Thumb on back of slide during reholstering also helps ensure readiness.G.A. Heath wrote:Now your post makes sense to me. My point is that with the XD, the practice of placing ones thumb on the rear of the slide provides an added measure of safety.FNguy wrote:I was trying to make two points.G.A. Heath wrote:I don't quite track the point your trying to make. The thumb should never be used to keep a firearm in battery, unless you want a broken thumb. The point of placing the thumb on the rear of the slide on an XD/XDm type firearm is that it keeps the user from engaging the grip safety giving the user an added measure of safety while holstering the firearm. This will keep foreign objects like shirt tails, holster components, ect. from discharging the weapon if the user doesn't notice them should they get inside the trigger guard while holstering.FNguy wrote:The thumb helps keep the gun in battery and ready to fire. The most important is keeping your finger off the trigger unless you want to shoot. That works for XD, FN, revolvers, rifles, shotguns and detonators.
First.
Long before the XD had markings in English, people were putting their thumb on the back of semiauto slides when holstering to stop the slide from moving backwards in relation to the frame. ie keep the gun in battery.
Second.
The most important hand position is keeping your finger off the trigger unless you want to shoot. That works for all kinds of guns, including XD.
Without this simple precaution, it is possible with some holsters to have the slide move out of battery during the reholstering process and fail to fully return to battery, rendering the gun inoperable until it receives a push or rap on the back of the slide.
This is not a big deal at the range.
It is a big deal on the street.