Not sure if this will stir up the same controversy as hot/cold carry or, God forbid, blue tape vs. all other colors, but should a semi-auto pistol have a slide release or just a slide lock?
In the opinion of myself, God and John Moses (not necessarily in that order), a pistol should have a slide release. I will make exception for the tiniest pocket pistols but a real combat oriented pistol needs to have something that can feed a round from a fresh magazine with the use of only one hand. Never mind that it generally takes two hands to load a fresh magazine, but once done, you should not have to slingshot the pistol to load it. If you want to, that's fine, but you shouldn't have to.
Being left handed, this is a nit pick which has just about turned into a deal breaker for me on the S&W M&P. Their manual tells you to slingshot the slide, that the slide lock is not what that miniscule stamped metal part is for. The ambidextrous slide lock/release (gender confused, perhaps) will work to release the slide, at least that one on the left side of the pistol will but the one on the right side is apparently there for ornamental purposes only since it is nigh impossible to depress unless you have the finger strength of a teenage boy with a free PornHub account. And even that little nub of a thingamajig on the left is not the easiest thing to manipulate.
Which is frustrating because I like everything else about the M&P 2.0. My two examples are nicely accurate, the extra grips allow one to customize it to fit, and the trigger is very good - after some take up it breaks almost as nicely as a good SA trigger. You can even switch the magazine release to the opposite side, which I have done. But it is almost impossible to release the %^*#@! slide with the left thumb! Arrrgh.
A Glock Gen 5 has a nice ambi slide release, the one on the Sig P320 is better. And even on those antique 1911's and Beretta 92/M9's, the slide release on the left side only is an extended piece that positions itself under the thumb (or my index finger) and allows good leverage to easily release the slide. Even the little Sig P365 has a fully functional left side slide release.
So, on a semi-auto pistol do you call it a slide lock only or do you agree with God and JMB that it should also serve as a slide release? All comments are welcome, I want to keep a completely open mind and not try to influence anyone here...
