Slide lock vs. Racking slide pros/cons

[philc]

Hi. Been watching a lot of shooting videos lately. One thing I noticed was that more people seem to rack the slide during a reload as opposed to using the slide lock. Just wondering if there is an advantage of using one technique over the other.

[GSwain]

you get the full intertia of the slide feeding the bullet from the magazine by pulling it back and releasing it, the same motion the gun was designed to feed reliably with. Using the slide stop to release it uses less of the stroke and inertia, leading to a possible FTF. It also can cause more wear on the slide stop.

[Saym14]

practice both, slide lock allows the use of one hand only.

[ojisan]

Slide lock is faster and used by the pros in competition.
Note that a 1911 slide lock, and most other guns, have checkering or serrations on the upper surface of the slide lock so you can push them down without your finger sliding off.

[Toast]

The reason a lot of people do it is because it doesn't require fine motor skills. Under stress it would be a lot easier to miss or fumble with the slide stop, putting your hand on the slide and quickly racking is harder to mess up.

[Ubermcoupe]

The reason a lot of people do it is because it doesn't require fine motor skills. Under stress it would be a lot easier to miss or fumble with the slide stop, putting your hand on the slide and quickly racking is harder to mess up.

This. I love using the slide lock on my 1911, it was actually one of the neatest things (I thought) when I was younger and shooting a "big" gun. However, the instruction I continue to receive teaches "tap & rack." My newest glock is still in break-in so the slide lock is still pretty stiff; a lot easier to rack it.

[pontiacpratt]

I always practiced overhand... now I have a Kahr and have to get used to slide catch.

[M. Sage]

Hi. Been watching a lot of shooting videos lately. One thing I noticed was that more people seem to rack the slide during a reload as opposed to using the slide lock. Just wondering if there is an advantage of using one technique over the other.

Racking it gives you a little more force to the slide closing, it can be easier to do under stress and doing a lot of slide lock drops will eventually wear out your slide lock if you're lucky and your slide if you aren't. It's also been suggested that under stress racking uses more gross motor skills while the release needs the fine motor skills you won't have thanks to adrenaline.

[paul0660]

you get the full intertia of the slide feeding the bullet from the magazine by pulling it back and releasing it, the same motion the gun was designed to feed reliably with. Using the slide stop to release it uses less of the stroke and inertia, leading to a possible FTF. It also can cause more wear on the slide stop.

The opposite is actually true. Most people ride the slide to an extent, making the return to battery less effective than using the slide lock.

Anyway, if you have a Kahr, eventually you will be able to rack it like a real gun. They have that restriction in the manual to keep you from complaining until you have spent fifty to a hundred bucks on ammo to see if the gun "works".

[Teletiger7]

The reason a lot of people do it is because it doesn't require fine motor skills. Under stress it would be a lot easier to miss or fumble with the slide stop, putting your hand on the slide and quickly racking is harder to mess up.

^^^ This. Also, different guns have slightly different ways that the slide lock is located or works. Racking slide works with any semiauto.

[WWDHD?]

I was taught to grab the slide over the top with your fingers and heel of your hand, yank that slide back HARD and let it go. Sometimes on my S&W M&P the slide will drop by itself if I ram a full magazine in the well hard enough. I think Glocks will do this too.

[Merc1138]

The opposite is actually true. Most people ride the slide to an extent, making the return to battery less effective than using the slide lock.

What?

If you're riding the slide forward, then you're doing it wrong.

Step 1: Grip slide

Step 2: Pull as far back as you can

Step 3: Let go

Unless you're using a side charging model, there's nothing behind your hand where you're gripping that would come forward with your hand in the way as you released your grip(think AK, or AR, even some of those MAC style pistols). The only time your hand should be coming forward with the slide, is if you're racking it repeatedly to clear it after you've dropped the magazine(otherwise you're just ejecting rounds).

WWDHD?, yes, a lot will do that, but not all of them will.

Teletiger7, unfortunately no. At least the current ruger .22lr semi autos don't because it takes a mod to get them to do it. It depends on the design. Usually it's just the magazine follower providing the tension to raise the slide stop and hold it open. So when you pull the slide back with a loaded magazine inside the weapon, the follower is no longer pushing up on the slide stop allowing it to drop as you pull the slide fully rearward. With some designs, even though there's no longer any spring tension from the follower, the slide stop isn't loose enough to just drop on it's own.

[Untamed1972]

because it's slide lock....not a slide release.

Plus if you're a lefty like me using the slide lock as a release lever isn't practical, it's easier to just rack it. since I've just slammed home a full mag, my hand it right there anyway.

If you wanna talk nano-seconds of speed gain for competition then using the slide lock might be a few nano-seconds faster, but in practical terms for combat/self-defense they can both be done just as quickly.

Hopefully if you're having to reload in combat/self-defense you're doing your reload from cover anyway.....so the extra couple of nano-seconds to rack the slide shouldn't be an issue.

And ditto what others have said about the "fine motor skill" issue.

[CalTeacher]

Also remember that, while every pistol has it's own quirk in regards to the slide stop...position, size, etc., Every pistol requires the same movement to rack the slide. Racking the slide is the same from a Glock to a 1911. And who's to say you're going to be using your own pistol?