Too old and weak to rack the slide
- Thread starter DAver7
- Start date
I have two shoulder replacements. After PT I was okay with everything in the safe. Then a dog attacked me and injured by right hand. The surgeon said nothing bigger than a 22 for a year. (He said it was the first time he was asked that question.). I tried that for a while then bought a Ruger Security 380. The Ruger was great. I could rack it and the recoil is minimal. Fortunately I am pretty much back to normal but still avoid 45LC and 357 in the Bond Arms.
luv2safari
Member
Until six months ago I agreed 100%.
I'm down to around 18.920163732% now, approximately.
Due to a fall off a roof my left hand and arm have about 20% normal strength and dexterity for someone in their late 70's. When I was young I would show customers how to rack a round in a 1911 with one hand, either hand. Now doing it with both is not a given on any given day. If I have something stationary to brace my left arm against I can use the Push, not pull method. If not chances are I can't do it. Add arthritis to both hands, and revolvers become a definite alternative, since my right side is kept strong from more use. I can still hold a large frame revolver with my right and shoot a Taurus snubby 44 Mag without a problem.
Semis are becoming problematic, and it won't get better. I like shooting this economical Taurus G3c 40S&W I just got. It's tough racking the first round, and loading the magazines is a time consuming project. The cost is right for these, and it shoots where pointed, every single pull of the awful trigger. I can see a day when I'll be shooting my Mdl 37 Smith, my no-dash 4" 686, and an easy to shoot 6 shot Charter Arms 4" medium heavy barrel 38. Also in this mix is a Ruger 95 I got years ago. Cock the hammer, and it's easy to rack, plus it's spooky accurate even with the fixed sights.
Isn't America GREAT? We have choices.
pistol in right hand, eject mag, put pistol in left hand, turn sideways to the left, bring pistol to your chest, grab slide with fingers of right hand, hard push forward with left hand (slide goes to slide lock), put now unloaded pistol in right hand, load and shoot.
luck,
murf.
luck,
murf.
Cranky CJ
Member
Smith and Wesson Model 10 is the answer you seek.
herrwalther
Member
- Joined
- May 1, 2013
- Messages
- 8,337
Late to the discussion but here is my input. There are only two firearms I know of right away that are advertised as easier to rack: S&W EZ models and the Walther CCP. I would recommend either of these before ever recommending a revolver. Because revolvers take more practice to proficient with in my training experience. In addition there is a lot of hand therapies and techniques that will make racking a slide easier such as the push and pull method. Where you push with whatever hand is holding the firearm while pulling the slide with the other.
nofendertom
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- Sep 12, 2019
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- 1,334
If I get to the point of not being able to rack the slide on my 1911, I will have no problem substituting my Mod 25 (45acp) revolver with moonclips.
Confederate
Member
I'm 72 now and am in the same boat. But rather than going for a medium-frame revolver, I concur with those who recommend exercise. A series of weights you can get at Target and elsewhere is what I'd consider. Remember Elmer Keith, a founder and proponent of the .44 Magnum? He wore and shot a S&W 29 almost to the day he died. A set of two weights that go under the bed might be worth considering. I'm not much one for curls, but just handling said weights each day is a cheap and efficient way of letting you keep and enjoy the guns you own and love!
I don't ever want to shelve my S&W 659/5906 9mm and Browning Hi-Power. As for revolvers, I'm not a fan of the Ruger GP-100, but I do love my 6-inch S&W 686 and my Ruger Security-Six revolvers. I'd hate to give them up just because old age was sneaking up behind me we with a baseball bat!
But i if you want to go the revolver route, I really don't like the way Smith & Wesson and Ruger introduced all that steel into their revolvers. The Security-Six (used) is a great way to go if you want a medium-frame .357. It was designed by Bill Ruger to be a .357 that would take .38s, not a .38 that would take .357s (like the S&W 13/19/65/66). For senior citizens like us, that might be answer for a powerful revolver that can be stuffed in a drawer.
doubleh
Member
Since I cut my left thumb and have no feeling in it and little strength I have had to switch the gun to my left hand and grip the slide with my right hand. With arthritis in both elbows I extend both arms and push the gun forward. That works pretty good but the hand held slider racker allows me to hold the gun right handed and the racker is large enough and made where I can get a good grip on it so is easier than the other method.
I haven't looked lately but ebay used to have a ton of 1911 muzzle brakes. I don't always have a table handy and never considered one using to rack the slide.
doubleh
Member
Reading this caused me to some research and watching YouTube videos yesterday afternoon. I had one on years ago and didn't notice anything other than a muzzle heavy 1911. My main interest was to see if they are long enough to use as a slide racking devise against a table top. From videos I watched I believe they are too short. Also I believe they have little effect on recoil and certainly increase slide mass. It has a barrel diameter hole allowing gas to escape forward and the slide moves rearward so quickly the vents are mostly covered. I see them as just another gadget that looks kind of cool but makes disassembly a little more difficult and does little of anything else. It's an inexpensive and quick way to get that long slide 1911 look though.
Jim Watson
Member
Can't find the darned little thing. Sorry.
CajunBass
Member
Well, I'm 72, and I have problems with my hands too. It's called arthritus and none of the PT I've tried has done much but make my hands hurt. I can rack a slide, but it's painful. If I only have to do it once, no big deal, but I like dry fire practice with a laser cartridge and I have to at least partically rack the slide to reset the trigger. That gets old quickly because of the serrations on the slide as much as anything. Yea, Yea...I'm got soft girly hands.
So I added a gizmo to my Shields that gives me a T-grip on the back, sort of like the EZ series has. It's a plastic clamshell that just slips over the end of slide and clamps on with a set screw. No modifications needed. It's called a "Recover Tactical Slide Rack Assist." I've got them on all three of my shields and I've got one for my Glock 42, but it beats my hand up on that small gun. On a big Glock, no doubt it would work fine. You can find them Amazon IIRC.
So I added a gizmo to my Shields that gives me a T-grip on the back, sort of like the EZ series has. It's a plastic clamshell that just slips over the end of slide and clamps on with a set screw. No modifications needed. It's called a "Recover Tactical Slide Rack Assist." I've got them on all three of my shields and I've got one for my Glock 42, but it beats my hand up on that small gun. On a big Glock, no doubt it would work fine. You can find them Amazon IIRC.
dweis
Member
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- Oct 2, 2022
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- 350
I am 83. Fourteen months ago i found that that the arthritis in my hands had progresses to the point that I could no longer rack my 9mm. I read about the Roger Security 380 Lite Rack. I rented on at my LGS range. After shooting it for 30 minutes I went into the store and bought one. I can manage it with ease, and is a great shooter. I highly recommend it. I have owned Ruger pistols over years and always found them to be very reliable. Ruger Leo has great CS. The are good YouTube reviews of the pistol and mant online reviews.
CajunBass
Member
I'm another fan of the EZ series. I've got two, a 380 and a 30 SC. Both are "EZ" in all aspects, especially the 380.
babaylan
Member
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- Jun 18, 2024
- Messages
- 173
I don't think you can go wrong with a .45 ACP or .44 Special revolver. I think those two are the ideal nightstand guns.
doubleh
Member
I finally put a red dot sight on my Canik which has turned out to be the most difficult pistol to rack that I have ever shot. The plates for the various red dot base patterns accept a slide racker and it is no longer a fight to rack the dam thing. It's still not easy but doable and I don't need the large plastic gadget with it any more.
now you need a 380acp barrel and larger grips for your bond arms derringer…enjoy some soft shooting and a handy backup piece.
Jim Watson
Member
Finally found the fool thing and put it on a gun... the same ACE it was originally fitted to.
It is NOT long enough to load the gun with, the muzzle sticks out half an inch or more with the slide at lockback.
Jim Watson
Member
Mine is a King, defunct company.
Similar types on eBay.
Similar types on eBay.
HighRoadRover
Member
Late to the thread, but agree this is an important issue. I do better with my P365 and P320 and 1911s since I have settled on racking the slides with the hand-over-the-slide position rather than the thumb-grasping-the-rear-serrations position.
The P365 will be the first to go, as it is the hardest to rack, but at 75 I am still okay with it. The 1911s (especially if you cock the hammer) are, as someone noted above, pretty easy to rack. And, with a little extra weight, not so much recoil in 9mm.
The P365 will be the first to go, as it is the hardest to rack, but at 75 I am still okay with it. The 1911s (especially if you cock the hammer) are, as someone noted above, pretty easy to rack. And, with a little extra weight, not so much recoil in 9mm.
Mannlicher
Member
I'll be 80 soon, and have no problems racking the slide on any handguns. I understand that we are all different, and the OP might be well served with a revolver.
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