New to Handguns: Pistol Overview?

[harkamus]

^ Very true.

He can always add a ledge cut rear for purchase.

 

[cm_bushman]

^ Very true.

He can always add a ledge cut rear for purchase.

Is this a major issue? Should I invest in an upgrade to aid in slide purchase?

Pardon my ignorance, but is a ledge cut the sort of jimping you see on 1911 models, just milled groves to hold onto when you grip the slide?

 

[harkamus]

Is this a major issue? Should I invest in an upgrade to aid in slide purchase?

Pardon my ignorance, but is a ledge cut the sort of jimping you see on 1911 models, just milled groves to hold onto when you grip the slide?

No, I don't think it's an issue if you ask me personally. Racking a slide is still a gross motor skill. The slide might be small compared to something like a Glock or 1911, but it's really not difficult to rack. Even in a self defense situation, I don't think it would be difficult to rack. If anything, if I had to rack the slide in a force situation, I would use my entire hand instead of just my thumb and index finger like I normally do.

A ledge is a type of rear sight that has a ledge. The ledge lets you rack the slide if your arm is disabled. You can push against the ledge on your belt, shoe, or whatever. You can also grab on to the ledge and rack it with your fingers.

 

[TomTerrific]

And just because he's damn cool, here's Jerry and his revolver. It sounds so crazy when he reloads. It almost sounds like the audio is out of synch, as if he was shooting faster than could be recorded. hah

I dunno what scares me more. Jerry with a revolver or Jerry with an autoloader.

I worked with Jerry and his dad, also Jerry, in a chem plant on the River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Both fine men.

My first handgun was a 4" 686 and I think it is optimal, as many others have said. Shooting .38s is like shooting BBs.

You can't go wrong with a 4" 686 and I imagine a 6" would be really nice, too.

 

[harkamus]

I worked with Jerry and his dad, also Jerry, in a chem plant on the River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Both fine men.

Well isn't that something? I bet you have some great stories to tell. That's so awesome. Jerry's such a phenomenal shooter.

 

[Woodrow F Call]

Is this a major issue? Should I invest in an upgrade to aid in slide purchase?

Pardon my ignorance, but is a ledge cut the sort of jimping you see on 1911 models, just milled groves to hold onto when you grip the slide?

Hopefully, this picture shows up:

What I'm talking about isn't the slide serrations, but the amount of slide when you wrap your paws around it trying to cycle the action to clear a jam. Under a good deal of pressure, your fingers aren't going to work as well. You are going to tend to just wrap your hand around the top of the slide instead of using your fingers. With the short distance between the top and bottom of the slide on the CZ 75b, you have a greater chance to grab the frame while performing this action and foul up the process.

I'm not saying don't get the gun because of it. It's something that you are going to have to deal with through training. It's kind of like the safety on a 1911, you have to do a lot of practice to ensure you don't "forget" the safety while drawing in a high stress situation. I still carry one from time to time, but I practice with it.

That's what makes the Glock a good option for most people. Glocks have no manual safety making them as simple as a revolver to operate but with more capacity. They are very reliable and will handle dirt and grit as good as anything. Failures are simpler to deal with than the CZ. (BTW the S&W M&P is a great option too).

Now if one want a CZ, that's fine. I like 1911s and Wheelguns, which have other shortcomings. I just think it's important to acknowledge what they are and train to deal with them.

 

[harkamus]

I just think it's important to acknowledge what they are and train to deal with them.

Perfect response. Better than I could have said myself.

I'll iterate another point. Seems like the OP is not going to buy a lot of guns, maybe even only the one he's thinking of right now. That should make things easier since he will only practice with that one hand gun as opposed to a battery of arms that lots of folks have.

For what it's worth, the reason I love 941s, CZs, Sphinxes (my dream firearm...hard to get here in the US), and Sig 210s, is because of that revere slide rail set up. Having full length guide rails and a lower bore axis are worthy trade offs for me even if the end result is a midget slide.

I noticed something thinking about manipulating my CZ that I don't consciously think about, but that may help the original poster. I ride the safety like many 1911 users do. Doing so, puts my strong hand thumb in a position where if I use my weak hand to rack the slide by the rear cocking serrations, the weak hand fingers will never grab the frame. My strong hand thumb is in the way of the frame. It puts the fingers racking the slide in the perfect position. Just food for thought for the original poster.

EDIT: Quick random crappy cell phone pic to show where my thumb placement is and showing how the slide serrations are exposed perfectly for the weak hand to rack the slide with. No risk grabbing the frame if you ride the safety. Excuse the blurriness, but I'm holding a 38.1 ounce firearm and trying to take a pic at the same time with my non-dominant hand.

 

[MrApple]

My personal opinion, the greatest revolver ever made is the Smith & Wesson 686 with a 4 inch barrel. It is a decently heavy steel revolver but doable in a quality hip holster. I hate shooting 357 Magnum shells, so I leave .38 Special +P in the cylinder for self-defense and practice with .38 Special standard pressure rounds.