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The above method fell out of favor once more pistols with full length guide rods appeared the U.S. in the post war period.
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It won't work with FLGR guns so it makes sense that it would be less commonly used as FLGR guns became more prevalent. Also, it has been deprecated by some trainers because of the safety problems it presents.
There are certainly much safer methods for performing press checks. For example:
There's no need to have a digit in the trigger guard.
There's no need to hold the gun so that the grip safety is depressed.
There's no need to put a finger on the muzzle of the gun.
Checking the status of a gun can be done safely, but even then, it shouldn't be done more than is necessary for a couple of reasons.
1. Unholstering a loaded gun and handling it always presents the possibility of an unintentional discharge, however small.
2. Pulling the slide of a semi-auto out of battery and then closing it again is not how the gun is designed to operate. It's designed to operate by having the slide close from the fully (or nearly fully) retracted position. This helps insure that there is sufficient slide energy to chamber the round and put the gun fully into battery. Opening the cylinder on a revolver is obviously much less of an issue.
My recommendation is that gun owners who feel that it is necessary to frequently verify that their carry gun is loaded should purchase a firearm equipped with a prominent loaded chamber indicator--ideally one that can be checked with the firearm holstered.