swindener, it's funny that I found just the opposite. When using the slide release, I experienced several times where the slide would not completely go into battery. However, racking it fed flawlessly each time. The people at Springfield seem to agree with you, but the rack method works for me, so I will stay with it.
Your new purchase does have a visible roll pin on the grip safety, right? It is just about the only thing that visually differentiates the pre-recall gun from the modified one.