Firearms Instructors...

[Hudson69]

With the advent of flatter levers (slide lock/release) and the absence of external safeties/de-cockers on the sides of the newer autos and the old reliables like Glock how are you teaching combat reloads (from slide lock)?

I have gone over to instructing the shooters to simply cant the gun to the inside and use their off hand to pull back the slide enough to release lock once a new, loaded mag has been inserted; it seems to be more efficient that having someone trying to search for the smaller, flush sided slide release. But someone said that old pistol shooters with the external safeties can be put into safe by doing teaching this way... I just say be conscious of it and dont do and repeat enough to make it muscle memory.

I know this isn't anything of note but another instructor wouldn't let it go. Any thoughts?

 

[Grenadier]

I'm also in agreement, that you should pull the slide back from a locked open position, since you're relying on "bigger" muscles to accomplish the task, and not so much fine coordination. This, IMHO, is important, when you're in a situation where adrenaline kicks in.

Even on my Glock 34 (which has the extended release lever), I still use the above method.

With regards to weapons that have manual safeties, I've never seen this happen before, when doing such a reload, even with an older Browning Hi Power, and a Ruger P89. I've tried to pull on the slide, even using the safety lever on the Ruger P89 as a grabbing point, but still never saw the gun chamber forward in a "safe" position.

 

[jks9199]

With the advent of flatter levers (slide lock/release) and the absence of external safeties/de-cockers on the sides of the newer autos and the old reliables like Glock how are you teaching combat reloads (from slide lock)?

I have gone over to instructing the shooters to simply cant the gun to the inside and use their off hand to pull back the slide enough to release lock once a new, loaded mag has been inserted; it seems to be more efficient that having someone trying to search for the smaller, flush sided slide release. But someone said that old pistol shooters with the external safeties can be put into safe by doing teaching this way... I just say be conscious of it and dont do and repeat enough to make it muscle memory.

I know this isn't anything of note but another instructor wouldn't let it go. Any thoughts?

We teach shooters to slingshot it as the preferred method; I'm pretty confident Glock encourages that method, as well.

Emergency reload (gun's run dry or slide is otherwise locked to the rear):
Reach down, find the new magazine & bring it up. As it nears the gun (I usually advise about when you can see it if you're holding the gun out on target or at ready gun), drop the old magazine. Insert the new, tap to be sure it seats, and slingshot the slide by grabbing it firmly (not a pinch, but a whole hand grab), and pull it to the rear, allowing it to ride forward on the recoil spring.

Combat reload (done at will, to ensure a full magazine in the gun):
Reach down, find the new magazine & bring it up to the gun, as above. Drop the magazine in the gun, and insert the new. Tap it to be sure it's fully seated. It shouldn't be necessary to charge the gun since there should be a round in the chamber.

 

[Archangel M]

The thing with Glocks (in my experience) is that the empty mags don't always fall free on their own. In emergeny reloads I pull the mag, grab the fresh mag and slam it home. Sometimes the slide goes into battery on its own when seatng the fresh mag...if it doesn't I slingshot it. It seems the "safest bet", but IMO using the slide release isnt "taboo". Like anything else it's a matter of how trained you are in the technique you choose.

 

[KenpoTex]

I rack the slide using the overhand method for every reload. The main reasons I prefer this method are that (1) it is consistent with my other gun-handling procedures (malfunction clearing), and (2) you get full compression of the recoil-spring to drive the slide forward.

If the mag doesn't drop free, no big deal. You can either give the gun a little shake while retrieving the fresh mag or, when you bring the fresh mag up with your off-hand, just yank the old one out. You can also just strip the mag by default before retrieving the spare.

 

[jks9199]

The thing with Glocks (in my experience) is that the empty mags don't always fall free on their own. In emergeny reloads I pull the mag, grab the fresh mag and slam it home. Sometimes the slide goes into battery on its own when seatng the fresh mag...if it doesn't I slingshot it. It seems the "safest bet", but IMO using the slide release isnt "taboo". Like anything else it's a matter of how trained you are in the technique you choose.

Absolutely an issue with the Glocks, especially with empty magazines. As has been said -- the fix is simple. Shake it a little or rip it out. And I almost never have to slingshot it; it almost always is dislodged and runs forward when I seat the magazine. Of course -- I had a gun that had a nasty habit of not quite locking the magazine in if I didn't give it a good slap for several years.

But I don't encourage students to rip it out before you have that fresh magazine up and ready. Yeah, for an emergency reload, you're dry -- but you're building a muscle memory that might mess up a combat reload. In a combat reload, you're just topping off; if you have to shoot, you still have one in the chamber, and however many are in the magazine. Maybe you're not sure... Maybe it's none. But you might still have a couple that might be nice to be able to use!

 

[sgtmac_46]

With the advent of flatter levers (slide lock/release) and the absence of external safeties/de-cockers on the sides of the newer autos and the old reliables like Glock how are you teaching combat reloads (from slide lock)?

I have gone over to instructing the shooters to simply cant the gun to the inside and use their off hand to pull back the slide enough to release lock once a new, loaded mag has been inserted; it seems to be more efficient that having someone trying to search for the smaller, flush sided slide release. But someone said that old pistol shooters with the external safeties can be put into safe by doing teaching this way... I just say be conscious of it and dont do and repeat enough to make it muscle memory.

I know this isn't anything of note but another instructor wouldn't let it go. Any thoughts?

I teach folks to rip the slide off from the top, grip and rip.