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Feeling Rusty and Uneasy
I miss my Glock.
A few months have passed since my husband and I have gone to the shooting range. With one distraction or another, and lots of excuses, we just didn’t get there (and it’s only 20 minutes away). My current excuse is that I’ve developed arthritis in my hands. My daily dose of prednisone that I take for PMR apparently disguised the symptoms; now that we’ve been trying to reduce the dose, the aching in my hands that has emerged is making it difficult to grab almost anything firmly, from milk cartons to door handles to guns.
I especially became aware of my lack of attention to my training when I heard about the Allen, TX, shooting. Several people mentioned that it’s the last town they would have thought of for a shooting to take place.
Just like our town and community.
So I’m reminded that basically there is no safe place. I have everything I need to protect myself: my concealed carry permit, my special purse for carrying, and my Glock 42, which I specially bought for its small size. But it was difficult for me to rack when I first bought it; I haven’t tried to rack it open recently, but it certainly won’t be any easier. A number of questions come up for me: should I try harder to find a drug that will reduce the pain in my hands? Is there actually a gun that I would be capable of grasping or racking? Should I rely on my husband to protect me? I hate the idea of taking more drugs almost as much as I resent having to depend on my husband (who is happy to oblige but respects my desire for self-protection).
I think, however, that it’s time to act. There may be too much at stake.
Published in Guns
I completely agree! For a couple of years we were going to shoot every two weeks. It was not only fun, but it kept us sharp! We may go to the range tomorrow (which has a gun shop) and see how I do with shooting; my husband can rack my gun for me in the interim. And if they have a couple of the guns that look especially interesting, we’ll have more good information.
I own the.380 ez and love it. Get one of those laser systems so you can practice at home. S haven’t shot in months. Arthritis in my trigger finger is an issue.
Three family members, women, own one.
Maybe instead of going shooting go to a bunch of gun stores and rack everything in the cases.
S&W Equalizer. Somewhat like a hypothetical 9mm Shield Plus EZ. Has the EZ grip safety.
I used to have (before the tragic boating accident) an EZ380. It was very easy to rack and the magazine spring was also light, so it’s also easy to reload. I agree with the suggestion to rent one and see how it works for you.
I took Glucosamine/Chondroitin for a while, but I suffered a known side effect: swollen ankles.
I still take (on the recommendation of my rheumatologist) daily doses of:
– Krill oil
– Turmeric
– Ginger root
My primary care physician thinks that the Krill oil is the only thing that is really working, but the others can be had relatively cheaply, so I keep up with these three.
Voltaren is a cream that you can apply daily and it does help with pain. It’s an NSAID so you have to watch your dose, especially if you’re taking ibuprofen or other NSAIDs. Voltaren was helpful for me when I had a recurrence of an old case of plantar facsiitis.
I knew they made the EZ in 9 by now. I didn’t know all of this:
https://www.smith-wesson.com/products/shield-ez
In my experience:
1) the grip safety on the EZ is hinged at the bottom not the top. This makes it easier to activate.
2) the XD and the EZ grip safeties are quite easy to grab. Not like some 1911 grips that require active pressure to disengage.
3) Semi autos can be “limp wristed” and you can generate malfunctions by not holding the grip hard enough. It is possible to limp wrist an EZ, while holding it well enough to activate any grip safety. If you hold on tight enough to avoid limp wristing, the grip safety will be disengaged.
Can confirm the EZ comes in 9mm and 380
Here is a different solution that let’s you keep your Glock:
Get a good red dot sight. Then you can rack with just the shooting hand and any doorway or table. Much easier, and it works. Pictures to follow.
Like others I would have suggested the Smith & Wesson EZ 380 as I’ve at least handled the thing and found it to be sufficiently large for grasping and it had a light slide spring resistance for drawing the slide, even such that I thought my mother who had severe grip issues might be able to handle the thing (but I never tested it out and she’s now gone).
I see that CTLaw has now also linked a discussion of the Ruger Security 380, which similarly to the S&W EZ 380 is said to have a light draw and sufficiently large frame to assist in reasonable handling of the pistol. However, I have not seen one yet and thus haven’t handled it yet. They may be out there regularly on shelves, but it’s not something I’m looking to add to my safe at this time, so I haven’t been looking.
A larger framed semi-auto like either of these provides the opportunity to stick with the .380 cartridge you already have, while both have a larger grip area to help you handle recoil well even as your hand capabilities degrade.
Great suggestion!
I really like the HOLOSUN HE507C-GR-X2 Green Dot Reflex Sight, ACSS Vulcan Reticle.
It is the first green dot I have used and I am surprised how much I like the green dot. Green is in the middle of the human visual spectrum, instead of the far end (red), so that makes sense.
I like the one that has a chevron in the middle instead of a dot. I just like it because it is bigger and my eyes don’t focus like they used to.
What sold me on this particular sight is that in addition to the center point, there is an outer circle that makes it easier to orient the sight, so you don’t have to wiggle it around when the center is out of view. When I could shoot consistently finding the center wasn’t a problem, but since I haven’t been able to practice as much the outer ring is a great help.
May require an adapter to fit your Glock.
I always have trouble with red dot sights; I find lasers easier because I can see it without my glasses and I need very little ambient light to point it.
I can confirm.
Lasers also show if you are jerking when pulling the trigger.
Yes! I learned a lot about that when I got my first laser.
The hypothetical part was the “Plus”. For whatever reason, S&W did not introduce EZ versions of the double-stack Shield Plus.
There are a number of versions. they slightly reduce concealability:
https://www.recovertactical.com/product/charging-handle-for-the-glock-42/
https://www.glockstore.com/Charging-Handle-for-Glock-42
https://www.glockstore.com/Slide-Pull-Charging-Handle-for-G42-43
Fascinating, CT! So many options!
My bet on that is that they can’t match the light magazine spring in the EZ with a double stack magazine.
Is Voltaren over the counter?
Do you think it would be good for a wound site from surgery? Friend has pain from that and it seems to be making him loopy, since it has stopped him from getting much sleep.
Voltaren gel is OTC. It has helped me with knee pain.
Yes, you can get Voltaren (or generic) in just about any place drugs are sold. Usually located with arthritis stuff.
It is marketed for arthritis plain; or other non-surface pain. I have no idea if your use case would be applicable; It’s normal application is onto intact skin over interior pain from a joint. So I wouldn’t do it on a wound site without getting some advice from a doctor or pharmacist.
Can’t say that I recommend this.
Because doorways and tables are not convenient? Or because it beats up the sight? My sight has been used this way a lot – no visible damage. I had a Krav instructor who told us to train this way so we could rack one-handed.
It sure is a lot easier than using one’s hand, if strength is an issue.