I've recently been told that dropping the slide using the slide lock release can/will cause the rear corner in the slide to become "rounded", and not repairable. This as opposed to racking back and releasing the slide with the off hand. Has anyone seen/heard of this potential "problem? Thanks in advance....

I would think the designers and engineers would use the correct materials and treatments on the slide and the stop/catch to make this a non-issue. Compare how much force the slide tolerates when firing compared to the slide stop being manually released...

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

By the time that happens you will have worn the gun out. I hear the same about Glocks, and Glock manual says drop the slide either way.

The slide stop is the weaker material, it will usually wear before the slide does.

That being said, it is a far more reliable method to overhand the slide rearwards in order to chamber a round.

In my opinion, the practice of using the slide release to drop the slide and chamber a round is not good... not because it will wear any part of the gun, but because it does not always apply enough force to chamber a round (especially those with a less rounded bullet shape). Yeah, it will work most times with most pistols, but giving a firm tug on the slide is going to work more often with more pistols.

If you watch any defensive firearms instructors, they will not teach students to use the slide stop as long as long as they have the use of both hands. In a one hand drill, obviously it is your only option.

This whole notion came into being by the Glock advocates. Since their beloved tupperware guns won't work that way on a magazine change we all should be limited by the Glocks short coming. This was never heard when the wonder nine replaced the revolver in police use and it was never taught at places like Gunsight.

That's odd...both my Glocks work well by dropping the slide using the lock lever.....

If you plan on being ready to use your pistol defensively in what will be a high stress situation, then you should carefully consider how you are going to train. While not addressing the original question directly, the video at the link below (from Thunder Ranch) teaches a malfunction clearance method that is more aligned with the pull-the-slide-back approach:

YouTube - Pistol Malfunction Clearance