Second, anyone claiming to be a Glock armorer that says they recommend slingshotting the slide vs. using the slide stop to overcome any deficiencies is full of crap.
True.
I was a certified armorer for decades in both of my depts. and have been to several Glock armorer schools, including advanced factory run training.
As was I; for the 25 years I was in service.
Never have I been told that a Glock pistol is recommended to chamber a round one way or another. In fact, it was stressed that the gun should function properly either way the same.
Completely agree.
But with one caveat ...
Never put a round in the chamber manually and then drop the slide on the round. This is a great risk which can result in chipping or breaking the extractor. A big no-no.
The proper method to get a round into the chamber is to use the mag and let it feed the round as the slide pushes it forward from the mag and up the ramp.
I have, however, seen where some departments are training folks to release the slide via slingshotting it vs. using the slide stop. Some shooters either don't have the dexterity, or finger strength to manipulate the slide stop and slingshotting, especially in a stressful situation, is more positive.
Agreement yet again. This is how we were trained. Grasping in the slingshot technique is a gross motor skill; it's easy to accomplish when tunnel vision and other awareness elements are collapsing around you. The thumbed slide-stop technique works well also, but it's a fine motor skill and can fail if your hands are wet (sweat; blood; etc) and it takes more "finesse" in a time when calm and clarity are flying out the window. In the end, I favor the slingshot technique, but I do occasionally practice the slide-stop method, because if my non-preferred hand ever is injured in the heat of the moment, I need to be reasonably proficient in a back-up technique. The real key is to practice both ways.
I was a departmental Glock and AR rifle armorer for my whole career. But I was not a firearms trainer. I recall several times the firearms staff (which often changed with each administration change) would tell us "
Do this; it's the best ..."
- aim this way, not that way
- grip the pistol like this; not that
- reload that way, not this way
- drop mags; don't drop mags - instead do the exchange and save
- sling the rifle in front; no - sling it behind you
- etc
I was adamant that each officer should develop a technique that worked well for them as an individual; a system that was easily achieved and would be practiced with aplomb, so that muscle memory would prevail when the poo collided with the air mover.
I recall that one trainer flat insisted that we "exchange and save" the mags,
and place the partially consumed mag in our front pockets so as to not confuse them with the full mags in our mag carriers. I said to him ... "
Well, that's all fine and dandy, but what happens when I'm lying on the ground, and can't reach my opposite pocket to retrieve the mag I need because it's too far down in the pocket to be of any use?" He had no answer. This is because he was practicing the technique he favored on the range while wearing jeans, with no vest on, and standing up. But in full uniform, with a full vest carrier on, barrel-chested guys like me can't reach across the body, while lying in a ditch scrambling for cover, trying to access a deep-seeded mag in the bottom of a pocket which is side loaded (not top load like jeans). I told him "
I'll save the mags in the manner which is the easiest for me in a time of duress and thank you but no thank you to storing mags in my pockets."
Practice may not make perfect, but it sure does make for good muscle memory. Do what feels right
as long as it's not tactically stupid or dangerous. Everyone will have some things that they favor, and it may matter when milliseconds count.
).
