Handi-Racker

Not too long ago I was at Bill's Gun Shop and wanted to examine a CZ 75 D PCR (more on that in upcoming weeks).  A young woman working in the show room obligingly came over, opened the case, and removed the pistol.  She attempted to conduct the safety check by retracting the slide to ensure that the chamber was empty.  However she was having some difficulty.  The slide on a CZ sits inside the frame rather than outside and that means that there is less exposed grip area to grab onto.  

Couple that with a rather stiff new spring and even I had to give it a second attempt in order to rack it completely open.

Now, and I swear on my King James Bible App that this is true, the very next day I received an email from Chris McAninch who is a gunsmith from Grimes, Iowa. Chris related that a customer with physical limitations was having difficulty manipulating the slide on his Kel-Tec P3AT and wanted Chris to fabricate and weld some type of an attachment onto the slide to facilitate his ability to rack it open.  Chris was anxious to help his customer but he also did not want to merely weld a hook or other attachment to the slide that could print through a cover garment or inadvertently catch on something and eject a round or cause the slide to go out of battery.  So, Chris set about to think about the circumstances and the possible solutions and thus, the Handi-Racker was born.

The Handi-Racker is a simple device that you place over the top of the slide with the front sight going either into the sight slot on 1911 and larger semi-autos or into the sight trough on smaller pistols.  Once the Handi-Racker has securely captured the front sight you can push the pistol forward against the Handi-Racker to work the slide or you can push the Handi-Racker rearward letting the front sight push the slide back or you can you can use both motions.  

Let me show you how it works: We're ready to retract the slide on the SIG P938.

You simply place the Handi-Racker over the sight at the front of the slide.

Make sure you have a secure connection between the Handi-Racker and the sight/slide.

And push the grip forward or push the Handi-Racker rearward.

The Handi-Racker comes in three sizes.  The small version fits the micro pistols such as the Ruger LCP.  The medium size racker fits pistols the size of a Ruger LC9 or Bersa .380 Thunder.  The large one fits most service width pistols such as the standard sized Glocks, Springfield XDs, Smith & Wesson M&P, or various 1911 pistols.  Right now any size of the Handi-Racker is available at the introductory price of $19.99.    With the price of raw petroleum based chemicals going up it is only a matter of time before a price increase must be taken.

My only suggestion would be to serrate or stipple the sides of the Handi-Racker so that your hand can get a secure hold.  Any solvent or oil residue on your hand will have to be wiped off or the Handi-Racker might just slide through.

I have a friend with Rheumatoid Arthritis who favors his Beretta Cheetah .380 because of the tip-up barrel. He no longer has the strength or dexterity to manipulate the slide.  The Handi-Racker may be the answer to getting him and others whose diseases, injuries, or failing grip strength prevent them from using a semi-automatic pistol.

You can order the Handi-Racker through Guns and More LLC at 515.480.4905 or by contacting Chris at Chris@gunsandmore.info and, as always, tell 'em Average Joe sent you.