Do any of you use the "slingshot method" on one or all of your magazine fed weapons?

Question

I have been using that on my .22 bolt rifle as well as my 1911 for the reason of preserving the edge of my extractor. I want people's opinions on this. I do tend to be somewhat "anal retentive" about wear and tear on my guns along with rust and dirt.

Answer 1

Oh, you mean pull and release the slide instead of stroking off the stop?

The extractor doesn't ride over the case rim as a 1911 chambers a round, the rim slides up behind the extractor as the slide accelerates home. If there's any oil on the mating surface of the slide stop it would take you a lifetime to cause any wear. With 1911s and traditional magazine designs, which are cunningly timed to pitch the round into the chamber just so, you risk following the slide down and jamming a round at an odd angle. I use Wilson mags, they release the round early and launch it towards the barrel, neatly side-stepping the question of controlling the pitch of the round as it passes from the feed lips top the chamber. I just tried loading a round slowly to watch what happens and it ended up jammed on the left side of the slide instead of chambering in my otherwise 100% reliable Kimber.

Try that technique with an AR-15 and all you do is add a load more wear to the light alloy cocking handle. Then again on a Ruger 10/22 there's no other way because of the method used for the slide stop, you can't release it manually.

If you have any pretentions of combat shooting you are learning a slow awkward and two handed technique.

Your choice. Some would claim that it somehow saves the trigger on their 1911s, though I'd contend that shows they have no idea how they go together.

Answer 2

If by "Slingshot method" you mean manually racking the gun to load it when the slide is already locked back. Say when you empty the weapon from firing, then you insert a new magazine, grab the already locked slide pull it back that 1 centimeter or so then let go to load. If that is what you mean then yes. You won't hurt your extractor regardless of how you load your weapon. I manually rack the weapon because I have seen the slide release lever chip away on the actual slide on my buddies Kimber 1911. When you fire the weapon the slide never rests on the slide release lever until the last round when it catches. So when you push down on the lever when the slide is actual touching it it can chip away at the slide of the gun due to the sharp friction on to right angles. If you are anal about wear and tear always manually rack your weapons and don't press the the release button to load.

Answer 3

Find something else to be anal retentive about for goodness sake; like the national debt or something. I have a 1911 45 that has fed over 5k rounds with no apparent wear.

Answer 4

the "slingshot method" is releasing the bolt by hand (on a semi-auto pistol) how are you doing this on a bolt action weapon? as for the 1911 whats the difference when you're shooting the weapon anyway? you're saving it once out of the 6 or 7 shots you've already done? the slide release lever was made for a reason, might as well use it.

Answer 5

Rust you can be obsessive about, dirt is inevitable, but get it cleaned out in due order. Wear from racking a round.....you are wasting your worry my friend. Life is too short to sweat the small stuff.

I have several guns that I have been trying hard to 'wear out' for 20 years and have made little progress!

Answer 6

It is just not as hard on your extractor. When you drop the shell in first, then drop the bolt/slide over it your extractor has to 'ride' over the base of the casing causing minute wear to it.

H

Answer 7

My CZ52 I have to slingshot it, it has no slide release, NONE of them do, you can buy an aftermarket one if you want to. My HK's and Beretta's I usually use the slide release, but sometimes I'll slinghot them too. My SW22A I always slingshot it, because they put the damn slide release in the wrong damn spot, at least for me they did.