Wife with weak hands

[TGIF]

My wife decided she would like to get her CHL when I go to get mine. We figured out a method (thanks to YouTube) for her to rack the slide but she can't lock it open. I know we can see about getting her a smaller gun but she wants to know if she will be required to lock it open during the class. Can someone tell me if she will need to do that to pass the class?
Thanks,

[texanron]

I can't speak for all classes but the class I took not once did I have to lock the slide back.

[RPB]

I can't speak for all classes but the class I took not once did I have to lock the slide back.

Also, I was born with only 1 hand, and it's arthritic, you didn't say what pistol she has but:
I use Advantage Tactical Sights to rack the slide.
Models here http://www.advantagetactical.com/store.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I reviewed, wrote the company a thank you note, which they published here just above where it says "Ron in Texas" :
http://www.advantagetactical.com/reviews.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A grandmotherly person I know with 2 arthritic hands who can't rack a slide, carries a Beretta with a tip-up barrel.

I'm retired and not affiliated with any company.

[rmr1923]

well in the class i took, the instructor required us to lock the slide back, set the gun down (barrel facing down-range), and stand back against the wall with loaded magazine in hand prior to loading the gun and shooting

[RoyGBiv]

I use Advantage Tactical Sights to rack the slide.
Models here http://www.advantagetactical.com/store.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I reviewed, wrote the company a thank you note, which they published here just above where it says "Ron in Texas" :
http://www.advantagetactical.com/reviews.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Those are pretty cool... thanks for the suggestion..
I practiced 1-hand racking with my Glocks and my Kahr and didn't have too much trouble. The Glocks were especially easy to rack using stock sights against my hip. I seem to be having a harder time of it with my HK..

As for the class... I did have to rack the slide for the first round shot in the proficiency. After that, not until I needed to eject the magazine and clear the gun at the end of the test... But.. I did have to rack twice total. I would think that anyone taking a boxed gun to the range would need to pull back the slide twice (minimum) for the same reasons.

If the gun jams, I think it's possible to fail the test if you can't clear it.... Although I'm not certain. An instructor can speak to this more clearly.

[Oldgringo]

My wife decided she would like to get her CHL when I go to get mine. We figured out a method (thanks to YouTube) for her to rack the slide but she can't lock it open. I know we can see about getting her a smaller gun but she wants to know if she will be required to lock it open during the class. Can someone tell me if she will need to do that to pass the class?
Thanks,

I can't speak to the class thing but I can suggest that it might be necessary to lock the slide back to clear a malfunction or to clean the gun's innards.

Has she tried something like a S&W Airweight revolver in .38 Spec? They're neat little guns and they will get the job done.

[texanron]

If the gun will lock back on a empty mag just have her do it that way. Throw an empty mag in the gun, rack the slide and the slide should lock back for her. Eject the empty mag after all of this of course. I know there are some firearms on the market that will not lock back on an empty mag though. Mostly .380's......I think.

[MoJo]

At my classes, as long as the student can safely shoot the gun, locking the slide back is a minor thing. I will help any student with administrative functions of their firearm. Many other instructors I know will do the same thing. If you and your wife are not shooting at the same time you might be allowed to help her with the gun. I would allow that.

[A-R]

Can she load the rounds into the mags? Can she load the mags into the gun and rack the slide to make gun ready to fire? Can she drop the mag and clear the chamber to make the gun unloaded?

If she can do those three things, I wouldn't have a problem if she simply couldn't lock back the slide. Many semi-auto pistols don't have a slide lock anyway. But those three things above ARE important and she should be able to demonstrate ability to do them.

On a side note, you should check out a Walther PK380 for her. Seems made for someone with this difficulty. Slide is easy to pull back, but no slide lock on gun to worry about anyway. Good comfortable grip, mid-size frame, decent .380 caliber - and locked breech short recoil design for less felt recoil than similar blowback-action mid-size .380s like Bersa, old Walther PPK, Sig P232 etc. Only about $350 or so at Acadamy I think.

http://www.gunblast.com/Walther-PK380.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[The Annoyed Man]

I can't speak for all classes but the class I took not once did I have to lock the slide back.

Also, I was born with only 1 hand, and it's arthritic, you didn't say what pistol she has but:
I use Advantage Tactical Sights to rack the slide.
Models here http://www.advantagetactical.com/store.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I reviewed, wrote the company a thank you note, which they published here just above where it says "Ron in Texas" :
http://www.advantagetactical.com/reviews.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A grandmotherly person I know with 2 arthritic hands who can't rack a slide, carries a Beretta with a tip-up barrel.

I'm retired and not affiliated with any company.

RPB, I've seen you post about your vision and orthopedic issues before, and I've paid special attention to these sights because of it. When The Annoyed Woman qualified during her CHL class, she rented a Glock 19 that had these sights on it from the instructors - yellow rear and red front. It seemed like an interesting idea at the time, although I don't remember much about what the sight picture actually looked like... ...or maybe I didn't have the chance to test it. Anyway, I have a few questions....

1. Are these equipped with tritium vials? If not, are they visible at all in the dark?

2. Does the coloring seem to be robust enough to resist holster/handling wear?

3. Any issues with holster fit with these sights?

Thanks,

TAM

[The Annoyed Man]

My wife decided she would like to get her CHL when I go to get mine. We figured out a method (thanks to YouTube) for her to rack the slide but she can't lock it open. I know we can see about getting her a smaller gun but she wants to know if she will be required to lock it open during the class. Can someone tell me if she will need to do that to pass the class?
Thanks,

Please refer your wife to The Cornered Cat, and let her read up on it without you hovering over her. My wife has hand/wrist issues too, and she barely has the strength to rack a slide. But she does carry a Glock 19, and that is what she qualified with when she took her CHL class.

The Cornered Cat is a website devoted to women who choose to carry a gun, published by a woman who carries, and couched in language that makes sense to women. She addresses all kinds of issues that many women who choose to carry a gun face (which we men don't usually have to deal with), including different ways to rack a slide, etc. She has also published a book, which I gave to my wife for Christmas this year. My wife loves the book and has been devouring it cover to cover.

Next suggestion, enroll her in a NRA Basic Handgun Safety class. There are plenty of instructors who offer this. If you live in DFW, particularly Tarrant County, I heartily recommend Crossfire Training, owned by our own moderator here, Crossfire. She and her husband do a great job, and they get a fair number of female students. Her husband Marty is very patient and kind, and he rewards his female students with lots of encouragement, hugs, etc. They love him, and he deserves it. But the best part is that he's not you, and I say this will all due respect. I love my wife without reservation, but it was difficult for me to teach her anything about shooting - not because I was tough or impatient, but because she felt like she was under a microscope and that made it hard for her to learn. But having Marty teach her took that out of the picture and she was able to relax and really enjoy the class. By the end of the day, she had shot everything from a .22 to a .41 magnum, with Glocks in 9mm, .40S&W, .45ACP, and 10mm in between.

She still has weak hands and wrists, but between the tools that she got from The Cornered Cat and the confidence that Marty gave her, she now has fun with her mens at the range. It is well worth it.

I know that another two of our moderators here, Compvest and her husband SRVA, both teach handgun classes, and they are down in Conroe. Both of them are very proficient shooters and they live to teach newcomers to the world of shooting.

I'm sure there are others, but the main thing is to encourage your wife from the sidelines, but get out of the way and let someone else do the teaching. It was one of the best things I ever could have done for my wife.

[RPB]

I can't speak for all classes but the class I took not once did I have to lock the slide back.

Also, I was born with only 1 hand, and it's arthritic, you didn't say what pistol she has but:
I use Advantage Tactical Sights to rack the slide.
Models here http://www.advantagetactical.com/store.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I reviewed, wrote the company a thank you note, which they published here just above where it says "Ron in Texas" :
http://www.advantagetactical.com/reviews.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A grandmotherly person I know with 2 arthritic hands who can't rack a slide, carries a Beretta with a tip-up barrel.

I'm retired and not affiliated with any company.

RPB, I've seen you post about your vision and orthopedic issues before, and I've paid special attention to these sights because of it. When The Annoyed Woman qualified during her CHL class, she rented a Glock 19 that had these sights on it from the instructors - yellow rear and red front. It seemed like an interesting idea at the time, although I don't remember much about what the sight picture actually looked like... ...or maybe I didn't have the chance to test it. Anyway, I have a few questions....

1. Are these equipped with tritium vials? If not, are they visible at all in the dark?

2. Does the coloring seem to be robust enough to resist holster/handling wear?

3. Any issues with holster fit with these sights?

Thanks,

TAM

1) They are not currently "glow-in-the-dark" sights, but they come with all colors of inserts, I've tested all color combos and yellow front and dayglo Orange rear are best for all light conditions and background colors (can't request a bad guy to wear a certain color shirt) I've had tritium from PT night sights in colors, from Meprolight and Triijicon, I had problems seeing the little tiny dots at night, But these are big enough and bright enough colors, (with the orange rear yellow front) I don't even need to grab my glasses prior to grabbing my gun when there's a "bump in the night" and I awake. So, no they aren't "total darkness in a cave" sights (I couldn't see a bad guy in a dark cave anyway) but they are easy to see in very low light, and anything above very low light like that from a clock radio or whatever.

2) the colored portion is a plastic insert, I've had the same ones in for about 2 years, worn daily in a) kholster, Rob Durham Comfort Carry and the last year in a Tuck This 2 by Desantis, no issues and no wear that I can see.
And the same "brightness" as when installed. It's a plastic insert which I suppose "could" fade if left in the sun outside a year, but I don't do that.

3) no issue with holster fit. In fact the factory Glock and Meprolight and Trijicon sights and other "tactical sights like Heine "The Ledge" designed to allow racking the slide with the tall rear sight bit my side with their sharp corner on the rear of those sights when in a holster which didn't have leather between me and those sights, these are tapered with angles so they are more comfortable. Hard to describe, but the pyramid shape takes the sharp corners away that dug into skin, while near the center of the rear sight's pyramid is tall enough to grab a shoe, belt, holster, forearm, edge of a brick. corner of a building/dumpster, etc.


Their website shows the red front also, I tried that, didn't like it front sight is 100% better in yellow. They come with all the color inserts, you can change at any time, I changed a lot, every Glock I put them on I now have yellow front, bright orange rear.

I did put lasers on my Glocks too, but I can't see that I'd need them, except when I sighted in the laser and sights, I sometimes use the 2 together to check that the laser is still sighted in, and the cat and dog enjoy chasing the red dot.

I understand they are working on some new "glow in the dark" models, because people have heard "night sights should glow and be radioactive" but they have been working on rifle and shotgun sights first, but I'm not sure I want my face illuminated for the bad guy to see anyway, and with the lighter color insets like yellow front, orange rear, they inserts are way bigger than 2 tiny glowing dots, they are easy to see with the lights off curtains closed and minimal light in a room .... you could always add a rail mounted flashlight on a bedroom gun, but outside there's always plenty of ambient light from streetlights, even just moon and starlight to see these well.

I always feared waking up, having to find and put on eyeglasses (trifocals) then get my gun, while telling the bad guy "Time out-hold on, let me get my glasses so I can aim better" These solved that, they are that easy to see with the orange rear, yellow front, (even though they don't glow). Against all background colors. Unless you are in a cave with lights off where you literally can't see your hand in front of your face (nor the target) you can still see the triangle and get a good sight picture.

My "followup/double tap" shots are faster too, since a sight picture is faster with these after the first shot.

Massad Ayoob reviewed them here, but I still say yellow front orange rear beats what he used in the review, and how they come.
http://www.advantagetactical.com/docs/A ... review.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Nasef notes these sights are at their
best in fading light, between the pitch
black in which Tritium night sights rule,
and high noon on the pistol range where
the sight picture of conventional post-innotch
sights are at their best. I dunno, I
found the Advantage sights pretty good
at high noon, too.

And I have no problems with them at night, because I use BRIGHT YELLOW Front, and DAYGLO ORANGE rear.

Mas won an IDPA match using the new Advantage pyramidal sights on a G lock G 17 9mm. He felt it
“amped up” his speed.

Once the
scores had been tallied up, I had won the
match overall against some pretty tough
competition.

One of the guys on the list of
“men to beat” ...Sure enough, he has since
ordered a pair of Advantage sights for one
of his own pistols.

The many "angles" and "slopes" are amazing, so they are "snagless" except when you want to snag a corner, shoe etc.

"can still see them without glasses.”" is why I started selling my collection of guns which didn't have these sights on them..... you get spoiled, they are that easy to see and use. Try using glow-in-the-dark tiny dots FAST without glasses. (I have, back when that's all you could get)

The radioactive Tritium & Fiber Optic Night Sights from other companies are good, but I have to put my glasses on to see the little dots glowing and line them up, but these, I don't, they are just easy to see.

I now shop for guns, (my next if I get a .45 will be a XD 45 compact or a Glock 30, or another Glock 26 or XD in 9mm, or maybe a Sig in either caliber) by what I can get those sights for.

[MostlyHarmless]

I second the idea of not trying to teach one's significant other.

Also, in many respects Cornered Cat is a great website for guys, too.

Taking the test with an automatic to preserve the option of carrying an auto is one thing, but IMO you need to be able to run the gun if you're going to carry it -- a revolver may make more sense in practice. My instructor helped someone in a similar circumstance load and rack the gun; YMMV. I find bigger guns easier to manipulate, personally ("bigger," meaning a larger frame within the same caliber -- more to grab onto).

Lastly, check out this tool (designed to work with their sights, not necessarily the Glock)...
http://www.dawsonprecision.com/ProductD ... 1284741534" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And, these are terrific....
" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Bests

[Teamless]

And, these are terrific....
http://www.amazon.com/BTLR-CRK-MAGLULA-" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... 155&sr=8-1

The UpLula's by Maglula are great! Saves tons of sore thumbs and perfect for someone with less than optimal dexterity.

i would say however, rather than buy from Amazon, buy direct, through February 28th - they are on sale for $24.99
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?p ... ber=952670" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[TGIF]

Thanks for the great input! It looks like we have a " private " class my brother was able to set up and we have overcome the obstacle. My dad also has a few 380s he is going to let her try.