You’ve emptied your pistol. You need to change your magazine. What’s the best course of action to move your slide forward after the mag change?
Our friend Graham Baates, AKA GBGuns, says, “Use the slide release.”
Baates says there really is no single method that is the “best,” but his is meant to be fast.
The Slide Release Method
“I put my thumb just above the slide release, so that as I’m inserting the magazine, the slamming brings my thumb down on that slide release,” Baates says.
Watch Baates’ method in the video above.
We, at Tactical-Life, had two points of contention:
- Some guns have slide catches vs. slide releases. The levers on SIGs, for example, are small and meant to just catch the slide. It’s actually hard to hit these buttons with one hand to release the slide forward. HKs, on the other hand, have giant slide releases meant to do just that — release the slide after reloading. So, it just depends on the gun.
- There’s a chance you’ll release the slide before the magazine fully inserts. Meaning you’ll have to rack the slide again anyway.
To those points, Baates agreed. As he previously mentioned, there is no method that is the “best.” It all comes down to being comfortable with your gun.
“The Honor Guard is another example of a gun that definitely has a slide lock and not release,” Baates says. “In the end it all comes down to knowing your firearm and application.”
Get used to seeing a lot more of Graham Baates around these parts!
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