
 
As for dangerous or stupid. I've always felt there is a difference in administrative gun handling and learning to fight with it.
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You articulated it better than I could. Couldn't agree more.

In one of the training courses I took, we covered racking the slide with one hand. Its one of the reasons why I prefer a kydex holster: I think its easier to rack the slide on a hard point than soft leather.

In regards to the "WHY is he CARRYING IN CONDITION 3" comments, in the video, there's a little pop up window that says he carries in condition 1, but put it in three for the purposes of the video.

That is why I am a bit concerned by the popularity of Novak style rear sights...you need a flat front face on the rear sight to catch the surface you are going to press against
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I agree. On my SR9, there's enough of a ledge to be able to get away with it. I challenge anyone who can practice this SAFELY, but thinks the gun they carry is for some reason unable to be run one handed, to spend some time and find a way to make it work. If you absolutely can not make it work with the rear sight, what about the ejection port? If the belt is giving you a hard time, try racking the slide on the holster... now try it with your support hand :evil:

Chris "the Kayak-Man" Johnson
 
Now just do that trick when you are wearing a coat, have Novack sights, and being shot at while moving at night in the rain.

Now THAT will be a trick!

Deaf
 
Good skill to know.

Not the best skill to practice much. Damaging the sights, throwing them off, damaging clothing or belts, and with many techniques pointing a muzzle at yourself or a random direction to do it fast is just not ideal.

The video seems fine, but you do that a lot with those plastic sights or thin metal iron sights and you are going to degrade them.


The technique is also easier the weaker the recoil spring. Which means on average the less powerful the caliber the easier it will be to rack the slide one handed.
The 10mm Glocks for example are going to be more challenging than the 9mm ones like used in the video. And a .380ACP gun with large enough sights is going to be even easier.

Doing it while standing with your belt in a known fixed position when prepared is also a lot easier. Actually having to do it with a bullet in your other arm, while wrestling or off balance, or laying on the ground, won't be as clean and pretty. That edge of the belt may be harder to find or not at the right angle. So one should know how to use other things too. Which then gets into even more dangerous technique like using a limb or part of your body to push the slide back. Once again useful skill, but not one that can safely be advised to practice. It means playing with a gun in a way that if it was loaded would pose a risk of being shot. And you are supposed to treat a gun as if it is loaded, because most accidental shootings are with 'unloaded' guns.
Guns do malfunction too. Whenever you drop the slide on a live round there is a very real risk of potential discharge even without touching the trigger. It is the time you would most likely see a mechanical problem discharge the weapon. So it is really the time it is most important that the gun is pointed in a safe direction.
 
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The technique is also easier the weaker the recoil spring. Which means on average the less powerful the caliber the easier it will be to rack the slide one handed.
The 10mm Glocks for example are going to be more challenging than the 9mm ones like used in the video. And a .380ACP gun with large enough sights is going to be even easier.
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I have yet to attempt this with a handgun that the strength of the recoil spring really affected the degree of difficulty in any material or even perceivable way. As a reference point I have done this with at least 20+ different pistols ranging from .380 up to 45 ACP.

Not the best skill to practice much. Damaging the sights, throwing them off, damaging clothing or belts, and with many techniques pointing a muzzle at yourself or a random direction to do it fast is just not ideal.
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I have never seen sights damaged. I have heard of it happening. However, any decent sights should live up to more than an adequate amount of practice just fine. Sure fragile target sights or cheapo sights of some sort might be vulnerable, but they do not belong on a fighting gun, which is the type of weapon this manipulation is relevant for. I have guns I have done this countless times with and they are no worse for wear. At pistol courses they regularly do this. As I said I have heard of rare instances of sights breaking. IMHO those rare occasions simply identified faulty equipment. If this broke, damaged, or misaligned sights you would hear about it, since this is done a lot at shooting schools all over the country as a matter of course.

If for some reason you were too worried to use your sights you could use the ejection port. That is what I use on my LCP anyways as it does not have sights that will work for one handed manipulations.

If this is damaging your belt, buy a real gun belt (you should have one anyways), or use the edge of your holster/mag pouch.


Doing it while standing with your belt in a known fixed position when prepared is also a lot easier. Actually having to do it with a bullet in your other arm, while wrestling or off balance, or laying on the ground, won't be as clean and pretty.
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This is pretty much true of all defensive handgunning skills. If your point is to argue against it as a viable solution for empty chamber carrying I agree. If your point is simply the truism that a one handed malfunction drill is going to be more difficult at time when the chips are down and you really have to use one hand than during training, duh, of course that's true. That is hardly an argument against training the skill. The same thing can be said about any defensive handgunning skill, even things like drawing and shooting. Training cannot simulate every aspect of reality, that is not a reason to forego training.

As to pointing the gun at your self or in a random direction. Do the technique right and you don't do either of those things. It is like saying don't every practice drawing your gun because pointing a gun at yourself or in random directions is unsafe. However, in both instances proper technique avoids the concerns entirely.

Which then gets into even more dangerous technique like using a limb or part of your body to push the slide back.
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I limb or body part would be way down the list of things to use. Holster, belt, mag pouch, heal of my shoe, the edge of my pocket knife, etc would all be things I would use first.

I don't mean to sound rude, but what training in defensive handgun shooting do you have? These critiques seem to be based in ignorance about how to perform the techniques and how they work.

Once again useful skill, but not one that can safely be advised to practice.
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That is nonsense. Why then does every knowledgeable handgun instructor and shooting school teach the technique? You really think if it wasn't safe it would be drilled repeatedly at front site, thunder Ranch, Costa Ludas, Haley Strategic, gun site, Magpul Dynamics, etc, etc, etc, etc?
 
One-hand gun manipulations are techniques that should be learned by everyone that carries a firearm.

We do it in law enforcement training every year.

The bad thing about carrying in C-3, is if you miss that "rack", you might end up with a toe tag.
 
if you miss that "rack", you might end up with a toe tag.
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Took me a second to realize you are referring to a toe tag (not an ND) at the morgue. :cool:

I'm stealing that line. :)

Zoogster, dummy rounds are a good way to practice those drills. And no one said that the 4 rules were temporarily suspended. ;)
 
Don't Israeli soldiers carry in condition 3? I can imagine them practicing this, if they ever need to deploy their sidearm with one hand
 
One handed incapacitation training is pretty standard stuff. No voodoo involved. If you carry a weapon for HD/SD/Duty purposes it should be something that you have received quality instruction on and are proficient with performing. It really isn't that difficult and correct technique stays in line with safe weapons handling.
 
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