I’ve often wondered why the TV self-defense experts always rack the slide when performing a speed reload on a semi-auto handgun rather than releasing the slide via the slide stop. I always though it was to provide that extra eighth-of-an-inch of spring power to ensure the gun went fully into battery.

Since this has never been an issue with my Kimber, I’ve always used my thumb on my support hand to release the slide stop, bringing the gun into battery. I’ve always felt this technique is faster since my thumb could release the slide stop with my hand on the grip in my shooting position. I have used this technique in numerous competitions where reloads were required and in hours of training without ever having the gun fail to go into battery.

So, when I was at Gunsite, Ed Stock was running us through both tactical and speed reloads and he specifically said to release the slide by pulling it back after inserting the magazine. This was my opportunity to ask why he recommended pulling the slide rather than using the slide stop.

He answered: “It’s a slide stop, not a slide release. And, we train for every handgun.”

His philosophy made sense as not every handgun has an easily accessible slide stop. The slide stop on the Smith & Wesson M&Ps we were using is much smaller than the one on my Kimber, and as such, would be much harder to release under pressure, especially with sweaty or grimy hands. Many other handgun models also have small slide stops that could be difficult to release when needed most, so eliminating that element ensures consistent speed when reloading regardless of the model of handgun.

How do you return the gun to battery when reloading?