How limp wristing can cause a failure to cycle

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. Rifles and shotguns, if fired without the stock in the shoulder, may also be prone to limp wristing.

Depending on the operating mechanism, there are a number of places that limp wristing can cause a failure to cycle. Recoil operated firearms are more susceptible to failure than blowback and gas-operated firearms, and lightweight polymer framed handguns are more susceptible than heavy steel framed handguns.

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.

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, 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 handguns have the lightest frames, and as the frame is flexible, it absorbs more energy than metal frames. Aluminum 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.

Another explanation is,

Limp wristing is the failure to grip your automatic handgun tightly enough, causing the pistol to fail to extract a spent casing from the chamber.

A semi-automatic pistol fired limp wristed will fire but may not cycle for a second shot. In other words, you either have a weapon that will not fire, or you’ve got a jammed gun.

Oops. That can get you killed.

In order to fire, semi-autos need a stable base. Wasn’t it Sir Issac Newton who decreed, “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction?”

Well, Newton was right. If you were to suspend a pistol in the air and pull the trigger by string, the bullet would fly, but so would the gun… in the opposite direction. And the semi-auto would fail to cycle because the resistance it needs to move the slide back and eject and feed has been removed. That means a jam that can only be cleared by removing the magazine and racking the slide.

Limp wristing happens to the strongest people; indeed, it happens to everybody. Often when a character is moving or distracted or panicked, he’s more focused on his target and what he’s doing than on how he’s holding his gun. Maybe the protag or perp is leading a victim, or ducking and dodging. A momentary lapse, and the grip on the pistol loosens.

Many modern semi-auto pistols, such as high end 1911s or the new Springfield XD series, have wrist safeties, which will not permit the pistol to fire if it is being held with less than a firm grip. See the picture on the right. Note, the XD and XDm grip safeties serve the same purpose but operate differently.



The short but distinct separation at the upper end of the grip under the beaver tail, is the grip safety. This safety arm must be depressed before the gun will fire. Look at the structure. The grip safety is at the top of the grip, meaning the upper part of the shooting hand is what depresses the safety. So a firm grip with the bottom part of the hand is irrelevant, at least relating to operation of the grip safety. With pistols containing this safety, limp wristing will mean a failure to fire.

On semi-autos without a grip safety, as for instance with Glock, HK or Sig Sauer Classic or Sig Pro pistols, a soft grip will fire the pistol but cause it to fail to eject, thereby jamming the gun and preventing a second or follow-on shot until the pistol is cleared.

In many of our books, we see characters shooting under stress. And stress is one of the causes of limp wristing, because stress causes the shooter to focus on something other than a firm pistol grip. It’s not about strength, not a gender factor at all; it’s about distraction. If the character has been wrestling with someone for the gun and the gun goes off, odds are the shot was limp wristed, so the gun will be jammed. And of course, if it was one of those guns with a grip safety, the first shot wouldn’t have fired at all.

In most of these situations, the author will have someone (the perp, the protag, or a third character) grab the pistol and struggle to fire, in a hurry, probably with a bad grip.

When, if ever, are we shown the gun jamming in this scenario? Yet, that’s what would likely happen. And the jam is the more critical of these issues because the pistol must be cleared before it will shoot again. With a wrist safety, the gun didn’t fire, so there’s no jam. A firm grip = Bang.

So, beware the dangers of the limp wrist. Or use a limp wristed shot (or non-shot as the case may be) for a little more drama and realism in your story.

I see this question come up frequently on other forums so I made it a sticky.

Great information. I think that most new handgun owners have this issue to one degree or another and it's hard to keep it on your mental checklist while you are practicing.

Agreed, that is part of the reason I put this up. I see this question at a lot of other boards so I thought I would post this here.
Centinul made it a sticky so maybe it will stay right here for a while and people can use it as a reference in other posts both here and at other forums when the question arises.