Not recognizing slide lock

Firearm Training
1

For some reason, I don’t yet seem to always be able to notice when im out of ammo and the firearm goes to slide lock. This concerns me somewhat because of the wasted time involved in pulling the trigger only to notice a round didnt go off.

I carry 15+1 so yeah, the chances of me ever getting to the point of being out of ammo are very, very slim. But i know from training that i should be able to detect it.

Anyone have any tips on how i can resolve this? Counting rounds as they go off just doesnt seem to be a realistic option, knowing the stress level involved in a self defense incident, but i guess i could try that. Its just that i know I’m supposed to be able to detect it when it happens. I just don’t seem to be able to do it routinely.

6 Likes
2
2 Likes
4

There is no magic trick that indicates the slide is locked. You just have to feel it.

Slide lock is the worst what can happen in self-defense situation. I strongly recommend learning how to manage the ammo and use more tactical (proactive) reload instead of slide lock reload.
This way you minimize slide lock occurrence and you don’t need to worry about it.

However if you still want to quickly recognize “slide lock”… just practice and learn how does it feel. Practice all kind of malfunctions so you can feel and see the difference and eventually will be able to recognize the issue within second by feeling and seeing using peripheral vision.

12 Likes
5

When I’m at the range I’ll load five rounds in a mag and run with three mags. The fewer rounds in the mag helps me track “the feel” and after while I’ve developed the sensory perception of what slide lock feels like and can also visually detect it. The fewer rounds also allows for me to develop and maintain maintain muscle memory for mag dumps and reloads.

14 Likes
6

Load 5 magazines with 3 to 6 rounds in each magazine then give them a shuffle and have them set for shooting. As you shoot you will run out of ammo and come to slide lock. Reload next magazine and continue. Finding the slide lock engage will become more noticeable after repeating this. Practicing recognizing is one step and overcoming the slide lock and getting back on the target in a timely manner will be the second step in training. Since you do not know exactly how many rounds you do have in each magazine the experience of dealing with this hurdle will become more of a natural muscle memory response. Practice, practice, train hard and be safe.

13 Likes
7

As everyone has stated thus far, it is a “feel” thing and your body needs to learn what that particular feel is like. With regular trips to the range, you will know what your weapon feels like when it cycles and feeds another round. Recoil, slide comes back, trigger is reset, spent round ejects, new round comes up, slide goes forward feeding new round, slide seats fully forward and your weapon is back in battery. It is something you feel.

When your slick locks back, it will be a completely different feel because the cycle stops halfway through.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

Another thing to think about after the magazine is replaced is how you manipulate the controls of your weapon to get the slide back forward. Silly question, I know, BUT…

There are two different ways, both very common, to accomplish this. The safe way, as is taught by many instructors across the world, is to grip the slide with your off hand, pull it back, release the slide lock with the thumb of your strong hand and then release your grip on the slide with your off hand and let the slide go forward. It is safe. Decreases wear and tear on the weapon, reduces probability for malfunction, etc, etc…

Or, if you are like me with my weapon, you can just hit the slide lock and keep shooting. It is quicker. Add the fact my weapon, a Beretta 92A1, was designed to be able to just drop the slide lock. It does not add any additional wear and tear to my weapon and I have NEVER experienced any malfunctions doing it this way. I have, however, been chastised by nearly every instructor I have been in class with because it just isn’t right. They teach it one way to fit everyone, then there are the wildcard Beretta Owners.

Pick your poison carefully.

7 Likes
8

The guy in @Robert1246 ’s video is using his slide lock.

I’ve been taught both ways.

I do like gripping the slide because it overlaps with malfunction technique. But as you stated, the magic side lever is quicker.

I think this video compares the two methods.

4 Likes
9

Larry Yatch has some well thought out and demonstrated arguments for what works best.

Being a lefty I let the knuckle of my trigger finger rest on the slide lock while loading the new mag. I don’t have enough strength this way to accidentally release the slide early by on most of my pistols at least 19 times out of 20 slapping the mag in automatically drops the slide. I have trained myself to instantly switching to overhanding the slide on the rare occasions it doesn’t drop. This makes for very fast reloads the vast majority of the time for me.

3 Likes
10

Up until he drops the slide, his actions are identical. He does it the same way every time.

1 Like
11

Try spending some time putting only 2-3 rounds in your mags to make an effort to notice how different it feels when the slide locks back and the trigger doesn’t reset when your finger goes forward. When I was a new shooter, I went through a LOT of rounds before I started to feel it. Maybe causing it intentionally with fewer rounds in the mags and focusing on trying to feel a difference will help get you there faster?

Aside from that, definitely practice reloads. Any time you press the trigger and it feels different to you, you should instinctively “move off the X” while tilting the muzzle up to have a quick look at the chamber to see if you have a malfunction or slide lock condition. Then you can either clear the malfunction or do an emergency reload.

But make a point to slow things down a bit while shooting and focus on how the recoil and trigger reset feel with each round, comparing that to a slide lock condition. You’ll probably even start to hear the difference in addition to feeling it.

5 Likes
12

Wow. Great info. Thanks everyone.

It occurred to me that if i painted a white mark on the back of the slide it might help me detect it with my peripheral vision as the slide moves back. Doesnt help me in the dark, but it seems logical.

But you guys are correct in that i need to slow it down and load fewer rounds in my mags to increase the occurrence of slide locking back.

4 Likes
13

never heard about this trick with white mark on backplate… but seems to be a great idea as long as it works for you. :ok_hand:

Just because you cannot use this method in the low light conditions, try to learn that feeling of locked slide.

:crossed_fingers:

If you don’t feel it or you prefer to trust your eyes, try focus on slide ejection port. Just looking at it you will be able to diagnose everting - slide locked, stove pipe, double feed, failure-to-fire / failure-to-eject.
Status of that big hole and chamber quickly determines what to do next.

14

Some Guns will drop the slide when the mag is run in hard. if it does not drop release it works

1 Like
15

Hello and welcome @Steve363

1 Like