Originally Posted by Forsmithers

Leonardo1947,
SW CQB 45’s comments are correct. I first saw this technique when I was forced to transition to a Glock.  The folks at Glock refer to the slide release as a slide stop and most of them (on Glocks) are very tiny and flat so they are hard to manipulate. Glock instructors teach shooters to grasp the rear of the slide and pull it to the rear to release it from the locked back position. Under stress, it is easier to grasp the slide (much like what we do on a malfunction or tap, rack, ready drill) than it is to hit a small lever.

My dept. now carries the M&P .40 family and instructors are teaching new recruits to grasp the slide and pull it to the rear to drop the slide. After 27 years of shooting I still want to drop a slide by the slide release but on occasion I find myself grasping the slide to the rear and letting it fly. Ultimately, it’s all muscle memory and how you normally do it will be what you revert back to. One of my favorite sayings is, “Train like you fight. Fight like you train.” There is a lot of truth to that!