Rack the slide or use the slide stop lever?

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Okay, I use the slide release on all of my pistols. Works great, even with my 3" 1911s. Commonality of training--check.

In a real-life situation, one hand may be injured or "occupied"--grappling, etc. Not likely but not impossible. A handgun's only advantages over a rifle are a) concealability and b) one-hand operation. Why would I train to willingly relinquish one of those two advantages?

As far as using the slide stop being a fine motor skill...isn't releasing the safety a fine motor skill? How about hitting the mag release? Why is it that one can do the latter two but not the former one?

All that said, do whichever you like. Or both.
 
Using the slide stop will eventually round off the corner of the slide where the slide stop touches.
Click to expand...

While wear of parts is possible, its highly unlikely that the slide will be the part that wears. If anything, the slide stop will be the part that recieves the abuse. At any rate the instance of any of this happening is almost unheard of despite the millions of times guns are put into battery using the lever.
 
When loading, I rack the slide.

When reloading, it depends on what I'm shooting. I use the slide release on my 1911s most of the time, and slingshot my glock most of the time. I also slingshot pistols that I dont have a lot of experiance with (which is just about everything outside of 1911s and glocks). The slingshot works for just about any auto.

Do which ever feels better to you, but practice both.
 
When using two hands I rack (slingshot) the slide. When competing with strong hand or weak hand only, I hook the rear sight on my belt and slingshot the slide.
 
While wear of parts is possible, its highly unlikely that the slide will be the part that wears. If anything, the slide stop will be the part that recieves the abuse.
Click to expand...

Why would that be?
 
I prefer to rack. It just seems like there is less of a chance for a malfunction. That is what i have always been trained.
 
Wow! Lots of great feedback, if not consensus.
That's ok. For my M&P40, racking seems like the logical method since the slide release is small and hard to get at.

I can see that consistency across autos would lead instructors to teach racking. I suppose I was looking for a 'when you're in a gunfight' technical reason, but I haven't heard one, except maybe commonality with clearing a feeding problem. In fact, it seems some arguments in favor of one-handed operation are better suited for when your life depends on it. My friend argues that he can reload and chamber a round faster using the slide stop. I would agree that it is probably slightly faster but is it enough to warrant changing methods?

Thanks for all the great input and I'll keep my eye's on this thread.
 
Rack the slide or use the slide stop lever?
Click to expand...

Yes.

I use the slide release. Some people rack. Both are valid.

I see no reason to give up the speed advantage. My "fine motor skills" work fine for hitting the magazine release and pulling the trigger, I don't think they will fail on the slide release. Some semi-autos do not have a slide release. I don't own any of them. Some pistols have slides releases that are small and hard to use. Don't own any of those either. Aftermarket parts could fix that if I did.

But I still practice hand-over-hand, if only for malfs.
 
Rack the slide

It pulls the slide back farther so the round is chambered properly.
 
I can't believe no one has mentioned the third option yet, self releasing slide upon rapid mag insertion.

On a broken in gun, many semi's will release the slide on their own when you slam a mag home, I know my G19 does now, after a few months of consistent use at the range and in IDPA.

When I 'load and make ready' starting w/ an empty gun, the slide is forward, and I have to rack it. However on slide lock mag changes, I've found it loads itself, releasing the slide when slamming the second mag into place.

I think Glock's technical position is to rack the slide, as I was corrected, originally thinking it was a slide release, to learn it was a slide lock/stop. I'm no expert, but on Glocks anyway, I'm not sure I understand the difference between me releasing the slide via the lock/stop, racking it, it slamming itself home upon loading the mag, or the gun cycling itself while being fired, you would think the latter would be more violent then me releasing the slide via a button, but what do I know...

I think at the range or just handling the gun, I've used the slide lock to release it, but I think under 'pressure' in IDPA, I'm more likely to rack the slide, if for some reason it doesn't do it on it's own, I think that's because I just had to load and make ready a few times, racking a previously empty gun to get started, so I think it became a habit that way. And depending on the situation, I can see other's points about multiple semi models being more efficient to do them all the same way....

Karz
 
The lever is there to stop the slide when the mag runs dry, hence the label "slide stop lever".
Pushing the lever down, against the notch in the slide, will cause wear on whichever part is softest. If you slingshot the slide while there is ammo in the mag, there is no wear. If the mag is empty and you can use both hands, bringing the slide back and then depressing the lever produces no wear.
Long explanation, short: slide stop, not slide release; use the slide to release the lever.

lawson4
 
For me, I usually have several magazines loaded at the same time when at the range.

With the first in I will sling shot the rnd into the chamber. After that I insert
the next magazine and use the slide stop/slide release to chamber the first
rnd for and continue for each magazine after that unless there is a specific
reason that I chose not to.
 
This is like asking the question: "When you put your pants on, should you put your left leg in first, or your right". Who would like to give a definitive answer on that one?

I'm amused by the folks that say they rack the slide "so they won't disturb their grip" Unless you always shoot one handed that makes no sense. Most people today shoot with a two handed grip and unless you have three hands your grip is disturbed by grabbing the slide.

Wear on the slide release is the least of my worries. Haven't worn one out yet. Do what feels best, is quicker and works on your particular gun in your particular hand. But please don't say there's one way better than another...they both work and accomplish the exact same thing..kind of like putting pants on...it really doesn't matter which leg first, does it.
 
The lever is there to stop the slide when the mag runs dry, hence the label "slide stop lever".
Pushing the lever down, against the notch in the slide, will cause wear on whichever part is softest. If you slingshot the slide while there is ammo in the mag, there is no wear. If the mag is empty and you can use both hands, bringing the slide back and then depressing the lever produces no wear.
Long explanation, short: slide stop, not slide release; use the slide to release the lever.

lawson4
Click to expand...

Shooting your gun causes wear. If these things were ONLY meant to catch the slide when the magazine runs empty, then why do so many manufacturers go out of the way to put serrated and textured ledges on them so that they can be more easily depressed? Shouldn't they instead be as small and out of the way as possible, perhaps even internal? What about companies that install ambidextrous slide catch/releases? Could it be that these levers can indeed be used for releasing the slide if the operator so wishes?

Fact of the matter is, most companies install very conspicuous and tactile levers because on most firearms it is a non-issue.

This is nothing more than a matter of preference. Racking the slide or using the slide stop/release are both viable options for just about every handgun on the market today (unless otherwise stated by the manufacturer). People should just use whichever they are more comfortable with.
 
I use the slide release on oth my 1911's and have never and an isuue with it.For me, its the fastst and easiest, and I can maintain a good grip and keep the gun on target better this way than racking the slide.That's just me and my guns though. YMMV.
 
i heard you sling shot for accuracy

I heard that your first shot should be more accurate if you sling shot. The reasoning I heard was that the barrel lugs and slide lugs mate more correctly because the slingshot more accruately reproduces the normal cycling of the action during firing.

I do both but mostly if I am shooting for pride or life it will be the slingshot.

-bevr
 
I hit the slide release, because -- for me -- I'm that much quicker back on target ready to fire. It certainly seems the dominant method amongst the competitive crowd.

For me, racking and releasing is a lot slower. But, as the tactical crowd point out, it is more certain.
 
For me, racking the slide is more gun motion/waving around, to either turn the gun so I can grab the back of the slide, or to bring it up closer to bring my arm over the top to rack it the other way.

My left thumb just lays naturally right under the lever when I fire, so to lift it a tad to drop the slide release while bringing the weapon to bear is just easy, and I don't feel like it's something I would muff.

Racking the slide just seems like more time, although I'm sure wiht lots of practice, perhaps it's just as fast.

THe argument that pulling it back a 1/4" helps the round seat better seems kind of ridiculous in a gun that hopefully you've gotten well broken in, and seated a few thousand rounds, I can't imagine the tolerance still being that tight on a SD gun that it woulnd't create other problems...
 
"fine motor skills"

I"ll agree with the folks questioning the "fine motor skills" argument. If you are so shaky and pumped that you can't hit the slide release, how are you supposed to drop a mag or even worse, line up the sights and pull the trigger?

That said, I guess one less "fine motor skill" to worry about can't hurt...

The "using the release is faster" argument doesn't hold much water with me. I never plan to get in a situation where someone is angry enough with me to send rapid lead projectiles my way, but if it does happen I seriously doubt that the time savings of hitting the release over racking the slide will be on the top of my worry list.

The consistancy argument for racking the slide seems to be a good one. However, if you are in an environment where there are tons of strange guns lying around, I suggest you go elsewhere if at all possbile.

The issue is for me anyways given that I'm a lefty and can't reach the release/stop with my firing hand anyways on most guns...
 
As Pax and Miles have pointed out, sometimes the slide release is not ( or not a good) option.. therefore, we teach that to be ultimately as efficient as possible with ALL semi-auto pistols, you be consistent by using the overhand technique.

Incidentally, in a related story, after a discussion on this topic at a recent roundtable hosted by FNH, they will be properly renaming the tiny little thing that holds the slide open on the upcoming .45 FNP a "slide lock lever".
 
I think I would love to be able to shoot enough to wear out a slide release lever. Wish I had the time and ammo money. :D
 
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