Just acquired a Baby Rock - tough to rack?

[averageguy]

Good Afternoon. I just picked up a Baby Rock that I purchased online.

Don't have a lot of experience with pistols but the slide on this gun is discouragingly difficult to manipulate. Using a couple of tips I saw including pushing forward with your dominant hand and pulling the trigger back first it's doable but still a challenge. Have owned a Hi-Power clone in the past and currently own a Beretta clone (Regard) and don't recall having any issue with the Hi-Power clone and the Regard couldn't be simpler.

Reviews I've seen on this pistol are very positive and I'm excited to own my first 1911 type gun but I don't want to have to be concerned about the slide should I ever need it in an emergency.

Is this normal for 1911s or is it just this particular model which I understand isn't a true 1911 design? Can I visit a gunsmith who might replace the spring or make some other modification and is it cost effective to do this on such an inexpensive pistol?

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

[Mark75H]

Just that model. As you point out, it is not a true 1911 action.

[Hawkmoon]

It depends on which Baby Rock you have. https://www.armscor.com/bbr

The BBR Standard .380 ACP is not a 1911, it's a copy of an older Spanish pistol. The BBR 3.10 is also a copy of an older Spanish pistol but that one is pretty much a truncated 1911. The problem is that the BBR 3.10 is chambered in .45 ACP. As the slide and barrel get shorter, the recoil spring has to increase in strength. A standard 5" 1911 in .45 ACP typically has a 16-pound recoil spring. The BBR 3.10 is a 3" barrel, like a Colt Defender. According to the Wolff Gunsprings web site, the standard recoil spring for a Defender is 19 pounds, but I'm pretty certain I have read in the past that it is (or was) 21 pounds. I don't know what Rock Island puts in the BBR 3.10, but I'll guess it's 20 pounds or higher. So if you have the .45 ACP BBR, you're fighting a stiff recoil spring. It's the nature of the beast.

By the way -- NEVER hold the trigger back when racking the slide on a 1911.

[averageguy]

Thank you for that information. It's the .380. Is it OK to store this gun "cocked and locked"? Could that damage it? I can't see myself trying to manipulate the slide if I'm woken up at night. groggy and in the dark. Just wondering if it presents a home defense alternative to the Regard which I store with a round in the chamber but de-cocked. I appreciate your patience with me.

[Hawkmoon]

My self-defense carry pistol is always cocked and locked. I leave it cocked and locked when I take it off at night.

[averageguy]

Perfect. Thank you guys for being so helpful. Have a good day.

[markr6754]

I have a number of 1911 style 380 Auto pistols, including my Baby Rock M1911A 380. Based on your question I tested them all out for racking force. I never paid any attention before, but you're right...the Baby Rock takes significantly more force to rack than my Springfield 911s or my Kimber Micros. It also has a much heavier trigger - between 6-7 pounds. I took it to the RIA plant in Pahrump, NV a couple of years ago as my original magazines wouldn't feed new rounds...the follower was jamming after 3 rounds loaded, and wouldn't release. For some bizarre reason, they swapped out my pistol. The magazine followers still jammed (finally resolved with some Dremel work), but the trigger on the new pistol is significantly heavier than my original pistol. Oh well...I can always try again in my next trip to Pahrump (I inherited a home there).

[Ron IL]

It also might be bit easier if you cock the hammer back before you rack it. Might take a little of the pressure off.