This topic has been at the center of many (sometimes heated) debates among the gun community for decades. I am tackling this debate head-on: In this article, we are looking from two perspectives: the mechanical engineering/design intent and the effect on training. Those who know me know I am a trainer and an active mechanical engineer; I can speak with some experience.
Given my mechanical engineering background, when I was a new gun owner, I took apart every gun I owned and studied how it was designed and operated. Almost immediately, I noticed that the “slide stop to slide” interface was incredibly susceptible to wear. Based on that observation, I decided early on that “racking” the slide to put a round into the chamber would put less wear and tear on my pistol. At that time, it was a decision made without effect on training considerations.
Whenever two surfaces scrape against each other, wear will occur. Even if the slide and slide stop materials are the same, some material transfer can occur. Although minimal in effect, it can happen. The time when wear will occur depends on the materials selected and the frequency at which the two surfaces are interfacing (scraping) against one another. If you are unfamiliar, closely examine the relationship between your slide and slide stop, and you will see exactly what I am talking about.
Glock calls the component a “slide stop lever,” Smith & Wesson calls it a “slide stop,” Sig Sauer calls it a “slide catch lever,” and Heckler & Koch calls it a “slide release.” I picked these four manufacturers because they are the most popular among my students. Notice that all but the H&K call it a stop. In full disclosure the manuals for both the Glock and Sig say you can use the slide stop/catch to release the slide, Smith & Wesson does not specify, and H&K says to use the slide release, well, to release the slide. I needed to dig deeper, and so I did.
I needed to hear it from a fellow engineer suggesting that making two metal surfaces scrape against each other while a “spring” force keeps them together in tension is a good idea.
I made some phone calls to all four companies. I asked the individuals if I could reference their names for this blog, but all declined. I would have preferred to cite the specific source (name of the individual) to add validity to this, but I am sure they did not want any of this coming back on them, just in case, CYA. Glock, Smith & Wesson, and Sig all said it was suggested NOT to use the slide stop/catch to release the slide. Yep, you heard that correctly, folks. It was not an opinion; they were all adamant that it was NOT the intent for that component, and one of them said the words I was looking for, and that was “NOT designed for that use.” From a purely mechanical engineering perspective, those were the words I was looking for, and those words again were “is NOT designed to release the slide.” I felt like I struck gold from a mechanical engineering standpoint and validated my suspicions, but does that settle the debate… not even close.
From a mechanical standpoint, you heard what the manufacturers said; three of the four did not recommend using the slide stop to release the slide. Some people will say, “Well, I use the slide stop to release the slide anyway.” My answer is that if the manufacturer does not suggest using it that way, you should not. The fact of the matter is there are many things out there that are recommended to be used a particular way, but people do another. Ultimately, please do what you want, but know it is susceptible to wear. If you are a fair-weather shooter, then using the slide stop to release your slide probably will not be a big deal, and it may take a long time for the slide stop to wear, given the frequency that you shoot. If you use your gun frequently (weekly), then wear can happen much faster, but no one has a crystal ball to know exactly when. Either way, the manufacturers will have no problem sending you a new part $$. Okay, I think we beat the mechanical aspect up enough… Now, let us move on to the effect of training.
In context to defensive training principles, we discuss effectiveness (ET), Efficiency (EC), and Consistency (C). Refer to the image below: This concept comes from Rob Pincus's Intuitive Defensive Shooting program (learn more at personaldefensenetwork.com)
Effectiveness (ET) is simply getting the job done. An example is shooting until slide lock, taking the mag out with your teeth, putting the gun down, spinning in a circle, clapping your hands, getting a fresh mag, seating it in the mag well, sending the slide forward, and then taking a shot. They call this the Mag-a-rana. This funny (my attempt at humor, anyway) example WAS effective, meaning I successfully loaded the gun and fired a shot.
So, it is not enough to be merely effective with loading a magazine, especially when time of urgency is considered. So, how does this relate to slide lock vs slide release, we are getting there. Efficient (EC) means achieving a goal with as little time, effort, and energy as possible. The example above was NOT efficient. So, let’s clean that up, shall we? You recognize the stimulus of slide lock; as you bring your pistol to your body, drop the magazine while at the same time reaching for a fresh mag, follow the contour of your body with the new magazine, insert it into the mag well, then send the slide forward and take the shot. All can agree this method was far more efficient than the “mag-o-rana” method. Notice how I just said, “send the slide forward,” nonspecific on the method, yet.
Many schools of thought say (from the point after you insert the mag), “As you extend the pistol into the shooting position and your weak hand finishes the 2-handed grip, use your thumb on your strong hand to press the slide stop to release the slide.” Is this the most effective and efficient method? If you are shooting in a competition on a square range, sure. But what if you rode the slide lock with your grip on the last shot and didn't realize it? Instead of the slide locking back, indicating you're empty, the side remains forward; you press the trigger and get a click. What then? You would change your mag and then perform an overhand rack to the slide to get a round chambered. So, in competition shooting, you have two methods of getting a round into the chamber. Having two methods for getting a round into the chamber is inconsistent and makes the process more complicated than it needs to be. In competition shooting, the only penalty for having two methods of chambering a round would maybe be time. No biggie.
When using this as a self-defense tool, the circumstances are quite different.
Read my previous blog post on the difference between competition shooting and defensive shooting.
In Pincus's Intuitive Defensive Shooting Program, not only do we stress effectiveness and efficiency, but we also stress consistency, see diagram above. Consistency means doing the same thing in the same way as often as possible. Concerning our “slide lock vs. slide release” debate, performing an overhand racking of the slide to chamber a round works when the slide is locked back or forward. Having two methods to achieve chambering a round in a defensive context overly complicates the process and allows more room for error when your life is on the line when time could relate to your life. We want to keep things as simple and consistent as possible. There is another reason to use the overhand racking as well.
In a defensive situation, your body (and mind) will do things naturally. The IDS program defines these as the body's external and internal natural reactions. For the purposes of the “slide lock vs. slide release” debate, we will cover reduced blood flow to the outer extremities.
When your body is under dynamic stress, your cardiovascular system will shunt blood flow from your outer extremities to the areas where it needs it the most (heart, lungs, major muscle groups, etc.). This is a survival positive, but you will lose a degree of dexterity in your fingers as a result, making it more difficult to perform fine motor skills. (To know what that feels like, take your gloves off on a 30-degree day for about 10 minutes, and you will feel what losing dexterity in your hands can be like) manipulating a firearm requires fine motor skills, but we want to train to use the “lesser” or “grosser” of the fine motor skills and, in the case of our debate, perform an overhand rack (as opposed to the slingshot method or slide stop) to chamber a round is without a doubt a “lesser” or “grosser” fine motor skill. This is yet another reason to perform an overhand racking of the slide to chamber a round.
If you are still unconvinced, there is another reason to chamber a round using an overhand rack instead of using the slide stop. The next time you load a magazine into the pistol, the slide moves rearward some distance when you pull back on the slide. What's happening is you are compressing the recoil spring a bit more, so when you let it go, you are getting the full force of the recoil spring chambering a round, just like when the gun is fired. Using the slide stop to release the slide does not leverage that entire force and could cause a failure for the slide to go forward entirely and not seating the round—food for thought.
In summary, mechanically, there is a reason not to use the slide stop to release the slide, especially when the manufacturer suggests not to use it in that manner. The effect on defensive training certainly supports not using the slide stop to release the slide. So, there you have it. This article will help you decide which method you will use.