Slide Release Methods

[Sniper3142]

Slide release method will vary from make and model, overhand or sling shot will not. What ever works for you, I like to keep it simple and consistant, JM .02

+1

Exactly why I use the SLING-SHOT method.

Slide Stops/Releases vary in size and location. If you are using an unfamiliar pistol, using the Sling-Shot method is far more consistant.

[Gladdis.45]

Well, I now understand the difference between the reloading techniques. After watching both of those videos, I've learned that I was reloading in an un-safe way. IMO, that's the slide-release method, due to the fact that I have to turn the pistol sideways a little in order to engage it. And I was also using the slingshot method which for me tends to move the barrel around a bit more then racking the slide. I shoot quite a bit, but I've never been taught the differences. Thank you OP for starting this thread as I've learned some valuable info here. After practicing a lot with snap caps, the "racking the slide" method DOES feel better and seems a bit safer for me.

[Bw511]

I do appreciate zombie guy's argument about training muscle skills for something that works on ALL semis (no slide lock release on some). I don't exactly see the argument about rotating the firearm 90* vs drawing it in for overhand though.

[BayouBullets]

This is the right answer

Frankly, I don't care what your semantic definition of "fine" vs "gross" is.

You can argue racking the slide vs. pressing the slide stop all day long.

The fact is that using your whole hand to grab the slide and rack it does not require as much dexterity as using the very tip of your thumb to swipe a button the size of your pinky fingernail.

It is for that reason, and the fact that racking is a universal movement that will work equally on ALL semi-autos, that I prefer racking over using the slide stop.

No problem with the parts, just good to have a habit that translates to ANY semi-auto pistol.

[locosway]

I'm 21 and I just bought my first gun yesterday, a Glock 17, after months of researching, going to ranges, and shops. I just want to know if it is true that pushing the slide release lever causes indirect wearing of the slide, causing it one day to fail to lock.

Glock recommends to use the sling shot method, as do many instructors. This is the method I teach people, however I've become used to hitting my slide lock lever to release the slide because it's much faster.

[tbc]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jm4-R4hYy8&feature=g-vrec&context=G2c63f1aRVAAAAAAAAAA

[Mr310]

I'm not sure if you're intentionally overexaggerating to get your point across, but the M1911 came about in the late 1890s putting it somewhere around 115 years old.

I was being facetious..

It's kind of an inside joke between my shooting buddies and I when this guy at Angeles referred to it as "old as dirt" when he was talking about how much superior his Glock was.

I suppose if I had said millennia, it would have been more readily apparent.

[Echidin]

I was being facetious..

It's kind of an inside joke between my shooting buddies and I when this guy at Angeles referred to it as "old as dirt" when he was talking about how much superior his Glock was.

I suppose if I had said millennia, it would have been more readily apparent.

I had a feeling that might have been the case. Thanks for clearing that up.

[Mr310]

I had a feeling that might have been the case. Thanks for clearing that up.

Yeah. It's fine. On the original point though, it's been around for a long, long, time, and literally the first one that I've seen or heard of with peening was Bert Gamble's in the thread he posted not that long ago. I don't think it was due to regular wear, either.

[Gnome]

I personally use the slide stop/release method. It is the way I was trained on a handgun from day one, and I am comfortable, proficient, and fast with it. I tried the "overhand" method, and didn't like it because it slows me downed.

I also agree with G60, in regards to "fine motor" vs. "gross motor." Every single movement in regards to weapon manipulation is a fine motor skill. The finest example is, retrieving a square magazine, INDEXING it, and inserting it into a square hole. So the argument about fine motor skills going out the window is a moot point.

I had the privilege of training with US Training (Black Water) for two days, and they also made the same argument about "fine motor skills" being a moot point.

The most important thing reputable trainers/instructors (Black Water, Magpul, Tiger Swan) teach, is there is no "best way" on how to do something. It is about what "works best for you."

[Omil]

The most important thing reputable trainers/instructors (Black Water, Magpul, Tiger Swan) teach, is there is no "best way" on how to do something. It is about what "works best for you."

+1..well said!

[doug-y-doug]

I always push the slide stop on my guns. It's the way I was taught in the service.

[taloft]

I use the overhand method but, I've used them all at one time or another. I've also seen load failures using all three methods. Usually under stress at a tactical match.

1. Stop lever released just prior to fully seating the mag. Result: shooter had to rack the slide to chamber a round. Also, can't disengage slide because stop is too tight.

2. Hand slips off gun using sling shot method. Result: slide not fully retracted and failed to go fully into battery. I've also seen this happen where the hand slipped off prior to disengaging the stop resulting in the slide remaining in the locked open position.

3. Overhand covers ejection port. Result: FTE resulting in a stove pipe. Also seen people ride the slide causing a failure to properly feed.

All methods can fail if you don't practice or they are performed improperly. I prefer the overhand because it works on every semi auto I own. Some of those levers are tiny and way too tight. YMMV.

[Gladdis.45]

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