Slide Stop or Rack the Slide?

[Blaster229]

Fortunately a problem with one doesn't affect firing a pistol.

 

[hogarth]

Fine motor skills is shorthand for the issue.

Lets say youre running and gunning in Alabama in August when the temps and humidity are both hovering around 110, and youre operating a pistol, say a Colt 1911, without front strap checkering, and the pistol has the same grip as a greased pig. Could be, when you go to drop the slide with the slide stop, it isn't there because the perfect grip you usually have on your pistol isn't there.

Or running and gunning in Maine in January and youre wearing gloves because you dont want your fingers falling off, and instead of having perfect perception of where the slide stop is, you cant even feel it because your fingers are numb and gloved.

Power stroking (or slide racking) works just fine in those situations.

Yes, you are very right, it takes fine motor skills to operate a weapon. But dont get hung up on the terms. They are just short hand for a couple paragraphs of explaination.

And Berettas work just fine when power stroked. (Hold slide gripping hand steady, push weapon frame forward) because the charging hand doesn't ride off the butt of the slide, possibly activating the safety. But I admit, they suck when slide racked. Try it.

Any sweat in hot weather or frozen fingers/gloves in winter that prevent me from operating the slide release will also prevent me from dropping the empty mag in the first place (which I find to be a tougher move with my thumb than operating the slide release anyway), thus making moot the issue of how I get the gun back into battery with a chambered round. If i can't get mag out, I can't get mag in, and if I can't get mag in, I can't chamber a round.

 

[Dieselfool]

My first issued Glock 22 would close if I slammed the magazine in just right. That was awfully convenient.

My Ruger SR45 Don't always lock the slide after the last round is discharged, but when it does it seems to automatically release the slide after I change a magazine with a bit of force... Convenient it surely is!

 

[Blaster229]

My Ruger SR45 Don't always lock the slide after the last round is discharged, but when it does it seems to automatically release the slide after I change a magazine with a bit of force... Convenient it surely is!

This is probably because you are "riding the slide" with your thumb.
Shoot left handed a few times and see if it happens.

 

[Boats]

Any sweat in hot weather or frozen fingers/gloves in winter that prevent me from operating the slide release will also prevent me from dropping the empty mag in the first place (which I find to be a tougher move with my thumb than operating the slide release anyway), thus making moot the issue of how I get the gun back into battery with a chambered round. If i can't get mag out, I can't get mag in, and if I can't get mag in, I can't chamber a round.

You got and answer for everything, buddy. Whatever makes you a better shooter, i guess. My way works for me. But to address your concern, I havent had a problem with that in those situations (I have big hands) but if I did I would train to do a support hand mag release for more positive actuation of the mag release device (button, heel catch, lever, etc).

My way works for me. Obviously your does for you.

 

[photoracer]

Has anyone ever asked the manufacturers?

This from the S&W M&P manual.

• Pull the slide to the rear and release it, allowing it to carry fully
forward. This strips a cartridge from the magazine and seats it in
the chamber of the barrel.

That is the slingshot method. A lot of competition shooters prefer that for both a more positive loading of the next round and for reduced slide wear. Personally I prefer tactical reloads. Even without counting I find that on average a dropped mag has 1 round still in it (some have none and some have as many as 2). 10 rd mags I can count as fast as I can shoot in most cases. Started doing that for the second year I shot the PSA Shootout, because counting 9, 10, 10, and so on was not very hard. I hate racking the slide on the timer. With big mag capacity events I don't count rounds I count misses. I first determine what target I can reach with the last round in the chamber and count misses to know how much earlier to do a mag change. If it is an action event then you don't need to do that as you will know at what point in the stage you can do a mag change without affecting your time. And nobody is perfect least of all me (maybe Jerry as I have yet to see him pull the trigger on a revolver and have it go Click and not Boom). Then again counting a max of 8 is much easier than counting say 17 on a Glock.

 

[Blaster229]

What I love about self defense shooting is that you don't have to worry about counting rounds to game your next mag. You just shoot what you need and do a reload or exchange when you need. Simple.

 

[mtnwisdom]

The official line from Glock is over the top racking not slingshot or slide stop. (Glock Instructor Program) to insure that you carry the most slide velocity into the reload. Also reduces an out of battery event. Additionally, if you train to do the slide stop, what technique are you teaching for a mirror drill in the weak hand?




There is minimal to non-existent wear on the slide stop cut of the slide as the slide stop is a much less harder material. (Glock USA)

Opinion-you asked...
I do not teach, or perform, any other reload method than over the top racking. If the slide stop releases on mag seating that's fine, but the risk in CQB at a critical moment such as this of a operator induced malfunction does not warrant the 1 second of time saved. Moreover, there is no reason you cannot engage the target weak hand unsupported with your next shot while getting to a supported grip if needed.

I am a firm believer, from life experience, that being able to mirror your shooting is a life saving skill set. Practice shooting non-dominant side until you can draw, shoot and reload nearly as well as as dominant side. This is an essential skill as an instructor, not every student is the same side as you are.

Practice and try it on your next IDPA Classifier!

-Chuck

 

[Blaster229]

Opinion-you asked...
I do not teach, or perform, any other reload method than over the top racking. If the slide stop releases on mag seating that's fine, but the risk in CQB at a critical moment such as this of a operator induced malfunction does not warrant the 1 second of time saved. Moreover, there is no reason you cannot engage the target weak hand unsupported with your next shot while getting to a supported grip if needed.

I am a firm believer, from life experience, that being able to mirror your shooting is a life saving skill set. Practice shooting non-dominant side until you can draw, shoot and reload nearly as well as as dominant side. This is an essential skill as an instructor, not every student is the same side as you are.

Practice and try it on your next IDPA Classifier!

-Chuck

Nice thoughts. From my life experience....I shoot left handed, my off hand. No one carries spare mags on their opposite side to appease their weak hand.
Reloading with your support hand is cool and all, but not practical. Someone going support hand shooting is in a medical emergency and will not go there.
It's good enough for most to even get on target with the uninjured hand. This I would recommend. But to solely train your off hand rituals like they are your normal is wasted time training.

 

[lsw]

My first issued Glock 22 would close if I slammed the magazine in just right. That was awfully convenient.

The first centerfire handgun I purchased, back in the mid-80s, was a Taurus PT99. I still shoot it pretty often. You can take a Beretta 92 mag and file or grind the notch the mag release engages to make it big enough to work with the Taurus. About 1/2 the Beretta mags I've done this with cause the slide to release when they are inserted. One day I may take a close look and see exactly what needs to be done to make that consistent.

 

[smokey]

May as well have vickers weigh in...

As far as wear on the slide stop/release (being called either can be technically correct depending on the gun)... I view that the same way as I view "don't shoot steel cased ammo because it wears your extractor". Can it cause wear? Sure. But just shooting your gun will cause wear and you should be regularly maintaining it. When you do simple maintenance like spring replacements, check out other parts like the slide catch and replace it if needed. It's either free or a couple bucks, depending on your gun, over thousands of shots. Not a huge cost there.

 

[BenL]

My first issued Glock 22 would close if I slammed the magazine in just right. That was awfully convenient.

VP9 does that as a "feature".

I'm left-handed, so slingshot.

 

[Dieselfool]

Just got my SR45 back from Ruger, now it works as it should, the slide locks back after last round discharge, now it won't release after a new mag slam,... now I have to rack the slide... owell