i think the sarcasm in his post went right over your head!
Obviously if the gun's not mine, I wouldn't dry-fire without a snap cap, I wouldn't drop the slide on a empty chamber, I wouldn't release the slide using the slide release lever, and I wouldn't slam magazines into the magazine well.
However, note that some guns were meant to take punishment. For example, whenever I invite people to shoot my handguns I always have to remind them not to 'baby' them. For example the formal function check of one of my handguns after I reassemble it, involves dry-firing on empty chamber, dropping slide on empty chamber, and testing of the slide release lever.
Ok, so when you are at the range, have two mags ready to go, you fire the last round of one mag, the slide stays open, after removing the first, you then insert the next mag, and what do most of you do? Chamber the first round by using the slide release and "dropping" it into firing position, or hold the release and pull slide back to "snap" it into position.....New to restricted, So I wanna care for my guns the best possible..
On the plus side, it's not a divisive issue and has never led to 10-page flame wars, so at least we can discuss it publicly without incident.
Is it considered bad etiquette to just drop the slide on a NIB pistol while handling it rather than riding the slide home gently?

Okay I get the picture, it's bad etiquette. However the vehemence shown by some folks in here leaves me scratching my head.
Are you honestly telling me that dropping the slide on an empty chamber somehow stresses the gun more than this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYFGcBmB_wk
And the violent recoil from 30,000 psi of explosive propulsion in the chamber is somehow softer than that!? And bear in mind not all of us own a 1911.In short yes, it is worse to drop a slide on a pistol than it is to fire it,and it's not just poor gun handling skills it's just plain bad for your gun especially your 1911's,one particullary bad point of wear and tear is the barrel lugs on the barrel.These lugs will actually wear abrubtly and possibly round,as compared to being 90 degrees angle.The round feeding into the chamber, does infact slowdown slide movement and is much softer on the gun.



























