Limp wristing
Encyclopedia
Limp wristing is a term used to describe a phenomenon commonly encountered by semiautomatic
pistol
shooters, where the shooter's grip is not firm enough to hold the frame of the pistol steady while the bolt or slide of the pistol cycles. This condition often results in a failure to complete the operating cycle, properly termed a malfunction
, but commonly (and incorrectly) termed a jam. Rifle
s and shotgun
s, if fired without the stock in the shoulder, may also be prone to limp wristing. Of the important variables involved in this type of jam, bullet and gas momentum, slide and barrel mass, recoil spring pre load and spring rate, and shooting hand and arm mass are much more important than the compliance [limpness] of the wrist.
can be broken down into two phases; the first is the rearward motion of the bolt or slide (hereafter referred to only as slide, which is the most common form in pistols), the second is the forward motion of the slide. The rearward motion of the slide is initiated by the force of firing, and continues using the slide's inertia
. While the slide moves rearwards, a spring, called the recoil
spring, is compressed, absorbing the energy of the slide while slowing it down. Approximately 50% of the momentum imparted by the bullet and gas is converted into kinetic energy of the slide relative to the frame. This energy is stored by the recoil spring. The other approximate 50% of the momentum is converted to the kinetic energy by accelerating the hand and arm mass. During this phase the fired cartridge
case is extracted from the barrel and ejected. When the slide is fully to the rear, it is stopped by the fully compressed recoil spring. The spring then pushes the slide forward, stripping a new cartridge from the magazine
and pushing it into the chamber. The firearm is then ready to fire the next round.
firearms are more susceptible to failure of this type than blowback
and gas-operated firearms, and lightweight polymer
framed handguns are more susceptible than heavy steel
framed handguns.
When there is not enough energy to move the slide back far enough relative to the frame to cycle the action, it is called limp wristing.
When there is too much energy in moving the slide back relative to the frame, it is called slide slam.
In blowback and gas operated firearms, the slide reacts against the frame pushing the frame forward slightly against the recoil of the bullet leaving. In recoil operated firearms, the slide reacts against the bullet, and the frame is under no force at the time of firing. As the slide begins to recoil to the rear some of that energy is transmitted to the frame through the locking mechanism (in locked breech designs) and the recoil spring. This transmitted energy accelerates the frame to the rear as well. If the frame is not sufficiently restrained by its mass and the shooter's grip, the frame will "catch up" to the slide, and the recoil spring will not be fully compressed, and the slide will return forward under less than the designed force.
One common result of limp wristing is a failure to eject, as the slide will be moving too slowly at the point where the ejector is activated. The slow moving case will be caught as the slide closes, resulting in a stovepipe
jam. These jams can be easily dealt with by knocking the used brass out of the way with the side of your hand or closed fist. The other common result of limp wristing is a failure to return to battery; the slide will be moving too slowly to move the new cartridge fully into the chamber, so the slide will stop partially open. The least common form of failure is a failure to feed, where the slide returns to battery on an empty chamber, because the slide moved back just far enough to eject the fired cartridge, but not enough to strip the next round from the magazine.
In the event that proper grip and follow through cannot be obtained because of physical limitations an alternative would be to use a manually cycled firearm action
, such as a revolver
. Revolvers are viable option for shooters who have difficulty with semiautomatic designs. The other alternative is to pick a firearm whose frame is heavier in relation to its slide. Polymer framed hanguns have the lightest frames, and as the frame is flexible, it absorbs more energy than metal frames. Aluminium
and titanium
alloys are slightly heavier and much stiffer than the polymers, and steel
is the heaviest frame material generally used. Full sized frames are also heavier than compact frames. The heavier frames will have more inertia, and will rely less on the shooter's grip strength to hold the frame still.
The other approach is to alter the ammunition used. Low velocity, light bullet loads such as those used in target shooting have the least energy available to operate the action, and thus are the most sensitive to limp wristing. A heavier or faster bullet will help. Accurate Powder did tests of various powder types in Glock
and Sig-Sauer handguns, and determined that fast burning powders caused failures to increase, and that medium and slow burning powders (of the range suitable for the cartridge) gave the best reliability. Limp wristing would magnify these changes, so fast powders should be avoided.
When the ammo is too weak or the recoil spring is too stiff or the slide is too heavy, and limp wristing jams occur, the cure may be more powerful ammo or a lower force recoil spring. When the ammo is too powerful or the recoil spring is too weak or the slide is too light, slide slam occurs. Slide slam is bad for the firearm and bad for the shooter's hand. The correct balance is when the ejected casings land approximately 5 feet from the shooter. In this balance there is adequate ejection and no slide slam.
When a police force chooses guns and ammo for a diverse population of personnel with low hand mass all the way to high hand mass, the compromise will be to have the heavy handed experience some slide slam, rather that the light handed to experience limp wristed jams. The ramification is that those on the force with heavy hands will see the ejected cases go further than 5 feet. This small amount of slide slam may cause some tiny additional wear to the slide, frame, and shooter's high mass hand, but it is a better option than a limp wristed jam for the low hand mass officers.
Semi-automatic firearm
A semi-automatic, or self-loading firearm is a weapon which performs all steps necessary to prepare the weapon to fire again after firing—assuming cartridges remain in the weapon's feed device or magazine...
pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
shooters, where the shooter's grip is not firm enough to hold the frame of the pistol steady while the bolt or slide of the pistol cycles. This condition often results in a failure to complete the operating cycle, properly termed a malfunction
Firearm malfunction
A firearm malfunction is the partial or complete failure of a firearm to operate as intended. Malfunctions range from temporary and relatively safe situations, such as a casing that didn't eject, to potentially dangerous occurrences that may permanently damage the gun and cause injury or death...
, but commonly (and incorrectly) termed a jam. Rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
s and shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
s, if fired without the stock in the shoulder, may also be prone to limp wristing. Of the important variables involved in this type of jam, bullet and gas momentum, slide and barrel mass, recoil spring pre load and spring rate, and shooting hand and arm mass are much more important than the compliance [limpness] of the wrist.
Overview of the operating cycle
The cycling of any type of semiautomatic firearmFirearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
can be broken down into two phases; the first is the rearward motion of the bolt or slide (hereafter referred to only as slide, which is the most common form in pistols), the second is the forward motion of the slide. The rearward motion of the slide is initiated by the force of firing, and continues using the slide's inertia
Inertia
Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to a change in its state of motion or rest, or the tendency of an object to resist any change in its motion. It is proportional to an object's mass. The principle of inertia is one of the fundamental principles of classical physics which are used to...
. While the slide moves rearwards, a spring, called the recoil
Recoil
Recoil is the backward momentum of a gun when it is discharged. In technical terms, the recoil caused by the gun exactly balances the forward momentum of the projectile and exhaust gasses, according to Newton's third law...
spring, is compressed, absorbing the energy of the slide while slowing it down. Approximately 50% of the momentum imparted by the bullet and gas is converted into kinetic energy of the slide relative to the frame. This energy is stored by the recoil spring. The other approximate 50% of the momentum is converted to the kinetic energy by accelerating the hand and arm mass. During this phase the fired cartridge
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
case is extracted from the barrel and ejected. When the slide is fully to the rear, it is stopped by the fully compressed recoil spring. The spring then pushes the slide forward, stripping a new cartridge from the magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
and pushing it into the chamber. The firearm is then ready to fire the next round.
How limp wristing can cause a failure to cycle
Depending on the operating mechanism, there are a number of places that limp wristing can cause a failure to cycle. Recoil operatedRecoil operation
Recoil operation is an operating mechanism used in locked-breech, autoloading firearms. As the name implies, these actions use the force of recoil to provide energy to cycle the action...
firearms are more susceptible to failure of this type than blowback
Blowback (arms)
Blowback is a system of operation for self-loading firearms that obtains energy from the motion of the cartridge case as it is pushed to the rear by expanding gases created by the ignition of the propellant charge....
and gas-operated firearms, and lightweight polymer
Polymer
A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units. These subunits are typically connected by covalent chemical bonds...
framed handguns are more susceptible than heavy steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
framed handguns.
When there is not enough energy to move the slide back far enough relative to the frame to cycle the action, it is called limp wristing.
When there is too much energy in moving the slide back relative to the frame, it is called slide slam.
In blowback and gas operated firearms, the slide reacts against the frame pushing the frame forward slightly against the recoil of the bullet leaving. In recoil operated firearms, the slide reacts against the bullet, and the frame is under no force at the time of firing. As the slide begins to recoil to the rear some of that energy is transmitted to the frame through the locking mechanism (in locked breech designs) and the recoil spring. This transmitted energy accelerates the frame to the rear as well. If the frame is not sufficiently restrained by its mass and the shooter's grip, the frame will "catch up" to the slide, and the recoil spring will not be fully compressed, and the slide will return forward under less than the designed force.
One common result of limp wristing is a failure to eject, as the slide will be moving too slowly at the point where the ejector is activated. The slow moving case will be caught as the slide closes, resulting in a stovepipe
Stovepipe
A stovepipe is the chimney of a coal- or wood-burning stove.Stovepipe may also refer to:- Clothing :* Stovepipe hat, tall top hat with a consistent width* Stovepipe pants, style of slim-fit pants also known as drainpipes...
jam. These jams can be easily dealt with by knocking the used brass out of the way with the side of your hand or closed fist. The other common result of limp wristing is a failure to return to battery; the slide will be moving too slowly to move the new cartridge fully into the chamber, so the slide will stop partially open. The least common form of failure is a failure to feed, where the slide returns to battery on an empty chamber, because the slide moved back just far enough to eject the fired cartridge, but not enough to strip the next round from the magazine.
How to address limp wristing
As the name suggests, the problem occurs most often with shooters who have a loose grip. A firm, two handed grip will often solve the problem. Some shooters, however, just lack the strength for such a firm grip, and in that case there are two avenues that can be explored: changing the firearm, or changing the ammunition.In the event that proper grip and follow through cannot be obtained because of physical limitations an alternative would be to use a manually cycled firearm action
Firearm action
In firearms terminology, an action is the physical mechanism that manipulates cartridges and/or seals the breech. The term is also used to describe the method in which cartridges are loaded, locked, and extracted from the mechanism. Actions are generally categorized by the type of mechanism used...
, such as a revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
. Revolvers are viable option for shooters who have difficulty with semiautomatic designs. The other alternative is to pick a firearm whose frame is heavier in relation to its slide. Polymer framed hanguns have the lightest frames, and as the frame is flexible, it absorbs more energy than metal frames. Aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
and titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
alloys are slightly heavier and much stiffer than the polymers, and steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
is the heaviest frame material generally used. Full sized frames are also heavier than compact frames. The heavier frames will have more inertia, and will rely less on the shooter's grip strength to hold the frame still.
The other approach is to alter the ammunition used. Low velocity, light bullet loads such as those used in target shooting have the least energy available to operate the action, and thus are the most sensitive to limp wristing. A heavier or faster bullet will help. Accurate Powder did tests of various powder types in Glock
Glock
Glock Ges.m.b.H. is a weapons manufacturer headquartered in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria, named after its founder, Gaston Glock...
and Sig-Sauer handguns, and determined that fast burning powders caused failures to increase, and that medium and slow burning powders (of the range suitable for the cartridge) gave the best reliability. Limp wristing would magnify these changes, so fast powders should be avoided.
When the ammo is too weak or the recoil spring is too stiff or the slide is too heavy, and limp wristing jams occur, the cure may be more powerful ammo or a lower force recoil spring. When the ammo is too powerful or the recoil spring is too weak or the slide is too light, slide slam occurs. Slide slam is bad for the firearm and bad for the shooter's hand. The correct balance is when the ejected casings land approximately 5 feet from the shooter. In this balance there is adequate ejection and no slide slam.
When a police force chooses guns and ammo for a diverse population of personnel with low hand mass all the way to high hand mass, the compromise will be to have the heavy handed experience some slide slam, rather that the light handed to experience limp wristed jams. The ramification is that those on the force with heavy hands will see the ejected cases go further than 5 feet. This small amount of slide slam may cause some tiny additional wear to the slide, frame, and shooter's high mass hand, but it is a better option than a limp wristed jam for the low hand mass officers.
External links
- Accurate Arms 2003 reloading guide, see the 9 mm Luger9 mm Luger ParabellumThe 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge was designed by Georg Luger and introduced in 1902 by the German weapons manufacturer Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken for their Luger semi-automatic pistol...
section for note on fast powders in lightweight guns