Who makes an easy to rack 9mm?

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Teaching someone who has trouble racking to be successful is one thing. Making sure they can do it in a life or death situation is another. I have worked with hundreds of people that finally managed to learn the racking technique but I never really felt they could handle a semi auto when their limp wristing caused a malfunction.
Revolvers have a lot of advantages for certain people that do not want to commit themselves to learning and understanding how semi autos function.
Most of them would be better served with a quality revolver with a set of Crimson Trace laser grips. The best way to learn trigger control I have ever seen.
 
kgpcr said:
My wife is getting her CCW and I want to buy her a new pistol. The only problem is she has a very hard time racking them. Any advice?
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Consider a revolver!
No need to "rack" and some are compact enough. Plus revolvers are less complicated as far as safties, de-cockers etc.
A revolver in .38 Special would be a great choice.
Another plus is that if you reload, it's easy to find your empties
 
Having a CCW means you carry fully loaded. No racking in time of need. I don't see any advantage of CCW with an empty chamber.
 
It's not a 9mm, but the Walther PK 380 is one of the easiest racking auto loaders there is. You might look at some 9mm Walthers and hopefully they will rack similarly.
 
Robert101 said:
Having a CCW means you carry fully loaded. No racking in time of need. I don't see any advantage of CCW with an empty chamber.
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Of course you should carry with one in the pipe but a "time of need" would also include a reload or clearing a malfunction.
 
Find a 380 that fires from a locked breech. The LCP (for instance) uses a factory spring that is 9#s. A 1911 uses 16-18#s.
The LCP may be too light imparting recoil handily.



The other 380s that are blowbacks have the strongest springs out here.
 
aah.. revolver, i didnt think of that.. thats a pretty good choice.. something like an LCR, no racking required
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Another option (if pricey) for those who absolutely can't rack a slide would be one of the Berettas with a tip-up barrel, like the Model 86 .380.

http://www.berettaweb.com/Beretta 80/Beretta 86.htm

You load the chamber by pressing a lever so that the barrel pops up. Downsides are the cost, the fact that aren't available in anything bigger than .380, and they might be a little big and heavy for CCW, depending on how one intends to carry it. Also, Beretta stopped importing them in 2013, though you can still get new ones from Bud's and elsewhere.

As has been mentioned, though, pretty much any adult can rack a pistol slide with the correct technique.
 
The Walther P-1/P-38 and the Berettas based on the same locking block system rack a lot more easily than do Browning systems. But they aren't concealed carry models. As house guns, they're fine.
But the Beretta M-92 series are pretty big for most women to handle.

I think an S&W J-frame with three-inch barrel in .38 Special is indicated here.
 
My wife shoots a Sig P238 380 that is basically a mini 1911. it is extremely easy to rack, & very light recoiling for a "pocket" sized pistol. I can rack it using only my pinkie & thumb of my left hand... it also has a pretty decent trigger for a CCW pistol. you can get them for around $475.
 
Technique. That's something that is learned, and every new shooter has timidity when first handling pistols. I have racked so many pistols strong hand grip/weak hand slide that it's natural. But try it weak hand grip/strong hand slide and it feels weird and stiffer the first few times.

I teach a new shooter to hold the pistol out arms extended. Grip the frame strong hand and grasp the slide between the thumb and index finger, like you are playing thumb war. If they want the slide locked open, insert an empty mag and let that lock the slide for you. When they get more experience they can try thumbing the slide lock lever while palming the slide back.
 
Just a thought. A person with weak hands who has a problem racking the slide on an auto may have a problem with a double action revolver. Either just pulling the trigger or firing a revolver quickly may be difficult for a person with a weak/injured hand. If she isn't comfortable shooting it, she's not going to practice enough to become competent. Just my $0.02...

Think about shooting a revolver quickly, under stress. Hitting a target at anything beyond bad breath distance is extremely problematic.
 
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I gave my wife a Colt Detective Special. She loves it. The name inspired here with confidence. She can actually shoot it better than her last gun, a Webley Mark IV.
 
I'm a righty, have bad arthritis in left hand. I have found that if I grab slide with my left hand and use the right to push the frame forward to rack a shell into the chamber this works well. I do this on all my semis now.
 
On the large side for concealed carry... but many people find the Luger P08's toggle mechanism easier to operate than racking a slide.

For traditional slide guns... I've seen people at the range with skater tape on the slide. I'm used to seeing it on grips, but I'd never thought to put it on the slide.
 
AKElroy said:
It is easier close to the chest, but be mindful of the muzzle. It is likely pointing at the left forearm, not good. Downrange or to the floor would be better, even though it is a bit less leveraged.
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Excellent point. I teach this method of slide racking in the NRA Basic Pistol class and will in the future pay more attention to this very important detail. I do instruct students to shift the body so the muzzle is always pointed downrange. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
 
The recoil spring is not the only thing you are pushing against; also the striker/hammer mechanism is being worked.
 
I handled a Walther CCP for the first time and was surprised how easy it was to rack the slide. It was difficult to open partially for a chamber check without slamming the slide fully rearward. It also felt like it might shatter if dropped to the concrete floor from 3 feet. Strange feeling alloy.
 
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