Smith & Wesson Chief Special

[Beetle]

:?:   My wife uses a S & W Chief Special for her carry gun.  (Or wants to when it functions reliably)  It works just fine when I shoot it, but when she's using it she gets at least 1 jam per clip.  I suspect she's limpwristing.   I have a Springfield that she can shoot just fine and I suspect that it's because it's a heavier gun.  Does anyone know how to cure limpwristing?  I've got her doing exercises to strenghen her wrist and forearm, but so far, no improvement.

[L-Roy]

I've seen seasoned, large officers limp wrist with the weak hand.  I have a suspicion that it has to do with anticipation of the shot and the relaxing of muscle control of the weapon hand and arm.

What stance does she prefer?  Does she extend the weapon arm solidly?

Have her chose a stance, if possible, that puts the shoulder and arm into one locked, solid unit.  Try the Weaver, if she can manage it.  Stress trigger squeezing, not slapping, which is really anticipation and can lead to limp wristing.

[Mikey]

Beetle:  most often it simply takes a lot of practice before anyone can overcome the tendency to limpwrist a sidearm.  You see it a lot on the ranges when Police Officers come out to play.  They are well supervised by their line Officers but many of them, mostly guys, often find they suffer jams during practice for no reason other than limpwristing.  It is interesting to note however that this is not the case under stressfire.  In those situations the Officer usually has a stranglehold on his sidearm and it functions reliably.  

I hope this never happens with your wife but a question to you is - does she really like that Chiefs Special (a snotty little 9mm that is going to buck a bit) or is she just trying to make you happy?  If she really likes it then she needs more practice.  She may even learn to use that sidearm weak handed.  If she doesn't like it all that much but wants to make you happy, then find something else she can use that WILL NOT malfunction even if she does limp wrist it.  Hope something helps.  Mikey.

[Beetle]

I've seen seasoned, large officers limp wrist with the weak hand.  I have a suspicion that it has to do with anticipation of the shot and the relaxing of muscle control of the weapon hand and arm.

What stance does she prefer?  Does she extend the weapon arm solidly?

Have her chose a stance, if possible, that puts the shoulder and arm into one locked, solid unit.  Try the Weaver, if she can manage it.  Stress trigger squeezing, not slapping, which is really anticipation and can lead to limp wristing.

Thanks for the reply L-Roy - The stance she uses is to stand square to the target, arms extended out forming an isosceles triangle, gun in the right hand and the right hand cupped in the left hand.  She pulls back slightly with the left hand and pushes forward with the right.
Trigger squeeze is something I haven't watched for lately.  I'll look for it - I know I catch myself doing it occasionally

Again - Many Thanks - Beetle

[Beetle]

Beetle:  most often it simply takes a lot of practice before anyone can overcome the tendency to limpwrist a sidearm.  You see it a lot on the ranges when Police Officers come out to play.  They are well supervised by their line Officers but many of them, mostly guys, often find they suffer jams during practice for no reason other than limpwristing.  It is interesting to note however that this is not the case under stressfire.  In those situations the Officer usually has a stranglehold on his sidearm and it functions reliably.  

I hope this never happens with your wife but a question to you is - does she really like that Chiefs Special (a snotty little 9mm that is going to buck a bit) or is she just trying to make you happy?  If she really likes it then she needs more practice.  She may even learn to use that sidearm weak handed.  If she doesn't like it all that much but wants to make you happy, then find something else she can use that WILL NOT malfunction even if she does limp wrist it.  Hope something helps.  Mikey.

Hi Mikey - I wish she was just trying to make me happy.  Then she wouldn't be badgering me all the time to get more rounds loaded so we could go make holes in things.  We've been married damn near 30 years - she quit trying to make me happy about 29 years ago!
The Smith she shoots is a .45 ACP and I'm wondering if the exreme lightweightedness of the gun is causing a little more recoil than she can handle.  I have a Springfield Longslide and an Ultracompact, both in .45, that she can shoot quite well.
Next time we're at the range I'll double check her grip.

Thanks for your time and your reply - Beetle

[KING]

One cause of..limpwristing is not actually the wrist as the main problem...I have watched rookies on the ine attempt to squeeze the trigger with the entire hand...What ends up occuring is that they are attempting to take up the trigger slack,and using the entire hand to do it...what generally occures is a jammed gun...Ya might watch yer closley or make sure that she is using two hands to fire with..tell her to roll her left thumb over the right thumb...it will make a kind of ..lock in that position..if she has a good grip tell her to attempt to pull her hands apart from the top while holding the gun...dont ferget to unload it first.....it the hands have to be forced apart,i think most of you or her problems may be solved...it works about 70 percent of the time,depending on the shooter and the instructer..have fun..and lotsa fun shooting...king..that position also stops the gun from jumping off target as much...when i shoot combat ..that is what i do

[Mikey]

Hay Beetle:  Following up on your response here and I think you may have hit on the problem.  That Chief's Special is a failry compact lightweight 45, isn't it.  That might be the problem.  

I have one of the original lightweight 45s, an older Colt Commander that has gone through a couple of facelifts.  It has the beavertail grip safety, flat mainspring housing, Chip McCormack trigger group AND, it carries a 22 lb recoil spring package.  All of this makes it manageable and an accurate shooter.  But, when I go out to the range for practice with my full size Sprangerfield Gov't Model with the same accutrements I can go through twice the number of rounds that I feel comfortable in shooting from the Commander.

I'm not a big guy and I like my Commander but unde recoil she snaps, even with the heavy springs.  I shoot only GI ball, which is what I carry.  So, if your wife's Chief's Special in 45 is as light as my Commander, it can't be too much fun for her to shoot and recoil might be a problem for her.  It sounds like she can handle your heavier pistols without a problem - they are most likely more comfortable for her to shoot or, because of the additional weight she might have to take a stronger grip but she can handle those without mishap or malfunction.

Your wife may like her Chief's Special because of the looks and the light weight but the recoil might be a bit too much for her.  One suggestion for that pistol is a set of heavier recoil springs - you can get them from Wolfe.  Also, think about the ammo she practices with - if it is the nasty hot stuff with a hollowpoint and extra muzzle velocity it can't be pleasant to shoot.  The plain jane GI Ball may be a good choice, if she isn't using it already.  

If the 45 caliber is just too much for her and the malfunctions continue, you might wish to consider another sidearm.  My wife just loved her nickle plated Model 19, until she fired it.  Then she just loved her AMT 380 Backup, until I saw how easy that could malfunction.  After that she loved her Beretta 70S 380, until it recoiled too much.  But she really loved her airweight Model 36 38 snubbie - lightweight, accurate, easy to shoot even with heavy bullets, and that became her sidearm of choice (until she learned to skip cans with her Beretta 21A).  

Was that Chief's Special her idea or yours?  Was it purchased because of its looks, weight or caliber, and who made the decision?  If you can think of these questions and add in the recoil and weight factor of her current 45, you may come up with your own answers.  

This is Mikey, again, and I hope this helps.

[jerry6stl]

If it were my wife, I would swap the gun for an S&W .38 Chief's Special REVOLVER -- that will fire for her every time.  Then I would take her to the practice range with two boxes of standard wadcutter loads.

Five shots are enough.