I have heard experts argue about the best method of running the slide on a semi-automatic pistol since my department took my revolver away some three decades ago. Not surprisingly, nothing has changed today. Same arguments, same experts, largely the same guns, and just as meaningless.
Is One Method of Running a Pistol the Slide Best?
Whether to get students through a class, old school dogma, or just plain ignorance/laziness, it’s really the same old stuff. You would think that in 30 years, there would be some progression. Sadly, that is seldom the case.
The idea that one way is “best” is just ridiculous. While one technique may be best for a given situation, it may be impossible in another. If all you do is play games with your pistol, then fine. However, real life and practical application dictate that you can do them all, and then some.
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Learn and Practice What’s Necessary, Not Easy
Too often, we practice and use what has been “proven” to be the “fastest” in some sort of competition. Why? Most will never see a gunfight, even in the LE world. However, we can play tactical once a week or more.
Unfortunately, the goal is almost always to win the competition. Great stuff. There’s nothing wrong with winning, but much of what happens in sports has very little correlation to a real fight.
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It’s much the same in my fifty-plus years of martial arts training. Lots of time spent on things that win matches but don’t work for real. Same thing with much of our organized training, even by some of the best instructors around. It’s just not convenient or “safe” to practice the practical on the square range, especially given the disparity of students.
The answer: dry fire using those things that exist in your everyday world.
The Only Limit Is Your Imagination and Practical Application
Every method to “run” or release that slide has its pros and cons, given your equipment and application. In most action pistol competitions, running the slide at all is problematic; it takes time. You know exactly what you are facing prior to each stage, so planning is the norm.
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Off the field of play, things are different. You can’t plan when you have to release the slide for a reload or stoppage drill. It requires improvisation.
One-handed operation is as likely as anything, either because one hand is occupied or injured. Some slide stop/releases work great, others do not. Can you reach them with either hand with missing fingers?
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Do you have an RDS? While not something to do all the time, running the slide with it is a fantastic option in a fight. Are your mechanical sights steel or plastic? Likewise, while snag-free sights are great for presentation, they can be less useful as a means to operate the slide.
Holsters are great tools for single-handed operations, as are pockets on some pants, hooking your sight or RDS. Fighting around your car, look for wheels, doors, bumpers, anything that can allow you to hook a sight, ejection port, or even the slide itself.
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Buildings provide guard rails, fences, and even openings in brick walls. Tactical pants can be great, but thicker denim is often better due to more friction. I love my sandals, but boots, hiking shoes, and even running shoes can work better. Cloth belts on gym shorts are worthless. Add a real belt, and things change.
Practice Running the Slide with Dummy Rounds
When I was driving all over the country, much of my time was spent working in, on, and around my truck, identifying what works best. All of these can be practiced using dummy rounds. Get your methods down before you practice them live.
Most private ranges won’t let you do them anyway, making dry fire the best and possibly only option. Use the weapon you actually carry dressed the way you are for the seasons (if you have them). Keep it safe, simple, and practical, but put the time in.
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Bottom Line
Statistically, the chances you get into a gunfight are pretty rare. The need to run your slide during that fight is even less so. The vast majority of self-defense shootings are finished with what you started with in the gun.
That said, if the slide locks to the rear, your pistol becomes a really expensive and mostly useless hammer. Getting it back in battery is critical. Whether you ran out of ammo, accidentally locked it open, or suffered a stoppage, you need to get it back in the fight.
There is no “time out” or raising your hand for the rangemaster. It’s all up to you. The world does not care if you have missing fingers, only one working arm, or no idea how to fix your gun.
No single method always works in every condition. Like everything about carrying a gun for self-defense, it’s not about practicing what is easy, fast, or most common. Fighting is always about dealing with the fight you get and not the one you want. Look outside the box and practice what you may need, it just may save a life!!
