Correct Glock Slide Stop Manipulation?

[Travis_B]

@Alpha_Sierra

I just hit it with the thumb of my support hand as I bring it up to its proper place as part of my grip. That way I don’t have to change my strong hand grip to reach the slide lock with my strong hand thumb.

My strong hand grip doesn’t change when trying to operate it, well other than my thumb moving up.

[Travis_B]

@AngeredKabar

I place the point of my thumb that naturally fits on the top corner of the slide stop and firmly and quickly sweep it both down and in. Almost like I’m trying to touch with my thumb, the joint where my pinky is attached to the rest of my hand. It made my thumb raw for a couple days but it’s no problem now.

That sounds different that what I currently try so I’ll attempt that method. Thanks for the walkthrough, AK.

[Travis_B]

What’s the difference in the overhand and the slingshot methods?

@sboza

I’m a glock armorer and we were taught that glock’s prefered technique is the overhand method. Glock basically designed the pistol to be ideally racked this way, not via the slidestop or the slingshot method.

I have farm hands that are a bit larger than average, so I really don’t think it’s a physical inability.

Like I said earlier, the method works with gloves, it’s just not as consistent without them. I have no idea what method the top tier trainers use. I used to use the slingshot method until I started trying to use the slide stop, and when it works it’s a lot easier for me. I just have to figure out what I need to do to be more consistent with it.

@sboza

Again, maybe your finger can’t physically use 1 consistently (too weak, fingers too short, etc…). Every method doesn’t work for everyone. Try something else. Don’t worry about what all the top tier trainers preach as the right method because they will all tell you to use what works for you after showing you the options and giving their pros and cons.

[RagweedZulu]

I’ve attended MANY shooting schools over the years and by far the most common technique is the overhand method of releasing the slide. I recently saw Rob Pincus do a video about the same thing.

The reason that is always given is that it works on EVERY pistol EVERY time. For those of us who switch defensive pistol platforms often, there’s no need to hunt around for a little button in the middle of a firefight.

I carry a S&W on duty but mostly Glocks or 1911’s off duty. The overhand works with them all and in my humble opinion, is far more reliable, using gross motor skills when under stress. I won’t flame those who use their pistol’s release, but I’ve trained myself away from it and I find it works very well.

[Heavy_Metal]

using gross motor skills when under stress.

Unless you are using a spear, fine motor skills are always required to operate any firearm under stress. The trigger press and mag release are all fine motor skills.

[DocGKR]

Gross and fine motor skills is a red herring–despite what is commonly believed, pretty much ALL pistol manipulations, including hitting the magazine release and pulling the trigger, are fine motor skills.

For my first decade in LE we were trained to use the overhand method on the slide–works OK, but is slow. Then in the wake of 9/11 we began to get more training from folks in the SOF community who strongly advocated using the slide stop. Thus for the past 10 years we have been using using the weak hand thumb to release the slide stop. Turns out it is definitely faster and just as consistent to release the slide using the slide stop…

On a Glock, I use a Vickers slide stop and release it with my weak hand thumb.

[Travis_B]

@DocGKR

Gross and fine motor skills is a red herring–despite what is commonly believed, pretty much ALL pistol manipulations, including hitting the magazine release and pulling the trigger, are fine motor skills.

For my first decade in LE we were trained to use the overhand method on the slide–works OK, but is slow. Then in the wake of 9/11 we began to get more training from folks in the SOF community who strongly advocated using the slide stop. Thus for the past 10 years we have been using using the weak hand thumb to release the slide stop. Turns out it is definitely faster and just as consistent to release the slide using the slide stop…

On a Glock, I use a Vickers slide stop and release it with my weak hand thumb.

I’ll try out using my support hand, too. Thanks!

[jonconsiglio]

Jason Falla - a short way into the video he goes over the three main slide release methods. He’s shooting a Glock.

Personally, I use a standard slide stop, not an extended. At speed, I tend to interfere with extended stops. I’d actually like to find a flat slide stop for my M&Ps similar to the standard on Glocks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5bOg-GYKHY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[tgace]

I wrote a blog piece on this a while ago and included some video to show the difference in speed between various emergency reload techniques. I’m obviously no Vickers or Falla, but you can see the obvious speed difference even with me.

http://tgace.wordpress.com/2011/01/14/variations-on-a-themeemergency-reloads/

To add into the mix is the “strip the magazine or drop free” issue. When I first got hired, my dept. trained us to always strip the mag free because our older Glock magazines didn’t always drop free. Even though we now have Gen 4’s and the new magazines our training dept still sticks with the old technique. In terms of MY speed the difference between reloads can be as much as this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x05RcvPMWDk&feature=player_embedded

vs this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-anvUjy4ls&feature=player_embedded

[GLOCKMASTER]

@RagweedZulu

I’ve attended MANY shooting schools over the years and by far the most common technique is the overhand method of releasing the slide. I recently saw Rob Pincus do a video about the same thing.

The reason that is always given is that it works on EVERY pistol EVERY time. For those of us who switch defensive pistol platforms often, there’s no need to hunt around for a little button in the middle of a firefight.

I carry a S&W on duty but mostly Glocks or 1911’s off duty. The overhand works with them all and in my humble opinion, is far more reliable, using gross motor skills when under stress. I won’t flame those who use their pistol’s release, but I’ve trained myself away from it and I find it works very well.

Well if you can find the little magazine release then you shouldn’t have a problem finding the slide release lever.

[Seraph]

@jonconsiglio

Jason Falla - a short way into the video he goes over the three main slide release methods. He’s shooting a Glock.

Personally, I use a standard slide stop, not an extended. At speed, I tend to interfere with extended stops. I’d actually like to find a flat slide stop for my M&Ps similar to the standard on Glocks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5bOg-GYKHY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Great link! Maybe I like it because that’s almost exactly how I do it already.