I'm sorry if this is too basic a question but:
does it make any difference whether the slide is racked back and locked, then the magazine is inserted , and then the slide is released to load the 1st round....OR is it OK to insert the magazine and then rack the slide back to load the first round? Thanks a lot for any help on this.

Either way is fine.

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I do it the first way you mentioned-the slide is already in that open position when I'm shooting except for the first loading.I don't think it makes a difference other than perhaps the magazine will be harder to latch in loaded against a closed slide.

it depends do you want to look fancy while you reload or do you want to look like the bad man with a gun, jk it really don't matter in a stress situation just cycle the action and shoot, if your on the range lock it back and don't load until ready to fire, just my openion

Thanks, guys for the fast answers -- "can always count on the S&W forum"

You're not going to hurt the gun either way.
As a manual of arms, it is more reliable and easier to lock the slide open, then load it with a full magazine, and slingshot the slide.

If you routinely load a full magazine with the slide closed, you eventually will probably fail to seat the magazine fully, and the magazine will drop free at the first shot. You have to compress the magazine spring that extra bit with the slide closed. I see it often with people new to shooting IDPA. After a few embarassments like this, the shooter learns to make sure the magazine is fully seated.

The only damage I've heard is possible from loading w/the slide open is chipping the ejector if you SLAM the mag home.

Slamming can certainly happen in the heat of competition, but I have never experienced such damage, nor can I recall ever actually HEARING of someone having that failure at a match.

When loading the first mag, my slide is closed.... a habit I got into and wont get out of.

If I'm firing more than one mag, all the mags following the first are inserted with the slide open.

Some slides will close on their own if you insert the mag in while the slide is open. I had a Bersa .380 not too long ago. When I inserted a mag into it when the slide was open, the slide would always close, unless I inserted it extremely slow and gently. The issue was it sometime wouldn't close properly...

Just don't slam the mag in.. ever.. and you'll be fine.

By the way, when it comes to guns.. if you have ANY question.... ask. No need to apologize for "basic" questions.

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- The Federalist #46 -

Either way you have described to load a mag into a semi-auto is fine. The only thing to watch for is when you load the mag into a gun with the slide closed. When you rack the slide to chamber a round, make sure you pull the slide back with authority and then let it go. Do not ride the slide forward or try to help it go forward at all.

Whether you load a mag with the slide open or closed will likely depend on what you are doing. I shoot a lot of IDPA and all loading is done on the firing line with the slide is closed. When the gun runs dry, the slide locks open and another mag is slammed in and the slide is pulled back and released.

Notice I said "slammed in"? Someone said never to slam a mag in. In competition, every re-load has been slammed in to guarantee a good seat. I have never had a problem with any gun and have never heard of a problem from anyone I shoot with. Of course, "slamming" is relative. You do not want to mash the slide in so hard that you pop a round out of the mag!

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Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!

Some may argue that slamming the mag in might damage the pistol and some would even argue it would effect the accuracy by manually cycling a round into the chamber, but I think this is more theory and there are likely other variables that effect accuracy more.

When I load my first magazine the slide is always in the closed position.on subsequent reloads at the range reloads are done with the magazine in the open position.When a shooter is new to semi automatics it is good to practice loading with the slide in the closed position because in my case it took awhile to break the habit of trying to help the slide along after you rack the closed slide.BTW if you have a question just ask because every one of us was a newbie @ one time or another and the only stupid question is one you never ask........God Bless.......Mike

I don't see how manually cycling would affect accuracy at all and agree that the chance of breaking the gun is statistically insignificant.

I don't waste time "sling-shotting" the slide. Far quicker to hit the slide release as I re-grip the gun after seating the mag.

Some "Experts" claim when a round is manually cycled the barrel and slide are in a different relationship than when the pistol is being fired and that locking the slide back and releasing it to chamber is more like firing the pistol. I'm certainly not good enough to know if this is true, but some "Experts" use it to justify a four and one pattern where four shots are close together with one flyer.

We don't have "alibis" in IPSC. The gun is either in battery or it is not. I don't believe there is a Cosmic Alliance factor at play.

I do it both ways. I dont shoot in IPSC,IDP or anything. Cant say I can blame any thing on the way I load. Most times I load the slide is open that is the first thing I do when I get to the range Open the slide and check the chamber and I leave it open until ready to fire. I normally use the slide release but have been trying to get into the habbit of racking the slide.

My Berreta 92 will close the slide if I slam a mag in. But I kinda like it. Safes me the trouble of doing it myself.

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My 4006 would do that. You could pound an empty mag in all day and the slide would stay open. Seat a loaded mag and - voila! - the slide released and the gun went into battery.

I liked that feature.

I've carried various Model 59's and 39's and they all did that automatic slide release when I seated a full magazine hard. In the academy I did many a push up for not being "in control" of my firearm. It did speed up my time on the El Presidente course enough to win every time it was fired, but it was looked down upon as being hard on the weapon and potentially unsafe. It didn't take long to understand their point. I had an negligent discharge using this slam technique at a range on my own time. I won't call it accidental because it was clearly my fault. Fortunatly it was pointed downrange and impacted the berm.

Warning: If you are wanting to load your weapon using this slam method make sure your finger is off the trigger and out of the trigger guard or you WILL have a discharge.

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"Very Dangerous-you go first!"

If this is your first semi...please understand it fully. ALWAYS drop the Magazine FIRST before unloading/clearing the pistol. Then rack the slide to clear the chamber

With the exception of the 1st mag which I use the sling-shot method, on subsequent mags I use the slide release to load...Some think it damaging to parts..no way...