Using Beretta 92 Slide Release: Damage?

Slide releases are cheap for the Makarov but eventually I have heard this can wear down the actually cut in the slide where the release engages to hold the slide open on an empty mag.
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Glock apparently has had a few similar issues with the slide stop wearing the slide to the point that the cut rounded off and the slide could no longer be locked back. I don't know if this was the reason they started deprecating the use of the slide stop, or if that was just added motivation to an existing philosophy.

I also don't know when these issues occurred or how many there were. Also don't know if it's still a possibility or if Glock has made changes to the design to make it less likely.
 
JohnKSa said:
...Glock apparently has had a few similar issues with the slide stop wearing the slide to the point that the cut rounded off and the slide could no longer be locked back. I don't know if this was the reason they started deprecating the use of the slide stop, or if that was just added motivation to an existing philosophy.
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I'm sure things like that can happen. That said, one wonders why Glock upgraded the 34 and 35 models with an extended slide stop -- and also consider the use of that part as "stock" when installed in other compatible models -- if it's really an inappropriate use of the mechanism? We might also wonder why the surface hardening treatment Glock uses (Tenifer or whatever) doesn't prevent the kind of wear that releasing a slide stop might cause?

There are folks who have shot many, many thousands of rounds through their guns (Glocks, 1911s, etc.) and have never had to replace a slide (or slide stop). Seems as though problems, when they occur, might be a side-effect of a production problem (like insufficient through hardening or case hardening).

dgludwig said:
Just curious: which semi-autos that you have are ones that don't have slide release levers?
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Taking a different approach to your question: excluding the Makarov and the guns JohnKSa cited above, nearly all of them don't have slide releases -- if you go by the PARTS LISTS (for those guns that still include a parts list.) They all seem to have slide stops. :) But as I wrote earlier, what something is called doesn't mean that's the only way it can be used.
 
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One wonders why...
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Yes, and they don't provide a lot of information on the subject to help settle the topic more. I'll readily admit that there are questions that aren't answered, but none of that changes what Glock teaches in their various courses.
 
I don't release the slide using the slide stop on any pistol, because I don't particularly like doing it that way. To be honest, my right thumb isn't long enough to do it with one hand anyhow.

I like to "overhand" (aka "power stroke") a pistol to release the slide, but not on my Beretta M9 (or any Beretta 92) -- with that open slide, there's really nothing to grab onto. It screams "slide bite."

What I do is flip the frame parallel to the ground (kinda-sorta gangsta style) and yank the slide back by the safety levers, using them like "ears" on a VP9. This does two things: It releases the slide nicely, and it ensures that I don't accidentally engage the safety by accident (the way I grip the safety levers actually keeps the safety off). Plus this duplicates the motion for charging the weapon, and I think one consistent technique is a good thing.

So maybe try that ...
 
There are slide stops (not designed to do this), and there are slide releases (designed to do this) .... Beretta's is a slide release.
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Beretta, in the manual for my 92FS, refers to it as a "slide catch." The same term is used for a remarkably similar part on my 84F. How should you use those?

What a part is called DOES NOT DICTATE how it must be used,
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Thank you, Mr. Sherrill. Personally, I still slingshot the vast majority of the time, but naming it a catch or stop is not the reason.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dgludwig
Just curious: which semi-autos that you have are ones that don't have slide release levers?

Taking a different approach to your question: excluding the Makarov and the guns JohnKSa cited above, nearly all of them don't have slide releases -- if you go by the PARTS LISTS (for those guns that still include a parts list.) They all seem to have slide stops.
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You're right, of course; most pistol PARTS LISTS do call the lever a slide stop. The "slide catch" has to stop the slide and hold it open before you can use it to release the slide. Though in the minority but to better appreciate the dual nature of the lever in question and the attendant different semantics, HK describes the lever as being a "slide release"-at least in the parts section of the manual for my USP 40 pistol.
 
I am a Police Officer whose department still issues the 92. I am also a Beretta Armorer. The Beretta slide release will stand up just fine.My duty Beretta has more that 2000 rounds through it and it is going strong. My personal Beretta has nearly 1000 rounds through it and only the hammer spring and trigger are not original. I changed out the original hammer spring for one from a D model and the original trigger for a short reach trigger. Both parts are Beretta made.
 
short reach trigger. Both parts are Beretta made.
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There is an OEM short reach trigger for the 92FS? I thought only Wilson Combat made such a thing. Do you have a link to the part?
 
JJNA I don't know if it is offered now by Beretta but I was able to order mine from Beretta through their Armorer's program back in 2004. I also don't know the product number Beretta uses for it. You may wish to give Beretta a call and speak to someone in their parts department. Their Customer Service number is 1-800-BERETTA (237-3882) . I have used Wilson parts in my Colt Series 70 MK IV Gov't Model and they were top notch so their short reach trigger should be just fine.
 
Brownstone322 said:
I don't release the slide using the slide stop on any pistol, because I don't particularly like doing it that way. To be honest, my right thumb isn't long enough to do it with one hand anyhow.
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Mine's not long enough with a number of the guns I own, either.

But when I was shooting competitively -- which I haven't done in several years -- I found that using the off hand (with three fingers formed into a "claw" as the last part of the "insert magazine" movement, I was able to press the slide stop very easily (and because I was using several fingers, never missed it!) -- seemed as quick, and didn't require awkward stretching or changing the grip.

Brownstone322 said:
I like to "overhand" (aka "power stroke") a pistol to release the slide, but not on my Beretta M9 (or any Beretta 92) -- with that open slide, there's really nothing to grab onto. It screams "slide bite."
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It works pretty well if you grab the END of the slide in the SIGHT area (i.e., covering the rear sight). But as others have noted, with the M9/92, you can put the gun on safe or decock by letting the palm of your hand hit the lever on the slide.
 
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