Poll: Do you even slide stop bro?

[titsonritz]

Then you're not doing it the way Steve has taught you…!

I've trained and used both methods in question, and have no problem with either, or with other methods shooters have developed that work. Between the two, my personal experience using a G19 has shown that the over-the-top is more reliable, but using the slide stop with the shooting hand is fastest. What's more important to you???

You are right and wrong, I was exposed to it by others present there.

 

[Koda]

slide stop release

I see what you did there....

 

[Nosferatu]

Unlike the Lorcin the Sig is reliable and have no issues with it for summer carry

Zee Germans take pretty much all of September off, so you'd be wise to switch up to an alternative during that time.

 

[Toxic6]

I tend to just slam the new mag home and the slide closes on its own…sometimes I have to slap it against my palm again if it doesn't go into battery on load …but I rarely use the slide stop on a lot of my handguns lol.

 

[Quirt Evans]

For right-handed shooter using a 1911 in a two-handed, high thumb hold.
Last shot is fired, slide locks back,, you maintain your grip with right hand.
Your left thumb punches the mag button, while mag is dropping you're grabbing the next mag.
You insert the new mag with left hand and trip the slide release with left thumb.
It's fast and easy, and it does not cause you to change/alter, or re-acquire your
strong hand grip.
Those with large enough hands can usually reach, and drop the slide with their strong hand thumb.
The "over the top" way is slower, more motion involved, and in a rush you just might rip your left hand open on the rear sight.
Practice doing it while still holding the pistol up and out in front of you, maintaining target visuals over the pistol,, the over the top way interferes with that visual.
As far as dropping the slide on an empty chamber,, watch this;

 

[ScatPackLife]

lots of manufacturers call it a slide release and say to use it, but does Kahr design their guns to not work using the overhand method?

From personal experience, and from other peoples experiences that I have talked with that own Kahr pistols, the slide dose not always reliable chamber and return to battery with the over hand method. Kahr even says to use the slide release and not over hand, so the manufacturer says use the slide release. Slide release is 100% reliable.

Not sure what else to say. If you don't believe me, then you don't believe me.

But on the flip side, a Shield, over hand is the way to go.

 

[Hueco]

Apparently there is a debate on if you use the slide stop to release the slide or use the overhand method. Which one do you use?

5 Things to Know About Slide Stops—A Pistol's Most Misunderstood Control

When you've fired the last round in your pistol's magazine, the magazine's follower pushes up against the slide stop and causes it to catch in a recess in the pistol's slide. Here's what you need to know about that functionality.

www.outdoorlife.com

It's a fine motor skill with a Glock's lever. My 1911 is damn near a gas pedal in comparison. I prefer hitting the lever to release the slide after a reload…and will swap the levers for extended levers on pistols that try to get all modern art with them.

 

[Koda]

From personal experience, and from other peoples experiences that I have talked with that own Kahr pistols, the slide dose not always reliable chamber and return to battery with the over hand method. Kahr even says to use the slide release and not over hand, so the manufacturer says use the slide release. Slide release is 100% reliable.

Not sure what else to say. If you don't believe me, then you don't believe me.

But on the flip side, a Shield, over hand is the way to go.

Oh I believe you. Lots of companies instruct to use the slide stop in their instructions. Im still baffled how a major gun maker didnt design such a basic functionality into their gun regardless of the slide stop function racking the slide should always work too...
All this means is ill never buy a Kahr. I dont really care about having to use the slide stop but i do care I cant rack the gun to load it same as most all other brands.

 

[ScatPackLife]

Oh I believe you. Lots of companies instruct to use the slide stop in their instructions. Im still baffled how a major gun maker didnt design such a basic functionality into their gun regardless of the slide stop function racking the slide should always work too...
All this means is ill never buy a Kahr. I dont really care about having to use the slide stop but i do care I cant rack the gun to load it same as most all other brands.

I couldn't get used to the trigger. It's light and smooth but The sear disengagement is so far back that's it's a crazy long pull, longer than my DA revolvers even. If I only shot that one gun I Could get used to it, but as soon as I shot another pistol and came back to the CW9 I was learning all over. Great trigger, just way too long for me. Even like 1mm shorter and it would be tolerable but no one ever came out with a replacement sear to my knowledge. And they use that same trigger style in all their guns I think. CZs and S&Ws for me. I like other guns to but those two I'm straight up fan boy. Most of my pistols are one of those two brands.

 

[bbbass]

Yeah, a guy I used to shoot USPSA with had a Glock that would no longer lock back on an empty mag. G17 if I remember correctly.

I've had several Glocks. Currently, my G34 doesn't always lock back. IMO, it's normal wear or a weak slide lock/release spring. No biggie. Slide not locking back is a good malfunction drill.

I have medium palms and short fingers. I've also broken every finger at some point in my life, some of them twice, so my hands may be somewhat of an anomaly.

I can't reliably operate the slide stop to chamber a round in any of them. The 220 is 100% impossible for me. I don't have the leverage to get it to move.

The XD and 365 are doable, but require me to move the gun in my hand to do so. I find it easier and quicker to overhand it.

^^^ This is puzzling to me.

Are you trying to release the slide stop with your strong hand? (I can't do that with ANY of my pistols w/o repositioning my hand!! I don't remember if I once could... )

Try this on a mag change (freshly charging the gun, it doesn't matter because you will not be in a hurry, but this works well on a mag change):

With a proper two handed grip, both thumbs are forward along the slide. When the new mag is inserted, the two handed grip is being re-established, and the weak hand thumb activates the slide release while the gun is being pushed forward again.

You can hit the slide release with your weak hand thumb even before that hand is fully on the gun.

On the other hand:

If past injury leaves one with hands that cannot release a slide stop, then ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Which is what I said anyway. (I don't care... it's YOUR gunfight!) But I'm real surprised if your hands are that bad that you can do the overhand either. I can barely do it, and my wife not at all.

Weak hand slide release is the way for us. It really is quicker.

 

[Nosferatu]

I've had several Glocks. Currently, my G34 doesn't always lock back. IMO, it's normal wear or a weak slide lock/release spring. No biggie. Slide not locking back is a good malfunction drill.


^^^ This is puzzling to me.

Are you trying to release the slide stop with your strong hand? (I can't do that with ANY of my pistols w/o repositioning my hand!! I don't remember if I once could... )

Try this on a mag change (freshly charging the gun, it doesn't matter because you will not be in a hurry, but this works well on a mag change):

With a proper two handed grip, both thumbs are forward along the slide. When the new mag is inserted, the two handed grip is being re-established, and the weak hand thumb activates the slide release while the gun is being pushed forward again.

You can hit the slide release with your weak hand thumb even before that hand is fully on the gun.

On the other hand:

If past injury leaves one with hands that cannot release a slide stop, then ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Which is what I said anyway. (I don't care... it's YOUR gunfight!) But I'm real surprised if your hands are that bad that you can do the overhand either. I can barely do it, and my wife not at all.

Weak hand slide release is the way for us. It really is quicker.

Meh...I'm not that interested. I gave it a whirl yesterday. I is what I is at this point.

 

[bbbass]

Meh...I'm not that interested. I gave it a whirl yesterday. I is what I is at this point.

I hadn't read further in the thread. Now I see you worked in the industry. So I'm not really surprised by your response, too much training in one method to overcome. As I said, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

 

[Member 53328]

I shoot left handed so unless it's an ambidextrous handgun I am releasing the slide with my hand. My gen 5 glocks I use the lever though.

 

[osprey]

I have a Kahr Mk9 I carry quite often and it will consistently go into battery using either method. Even with a thinner grip and semi apish hands, it is hard for me to reach slide stop with strong hand without changing grip. Overhand is my preferred method with it. Can't use the tilt and weakside thumb method as the forward portion of slide is more slippery than slick Willie's cigars.

 

[WillametteWill]

But not everyone has the time or money for that. Id like to take another class or two sometime in the future but it concerns me Id show up to have to unlearn what I was taught and thus ingrained in my muscle memory now.

I believe, and I tell my students, that you should learn more in the 3-4 months after you attend a class than at the class itself. Meaning, you drink from a firehose for 3-5 days (or even 1 or 2) and then you need to go out at try and work on perfecting what you can take away that works for YOU. While in the class I'll try something that is being taught that is not the way I normally operate. After all, I'm not paying money to show instructors how I do things!

I've heard instructors ranting about students that drop good money on a class then and refuse to listen to any of the instruction, pointing out why their way is better. I teach and use overhand, and discuss why. I admit that the slide stop method is faster. When I carried 5900 series S&W's at work, I used the slide stop due to the aforementioned issue with slide mounted safeties.

In my classes if someone prefers to use the slide stop, no worries. I explained my "why" and it is not a hill to die on for me. Would like them to try it for a while and let them decide in the next 3 - 4 months. (New shooters are always open to this..."mature" shooters...not always so much.) I'd rather focus on getting them to grab the magazine correctly in the pouch! (Or a number of other more pressing issues.) Cool thread and awesome to read other's perspectives on this. Love this forum!

 

[Mike_M57]

I used to own a SW380. No slide release. When the slide locks back you have to do the overhand method.

On another note:
I've had to send my Ruger MkII KMK-10 in to have the bolt replaced twice. Seems the end with the cocking "ears" has a tendency to pop off after about 100-120K rounds. I used to shoot IHMSA Silhouette a lot. I used to hunt, and target shoot a lot more, also.

The second time it went in, the gunsmith @ Ruger called me on the phone to discuss what he'd done, etc. He specifically said that the Slide Stop on the MkII (& III, & IV?) is NOT a Slide Release, and that using it as such would cause wear to it and to the bolt surface where it makes contact, eventually rounding off that surface and causing the bolt to not lock open anymore. He replaced that part on my pistol as well and I only use the overhand/slingshot method now.