[hawkeye]

when you fire all your ammo the slide goes back and locks open. You insert a new magazine...how do you release the slide..do you have to pull back the slide and push that little release switch down or do you just try to push the little switch down without touching the slide? If you just use the switch..do you do it with your free hand or your right thumb? Did I just thoroughly confuse everyone? lol

[canebrake]

Many instructors will tell you to release the slide with your weak side thumb. This keeps the strong side on the ignition controls.

My preference is to use the strong side thumb. My reasoning is the weak side is busy with the reload and with practice that really hard slide release becomes a simple muscle memory.

I do not care for the glock, but I am a big fan of practice!

Never slam the slide to battery without a round. If the gun is empty, assist the slide home.

[Ram Rod]

I say slingshot your slide with weak hand once a fresh magazine is inserted. Some Glocks/mags will actually close and chamber a round if you slap them hard enough inserting the mag. The slide release/lock is rather difficult to manipulate against an 18lb recoil spring. Slingshotting the slide should become habit IMO.....add it to muscle memory since this is the same action you'd be doing to clear a jam. My 2¢ for the day.

[Rentacop]

Ram Rod is right. What you have on a Glock is a " slide lock ", not a " slide release ".
To send the slide forward when chambering a round, pull it to the rear all the way and let it fly forward. As Canebrake advises, to let the slide forward on an empty chamber, ride it down to dampen the impact. If there is an empty magazine in the gun and the slide has locked open, you must depress the slide lock as you let the slide forward.

The above procedures work on all semi-autos. You'll never have to hunt for an unfamiliar slide release this way. Also, you get a little more oomph to chamber the round with the slide fully rearward instead of slightly forward and resting on the slide lock. In an emergency, it would be easy to fumble a slide release compared to slingshotting a slide too. BTW, you actuate a slide release with your right thumb if you are right-handed.
Aftermarket slide releases are made for Glocks but I see no need for them.

You sound as if you have not yet had formal training. If that is so, I recommend that you attend a class or two...or at least watch some DVDs.

[NGIB]

Originally Posted by Rentacop

Ram Rod is right. What you have on a Glock is a " slide lock ", not a " slide release ".

I can't find the link right now but this is not a true statement. A while back, on THR I think, a fella actually went through various user manuals to see if any of them specifically said NOT to use this lever to drop the slide - and they found none. I no longer have a Glock, but someone that does - check your owner's manual and post what it says please.

Slingshotting requires 2 hands - hitting the slide stop/release does not...

Found a Glock user's manual online in a PDF and here's a quote:

4. After the last round has been fired, the slide remains open. Remove the empty magazine from
the weapon by pushing the magazine catch (19). Insert a new magazine and then either push
the slide stop lever (27) downwards (see photo), or pull the slide slightly backwards and allow it
to spring forwards. The weapon is now again secured and ready to fire

[Rentacop]

NGIB-
Can't get to my Glock manual right now ( I keep the Glock itself handy but not the paperwork - LOL ). I'll check this out. I still say the lever on the Glock is a lock and is not shaped to be used as a release.
To slingshot the slide one-handed, catch the rear sight on something and push the gun forward. Rob Pincus has a video that goes into this emergency stuff in detail.
Your points have merit though. To be continued...

[SGT-MILLER]

Practice using the slinghot method. The slide lock/release is pretty small on the Glock, and could be missed during a high stress reload. The slingshot method requires less fine motor skills, and it has one big advantage over other methods....

.....the slingshot method will work on 95% of all common, full size, semi-automatics in circulation.

[Rentacop]

Oops ! It turns out, upon reading my Glock manual, that I have been using incorrect terminology. The part I was calling a " slide lock " is actually the " slide stop lever ", according to Glock. I regret the error.
NGIB quoted the manual correctly ; Glock leaves it up to the individual shooter to decide whther to use the lever or to slingshot the slide.