It appears that this is pistol specific. Glock owning friends tell me that Glock owner's manual calls the lever a "slide lock" and mfg docs advise to load a round by pulling and releasing the slide.joe817 wrote:I think both methods are correct. One is not better than the other.
With saying that, releasing the slide lock on a full magazine, is how the U.S. Army taught its troops.
See FM23-35 Sect IV, P.11:
• 12. METHOD OF OPERATION.-a. A loaded magazine is placed
in the receiver and the slide drawn fully back and released,
thus bringing the first cartridge into the chamber. (If the
slide is open push down the slide stop to let the slide go for-
ward.) The hammer is thus cocked and the pistol is ready
for firing.
This is a fascinating look back into history. The date of the FM is 1940.
But admittedly that was then, this is now. The materials used in the manufacture of the Colt 1911 & 1911A1 clones of todaymay be different than those used back then, with current production models using alloys which may be inherently weaker than the all steel models of the military issue 1911 and 1911A1, and not able to take that kind of stress.
At best I think the argument is marginal.
To see the original TM, see:
http://www.sightm1911.com/manual/manual.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
My P2000sk manual quite specifically calls the lever a "slide release" and advised to either press the lever or pull and release the slide. (In that order) My manual advised against riding the slide if you use the 2nd method.