I bought a new Glock 19 last week, it is a Gen 3. With the slide locked back I can load a full magazine and if I slap it in decently hard the slide will come forward and chamber a round without me touching the slide release or racking the slide. I have never heard of a Glock doing this, but admittedly I am new to the Glock platform. What say you guys? Something that needs to be fixed, or normal?
I just went over to my Bosses office and asked check out his Glock 23 that he carries concealed, and it will do it too. I have to snap it a little harder than mine, but it will do it. Sounds like it is relatively normal then.
I wouldn't make a habit of "mag-slamming" to drop the slide on a loaded magazine. It's not uncommon for the top round in the magazine to come loose and orient itself improperly towards the chamber - thereby causing a shooter induced malfunction. When this occurs the stoppage often resembles a stove-pipe with a loaded round.
Hold the slide release up when you slap the magazine. If the slide holds, either the 'nub' that contacts the follower is too big or the spring is too weak (or bent).
M&Ps do this also, so S&W decided to take credit for this as a design feature.........at least according to the rep who taught our armorer's class. It does shave a little time off of a slide-lock reload, so I guess no harm, no foul.
Heck even my "frankengun" Commander will do that if really positive force is used in seating the fresh mag. Both my Glocks will do it and the 19 don't have drop free magazines, it is a 2 pin gun.
All Glocks will do that if you slam a magazine in hard. I have seen it taught as a quick reloading tecnique but do not like it. The potential problems with doing it are:
1. It is possible, but quite unlikely, that the top round will either misfeed or that the slide will close before the magazine is fully inserted and the top round will not be fed.
2. Most shooters I have observed will instinctively rack the slide after it closes and will eject a round from the chamber, especially if they have been trained to "slingshot" the slide rather than use the slide stop.
3. If the magazine is only partially loaded, it is possible to displace the top round in the magazine when the follower spring is compressed by the inertia of the "slam", allowing some momentary slack between the rounds and the magazine lips. I have only seen this a couple of times, but the top round had reversed and was pointing the wrong way in one instance and in the other there was a problem that had been resolved by another instructor before I saw what exactly happened. The fewer rounds there are in the magazine, the more likely this is to happen.
I wish my Glock 30SF did that. With the dinky slide release lever it's easier for me to pull the slide back and let it go than to try to trip the slide release. It wastes a lot of time.
I wish my Glock 30SF did that. With the dinky slide release lever it's easier for me to pull the slide back and let it go than to try to trip the slide release. It wastes a lot of time.
Do you compete, or are you just using it defensively?
Because if it's the latter, a powerstroke is a superior technique to using a slide release -- and also is good because it's a similar movement to your administrative load and a FTF/failure to go into battery malfunction clearance. But yeah, it gives you the most momentum and requires less fine motor skill, which is a good thing.
A power stroke or "slingshot" to release the slide does not take any more time when reloading than using the slide stop does, since your support hand is already right there after the magazine change. It is a surer method when under stress because of the gross motor skill vs. fine motor skill dynamic.
I bought a new Glock 19 last week, it is a Gen 3. With the slide locked back I can load a full magazine and if I slap it in decently hard the slide will come forward and chamber a round without me touching the slide release or racking the slide. I have never heard of a Glock doing this, but admittedly I am new to the Glock platform. What say you guys? Something that needs to be fixed, or normal?
It would drive me nuts and I would fix it. I don't want my pistol doing anything I don't tell it to. I'm not interested in maybe-maybe not-auto-slide-release.
A power stroke or "slingshot" to release the slide does not take any more time when reloading than using the slide stop does, since your support hand is already right there after the magazine change.
BS.
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It is a surer method when under stress because of the gross motor skill vs. fine motor skill dynamic.
No different than hitting the safety on a rifle, shotgun, or handgun, or releasing a magazine.
A power stroke or "slingshot" to release the slide does not take any more time when reloading than using the slide stop does, since your support hand is already right there after the magazine change.
BS.
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It is a surer method when under stress because of the gross motor skill vs. fine motor skill dynamic.
No different than hitting the safety on a rifle, shotgun, or handgun, or releasing a magazine.
Agreed, and will add that finessing the trigger correctly is most definitely a fine motor skill. If you can't operate the slide release under stress, I'm guessing your trigger "press" isn't going to amount to much either. Dumbing down the curriculum rather than training up the student has never made sense to me, but I know it's commonplace.
I disagree with the link. The Glock slide release is small and easy to miss when under stress. The slingshot method is surer and faster for the average shooter. Experts do fine either way.
The original question had to do with Glock pistols and in that regard, Gaston Glock designed the feature to be a "slide stop" in the purest sense. In stock form, it's very difficult to manipulate as a means of lowering the slide. The Vickers Tactical option addresses this perceived deficiency pretty well, I think. If you have trouble with the stock slide stop, this is an easy fix.
As to which method is best to lower the slide; depressing the slide stop or manually unlocking the slide, well it sorta depends. Many folks have a hard time reaching the slide stop/release unless the part has been extended to modified, so manually lower the slide is their only option. But the truth is, the only time the fraction of a second advantage one method has over the other is in some purely sporting application or in the mind of the pseudo-commando.
There ain't never been a gunfight won or lost by using one method over the other.
I wouldn't make a habit of "mag-slamming" to drop the slide on a loaded magazine. It's not uncommon for the top round in the magazine to come loose and orient itself improperly towards the chamber - thereby causing a shooter induced malfunction. When this occurs the stoppage often resembles a stove-pipe with a loaded round.
You're exactly correct. I've seen it happen also. People who watch too many cops-'n-robbers teeeveee shows and movies think that because the "hero" does it and proceeds to smoke all the bad guys poste haste, it is the "now" thing to do.
Big mistake.
Just firmly seating the magazine is all that is necessary.
Do you compete, or are you just using it defensively?
I was running the June Campfire drill. The combination of ripping the magazine out and pulling the slide back to release it was a bit too much. I have never had trouble tripping the lever on any other semi-auto, including the Sig P238 .380 I used for the same drill with substantially better results.
I bought a new Glock 19 last week, it is a Gen 3. With the slide locked back I can load a full magazine and if I slap it in decently hard the slide will come forward and chamber a round without me touching the slide release or racking the slide. I have never heard of a Glock doing this, but admittedly I am new to the Glock platform. What say you guys? Something that needs to be fixed, or normal?
It happens all the time in most semi autos if the force used to insert the magazine is large enough. It's happened to me in both Glocks and H&K's during competition and requal.
Another thing to consider is that there are pistols without slide stops, ones in very different locations, ones with varying degrees of pressure needed to depress them...
Whereas a powerstroke will work on very nearly every pistol ever made.
The magazine slam is fun as a range stunt, but a poor technique to consider for survival trsining. A serious shooter should practice both the power stroke/slingshot method (for use as a primary technique) and the use of the slide stop as an alternate for situations where the weapon must be used one-handed.
2. Most shooters I have observed will instinctively rack the slide after it closes and will eject a round from the chamber, especially if they have been trained to "slingshot" the slide rather than use the slide stop.
That's why it's called the slide stop, or slide lock-back lever, and not the reload button. Grab the slide over the top, or slingshot it to load/re-load, either way is correct. The slide-stop lever is just for that - stopping the slide in the rearward position.
Do you compete, or are you just using it defensively?
I was running the June Campfire drill. The combination of ripping the magazine out and pulling the slide back to release it was a bit too much. I have never had trouble tripping the lever on any other semi-auto, including the Sig P238 .380 I used for the same drill with substantially better results.
It sounds like you need some drop free mags, brother.
The magazine slam is fun as a range stunt, but a poor technique to consider for survival trsining. A serious shooter should practice both the power stroke/slingshot method (for use as a primary technique) and the use of the slide stop as an alternate for situations where the weapon must be used one-handed.
Personally, though I understand how the stop works on my current sidearm, I train to rack it off of the rear sight by hooking it on my belt. If I ever end up with a gun with Novak sights, I can push the front into the back of my boot. I prefer to train this way because it'll work for very nearly any pistol I might pick up.
On my 1911, also, I have grip tape along the top of the slide. If I can't get it to work on my belt for some reason, it'll grip my pantleg.
Thanks for all the insight guys, this thread has been very informative. I don't plan to train that way, but good to know it can happen and why, and to know the pitfalls of it. Mainly just wanted to make sure there wasn't some safety related issue with my weapon.
