gunderwood wrote:
PS already explained one of the reasons. The recoil spring is not fully compressed. Look up the equation for force regarding a spring and you will see that displacement is important (within it's elastic region). Typically springs/spring rates have plenty of buffer such that either way will be fine. However, since springs wear out with cycles, every pull of the trigger or racking of the slide wears out the spring and effectively reduces to force it will generate (reduces the spring constant). The second point on this and I would argue the more important is the momentum management of the slide. Simply put, the slide/spring system is tuned to function when the slide hits the next round with some momentum. It's the transfer of momentum, generated by the force of the spring pushing against the slide and displacing it, that really enables the next cartridge to load. I've seen firearms where the spring force alone is insufficient to chamber the next round (e.g. slowly move the bolt/slide until it's nearly in contact with the next cartridge, now release and the system will jam). Simply put, the bolt/slide has no momentum in this scenario and the spring force is insufficient. Any technique which reduces the displacement of the spring will reduce the momentum of the slide/bolt when it hits the next cartridge. It's not that won't or can't work, but that it's more likely to cause a system failure (i.e. brittle). Competition guns are like race cars, highly tuned and maintained unlike more practical systems. Just because F1 does it doesn't make it a viable street technique.
It would be interesting to measure the difference in slide momentum between a slingshot or rack release and slide stop release, but I'm pretty sure it would be insignificant and have no meaningful effect on the reliability of cambering a round from the magazine. And, let's not forget that there are human factors involved here too. Riding the slide forward is just one example of a human-induced factor that could affect the reliability of getting a round properly chambered.
Competition guns in production or stock pistol divisions usually have nothing or little more than better sights and a trigger job as mods, and these are the competition divisions where the Glocks are mainly found. These are hardly like finely tuned race cars as gun modifications are very restricted.
gunderwood wrote:
Furthermore, there is the argument concerning fine motor skills. While you might be able to do it, gross motor skills are always best (more reliable). The counter argument is that the mag release is also a fine motor skill. It's been my experience and observation when doing high-intensity CQB training that the mag release is far easier than the slide release. My personal opinion on this is that when you want to release the mag, your attention shifts to the firearm rather than the threat. When you use the slide release your focus is already shifting back to the front post/threat and people end up trying to shoot guns with the slide locked back. Your ability to multi-task when someone is trying to kill you isn't very good...focused very you be will (Instructor Yoda). When racking it, the focus is still on the firearm (which makes it technically and mechanically slower), but almost no one gets it wrong if they got that far in the process. My experience is very limited as such training is hard to come by...the professionals/instructors swear by it though.
The fine v gross motor skills argument makes no sense. Shooting a pistol continually requires mainly using fine motor skills. Saying that all of a sudden after dropping the magazine, you can't find or depress the slide stop is silly.
gunderwood wrote:
There is some benefit to simplifying gun handling processes too. Tap, rack, bang does't work as tap, slide-lock, click. Doesn't work for level/phase/stage 2 jams either. Do it the same way every time and you should be able to clear these jams much faster.
This I fully agree with. One of the advantages of racking the slide by using the overhand grasp during a reload is that it's the same motion used for clearing malfunctions. Additionally, if you use different make and model pistols, the slide stops or releases are in different places. Racking the slide works the same way with them all.
gunderwood wrote:
Of course if you are elite (which I am not even remotely close to being), perhaps none of these arguments apply since you replace springs every 1k, weapons at 10k, and shoot 1M rounds a year. On a more serious note and to be fair, tactics are ever evolving. As far as I'm aware, racking the slide is the current "best practice" and not the slide release. Consider how stances have evolved over the years and to make better use of other equipment such as body armor.
I won't concede that racking the slide is the best practice today, but I'll buy that it's the most commonly taught. I'll also buy that it is easier to teach and learn how to do than using the slide stop lever or slide release.
If you are a action pistol competition shooter who wants to be competitive, then you are going to use the slide stop lever to release the slide when reloading from slide stop - that's a given because it's a measurably faster way to reload.
If you are tactically oriented, you may prefer to use the overhand rack technique for reasons previously mentioned. Just realize that you are sacrificing some potential speed, although slight, with this technique. Personally, I think finding yourself in a defensive situation where this reload speed difference would be a factor is an extremely low probability event.
What I think is most important is to practice whatever reload technique you want to use until it's truly automatic and instinctive. Because it's a near certainty that that is what you will do under stress.
gunderwood wrote:
As an interesting side note, I started shooting IDPA and have observed the following. Stages where I can engage the targets more naturally (i.e. stop the threat), I shoot reasonably well. Any stage where I have to shoot in some made up sequence (e.g. shoot each target once, then follow up with other rounds) I typically don't do well. When I fall back on my training and shoot to stop the threat so can live, I'm not bad. When I have to "play a game," I'm not so hot. I know that in simunition training, etc which requires shooting other living humans, I also shoot well. That's not my opinion, that's my instructors observations (always a good feeling when you "kill" them instead of getting killed). Then again, if the scenario is done right, your heart should be pounding, adrenaline pumping, and really feel like someone just attacked you.
Your experience with IDPA is not at all surprising. The more you have to think about how to shoot the stage's targets the less mental focus you have available to apply to your gun handling and marksmanship. Having to think and shoot is new to most who have not shot competition before. It gets easier with experience and practice. One of the great things about shooting competition is that it will improve your gun handling and marksmanship skills regardless of your current skill level.
