easiest to rack
- Thread starter Doc Holliday 1950
- Start date
jackstrawIII
New member
Of the guns I've owned, the Walther P99s are the easiest to rack. They're also extremely ergonomic and accurate. Great guns.
Ok, I don't personally know the C series Hi-Power, but I had a 70s commercial one. Don't know the Boberg at all. I do have a .44 Mag Desert Eagle, so I have to ask....
WHAT do you have that is MORE difficult to rack than a .44 Mag Desert Eagle???
(and yes, it is a serious question)
dakota.potts
New member
Surprised it has not been brought up yet:
The Sig P238 and P938 are the absolute easiest slides I have felt. My mom got one because of arthritis in her hands (symptom of systemic lupus). I can easily do it pinched between my forefinger and my thumb.
I have found the Bersa .380 to be pretty easy as well (with the hammer cocked)
I remember being impressed with the new Walther 9mm single stack model (might have been the CCP) and how easy it was.
The Sig P238 and P938 are the absolute easiest slides I have felt. My mom got one because of arthritis in her hands (symptom of systemic lupus). I can easily do it pinched between my forefinger and my thumb.
I have found the Bersa .380 to be pretty easy as well (with the hammer cocked)
I remember being impressed with the new Walther 9mm single stack model (might have been the CCP) and how easy it was.
Uncle Malice
New member
As a general rule, 9mm hammer fired guns are going to be the easiest to rack, if you cock the hammer first. Any hammer fired gun that is cocked is going to be easier to rack than a Glock 17, VP9, or the other striker fired guns that were suggested.
Why? Because in the striker fired guns, the recoil spring is responsible for countering all of the force of the slide moving backwards. In a hammer fired gun, the compression of the main spring serves to retard the rearward movement of the slide a bit so that that the recoil spring doesn't need to be quite as strong.
Now, there may be exceptions to this rule, but I've owned over 70 handguns and I can confidently say that this is a good general rule. Sig P226 and HK P30/P30L are 2 that immediately stand out as being exceptionally easy when in SA mode. My wife is 5'1" and 114lbs and can easily handle these. She struggles with pretty much all striker fired guns.
As always, YMMV.
Why? Because in the striker fired guns, the recoil spring is responsible for countering all of the force of the slide moving backwards. In a hammer fired gun, the compression of the main spring serves to retard the rearward movement of the slide a bit so that that the recoil spring doesn't need to be quite as strong.
Now, there may be exceptions to this rule, but I've owned over 70 handguns and I can confidently say that this is a good general rule. Sig P226 and HK P30/P30L are 2 that immediately stand out as being exceptionally easy when in SA mode. My wife is 5'1" and 114lbs and can easily handle these. She struggles with pretty much all striker fired guns.
As always, YMMV.
I find the Desert Eagle to be surprisingly easy to operate. The large slide is easy to grasp and the safety makes it even easier to grip and pull back. The weight of a fully loaded frame+magazine really helps especially if you just hold the slide and move the gripframe forward. Also, with hammer fired guns, if you want to make it even easier to rack, just cock the hammer first - you can do this on the DE and the Hi-Power. The slide on the DE is pretty easy to rack, surprisingly so for such a big gun. More difficult?
Walther PPK
Jennings J-22
The Walther PPK has a very stiff action, especially for a .380. The Jennings J-22 is difficult to rack because you have to crank it ALL the way back to get it to cock the striker and the slide is small and slick.
Never had any trouble racking a Jennings, getting them to shoot an entire mag without jamming on the other hand is a different matter...
I don't find the effort needed to rack the Desert Eagle to be excessive, only the last half inch or so is where I have a little trouble, because of the length, more than the effort needed.
If you want to find something DIFFICULT to rack, try an Auto Mag!
Lugers are pretty easy to rack, but you aren't going to find any new ones at the gunshop...
I don't find the effort needed to rack the Desert Eagle to be excessive, only the last half inch or so is where I have a little trouble, because of the length, more than the effort needed.
If you want to find something DIFFICULT to rack, try an Auto Mag!
Lugers are pretty easy to rack, but you aren't going to find any new ones at the gunshop...
micromontenegro
New member
A 380 PPK, no doubt about it.
Doc Holliday 1950
New member
Unce Malice and et al, thank you for your responses about cocking the hammer first. Never thought about that and please stay on point. I don't need to know about the hardest semi to rack!!!
As to what model to try, this is going to put a dent in my" get crazy money."
As to what model to try, this is going to put a dent in my" get crazy money."
HistoryJunky
New member
Full size Glock, M&P. I even think my CZ is easy after you get used to it.
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Sorry Doc. My bad.
but, you did say
I absolutely agree that if it is a hammer gun cock the hammer first. Another trick to ease the force needed is to rack the slide on an empty magazine, locking it back.
Depending on the gun, the pressure of top round against the slide can make a difference.
Small pocket guns, especially blow backs can be very difficult to rack, between the stiff springs and small gripping area its tough.
Its tough to honestly say, because I don't have much trouble with any of them, and don't really know how much trouble you and you wife would have with A or B or Z. Plus your requirements for defensive power and more capacity than a revolver. Probably one of the wondernines but they all seem about the same to me, so I can't really recommend one over the other.
I'm fine with a full size 1911A1, and my mother, at 4'10 (and a half!) who wore a size 3.5 ring could manage it, though it was never her favorite.
So, something big enough to get a decent grip on the slide. "Compact" models may be ok for you, pocket guns will be difficult. Probably 9mm for capacity, and adequate power. Beyond that, I think pretty much a matter of how you do it. You need to overcome a spring in the 15-20lb range (generally).
If the gun has a hammer, cock it first
rack the slide back gun empty, so it locks
try just holding the slide and pushing the grip. Works better for some people than trying to hold the grip and pull back the slide
you can use the edge of a table (or a lot of other things) to push the slide against (empty gun) to get it locked back.
Maybe using your hands opposite of a firing grip to get the slide locked back.
Gripping the slide from the top using the whole hand vs from the rear..
Go to a shop, or the range with semi auto shooters, handle some different guns, see what kind of thing you can manage, how much effort is too much, what is just right, what is manageable "if you have to".
IF you find something that feels ok, then look at the other features it has and whether they turn you on, or off. I like a semi auto with a safety, one that is NOT on the trigger. I'm ok with a decocker. I prefer a hammer, but that's just me.
OP - if you see a Firestar M43 in your travels, pick it up and rack it.
I'm impressed by how easy mine is to rack - as well as how easy the hammer thumbs back.
The trigger pull, heft / felt recoil(actually lack of) & accuracy also impress me.
Lack of parts on this long discontinued pistol...yeah, well,,that can be a concern...
I'm impressed by how easy mine is to rack - as well as how easy the hammer thumbs back.
The trigger pull, heft / felt recoil(actually lack of) & accuracy also impress me.
Lack of parts on this long discontinued pistol...yeah, well,,that can be a concern...
I mentioned the question to a friend, who is currently two weeks into recovery from surgery on his left hand.
His answer was (predictably) ...
A Revolver!!
When I told him more than 6 rounds were desired, he said,
Ok, TWO Revolvers!
He felt that probably the easiest to rack 9mm would be the Beretta 92.
Then he mentioned one I was not aware of, the Beretta "Cheetah". It has the tip up barrel, so no need to rack the slide. It's "only" a .380, but has a 13 shot magazine, and isn't very expensive. (according to him
)
You might want to check it out...
His answer was (predictably) ...
A Revolver!!
When I told him more than 6 rounds were desired, he said,
Ok, TWO Revolvers!
He felt that probably the easiest to rack 9mm would be the Beretta 92.
Then he mentioned one I was not aware of, the Beretta "Cheetah". It has the tip up barrel, so no need to rack the slide. It's "only" a .380, but has a 13 shot magazine, and isn't very expensive. (according to him
)You might want to check it out...
They do make 8 rd revolvers now.
Pretty much any semi is "easier" to rack by using the push method.
HOLD the slide with weak hand and PUSH grip forward with strong hand. Also keep in mind the larger the caliber and smaller the weapon the stiffer the recoil spring will be.
Id avoid table edges and gimmicky "tools" for everyday use.
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Pretty much any semi is "easier" to rack by using the push method.
HOLD the slide with weak hand and PUSH grip forward with strong hand. Also keep in mind the larger the caliber and smaller the weapon the stiffer the recoil spring will be.
Id avoid table edges and gimmicky "tools" for everyday use.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Do you want it for self defense, or just more rounds down range in a shorter time?
Self defense leads to discussions of calibers generally starting at 9mm [but some like the .380, and others like the tokarev] However, until you hit 10mm, you are not obtaining the same potential muzzle energy as the best .357mag rounds. You just gain more round down range and a satisfying blast.
If you want a semi-auto because you want to disperse lead downrange more rapidly and are not thinking of stopping power, I'd like to suggest something a bit different: a .22lr handgun.
one option would be a buckmark, and then have Bill Striplin install a slide racker- which would look like this:
It makes it very easy to rack. There are others who sell slide rackers for the Ruger MK series that you can install yourself.
These make racking the slide much easier.
However, they are 'only' a .22lr.
Since I am unclear on if you want more rounds down range, more stopping power delivered each time you empty the firearm [like 10 rounds of 10mm] or both, I thought I'd offer up the .22lr option.
Others have the center-fire categories well covered already.
Good luck!
Self defense leads to discussions of calibers generally starting at 9mm [but some like the .380, and others like the tokarev
] However, until you hit 10mm, you are not obtaining the same potential muzzle energy as the best .357mag rounds. You just gain more round down range and a satisfying blast.If you want a semi-auto because you want to disperse lead downrange more rapidly and are not thinking of stopping power, I'd like to suggest something a bit different: a .22lr handgun.
one option would be a buckmark, and then have Bill Striplin install a slide racker- which would look like this:
It makes it very easy to rack. There are others who sell slide rackers for the Ruger MK series that you can install yourself.
These make racking the slide much easier.
However, they are 'only' a .22lr.
Since I am unclear on if you want more rounds down range, more stopping power delivered each time you empty the firearm [like 10 rounds of 10mm] or both, I thought I'd offer up the .22lr option.
Others have the center-fire categories well covered already.
Good luck!
I have a Kahr P380, that is so hard to rack, I wonder if many women could manage it. My Kahr MK40 is really easy by comparrison. I also have a little Sig P238 (.380) which is probably my easiest to rack. My BHP, Glocks, 1911's are not too hard. My .22's are are actually easiest.