You may find yourself falling into the habit of using incorrect gun lingo just because that’s what you hear all the time and it’s what everyone else uses. But if you’ve looked this up, you were probably wondering just which one should you use and does it really matter? So let’s take a look.
So is it called a slide stop or slide release? The correct term is slide stop, slide stop lever or slide catch lever. Gun manuals from every major handgun manufacturer refer to the lever as one of these terms. It also means that none refer to the lever as a slide release; however, most manufacturers also mention that the lever can or should be used to release the slide to return the gun to a firing position.
So, technically it’s a slide stop, but it seems as though there really isn’t much of a difference. Let’s take a look at what the manufacturers actually say and what conclusion that brings us to.
Detailed Explanation
Slide stop, slide stop lever or slide catch lever are all terms that refer to the lever on the left side (or both sides) of the gun that catches the slide when all rounds have been spent. It interacts with the magazine follower. As soon as all rounds are gone, the magazine follower pushes the slide stop upward which catches the slide.
Not a single manufacturer that we looked into called the slide stop something other than some sort of “stop”. There were some slight changes in vernacular, but for all intents and purposes, they say the same thing. They are expressing the idea that the stop is there to catch the slide from returning home and back into battery. The name has no reference connected with releasing or returning the slide back to its firing position.
Having said that, let’s look at other information found in the manuals. Even though all gun manufacturers used only names having to do with stopping the slide in order to indicate an empty gun and perform reloads, they all indicate that the slide stop can be used as a slide release. There was only one gun manufacturer that didn’t indicate the stop could be used for both purposes (Smith and Wesson). They also didn’t say it shouldn’t be used for that purpose.
So, as far as we’re concerned, the slide stop can also be called the slide release, though it isn’t technically correct. If the part is made for both purposes, it can be called by both names without need for correction. Let’s take a more in-depth look at some examples and the vernacular used.
Examples from common manufacturer manuals
Smith and Wesson M&P: The M&P manual uses “slide stop”. It does not refer to it as anything else.
Glock: The Glock manual uses the term “Slide Stop Lever”. It does not vary from this term
Canik TP9 Pistols: The TP9 manuals use “Slide Stop” with no variance.
Sig P220, P224, P225, P226, P227, P229 and P239: All these guns use the same manual. They all use “Slide Catch Lever” for the part discussed. No other manufacturers use this term; however, there is no meaningful difference between this term and the others.
Sig Sauer P365: The P365 manual uses “slide catch lever”. It also doesn’t deviate from this term.
Springfield XDM: Several manufacturers use “Slide Stop Lever”. The XDM manuals use this term exclusively.
CZ P10c: The P10c uses “Slide Stop” just like several other manufacturers. It doesn’t deviate from this term.
CZ 75: CZ seems to be uniform across its pistols. It uses “Slide Stop” in the CZ 75 manual.
Beretta 92fs: Beretta also “Slide Stop”. This seems to be the most common term used in the industry.
Beretta APX: Beretta is consistent with both the 92fs and the APX. It uses “Slide Stop” here too.
Is it bad to use it as a slide release?
Now that we’ve determined that all manufacturers that we looked at (except one) use the term slide stop (or some very close variation of this term) let’s talk about the next question; if that’s the case, is it bad to use the slide stop as a slide release? The short answer is, no! The long answer takes a little more time to explain.
Whether or not these problems have been seen in some guns, and after many thousands of rounds, the manufacturers seem to have a different opinion on what is appropriate. Each one has given explicit instructions on how to get the guns ready to fire again. In most manuals, using the slide stop as a slide release follows immediately after the explanation for how to load and fire the gun.
Once the rounds are expended, the slide stop locks the slide open. The old magazine is removed and a loaded magazine is inserted. Some manufacturers explain that the slide stop should be used exclusively to get the gun ready to fire. All the others mention this as just one of a few options to get the gun ready to fire again.
Because manufacturers use this approach either as one option or as THE option, we argue that even though others say it’s bad to use it as a slide release, the manufacturers think differently. They are very quick to explain all the things that shouldn’t be done with their pistols; and what harm could come to the pistols if used improperly. But they never mention that this could harm guns over the long term. So they all either forgot to mention this problem collectively, or it isn’t a problem.
Guns may have originally been designed for the slide-stop lever to only be used to lock the gun open, but it just doesn’t seem that way anymore. If that were the case, no manufacturer would use it as one of the potential steps for chambering a round when reloading. In fact, each manufacturer would have a warning in the manual stating that it is possible to use the slide stop this way, but it shouldn’t be used this way. No warnings exist in any of these manuals.
And just to reiterate, some manuals only present examples of using the slide release to chamber a round. They certainly wouldn’t do that if there was a long-term problem being created. Especially if that problem could put the shooter in danger of having the gun fail when he or she needs it the most.
In order to prove our point, we have included a list of major handgun manufacturers and their specific verbiage in using the slide stop as a slide release. The M&P is the only one that doesn’t specifically mention that the slide stop should be used as a slide release. Here they are below.
Smith and Wesson M&P Pistols Manual
The Smith and Wesson M&P manual is the only one that doesn’t mention using the slide stop as a slide release. It also doesn’t mention that it shouldn’t be used as a slide release.
Glock Pistols Manual
“If the slide is locked in the rearward position, either press the slide stop lever (27) down to release the slide and return it to the fully forward position or grasp the rear of the slide at the serrations with your other hand and pull the slide fully back and then release it, allowing it to return to the fully forward position.”
Canik TP9 Pistols Manual
“After the last cartridge in the magazine is fired, the slide stays back because the slide stop holds it. Release the empty magazine and insert the loaded magazine. Ensure that the slide goes back to its forward position by pulling down the slide stop with your finger (figure 5). By this way, your gun is reloaded and ready for firing.”
Sig P220, P224, P225, P226, P227, P229 and P239 Manuals
“When the last round in the magazine is expended, the slide will be locked back in the open position by the slide catch lever. 1. Depress the magazine catch. 2. Remove the empty magazine. 3. Insert a loaded magazine, making sure it is engaged. 4. Release the slide by: a. Pressing down on the slide catch lever or, b. Pulling back on the slide and release”
Sig Sauer P365 Manual
“6. Release the slide by either: a. Pressing down on the slide catch lever releasing the slide forward, chambering a cartridge (Figure 5, Item 1). b. Slightly pull back on the slide (Figure 5, Item 2)and release it to chamber a cartridge.”
Springfield XDM Pistols Manual
“Depress the slide stop lever to allow slide to move forward and load a cartridge from the magazine into the chamber.”
CZ P10c Manual
“When the last cartridge has been fired the slide will stay to the rear. Remove the emptied magazine and replace it with a loaded one. Thumb down the slide stop with the shooting hand (Fig. 5), or with the other hand draw back the slide and allow it to snap forward. The pistol is again loaded and ready to fire.”
CZ 75 Manual
“When the last cartridge has been fired the slide will stay to the rear. Remove the emptied magazine and replace it with a loaded one. Thumb down the slide stop with the shooting hand (Fig. 4), or draw back the slide with the other hand and allow it to snap forward (Fig. 3). The pistol is again loaded and ready to fire.”
Beretta APX Manual
“Push the slide stop down to load a cartridge into the chamber and shoot.”
We don’t speak for these manufacturers, but it sure does seem pretty obvious that these guns are meant to be used this way.
Other Methods for making a pistol ready to shoot
Obviously, using the slide stop as a slide release isn’t the only way to reload a pistol. The other major way to do it is the way explained in all of the manuals above. Instead of pulling down on the slide stop with a thumb to release the slide, the shooter reaches the support hand over the top of the gun and grabs the slide near the back. This section usually has cerrations that aid in getting a firm grip. The shooter then pulls backward on the slide, which releases the slide stop lever. Letting go of the slide in the rearward position allows the slide to launch forward and chamber a round.
Like many things in the gun community, there is heated debate over which of these methods is best. We don’t care which one you choose. There are great arguments for why each one is better than the other. Just pick one and train with it. But, regardless of which is better, we’ve listed some of the most common arguments for each one in the proceeding to sections below.
Reasons TO USE the slide stop as a slide release
It’s faster
There’s no question about it. Using the slide stop to release the slide and get the gun shooting a again is faster. You don’t have to bring your hand over the top of the gun to release the slide. It’s a simple thrusting down of the thumb, and then bang. That’s not to say you can’t get very fast doing it the other way. It’ll just be a bit slower. Almost anyone that gets fast training with over-the-top can train faster with slide release.
It does the job
Using the slide stop lever to release the slide gets the job done. Your goal is to get the gun shooting again as fast as possible. And this method does just that. Some would argue that it doesn’t get enough momentum going on the slide (vs pulling the slide back and letting it slam home) to ensure the round will be fully chambered. Many, many groups use it exclusively and show that in the overwhelming majority of cases, it does the job just as well and does it faster.
Manufacturers suggest it
Linked very closely to the last point is that manufacturers suggest using the slide stop as a slide release. No manufacturer is going to suggest something that doesn’t work by design, or that causes its gun to constantly have problems. Every manufacturer, except Smith and Wesson, suggests using this as a method for getting the gun shooting again. We think that is pretty strong evidence by itself. Companies usually try to avoid suggesting things that don’t work, so why would they all suggest this option?
Reasons NOT to use the slide stop as a slide release
There is no short list of people telling everyone that using the slide release isn’t good. The reasons for this stack up. Some of them are valid, while others should probably just be ignored. Let’s take a look at a few below.
Requires fine motor skills
The is perhaps the most valid and compelling argument of them all. Many studies have shown that in life-or-death situations, people start having trouble with fine motor skills. Gross motor skills are what people have to rely on to survive. So, certain groups argue when releasing the slide during the reloading process can cause problems. The shooter is using the slide stop lever to release the slide—which uses fine motor skills. And this would be harder to do in a firefight.
This is a valid argument. It is a very compelling reason to use the “over-the-top method” of releasing the slide. However, if we were to use a counterargument, we would say (as would other groups) that releasing the empty magazine and pulling the trigger are both fine motor skills too. There is no real difference; and releasing empty mags and pulling the trigger as just as important. So if you can train the other two, you can train using the slide release.
Wears down the lever
Another argument against using the slide stop to release the slide is that, over time, it causes the slide not to stay locked open after the stop is actuated; it wears off the edge. That might be true of some guns, but if the manufacturers are suggesting to use this method, it’s probably okay. So there’s not much more to say about that.
Can cause malfunctions
Another prevalent argument we see is that using the slide stop as a slide release doesn’t give the slide the momentum it needs to strip a round off the magazine and chamber it—especially on the first round of a tight magazine. The round may get caught halfway into the chamber causing problems for the shooter.
Like the others, this is definitely possible. I’ve never had it happen or even seen it happen though. It definitely shouldn’t be a problem if you use your guns often. The magazines will loosen up. But if it’s something you worry about, then use the over-the-top method.
Small guns that are hard to use it
This is a less common argument for why someone shouldn’t use the slide stop method. The basic idea is that smaller guns—all other things being equal—need more dense recoil springs to bring the slide back home. There is just less space for the spring to inhabit. So trying to get the slide to release by pulling down on the slide stop can be very difficult.
This can be very true. Though this one is easier to diagnose depending on the gun type. It’s pretty simple. If you can’t release the slide with your thumb, just use the other method.
Leftys using any gun
Along with the fine motor skills argument above, this is the second most compelling argument for me. Some guns either 1) don’t have slide stops or 2) only have slide stops on one side of the gun. And all guns’ slide stops are different. These variables can cause problems for you if you train by releasing the slide by the slide stop, and then have to switch to a gun that functions differently.
As a lefty, I understand these problems more than most. Many guns just aren’t built with lefty’s needs in mind. And other guns aren’t built around the idea of switching out guns. But releasing the slide with the over-the-top method eliminates these problems. You don’t have to worry about whether or not the new gun has a slide stop on both sides—or a slide stop at all. You can just pick it up and be ready to use it the same way as all the others.
If you aren’t a lefty, though, this really isn’t a problem. The vast majority of guns have some sort of slide catch that can be used.
Related Questions
What is racking the slide with handguns? Racking the slide is the process of pulling the slide back from its normal resting position and allowing it to slide (or slam) back home. This is usually accomplished by grabbing the back of the slide with your support hand, quickly pulling it back and releasing it when it reaches the rearward position. With a full magazine in the gun, it will strip a round from the mag and chamber it—the gun will be cocked and ready to fire. If the gun is empty (no magazine in the gun) the slide will return home and the gun will be cocked.
What does “into battery” mean in guns? In guns, into battery means the action has closed and the gun is ready to fire. This may look somewhat different in various types of guns, but it generally means the gun is safe to fire.
