Racking the slide.....

[Dutchie_in_Mobile]

Hi to all,

Well, I just came here after introducing myself in the New Member area....
Go take a look there before answering this post, I guess.....

Anyway, I am a newbie to guns in general and to the XD in particular. I bought my SA XD .40 Subcompact about a week ago and have not had a chance to go an shoot it but have been "playing" around (more like examining it extensively... ) and noticed something that I want to ask a question about:
In all the info I have found (mostly Youtube vids) about gun safety and so on I noticed that a lot of the guys (or gals...) rack their slide multiple times when checking for rounds and empty chambers..... They do this various times fast, right after another without the slide seemingly being stuck in the aft most position.
However, when I try to do that the slide ALWAYS stays in the aft, locked position and I have to use the slide release (which also seems to be a bit hard/heavy to do....) to release the slide...?!?!
Does anybody know why this is (and do you even understand what I am talking about, in other words: does my description makes sense....?) and whether I am just doing something wrong? I mean, do I need to keep the slide release button applied while I move the slide back and forth? Or should it just automatically do this without the button being pushed and am I just not doing it fast or furious enough? And if so how do I then lock the slide if I do want it in the AFT position....?

Please let me know if and what I am doing wrong or whether it has to do with the gun itself (and have to have it inspected for proper operation). If you need additional explanation because my "story" doesn't make sense, please do not hesitate to let me know. And bear in mind that I am a complete Newbie (although really did my research and did some serious soul searching before making my decisions....).

Thanks so much in advance for your help.

Regards, Dutchie.

[CW45]

The slide locks to the rear when the magazine is empty and in the gun. Drop the mag free and the slide will run fully rearweard and the fully forward.

[carhartt]

I agree with CW45, either that or you are holding it up unintentionally. There should be no movement in the slide release (when you rack the slide) if the magazine is empty and you are not touching it.

[Dutchie_in_Mobile]

Man, those are fast responses! I like that...

Anyway, so if I read both the post right then the following is true?:

- When NO magazine is in gun, then slide should rack freely back and forth and not lock (so drop the mag first....);
- When a loaded/full magazine is in the gun, the slide should rack freely back and forth and not lock (thus loading a round in an empty chamber);

So: when empty mag is in the gun, then slide should not move but lock in AFT position....?

Did I get that right? If so, I guess I wasn't paying enough attention to the magazine in the videos I was watching and didn't realize that any of the first two statements of the above was going on......

Thnx guys. Dutchie.

[carhartt]

Originally Posted by Dutchie_in_Mobile

Man, those are fast responses! I like that...

Anyway, so if I read both the post right then the following is true?:

- When NO magazine is in gun, then slide should rack freely back and forth and not lock (so drop the mag first....);
- When a loaded/full magazine is in the gun, the slide should rack freely back and forth and not lock (thus loading a round in an empty chamber);

So: when empty mag is in the gun, then slide should not move but lock in AFT position....?

Did I get that right? If so, I guess I wasn't paying enough attention to the magazine in the videos I was watching and didn't realize that any of the first two statements of the above was going on......

Thnx guys. Dutchie.

I think you have it right, but just to clarify the above, the slide will move back when an empty mag is inserted but the follower in the magazine raises the slide lock to keep the slide back.

[JonXD]

Yup its the magazine. When the mag is in the gun and its empty the slide will lock back. With no mag in it it will slide freely. So when checking for an empty gun drop the mag and rack the slide.

[agalindo]

One bit of advise.
I would not use youtube as your source for good gun handling advice. I've see some horrible gun handling posted by want to be "experts". Find yourself a good class, NRA or other certified type.

[mbpe912]

I would not especially as a new gun owner be clearing the gun with a mag in it. Proper way to clear a firearm.
1. Point in a safe direction
2. take the Mag out.
3. Pull the Slide all the way to the rear, engage slide lock.
4. visualy inspect the chamber (If still not clear carfully insert finger and check chamber. Stay away from the slide release)
5. on the xd you can also check the loaded indicator. (DO NOT RELY ON THIS)

[mirage2521]

Originally Posted by agalindo

One bit of advise.
I would not use youtube as your source for good gun handling advice. I've see some horrible gun handling posted by want to be "experts". Find yourself a good class, NRA or other certified type.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go take some NRA classes and don't count on youtube to teach you proper weapon handling. Do me a favor and do you a favor and go and get some real training before you go shooting. You will be glad you did.

Shooting is a great sport with great people and you will meet some of them in your classes you take. On the other hand, I have seen guys at gun ranges with no idea what they were doing and they are a danger to themselves and other and are not welcomed in the gun owner community.

The best case with no training is you go to the range and look stupid and pinch your finger. The worst case is you KILL somebody because you were not trained. Welcome to the forum, welcome to the world of gun ownership, now go get that training!

[sloopy70]

go to United States Practical Shooting Association and put your zipcode in the club finder to the right, get ahold of one of the club representatives, attend a match, and LEARN... theres more knowledge to be had in these clubs than probably anywhere... ask questions, most people at these clubs love helping new shooters...