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It's also mostly used in race gun competition (not only on glocks, lots of them actually use the dovetail for the rear sight to fix it) to rack the slide quickly when you have a sight and a blast shield on top. (If you don't know what those things are you shouldn't be posting)

that is so gay

I have one of these on an OPEN DIVISION I.P.S.C Glock 17. It is brilliant. Perfect for competitive shooting.

Not much use on a concealed street gun though, arthritis sufferers apart that is.

The tactical reason of having a charging handle on a glock is for tactical police officers who carry shields. Because one hand is used to carry the shield theofficers are forced to shoot one handed. In the event of a misfeed they can rack the slide against the edge of the shield using the charging handle and clear the jam without having to drop down, let go of the shield and use both hands.

I am sure none of those officers need a clumsy device like this to help them do that, but maybe I am wrong. Can you name any SWAT teams that actually use this device?

If not, maybe it’s because one handle is not tactical enough. Perhaps the manufacturer could make an ambidextrous version, and a variant that affixes to the front of the slide, that way you could have four charging handles, two on either side of the weapon. Quadruple charging handle power! Imagine what you could accomplish with such an amazing capability!

As a retired LE and combat vet I can tell you that you are wrong. This charging handle has many military and law enforcement applications. As with all equipment though, it's not for everyone. But many like and use it and is certainly not a stupid idea. The guy that wrote the article is just showing his ignorance and lack of experience. Just because he has no idea how it could prove useful in combat does not make it so. I seriously doubt he is a combat expert or law enforcement expert or even employed in those fields and has probably never seen combat. If all that is so, then that would make his article nothing more than ramblings of an ignorant fool, commenting on things he knows nothing about. He may be a glock expert but that hardly qualifies his comments on it's uses for combat and LE?

That is probably the most valid excuse I have heard so far (setting aside
the sporting considerations.) However, racking the slide can still be
accomplished with one hand and without some extra gizmo.

Everyone has a wright to there own opinion, BUT some are just STUPID to keep such a argument going just to prove he thinks he knows more than anyone else. Why not drop this subject, you already made a fool of your self!!

And yet here you are, continuing to argue with some stupid person on their blog. Please provide some compelling counter arguments, instead of illiterate insults. Use small words, since I am stupid and your spelling is not so great.

Just as I am not impressed with your magnanimous concession that I have a “wright” to express my opinion, I am also not very impressed with your ability to recognize foolishness. Nor am I going to follow your humble suggestion that I just shut up. You wouldn’t happen to have some sort of financial interest in the company, would you?

If you believe in this product so strongly, I would encourage you to purchase one and post a video demonstrating its amazing utility. If you surprise me by actually doing so, please post a link here in the comments.

I agree with your evaluation 100 per cent, but apparently you have not had trouble with arthritis. I'm 63 now and have trouble charging the gun, I do not have this handle but can see how it would benifit me greatly. I have a glock 27 & 20, among others and still enjoy shooting as often as possible. Believe me age will make a differnce with what you can do with your hands.

If you agreed with our evaluation 100%, you would not have written this comment. If you have such debilitating issues with arthritis that you cannot easily perform a simple task like loading the pistol, then I seriously question your ability to perform more difficult tasks competently under stress, such as correcting malfunctions, reloading and retaining your weapon in a struggle.

As I have stated previously, this is not a recreational shooting blog. The evaluation was made on the basis of its usefulness in a tactical sense. Your recreational justifications for this device are not valid from a tactical standpoint. Also, since you admit you do not actually use this device, I would encourage you to purchase it and then post a video of yourself demonstrating its usefulness, specifically in a concealed carry context. I am particularly interested in watching you shoot your 10mm Glock 20 with your crippling arthritis. Do something fairly straightforward, like some Farnam Drills or El Presidente drills.

Eddie B.: “Believe me age will make a differnce with what you can do with your hands.”

Yes, including the ability to effectively defend yourself, even with a pistol.

The charging handle is movable to either side,which kind of negates your right handed reach around baloney. And those of us who only have use of one hand this makes racking on belt easy,with no damage or wear to my glock or equipment it is racked against.I have never had a problem with my glock slide " hanging up",so I can not imagine this slight weight changing that!

obviously you didn't read the specs. you can mount either left or right. also you are lucky not to have a progressive disese that makes it imposable to grip the slide. glocks have a history of slam firing and using the sight is quick way to injure yourself or others...in the business since 1972

d. seltzzer: “obviously you didn't read the specs. you can mount either left or right. “

Obviously, you didn't read the post or any of the comments. Left or right, it matters not, the criticisms still apply.

d. seltzzer: “also you are lucky not to have a progressive disese that makes it imposable to grip the slide. “

I do feel fortunate. I do not work with disabled shooters, and as has been mentioned ad nauseam, this is not a recreational shooting blog.

Someone who has no ability to grip the slide probably also lacks the strength to hold on to the weapon during recoil without causing a malfunction.

There will eventually come a time when, despite your best efforts, you are just not capable of fighting anymore.

d. seltzzer:“...glocks have a history of slam firing...”

Even if that was true, which it is not, I am not sure what that claim has to do with charging handles.

You might want to remove your finger from the trigger before you rack the slide. That might solve your “slam fire” problem.

d. seltzzer: “...and using the sight is quick way to injure yourself or others”

Amazingly, despite many iterations during practice, I have never been injured, nor has anyone else I know. Are you sure you are doing it correctly?

Also, the original purpose of the technique is to rack the slide in case you are already injured, e.g. shot in the other hand. The chance of injury is infinitesimally small and the severity of the potential injury is absurdly trivial, comparatively speaking.

d. seltzzer: “…in the business since 1972”

The business of selling charging handles, no doubt.

Idiot. It is intended for spoot shooters who have scopes on the pistol and can not rack the slide traditionally. It is also helpful for shooters with arthritis who cannot rack the slide normally. It is well worth the money if it suits your needs.

First, the sport shooting excuse has already been addressed. Second, as has been pointed out repeatedly, Brillianter is not a recreational shooting blog. The arthritis issue was addressed in my previous comments. You may also want to read Mostly Genius' post: Firearms for the physically disabled.

I love seeing people post things about things they know nothing about. This is mostly for open race glocks which you have no slide to grab due to a rail/optics in the way, or disabled people, also this is for cold chambered drawing I know how to charge a glock with the rear notch sight and it only works about 7 out of 10 times. The other times it slips off holster/belt/boot without charging pistol. Mako has never made anything useless for the Glock line of pistols these are combat proven devices, try clearing a misfeed on a glock while bleeding/missing an arm/fingers using the sights.

It sounds like you need more training and practice. Please provide a citation for your claim that these are “combat proven”. The unmodified Glock pistol has already been combat proven many times. I have never seen or heard of any combatants using charging handles on their handguns, probably because most combatants do not use raceguns or suffer from disabilities. Has the manufacturer done any tests with these devices to see how they impede reliability? Are the results publicly available?

It is evident you have never been in combat or a gunfight. If you had you would know that soldiers do have disabilities, it is calleed getting wounded. When in a gun battle your hands are often sweaty,your heart is racing, you do everything to keep your fear from turning to sheer panic and terror. That is why they call it the fog of battle, because it seems as if your mind is in a fog and you can't seem to make your body do what you want it to. If your wounded on top of all that I could seee where a charging handle coould be useful and advantagous. I know Mako makes a lot of things that soldiers in the field as SF have requested of them. And as a combat vet and retired/disabled law enforcement officer I can tell you I believe it to be a very useful tool. It's easy to sit on the couch typing about what you "think" it's combat usefulness is but judging by your remarks you evidently have never seen combat of any sort and have no clue what you are theorizing about. For me it is no theory. Just as you have no experience in what the capabilities of a disabled person are and have no business telling someone with a disability that they should not use firearms. I have seen people with disabilities and age excell far beyond the abilities of people that are "normal" young and healthy. As for me, with my age, arthritis and disability, I out shoot about 98% of the people at my range of which we have 2 professional shooters, numerous cops, professional firearms instructors and military vets. My range is one of the largest and nicest in the South. I'm not as good or fast as I used to be but I am still better and faster than many who are half my age although I do lack endurance because of my disability. But most gunbattles don't last too long anyway. I would give you a little advice and you can take it or leave it. What us "old people" with our arthritis and disabilities lack in speed and vitality we have learned to make up for with our experience and wisdom. We have learned to listen more and talk less and no longer have the ego of youth to get in our way. So listen and learn, talk less and learn to be humble and you will excel above others. And if you live long enough you will find this to be true. Listen to the old guys or theold vet in a wheel chair

Sandric: “When in a gun battle your hands are often sweaty,your heart is racing, you do everything to keep your fear from turning to sheer panic and terror. That is why they call it the fog of battle, because it seems as if your mind is in a fog and you can't seem to make your body do what you want it to. If your wounded on top of all that I could seee where a charging handle coould be useful and advantagous. I know Mako makes a lot of things that soldiers in the field as SF have requested of them.”

Does Mako make anything with a spellcheck feature? If so, you might want to bolt a few of those to your computer.

Really? No intelligent response, so you go after a typo. HOALEY FOCKING SHEAT! I BET U CAN ONDERSTAND THES END I STEEL GET THA FOCKING POYNT ACROS! So what if he put one too many e's on see. The man has a valid point and you demonstrate that you have no intelligent rebuttal by attacking his grammar. He discussed the product, and you decided to attack a typo because you have no intelligent argument. Are you unwilling to admit that you have no experience with which to make an educated rebuttal? Are you incapable of conceding that he has a valid point? Apparently.

one handed people have the right to own guns too. this little guy makes the task of charging my glock a quick and easy task. It is great.

I have one and it was worth every penny. The pin comes out if you want to carry it conventionally. If you have a stock on your glock the charging handle makes it a breeze to rack.

Sendarius: “The suggestion that the shooter could use the sights, hooked onto something, to cycle a Glock is more than a little ridiculous - have you seen how FLIMSY Glock sights are?”

So ridiculous that it is pretty much a universally taught technique in any serious shooting school. My “flimsy” Glock factory rear sight is still going strong after 14 years of use, to include regular practice of the technique described. The front sight was replaced with a steel one a long time ago. I may replace the rear one with a steel sight in the future, but right now there is no real need.

Sendarius: “As a competition shooter, I use a similar device on my scoped race gun.”

The charging handle may indeed have a sport application. I have said it before: Brillianter is not a recreational shooting blog.

For defensive use, it is an equipment solution to a training problem. The charging handle increases the potential for a malfunction. Anything that impairs reliability is a liability. The pistol works very well right out of the box. If you can't get the pistol to work right out of the box, it is almost certainly a problem with the shooter and not the gun. Similarly, condition three carry for self defense is another mechanical solution to a training problem.

Money is far better spent getting some quality training, ammo (if you can find any these days), spare magazines, and a decent holster/mag pouch. Tinkering with your defensive handgun is probably going to do more harm than good for most people.

Jurien S.:
I sure hope this isn't an Israeli invention. That would be creating a mechanical solution to a very stupid policy. While Israeli civilians might have to carry in condition three, I sure hope their police and security forces don't have to (I have no idea what the policy is on this.)

Sendarius:
While I agree that the factory glock sights are pretty crappy, actually having done one handed manipulations with them it's not ridiculous, and it does work.

If you have modified your gun in a way that you can't get a grip on your slide, then so be it. You have optimized your gun for playing a game. That is a big departure from pretending that this is a "tactical" accessory as pointed out by the manufacturers web site:

Excelent solution for stressful situations or when operator is injured

If you are injured in your IPSC match, somebody is doing something wrong.

When you get into a combat situation and your trying not to pee you pants and your hands are so sweaty you can hardly even hold on to your glock, let alone rack the slide, you may wish you had one of these devices. Also age and disability do not always mean that person could not handle themselves in a gun battle. I've seen young strong and cocky guys freeze up, piss their pants and put others lives at risk. No matter what you say now while laying on the couch eating Cheetos, you have no idea how you would react when you life is at stake and your death appears certain. All you can say is what you would like to do and all you can do is train, train, train. If all you do is talk about it an shoot a few paper targets once or twice a week you will proably freeze and pee your pants or run and get shot in the back while peeing your pants. It never is like the movies or video games. You must think about different scenarios all the time then figure the best course of action, then go to the range and practice different scenarios until it becomes second nature, where you can do it in your sleep. When you do that you will find you even dream about it. Few people have the time or money or knowledge to do all that unless they get professional training or have a job where they receive the training and practice, like the military SF or LE etc......

The suggestion that the shooter could use the sights, hooked onto something, to cycle a Glock is more than a little ridiculous - have you seen how FLIMSY Glock sights are?

As a competition shooter, I use a similar device on my scoped race gun. It allows me to easily rack the slide by hooking the handle with my left index finger.

Much faster AND safer than trying to grab the slide with the sight and mount in the way.

I believe this device is an Israeli invention, and it was developed because certain security forces personnel felt the need to be able to cycle the slide one-handed because their other hand was otherwise occupied (e.g. operating a car, or guiding a protected person). The idea behind it is that you can hook the handle onto a corner of a wall, or car dashboard, or a tree, or whatnot, and work the slide that way. Bear in mind the Israelis may still tend to carry in "condition three," so you're not operating from slide lock, and if you're operating a vehicle or moving a principal, your feet will be otherwise engaged, and your holster may not be convenient.

I'd say it's not a stupid invention as such, but whether you need it if you aren't an Israeli cop or Shin Beit officer is very much open to question.

Alex:
While I addressed the disabled issue in a separate post, my main point here is that I am not convinced that this device is going to help the disabled, despite a lot of speculation to the contrary. Before I believe that argument I want to see the conditions where this works and the normal one handed techniques don't.

The race gun argument is valid, but the picture is clearly not of a scoped pistol. I am aware that you might need a charging handle (or front cocking serrations) in that case.

MG says: “I would Kubotan you (if I knew how to use it) for that post.”

It's easy, just make sure you use a modular Kubotan with a charging handle bolted to it.

Mostly Genius: I personally am not disabled, nor is anyone I know. I've run across some self defense forums which suggest this device as something a disabled person could use.

Words: I would Kubotan you (if I knew how to use it) for that post.

If you thought the charging handle was an answer in search of a question, wait 'til you see this.

Alex: Can I assume from your comment that you or someone you know is disabled and actually has one of these?

Tony: A scoped race gun is the only excuse.

My father has arthritis and bought this for that reason. I bought it for him upon recomendation from a glock competive shooter who uses a scope on his glock. A 6 year old girl could rack the dlide of a glock with this device.

Your arthritic father shoots IPSC matches? If not, then why are you heeding the advice of a competition shooter? There are world class competition shooters who do give sound advice, but they usually stick strictly to marksmanship technique, not tactics and gadgets. The charging handle may indeed be useful for those that have impaired use of the hands, but I doubt it is really worth the resulting trade off in decreased reliability, concealability and interference with the draw. I happen to know a disabled veteran with hand injuries and he does not need any exotic modifications to his pistols. Despite his handicap, and without utilizing charging handles, he is more skilled than a large number of regular people. How is this possible? Perseverance and training. It really is that simple.

By mounting this gadget on the pistol, you have actually increased the possibility of a malfunction. This is just a mechanical fact. Ironically, you now have created an increased likelihood for an emergency requirement to manipulate the slide because you wanted to make it easier to manipulate the slide. Making something easier does not always make it better.

If the pistol is for defensive use, and this device is mounted on it, then you really owe it to your father to ensure that he practice malfunction drills above and beyond what would normally be required. Or you could get rid of the handle and train him to overcome his disability. Either way he is going to need to train with the handgun. You could also suggest he try a firearm that is not as difficult for him to manipulate. You may also want to read Mostly Genius' post: Firearms for the physically disabled.

Finally, 6 year olds should not be operating pistols (or any other firearm) without adult supervision. I am not sure I want to make it EASIER for children to manipulate handguns.

This thing would allow my wife, who has cerebral palsy and therefore limited use of her left hand, to be able to chamber a round on an otherwise unloaded (i.e., useless) pistol.

You might indeed be Mostly Genius. Too bad the rest is pure stupid.

Thanks for pointing that out Alex. The author is not as smart as he thinks he is.

Umm... That's a handy gadget for a race gun - think IPSC Modified or Open Division. Having the optic sight on top of the gun gets in the way of a traditional slide rack. So, not stupid at all, merely misunderstood.

As for the way the handle is in that picture, two possibilities come to mind: either it is long enough to poke the shooter when carried even in a race gun holster - or the guy who mounted it is simply left-handed. :)

Actually the charging handle is for people with arthritis who may have trouble grasping the slide. It allows disabled people to defend themselves.

The website says it's reversible, so you can put it on the left side if you want. Of course, then a right-handed shooter can't CARRY it, because the handle would stick into his side.

The only purpose I could conceive for this was with one of those rail systems that attaches to the light rail, wraps around the gun, and gives you an optics mount on top. Of course, if you're doing that I can still make fun of you for trying to turn a Glock into a heavily-modified competition/target pistol, anyway...

There's one born every minute.