Slide release v slingshot

[RetDep310]

Doesn't matter whether you slingshot it or use the slide release as long as you don't baby the slide home.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

I go overhand, makes all guns go.

Slide stop will not be in the same place for every pistol and no one said you would be fighting with your gun.

Bow and arrow is less than optimal for several reasons.

Shoot straight.

 

[kludge]

Overhand - teach your brain one thing, one set of muscle memory that works in all situations. It works for loading, unloading, clearing a jam.

 

[edg]

I learned early on the overhand method and preferred this. That being said, as I said in the OP, Kahr recommends the slide release and now I find myself using the slide stop more often, if not exclusively in all my guns. Has taken getting use to since I am a lefty. Now the question of wear on the slide stop does raise questions and does that mean that Kahr in its recommendations is causing undo wear over time? The Kahr is unbelievably tight out of the box and does loosen up over time but honestly I have not used the overhand at all with my Kahr. I may have a bad habit that needs to be broken.

edg

 

[jbombelli]

I'm a lefty myself, and NONE of my pistols has a left-handed slide release, so I always do the overhand rack.

At least I can drop the mags with my trigger finger, and not have to switch hands.

 

[The Keymaster]

If you go overhand you will never put your hand in front of the gun. You are also left in a much better position to shoot as this can be accomplished in the ready position.

 

[kludge]

as I said in the OP, Kahr recommends the slide release

Kahr puts this in its owners manuals because there are too many people use improper technique and "ride the slide"; and if the gun doesn't go into battery it gets returned for warranty work that isn't needed.

Proper technique: 1. Finger off trigger. 2. Point gun in safe direction, toward target, or where your instructor told you to point it when teaching his/her method of draw/presentation/reload/clear jam. 3. Heel of hand against slide, as many fingers on the opposite side of the slide as you can - DO NOT COVER the ejection port with any part of your hand. Grasp tightly, keep your elbows it toward your sides. 4. Push with the shooting hand while pulling with the non-shooting hand. 5. When the slide reaches the end of its travel, keep pushing and pulling. Allow your non-shooting hand to "slip" off the back of the slide. 6. Follow through. Let your non-shooting hand to hit your arm/shoulder of you shooting arm.

Now look at your position -- you are in a very similar position to where you were after a draw, but before you placed both hands in the grip and extended the gun toward the target.

Now take your grip and extend toward the target as normal.

If you do not do #5 correctly, you are riding the slide and could cause the gun to not go fully into battery.

 

[rhino]

Is one method better/worse than the other. I have a Kahr PM45 and Glock 36 that I share carry time with. The Kahr gets a bit more holster time than the Glock. The Kahr recommends slide release and I have gotten into a habit of doing this with not only my Kahr but my Glocks and 1911's when at the range. So does it really matter or is one better/worse than the other.

Edg

Slingshotting is probably the least favored but most used method. It's okay of you have adequate strength. It can cause delays in some cases getting the gun back on target compared to other method.

The methods I use and teach are the aforementiong overhand rack and using the slide release.

For me, it's simple. If a pistol has a prominent slide release (like a 1911 or a Smith & Wesson 3rd Generation or Beretta), I will use it. It's faster, especially once you've conditioned yourself to do it.


The big advantages of the overhand rack are:

1. It works on all pistols. Some pistols have vestigial slide releases and some have no external slide lock/release whatsoever (Walther PPK/S is one example). If you want uniformity of training and a one-size-fits all approach, it's probably the best way to go.
2. It's a common motion to other activities, such as clearing malfunction, chambering a round when the slide is forward, etc.

The stuff about "fine motor skills" is BS in my opinion. Most people who parrot the line about fine motor skills don't even understand what the term means. The terminology (fine vs. gross motor skills) arose in child development studies. Things you do with your hand are by definition fine motor skils. Gross motor skills involve movements of entire limbs or whole body movements.

Second, as was mentioned, it's absurd to assert that depressing the slide release is a "fine motor skill" that can't be accomplished under stress, yet expect someone to be able to depress the magazine release button (which is smaller and often require shifting the grip to reach) under the same type of stress. It's silly.

Pushing on the slide release (if one exists) with the support hand as you reestablish a two-handed grip after a reload is very easy and quick to accomplish. There is nothing wrong with it; it's just less "universal" than an overhand rack.

Another argument that arises sometimes is that using the slide release isn't as reliable as racking the slide for the reason that you pull the slide backward farther, so it will go forward with more authority. The difference in spring compression between the two is negligible.

Furthermore, people who use the slide release allow the slide to just fly forward. Many, many, many people (even after they've been taught otherwise) will impede the forward motion of the slide when they rack it (by either method) instead of just letting it go. I'm not sure why they do it other than subconsciously they think they might somehow damage the gun by letting the slide go forward under its own power. If/when you rack the slide, LET IT GO. Don't "ride the slide" with hand because all that does is increase the likelihood of a malfunction. The same goes for the bolt on a rifle.

Another potential problem (as was also mentioned) with the overhand rack is when people let their hand cover the ejection port. This can induce a malfunction if a round is supposed to be ejecting (you're blocking its exit), or it can lead to injury in the even a round ignite out of battery. The latter is a real thing that can happen (most common with .40 caliber guns), often when the round being removed from the chamber is hit on the primer by the ejector as the slide is being racked. When it ignites and the hand is covering the ejection port, a fun thing that is known as "Forty Hand" occurs. Some ridicule people when they raise this issue because it's "impossible," but for a while it was happening frequently at USPSA matches around the country. I've been on the same range when it's happened several times. I've been on a squad with someone who had it happen and I heard it and saw the results, although I was looking away when it happened.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

To me that's what the slide release is for. As soon as I insert a new mag, my strong hand thumb releases the slide. As my support hand falls back into place. I only rack the slide if a malfunction occurs. Sling shooting to me is a waste of time. Not to mention in a stressful situation you may not use enough force, and cause an issue. My

 

[Kirk Freeman]

To me that's what the slide release is for

Well, since it's called a "slide stop" and not a "slide release" I would say it's for stopping the slide.

But then maybe I am why we can't have nice things.

 

[DemolitionMan]

Well, since it's called a "slide stop" and not a "slide release" I would say it's for stopping the slide.

This is what I was taught when I first used the 1911 in the Army. The slide stop was only meant to hold the slide back when the mag emptied, or or for working on the gun. The "slingshot" method was the only method we were supposed to use to reload.

I've heard the same thing said on the 1911 forums -- and of course everything you read on the internet (or learn in military training) is always accurate. (Do I really need to add purple font color here?)

I can't say for sure which is the best way; I'm just used to using the slingshot method. I'm curious though about what rhino said about speed. I might try having my boys time me using both methods and see what happens.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Really sucks when I then pick up my 22/45 and have to use the bolt release.

So do the slingshot mod on it.

I took the mag-disconnect out and replaced it with a MkII hammer bushing, removed the ball detent from the bolt release and then used the mag-disconnect spring (with a few twist/bends/mods) to make my bolt catch spring loaded so I have a positive slide-release on the slingshot.

You still can't do the overhand thing, but at least you can sling-shot it.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

You still can't do the overhand thing, but at least you can sling-shot it.

You can do a modified overhand, which is what I do on my 22/45s.

You index over the pistol with your forefinger and thumb on each side of the bolt and run the "slide" as your thumb pokes your shoulder.

 

[shooter521]

I took the mag-disconnect out and replaced it with a MkII hammer bushing, removed the ball detent from the bolt release and then used the mag-disconnect spring (with a few twist/bends/mods) to make my bolt catch spring loaded so I have a positive slide-release on the slingshot.

Mine is a 22/45 MkII, so it doesn't have a mag disconnect. I'd have to find some other kind of spring to do what you describe. Got pics?

 

[CountryBoy19]

Mine is a 22/45 MkII, so it doesn't have a mag disconnect. I'd have to find some other kind of spring to do what you describe. Got pics?

does the bolt catch have a ball detent in it? If so your first step is to remove that. Just take the bolt catch out and it should all come out.

Now, about half of them will work just by doing the above step, but half won't, and they won't work if the gun is upside-down/sideways etc, so many add a spring.

Just use a small wire spring and place it under the trigger pin area, but hooked over the top of the bolt-catch so it pulls the catch down when you pull back on the bolt. I'll try to find the tutorial that I use to do it.

ETA, here is a picture of one way to add a spring to it, but this would not be my preferred method for 3 small reasons, #1 it's visible and not exactly all that pleasing to the eye, #2 you have to do permanent mods to the bolt catch (drill a hole), #3 there is always a chance you could somehow snag a fiber from your clothing etc on the spring and pull it out by mistake, making a mess out of it (spring could get jammed etc). I know option 3 is very unlikely, but why make it harder than it has to be?

 

[rhino]

Well, since it's called a "slide stop" and not a "slide release" I would say it's for stopping the slide.

So how many diagrams label it a slide release instead, eh?

And, why is the thing either knurled or checkered? If it was not intended to be used that way, there would be no reason to do the extra machining to enhance traction of your thumb on it.

So there!

 

[Kirk Freeman]

So how many diagrams label it a slide release instead, eh?

Only the wrong diagrams.

 

[ghitch75]

on midways site there is 9 pages of "SLIDE STOP'S"....not slide release....
MidwayUSA - Advanced Search

 

[moosebag]

Step #1 Place thumb on slide release switch.
Step #2 Push down.

Done!

 

[figley]

Put on a pair of mittens, or just big winter gloves, and try both methods.

The point of the exercise, is to practice and find out which way is the most effective, when you have greatly reduced fine motor skills.