Too old and weak to rack the slide
- Thread starter DAver7
- Start date
Not a gun answer, but have you seen a medical professional for some PT for the hands. Do you exercise them? That being said, SW and Ruger make semis that are easier to rack and there is a wave of Turkish 380 Beretta clones that are tip up. A small revolver in 45 ACP - they are not small like a J frame. You can get a J or LCR in a 32 caliber that is easier to shoot with milder loads.
Being 77, I still can rack Glocks and 1911s and have a set of geezer buddies who can do the same. I have a great orthpedic hand doc.
Being 77, I still can rack Glocks and 1911s and have a set of geezer buddies who can do the same. I have a great orthpedic hand doc.
Hillbilly Hydrographics
Member
Smith&wesson makes a couple ez slide model semi autos and ruger has a couple lite rack slide models of small semi autos. If racking the slide is an issue you might find it difficult for most revolver double action trigger pulls.
doubleh
Member
While there are several easy rack offerings in 380 and S&W offers their EZ in 9mm but they are smaller guns and I don;t enjoy shooting small guns anymore. I bought a plastic slide racker gadget a couple of years ago from Amazon that fits over the front of the slide and is large and easy to hold onto making it much easier to rack the slide on my full sized 9mm's and 45's. I do not have a link to post.
JTQ
Member
In these I'm "old/weak/small/child/woman/etc." threads, I always comment I'd rather rack the slide once on an auto pistol (with the big muscles of my upper body), for a nearly endless number of shots with a light semi-auto pistol trigger, rather than have to work a 10 lb revolver trigger for every shot (with just the little muscles in my trigger finger). This is without considering the manual dexterity required to reload a revolver.
MarshallDodge
Member
I can't help on the revolver part, but a 1911 is even easier to rack if you cock the hammer first.
I guess small is relative, but there are no small revolvers in 44 or 45. There are some small revolvers that shoot 9mm via moon clips which would be small. Plenty of options for 357 or 38 and you can find mild 357 loads or hot 38 loads that would be recoil manageable.
If you can work the slide on a 1911 there are a lot of other options out there in semi-autos other than the Taurus that are comparable to your 1911.
If you can work the slide on a 1911 there are a lot of other options out there in semi-autos other than the Taurus that are comparable to your 1911.
RetiredUSNChief
Member
The Walther CCP is WILDLY easy to rack for a 9mm, if you're looking for a semi-auto.
However, I'm a bit leery of recommending it outright, as mine has an issue with occasionally not going into full battery at the range.
Even my wife could rack this pistol when I first got it.
However, I'm a bit leery of recommending it outright, as mine has an issue with occasionally not going into full battery at the range.
Even my wife could rack this pistol when I first got it.
Jim Watson
Member
I got one of those just to see if it works. It does. I don't need it myself... yet.
I have said that myself but I have been assured by Internet Experts that the musculature is different and it really is easier to pull a DA trigger six times than to rack a slide once.
Yes, we here all know the different grips that let us bring more force to bear on a slide.
I have told the stories before, of two ladies who discovered that it was really easy to shoot a revolver if you pull the hammer all the way back. And of the two ladies who found that they could get both forefingers in the trigger guard.
Charter Bulldog is pretty small and I think there are some Taurus and Rossi medium frame bigbores. I liked the look of the Taurus Stellar Tracker .45 clip gun but could not accept a fiveshooter that did not fit a pocket.
Interestingly enough, the only "1911" I need to "pre-cock" the hammer on is my SM ACE .22.
AlexanderA
Member
The Girsan clone of the Beretta tip up barrel pistol would answer the racking problem. The question on those is what do you do when you have a stoppage - there's no extractor to remove the round even if you did pull the slide back. Tipping the barrel up and manually inserting another round wouldn't work in a defensive situation. I got to play with one in a LGS a year or so ago. It felt good in my hand and would probably have been a fun pistol to shoot, but the lack of an extractor was a deal killer for me.
lee n. field
Member
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Revolvers work. I don't think you're going to find a small revolver in .45ACP or .44 Special. Depends on what you think is small. Taurus had some .44 Special snubs, years and years ago. There is a Talo special .44 Tracker snubby, that can probably be found.
Of the centerfire automatics I have, the Gen 3 Glock 19 is the easiest to rack. It does not have the compound spring recoil assembly that gen 4 and gen 5 Glockses do.
72? I'm 69, with no problem handling anything. (Other problems, oh yeah.)
trackskippy
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As long as you dont have any major physical issues going on, I agree with GEM on this not being a gun issue.
And the tool you need to help with remedying this, you already have, your Taurus. If it were me, Id take the empty gun and just work the slide back and forth, as much as I could, while watching TV, etc, and work on getting you're muscle tone back up. Youll be working the actual muscles you need to get back into shape too, so no wasted effort (not that any effort is wasted).
If you do go with a revolver, working the trigger in DA in regular (better yet, daily) dry fire is sort of a necessity as well.
And the tool you need to help with remedying this, you already have, your Taurus. If it were me, Id take the empty gun and just work the slide back and forth, as much as I could, while watching TV, etc, and work on getting you're muscle tone back up. Youll be working the actual muscles you need to get back into shape too, so no wasted effort (not that any effort is wasted).
If you do go with a revolver, working the trigger in DA in regular (better yet, daily) dry fire is sort of a necessity as well.
doubleh
Member
If you live long enough you will most likely need it.
My trigger finger has gone haywire in the last year. It doesn't bend as much as it should and there is a tendon that hangs when I try to. I can still do OK shooting revolvers in single action mode but doubt I could manage 6 rounds of double action without a rest. I can't even twist the top off a plastic bottle of coke with it anymore.
.308 Norma
Member
I'll be 77 next week and my wife is not far behind. And while I have not (yet) had a problem racking the slide on any semi-auto I've picked up, the arthritis in my wife's right thumb joint makes racking the slide on some semi-autos difficult for her. That's why she carries a Smith M&P 380 EZ Shield - the slide is "EZ" to rack, and she's pretty good with it. She also has a Sig P239 9mm that she real good with and doesn't have a problem racking its slide either. However, the P239 is a bigger gun, and she has trouble concealing it on her 5'1" frame.
I guess it's kind of ironic that the arthritis in my wife's right thumb joint is probably, at least in part, the result of thousands of full-house 44 Magnum rounds fired in IHMSA competitions and practice for back in the late 70s and early 80s.
At any rate, I think a small revolver (in 45acp) might also be a good answer for you. Good luck in finding one in 44 Special though - trust me, I know. I've been looking for a "small revolver in 44 Special" for a while now, and the only one I've come up with is the Charter Arms "Bulldog" that I'm not at all fond of - it looks cheap and flimsy to me, decent OWB holsters with retention straps or thumb-breaks for it are few and far between, and finding an aftermarket set of man-sized grips for it is almost impossible - which makes it double-bad because with the skinny little grips it came with, that little revolver kicks too danged hard for this 77 year-old man!
BTW, notice I underlined the word "might" when I said, "a small revolver (in 45acp) might also be a good answer for you." I've never had or even fired a 45acp revolver myself. So, if I was you, I'd at least see if I could find one to try out before buying one - don't take this "faceless stranger's" word for it. A "small revolver in 45acp" might kick every bit as hard as my Charter Arms "Bulldog" in 44 Special.
RetiredUSNChief
Member
I'd also like to say there is not one set solution to this issue. In fact, you may find the solution that works best to be a combination of methods.
There's only so much that exercise or therapy can do as one ages, especially with respect to other common ailments that may accompany this. Arthritis, tendon issues, muscle issues, nerve issues, etc. all can have a significant impact.
So look over everything and try whatever seems to work best for you and your needs.
Oh...and eat your Wheaties, too.
There's only so much that exercise or therapy can do as one ages, especially with respect to other common ailments that may accompany this. Arthritis, tendon issues, muscle issues, nerve issues, etc. all can have a significant impact.
So look over everything and try whatever seems to work best for you and your needs.
Oh...and eat your Wheaties, too.
Crosshair
Member
I've gotten some elderly people into the Ruger Wrangler.
22 rimfire is all they can handle.
They can't rack a 22 slide or load a magazine.
They can't handle DA trigger pull.
They can handle a SA revolver.
Sure they know they're not going to pull off a reload, but 6 shots of 22 rimfire that they can deliver with some accuracy is way better than nothing.
22 rimfire is all they can handle.
They can't rack a 22 slide or load a magazine.
They can't handle DA trigger pull.
They can handle a SA revolver.
Sure they know they're not going to pull off a reload, but 6 shots of 22 rimfire that they can deliver with some accuracy is way better than nothing.
.308 Norma
Member
Oh...and eat your Wheaties, too.
doubleh
Member
I agree. I got a steel hip 11 months ago and 6 months of therapy afterwards. I doubt I will ever be able to walk more than about 100 yards without stopping for that football sized cramp that develops in my hip to go away.
d2wing
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- 6,866
Yeah I have been in therapy, surgery, and have had Cortisone shots in my hands. The jig is up. The last few months the pain level and stiffness has shot up. Especially in my right thumb and trigger finger. I think I will be restricted to .38s in my revolvers. I am thinking about that tool That Jin Watson posted a link to. I have an appt at the VA next month. I hope they can help. I used to get pain pills but they don't prescribe them anymore. Rats.
Oldschool shooter
Member
I had a hand injury a couple of years back. I couldn't rack the slide on any of my semi-automatics. A friend told me to grab the slide like I was going to rack it, but instead of pulling rearward on the slide. Hold it firmly and push the frame forward instead. It put a big ol' grin on my face and I was able to use the pistol that way until I healed.
LUCKYDAWG13
Member
I'd be looking at a revolver, in either. 38 special or 357 not sure on how small your looking for but I'm happy with my Ruger Sp 101 and very happy with my kimber k6s. Both are in 3". No bending over to pick up brass and the kimber has good 3 dot sights on it. If you are looking for just a range gun I'd be looking at a 4"
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