Vagaries of design

Ever borrow someone else's car? Ever try to go get a glass while in someone else's house? You get that familiar yet awkward feeling of recognition but disorientation...

Try borrowing a friend's pistol...you'll get the same feeling.

For the most part most manufacturers put most things in mostly the same place across the industry with two exceptions, the trigger and the grip, they are universally in the same orientation.

What I'm talking about here are the slide or cylinder release, safety, safety/decocker, hammer, slide stop, magazine release, and break down release pins/levers.

More often than not they will be in basically the same general spot, but they can and do function in really different ways.

You want examples? Ok, I've got them.
Revolvers, simple machine, great designs. Colt, Ruger, and S&W use different cylinder release buttons. Colt you pull back, Ruger you press in, S&W you press forward. Not a huge deal, no, but something to be aware of.

Safeties on a Bersa are also decockers (which means you can lower the hammer without discharging a round), however, a 1911 which has a safety in the same exact spot does NOT decock. Glock and some Sig Sauer models have no exterior safety at all.

Magazine releases, some are right by the trigger guard, some (albeit few) on on the grip at the bottom, some are on the underside of the magazine well.

So, what's the point? The point is that you need to try out and handle as many pistols are you can before you make a decision. Don't take the word of someone else. Do some leg work. Find the one that fits your hand and is comfortable and easy to manipulate.

For instance, someone has told you that Kahr Arms makes a great pistol (and they do) and you go in and plunk down your money and walk out with your shiny new 9mm. You get it home and find out that the recoil spring is so strong that you can't accuate the slide to chamber a round.

As a side note that's exactly why I didn't like nor get the Kahr. Great tool, lousy recoil spring. My truck's shocks have more give than this thing. I could barely acuate the slide. My wife couldn't get it to move AT ALL. And that puts it right out of the running.

So, again...pick the one that's right for you and practice, practice, practice...