As weird as it sounds, you can let the slide slam into battery on an empty chamber if you are holding the trigger pulled as you do it.
While the slide is open, held by the slide stop, pull the trigger and hold it tightly. Release the slide. When the slide is fully forward, release the trigger.
If you want the hammer down on an empty chamber, the final thing to do is to pull the trigger again.

If you want to feed a round out of the gun's magazine, the only truly reliable method is to release the slide and let it go all the way forward uncontrolled. This cannot harm the sear, because the act of feeding a cartridge slows the slide down enough not to jar things.
However, if you still worry about the sear, and if you carefully point the pistol in a perfectly safe direction, you can do the "pull the trigger" trick here, too.
In this case, your final act must be to push the safety lever up, to "on," rather than to pull the trigger a second time.
Only then may you raise the pistol and point it at something you want to shoot.

The reason that the "pull the trigger" trick works is that it removes the mass of a couple of good-size pieces from the trigger-sear-hammer train. Less mass in the system means you've removed the likelihood of jarring anything off. The disconnector does its job, so the process is perfectly safe as long as you remember the correct sequence.

I got kind of lost by what Steve was saying, but if i understand your question, the best way to load a round in the chamber is to release the slide and let it go with a magazine in (with bullets of course), it won't harm your gun. I've actually seen rounds not feed properly because the slide was going forward to slowly, maybe this was just my gun, but I figured after every shot fired the slide is essentially moving at the same speed as when you release it, so it shouldn't hurt. Does any of that make sense?

If the cartridges (not "bullets") don't feed properly because the slide moves forward too slowly, something is wrong with the pistol, the magazine, or the way you've placed the cartridges into the magazine.
Yes, just letting the slide "slam forward" is the best way to feed the first round in the magazine into the pistol's chamber.

I believe when Roman was referring to the slide moving "too slowly" it was because his hand was preventing it from moving at full speed. And this should answer the OP's question as well, as Steve stated...you should let the slide move forward at full speed to chamber a cartridge. Anything less that full speed may leave "less than desired" results.

Originally Posted by falchunt

I believe when Roman was referring to the slide moving "too slowly" it was because his hand was preventing it from moving at full speed. And this should answer the OP's question as well, as Steve stated...you should let the slide move forward at full speed to chamber a cartridge. Anything less that full speed may leave "less than desired" results.

yup

Thanks guys. I thought I was doing things properly, but I have found that not everything I have been told is always right. Thanks for the clarification!

I do not let anything including the slide slam foward ever..............no reason to. Insert the magazine, pull the slide back and simply move it to the foward position without letting it go. Should feed the round in easy. If not maybe you need to have your ramp looked at. All my Pre 80's Colts work like a watch.

Doesn't the slide "slam forward" every time you shoot and another round is chambered? I don't see how just releasing the slide release and letting the slide go forward and chambering the round would have any adverse effect. I can see not doing it when the magazine is empty or not in, the gun is made to keep the slide back when this is the case, but as far as chambering a round, I don't understand what the difference is. When the Navy () taught me how to shoot I was told to let the slide go forward unimpeded to ensure the the round is properly chambered and I have never had an issue doing this, but to each his own.

That is exactly correct Roman. During normal firing the slide does aggresively "slam" forward chambering the next cartridge. This is precisely what the slide was designed to do. That is the correct way to chamber a cartridge from the magazine. (pull back and release)