This is why everyone should have a revolver.

That armless YouTube guy has better gun handling and muzzle discipline that a lot of people I see that have arms and hands.


Reload a bottom feeder or revolver -
Place gun in holster BACKWARDS, butt forward. Or place gun in your belt in front, near your belt buckle. I like the belt buckle area because if I need the gun to be a little more steady, I can flex my lunch muscle to make it tighter. The holster backward method works better with duty holsters and straight drops than it does with CCW pancake style holsters. Obviously something like a small of back holster would not be quite as applicable. Gun in backwards so that it rides high, allowing access to the levers on an auto, allows the cylinder to be exposed (away from body) in a revolver.

Either/any method requires the gun being in a pretty firm spot. And it helps a lot to be muzzle down, esp with revolvers, so gravity isn't trying to pull the rounds or the magazine out when you're trying to push them in.


Sgt Lumpy
 
Old Dog, I sympathize with you. I hurt my right hand August 8, 2011, doing, of all things, CPR on a auto accident victim. It is only in the past month that my hand has much improved. I suggest you do see a physician about your hand; there are many more things it could be besides tendonitis, and early detection will increase odds of full recovery. In my case, after weeks of steroids and NSAIDs and no relief, and then hand specialists and neurologists, my hand has had relief because there was an impingement on the nerve at my elbow. Only in the last month have I been able to fully use my right hand, and it is not 100% yet.

AS for revolvers, you are spot on. I am partial to 1911's and revolvers in .41 and .44. I have not been able to comfortably shoot my big handguns since August 2011. I have been able to shoot some with my S&W airweight, so that is what I have been carrying. All of my range shooting the past two years has been with .22's and my hunting rifles. It is not just being physically able to withstand the recoil, but practicing consistently with your carry piece that should help dictate what you carry.

Those of you who have never had hand problems that do not let you grip or withstand recoil let me challenge you to try this. Take a piece of small chain, like a small dog leash, and put it between the back of the grip and the palm of your hand and try shooting it. That is about what it feels like to shoot with tendonitis/ligament/nerve problems. You don't want to even think about having to reload after a few shots.

I am right handed. All my carry holsters are for right hand draw. I would hate to try and actually have to switch over to a left hand holster and shoot weak handed; I think instinct would take over and I would be reaching with my right hand. It would be difficult to change a few years of thinking and how I do things to change, so I carry a revolver that I know I have 5 shots even though I would still love to be carrying my Combat Commander.

David
 
For years I have practiced racking the slide on a 1911 with one hand and NO supporting surfaces.

With the pistol in my right hand, fingers on left side of slide thumb on right side, I slide my tumb into the trigger guard. Hand up at about face height, thumb in trigger guard with muzzle up, I put my index finger on the front of the front sight and my middle finger on the front of the slide below the barrel. Then a squeeze the slide back with index and middle finger with the barrel sliding in between. Let the slide go forward and then chamber the round.

Transitioning from thumb in the trigger guard back to a firing position is a little tricky but I can do this entire drill smoothly in a couple seconds.
 
reloading one handed with a revolver would be a lot easier if you only used speed loaders, those bianchi speed strips would be a bit harder to use.
 
A couple of years ago I had a serious illness that drained my strength. For at least a month I could not rack the slide of my 1911 Compact.
The 642 was really handy then.

If I had but one handgun it would be a revolver.

Jerry
 
Having had 3 Carpal Tunnel surgeries (1 on the weak hand, 2 on the shooting hand) I have been faced with this problem personally. At the time I was a 1911 shooter/carrier. The answer for me was a Glock 19. Once it was loaded I didn't fore see an occasion when "racking the slide" would be necessary. If the gun was empty it would mean I hadn't solved the problem with 31 rounds (loaded gun and a spare magazine). At that point I would pretty much deserve what I got. Dropping a magazine and loading another one handed is not a problem for anyone schooled in defensive pistol craft. Either there would be a round still in the chamber, or the slide would be locked back and could be released one handed. No need for the dreaded slide racking you all are so worried about. And as one poster said, it can be done against a hard surface or the belt with some practice ahead of time. I've done both.

Dave
 
Old Dog, you said you determined you had tendonitis based on a web search. I have to agree with DavidAGO that you need to see a physician and have a firm diagnosis established. There are many conditions that can cause hand pain and weakness. Given the degree of disability that can result from many of them, it is absolutely necessary to know the cause of the symptoms. Undue delay can result in permanent damage.

On your main point, I have to agree that revolvers are generally more user-friendly to those with hand problems.
 
First, do what DOC TH says. I have hand problems, and my trigger fingers are not related to guns. I get shots in my hands to fix my fingers. It ain't fun. But back to the subject, revolvers are the way to go. I can't rack my 380, but I can load and fire my 8" Trooper 357 which is pretty big.
75 and counting.
 
On your main point, I have to agree that revolvers are generally more user-friendly to those with hand problems.
Click to expand...

For the untrained...sure. If the shooter knows what he or she is doing, a semi-auto is very easy to deal with one handed. The revolver requires more juggling to open the cylinder and get the cases out. The cylinder wants to flop around, so you have to tuck it inside the waistband or pocket so you can feed the rounds into the chambers. Closing the cylinder is easy with one hand; it's the adjusting the gun to get a solid grip that can be difficult unless you tuck it inside the holster or belt. With a semi-auto, just drop the magazine, run the slide against any corner, edge, shoe sole, belt, or pocket. Insert a mag with the gun under an arm, held with the knees or in your holster or belt. Hit any wall or corner with the bottom of the mag to ensure it is seated. Run the slide again and you're in business.

Obviously, learn how to do it with both types of guns.
 
Just this year I injured my off hand at work. The cast was on for about six weeks or so and I had time to go to the range. I have trained extensively on one hand operation of a semi but target shooting at the local club you will incur numerous safety violations while using one hand for everything on a semi. I ended up doing allot of revolver shooting as it is easy to operate with one hand.
 
Back in 1995 we needed to get a reliable vehicle and despite the cost, got a truck with an automatic.

Shortly after we got the truck my wife manifested severe knee issues and could no longer drive the stick shift.

So we swapped and I drove what was the town car ( it was far more maneuverable) and while the truck was a pain to park, it kept her mobile. If not for that we would have had to sell the new one and loose a lot of money or sell the older one and buy something a lot newer with an automatic transmission and we were hard put to buy the new one in the first place. It was extremely fortuitous timing and we never saw it coming.

Good thoughts and something to think about for your whole life is that sort of flexibility in what you choose (including buying a ranch style house as you get older as mobility becomes a factor as well. )

All purchases should be done with a what if outlook and don't count on the best but think what the worse case looks like.
 
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