Lefty Slide lock reload times

[Tompac]

As a lefty, I feel that there is little disadvantage to a slide lock reload. I’ve never timed it to know for sure. Have any lefty shooters ever put this in a timer to know for sure?

[robertg5322]

Haven't put it to a timer, but on a 1911/2011, I drop the mag with my strong hand middle finger, and release the slide with my strong hand trigger finger. It rests on the slide stop,, slamming the mag pushes the gun up, the slide goes home and finger slides off slide stop and continues on to the trigger. The gun doesn't need to be repositioned like some smaller handed right handed shooters need to reach the mag catch with their thumb.

 

Am I gaining any time on right handed shooters? I doubt it. But I don't think I"m losing any time either. 

 

Now a Glock is a whole nother story, with that miniscule slide stop. And on guns with ambi slide stops, I usually forget they have the ambi slide stop and search for the slide stop with my trigger finger. 

[TA338]

Rule #1: Change mags before then slide is locked to the rear becayse you are faster this way.

[robertg5322]

Not always possible, especially shooting Single Stack. And not what he asked.

[Hi-Power Jack]

3 hours ago, TA338 said:

Rule #1: Change mags before then slide is locked to the rear  

 

When possible, Dat True    

[Tompac]

My point was that I believe it’s no disadvantage for a lefty to shoot to slide lock. I’ve never tested it on a timer but it seems no slower to shoot gun dry and drop slide with trigger finger. Just wondering if any lefty had tried it on a timer 

[RangerTrace]

13 hours ago, Tompac said:

As a lefty, I feel that there is little disadvantage to a slide lock reload. I’ve never timed it to know for sure. Have any lefty shooters ever put this in a timer to know for sure?

It depends on how you do it.  I'm a lefty and a cop, so for 25 years I've used the "sling shot" method which is about 1.5 seconds slower than using the slide stop.  I started shooting IDPA last year and you have to shoot to slide lock or do a tac reload.   Since, I almost always shoot to slide lock, I had to start working on my slide stop reloads and believe me after 25 years of the other technique, it's been a chore to retrain myself.  I've added a Wilson Combat semi-extended slide stop which has helped a lot.

 

And more to your question, yes it's slower for a lefty to shoot to slide lock.  If possible, never shoot your pistol dry.  

[Tompac]

That’s interesting. I shot for years using the slide stop. I took a Gunsite class and learned the slingshot method. Their rationale for using it was to get ALL of the recoil spring behind running the slide. It’s slower. Much slower. Slingshot works ok for glocks with that 4 cent pos slide stop they use. Other than that I’ll stick with the lever. I don’t compete with or carry glocks. 

[RangerTrace]

37 minutes ago, Tompac said:

That’s interesting. I shot for years using the slide stop. I took a Gunsite class and learned the slingshot method. Their rationale for using it was to get ALL of the recoil spring behind running the slide. It’s slower. Much slower. Slingshot works ok for glocks with that 4 cent pos slide stop they use. Other than that I’ll stick with the lever. I don’t compete with or carry glocks. 

I was told its more about gross vs. fine motor skills than the extra .10" of travel.  But, when former Delta guys train that way, there is got to be a good reason for it.

[HCH]

Not a lefty, but I hit the slide release with my left thumb after the mag change, if the slide doesn’t drop when I slam a mag home. My right thumb isn’t long enough to get to the release without a major grip change. 

[Tompac]

3 minutes ago, HCH said:

Not a lefty, but I hit the slide release with my left thumb after the mag change, if the slide doesn’t drop when I slam a mag home. My right thumb isn’t long enough to get to the release without a major grip change. 

That’s one good thing about being a lefty. The slide release is easy to reach. Same with the mag release. I’m glad I’m a lefty. I like bolt action rifles and I’d go broke if I could get many lefty bolt guns. The worst for lefty is s revolver. A reload requires you to change hands 2 times. 

[Tompac]

14 minutes ago, RangerTrace said:

I was told its more about gross vs. fine motor skills than the extra .10" of travel.  But, when former Delta guys train that way, there is got to be a good reason for it.

The gross vs fine makes sense. 

[tanks]

1 hour ago, RangerTrace said:

...

And more to your question, yes it's slower for a lefty to shoot to slide lock.  If possible, never shoot your pistol dry.  

 

Unless of course one uses a gun that ALWAYS moves the slide forward when one reloads.

 

The couple of times I shot IDPA I didn't have to worry about slide lock reloads as long as I made sure to insert the mag forcefully.

[Tompac]

As to the above, mine typically bounce off the slide stop if ur aggressive with ur seating of her mag. 

[Tompac]

11 hours ago, robertg5322 said:

Not always possible, especially shooting Single Stack. And not what he asked.

Yep. Both times. Starting with 9 makes it necessary to run it dry sometimes. 

[robertg5322]

5 hours ago, Tompac said:

The gross vs fine makes sense. 

 

Except you're using fine motor skills to disengage the thumb safety (in guns so equipped), pull the trigger, and drop the mag. Sorry, I don't buy that all of the sudden, after three (or two if you're shooting a gun without a thumb safety) consecutive fine motor skills movements, that fourth (or third if you're shooting a gun sans thumb safety) is the straw that breaks the proverbial camel's back. 

 

If you're digits (thumb, trigger or middle finger) reach the slide stop, and can trip it with regularity (and that's why we practice), why waste time grabbing the slide and racking it off the stop? And I would think in a real-life situation it would be more critical to get the gun loaded and ready to shoot than a match.

 

Now if you're wearing gloves, maybe slingshotting the slide is the way to go. But most of us don't wear gloves while shooting. 

[Tompac]

38 minutes ago, robertg5322 said:

 

Except you're using fine motor skills to disengage the thumb safety (in guns so equipped), pull the trigger, and drop the mag. Sorry, I don't buy that all of the sudden, after three (or two if you're shooting a gun without a thumb safety) consecutive fine motor skills movements, that fourth (or third if you're shooting a gun sans thumb safety) is the straw that breaks the proverbial camel's back. 

 

If you're digits (thumb, trigger or middle finger) reach the slide stop, and can trip it with regularity (and that's why we practice), why waste time grabbing the slide and racking it off the stop? And I would think in a real-life situation it would be more critical to get the gun loaded and ready to shoot than a match.

 

Now if you're wearing gloves, maybe slingshotting the slide is the way to go. But most of us don't wear gloves while shooting. 

I think the schools and military look at it from a gun fighting point of view. Gross motor skills are easier to perform under great stress. I would think way more stress than match jitters. And they are typically teaching folks who don’t shoot and handle guns as much as we do, so they don’t build muscle memory for those fine motor skills

Edited February 12, 2018 by Tompac

[Tompac]

finally got around to testing this on a timer today. Slide lock reload was 3.61 average for 10 runs, round in chamber reload was 3.57. That's negligible in my book if you need the extra round to make a stage plan work. 

[IronicTwitch]

Tim Herron is a lefty single stack GM.  He seems to have figured it out.  Not sure if he posts on Enos or what his username is/was.

[SV650Squid]

On 2/11/2018 at 12:22 PM, RangerTrace said:

I was told its more about gross vs. fine motor skills than the extra .10" of travel.  But, when former Delta guys train that way, there is got to be a good reason for it.

 

Trigger press is a fine motor skill.  The argument doesn't hold water for people who train a lot.  Gross motor skills are for the lay person.

[rowdyb]

6 hours ago, SV650Squid said:

 

Trigger press is a fine motor skill.  The argument doesn't hold water for people who train a lot.  Gross motor skills are for the lay person.

Truth!

[Ozy]

It takes me between 2.3-2.6 seconds to reload a new mag to first shot using the front serrations method with my right hand....

[Ozy]

.... but agree with the above poster. That a slide lock reload is slower then reloading the mag while the pistol is still in battery.

[TimH]

slide lock reload for a lefty really isnt a big deal at all. Youre overthinking it otherwise. I use my trigger finger to actuate the mag release and the slide release on a 1911. My "in battery" "speed" reloads are at .8-1.0 sec shot to shot. My slide lock reloads hover around 1.1-1.2 sec. Negligible at best. Dryfire is your friend when it comes to training reloads!

[Tompac]

Now there is an opinion a lefty single stack shooter can appreciate. Thanks Mr Herron