Guns for Weak People: Observations

[TGS]

G19X, just to get a feel of a full sized/power service pistol: she loved it and was able to run it. Zero malfunctions! Check out her limp wrist:

Could she rack the slide on her own in a competent, safe manner with the slide in a fully closed position?

I'd like to get hands-on with a M&P 380EZ, just to see. I keep hearing how easy it is.

Maybe mid-size locked-breech 380s are the solution to this issue?

If we happen to run into each other you're welcome to try out my wife's P250 .380. I bought it for her as a present for finally moving to America, the idea being it might've been a better CCW option for her than her P226. She loves her P226, but she can barely rack the slide and cannot lock the slide open. Even with the P250 .380 and its outrageously light recoil spring, she can barely lock the slide open. I mean, dude, I'm not an engineer but it's my opinion that locked breech .380s are operating on the ragged edge of reliability. The RSA on the P250 .380 is so light that you can actually feel how sluggish the gun cycles, either when shooting or just during administrative handling.

The interesting part is that she's not who I would consider a weak female. When we worked EMS together, I never had concerns about lifting people when I was paired with her on truck, whereas that was a concern when partnered with most women. Her hand strength is sufficient that she can competently shoot double action a-ok, no problems......yet she can barely lock the slide open on that P250 .380.

Kinesiology/ergonomics are weird.

[Bergeron]

First off, thank you for that kind offer!

Agreed on the weirdness of kinesiology and ergonomics. My friend's wife who I referenced above is six feet tall, in her 30s, and is a regular volleyballer. I'm sure with some grip strength work, she'd be good to go, but it was very suprising to hand her a G19 and see her struggle.

On the other hand, my mom is turning 60 this year and shoots a double-stack Para .40, and my sister's never had a problem with full-size nines.

I have heard many positive things about that Sig P250 in .380- if anyone has reliability data on locked-breech .380s, I'd be all eyes and ears.

[Doc_Glock]

Could she rack the slide on her own in a competent, safe manner with the slide in a fully closed position?

I think she could be trained to. In. This case, I locked it open and had her load from slide lock since she was fatigued and I wanted to focus on shooting.

This gal had fairly long fingers just skinny and weak.

[EMC]

The M&P EZ seems to be the ultimate solution for arthritis or anyone with hand strength issues. Pretty smart of S&W to target a large market segment who could benefit from an easy to shoot semi-auto. My sister discovered she couldn't rack the slide on her husbands glocks and this was my first recommendation. History of arthritic hands on the female side of our family. Otherwise it would have been a heavy double action trigger on a j frame she would likely never practice with.

[revchuck38]

Karl Rehn did a review of the M&P EZ last year. It's here. It's a two-part review, the link to the second part is at the very bottom of the page.

[Caballoflaco]

I’ve mentioned it before, but a red dot sight shaped piece of aluminum mounted to an optics ready pistol from any major manufacturer would be awesome for people with a lack of hand strength, or who only have the use of one arm and don’t want to spend the money for a dot sight.

Make it close to rmr shape and you would still have a decent amount of holster choices, plus it doesn’t stick out the side of a pistol like the gamer cocking levers for pistols.

[Ed L]

The HK VP9 and VP9 subcomact both have charging handles on both sides of the gun on the back of the slide. This makes it easier to work the slide.

[Redhat]

Over the years I've observed this problem to usually be mindset and /or technique. However, nearly all my experience is training personnel on the M9.

[beenalongtime]

For the racking issue, have you looked up different racking methods here, and had them try them?

[AKDoug]

Over the years I've observed this problem to usually be mindset and /or technique. However, nearly all my experience is training personnel on the M9.

My experience as well while training both of my daughters. It typically is not an actual strength issue, it's a technique and application of strength issue. I never thought my girls were dainty at all until we started working with semi auto handguns. Once I got them to get after it with dummy rounds and a few hundred repetitions of slide racking they were good to go. I know there are people with real strength issues, but I started my girls on Glock 19's at 10 years old,and they sure weren't strong as I spoiled them pretty bad. Concentrate on gun handling first, then introduce the shooting aspect.

Same shit I went through with one of the girls when she couldn't serve a volleyball to save her life. We went outside and beat the tar out of the ball without worrying where it was going with no net. Once she learned how to apply the strength we worked on technique than actual aiming and serving. She finished her high school years with a very decent ace percentage.