ProactiveReactionary
Member
i've seen it mentioned alot. what is it exactly?
what is limpwristing?
- Thread starter ProactiveReactionary
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Phantom Warrior
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As you probably know, when you fire a semi-automatic pistol (1911, Glock, SIG, HiPower, whatever) the force of the gunpowder exploding does two things. It drives the bullet down the barrel. But a small part of it forces the slide backwards, ejecting the spent casing and then allowing it to ride forward, stripping a fresh cartridge from the magazine and loading it into the chamber. Exactly the same thing that happens when you pull the slide back to chamber a round right after you load the gun.
However, the entire gun is actually pushed back by the recoil. To allow the gun to cycle properly you must maintain a firm grip on the frame to allow the slide to run back with enough force to eject the cartridge. If you allow the entire gun to move backwards, due to a LIMP WRIST, the energy from firing will be wasted moving the entire gun back. Instead of just being directed into moving the slide.
Of course you don't need a vice for your gun to cycle properly, just a sufficently frim grip and stiff wrist. Most modern autos are very tolerant of "limp wristing" and only require a slight adjustment in your grip if you are having problems.
However, the entire gun is actually pushed back by the recoil. To allow the gun to cycle properly you must maintain a firm grip on the frame to allow the slide to run back with enough force to eject the cartridge. If you allow the entire gun to move backwards, due to a LIMP WRIST, the energy from firing will be wasted moving the entire gun back. Instead of just being directed into moving the slide.
Of course you don't need a vice for your gun to cycle properly, just a sufficently frim grip and stiff wrist. Most modern autos are very tolerant of "limp wristing" and only require a slight adjustment in your grip if you are having problems.
ProactiveReactionary
Member
thats what i thought. thanks
P95Carry
Moderator Emeritus
PW has it stitched up - I was late to the thread!
Just think ''energy'' and absorbtion - if the arm and wrist are slack and sloppy then energy needed for cycling of the gun is absorbed - and if to excess then a full cycle may not occur.
Just think ''energy'' and absorbtion - if the arm and wrist are slack and sloppy then energy needed for cycling of the gun is absorbed - and if to excess then a full cycle may not occur.
Smurfslayer
Member
Limpwristing is what happens when a martini drinker suddenly tries to heft a pint of ale
Seriously, it is probably the most over(ab)used excuse for a malfunction in the firearms world. If you have even close to a proper grip on a semi automatic, one hand or two, the gun will cycle. I don't know exactly how fast the typical slide is moving, but I know that every semi automatic I've ever fired had a slide that would cycle faster than I could move any part of my body more than 1/4"...
Just using the energy explanations already given, the only way to physically cause the slide to not fully cycle would be to either hold it shut or othewise impede it's movement, or, pull the trigger without holding any part of the backstrap. If you are holding any part of the grip, except for perhaps holding only the very, very bottom with 2 fingers, and then pull the trigger, the gun will be pushed back into your hand, and enough energy will be absorbed to slow the progress of the frame pushing back to contribute to successful function. Another thing; remember that the slide is fixed to the frame via rails. The slide can only move in one plane - back towards the shooter, and must overcome the force of the main spring to do it. The firing pin strikes the primer, which ignites, then lights the powder, which produces gas in an incredibly high pressure enviornment. With no room for that pressure, the bullet is driven out of the expanded ( against the chamber ) case, down and out the barrel. While this is going on the case retracts a tad, and the leftover energy is spent on the slide, or rather, pushing the empty case backwards. The case is being 'held' by the extractor claw against the "bolt/breech" face. Without the supporting chamber, if the primer were struck, the case would simply explode with the bullet in a barrel but not having a chamber, or would be fired off the bullet if the cartridge were not supported at all. But, the cartridge is supported in a chamber, and the energy cannot go in all directions. The energy is generally not sufficient to overwhelm the chamber & barrel, so the energy finds the path of least resistance to "get out". That is operating on the slide pushing backwards.
Now, I'm quite certain there are folks out there with a better grasp of physics than I.. But I just see "limpwristing" used in so many situations which have a perfectly legitimate physical explanation that it completely erodes the credibility of the entire premise of limpwristing ( a semi automatic handgun, not an ale )
Seriously, it is probably the most over(ab)used excuse for a malfunction in the firearms world. If you have even close to a proper grip on a semi automatic, one hand or two, the gun will cycle. I don't know exactly how fast the typical slide is moving, but I know that every semi automatic I've ever fired had a slide that would cycle faster than I could move any part of my body more than 1/4"...
Just using the energy explanations already given, the only way to physically cause the slide to not fully cycle would be to either hold it shut or othewise impede it's movement, or, pull the trigger without holding any part of the backstrap. If you are holding any part of the grip, except for perhaps holding only the very, very bottom with 2 fingers, and then pull the trigger, the gun will be pushed back into your hand, and enough energy will be absorbed to slow the progress of the frame pushing back to contribute to successful function. Another thing; remember that the slide is fixed to the frame via rails. The slide can only move in one plane - back towards the shooter, and must overcome the force of the main spring to do it. The firing pin strikes the primer, which ignites, then lights the powder, which produces gas in an incredibly high pressure enviornment. With no room for that pressure, the bullet is driven out of the expanded ( against the chamber ) case, down and out the barrel. While this is going on the case retracts a tad, and the leftover energy is spent on the slide, or rather, pushing the empty case backwards. The case is being 'held' by the extractor claw against the "bolt/breech" face. Without the supporting chamber, if the primer were struck, the case would simply explode with the bullet in a barrel but not having a chamber, or would be fired off the bullet if the cartridge were not supported at all. But, the cartridge is supported in a chamber, and the energy cannot go in all directions. The energy is generally not sufficient to overwhelm the chamber & barrel, so the energy finds the path of least resistance to "get out". That is operating on the slide pushing backwards.
Now, I'm quite certain there are folks out there with a better grasp of physics than I.. But I just see "limpwristing" used in so many situations which have a perfectly legitimate physical explanation that it completely erodes the credibility of the entire premise of limpwristing ( a semi automatic handgun, not an ale )
Zaire
Member
A friend of minw had a p95 he always limp wristed and it would jam. I shot it maybe 300 times one day without a jam and offered him $200 for it and he let me buy it. Never had a jam since in over 2000 rounds.
wally
Member
I watched in disbelief as my sister repeadly stovepiped my Beretta Jetfire .25ACP -- recoil and grip aren't the main factors, its the limp wrist!
Standing off to the side I could see the empties clear the slide but her wrist "broke" letting the gun come up so much that the slide plucked the empties out of the air as it was feeding the next round. Didn't jam everytime since mostly the empties would bounce off the slide, but when they didn't -- clasic stovepipe jam!
A stiffer wrist makes the gun move back more than up so the empties clear the slide as the slide comes forward.
--wally.
Standing off to the side I could see the empties clear the slide but her wrist "broke" letting the gun come up so much that the slide plucked the empties out of the air as it was feeding the next round. Didn't jam everytime since mostly the empties would bounce off the slide, but when they didn't -- clasic stovepipe jam!
A stiffer wrist makes the gun move back more than up so the empties clear the slide as the slide comes forward.
--wally.
ky8t
Member
Limp wristing seems to be a bigger problem with smaller pistols. My first pistol was a Glock 23, and I never had an extraction problem. Then I bought the tiny Kel-Tec P-3AT (380 Auto), and I had lots of extraction failures. When I concentrated on keeping my wrist stiff, the problem went away. The P-3AT design pushes the limits of size and power, which makes technique more critical. Kel-Tec is constantly upgrading, and they should eventually work out the problem. I upgraded to a hard chrome upper, which has an improved extractor, and it works flawlessly. Shooting the P-3AT will undoubtedly help make me a better Glock shooter.
Limpwristing- When your son suddenly starts playing with your daughters Barbie dolls and asking why men don't wear skirts now since they did back in the old days.
The affliction is generally cured by spending more time with him out on the shooting range and in the game fields and fish homes!
The affliction is generally cured by spending more time with him out on the shooting range and in the game fields and fish homes!
Limp wristing is a misnomer in my opinion. It's all about how you move during the recoil of the gun. You can have a completely unlocked wrist, and the gun will still function properly. The key is to keep the frame movement to a minimum while the gun is recoiling.
lycanthrope
Member
Made worse by overpowered recoil springs........
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