Is it simply due to the average shooting publics ingrained muscle memory to go for the thumb button? Is it that most folks try to use their thumb awkwardly vs their trigger or middle finger?

I have always felt the paddle release was superior in many ways.
-100% ambi
-a failure of one paddle side still leaves you the other
-less chance of inadvertent operation
-no shifting of grip to release, especially those with small hands
-multiple options on how to use the mag release

I am not saying this design makes all others stupid or anything like that just that it surprises me that it's not more popular and what I see as a huge advantage is usually one of the things complained about by new Walther/HK owners. I can only surmise it's a familiarity thing or that new users are trying to use it like a traditional thumb button release.

Because there is more at play than just being better.

The thumb release had already established itself as the defacto standard. Once that is established it takes a much larger force than simply being a little better to dethrone it.

Now if the paddle release had competed head to head with the thumb release back when it was invented, it might be a different story.

quote:

Originally posted by cslinger:



I have always felt the paddle release was superior in many ways.
-100% ambi
-a failure of one paddle side still leaves you the other
-less chance of inadvertent operation
-no shifting of grip to release, especially those with small hands
-multiple options on how to use the mag release

I think that it is not as popular because out of listed advantages only one is completely objective, others have not shown to be of any practical value, some are debatable and some, depending on a specific paddle design, are wrong. In addition, in small segments of users this location may be considered as less safe.

I'm with PPGMD on this.

I don't know. Some answers already posted are plausible. I like them.

I found a downside of the HK paddle release. I had a minor irritation on my trigger finger and as a result I was putting more finger on the trigger than usual with my P30SK and was actually activating the magazine release when shooting the pistol with the recoil pushing against my finger enough to cause the release. I posted on an HK forum about this and found I was not alone experiencing this but certainly in the minority.

Here is picture of my hand on my P30SK when I put a lot of finger on the trigger.

I've always felt that a paddle release was better but many times the inferior alternative ends up being the most popular. Take three dot sights for example. I absolutely hate them. There are superior sights available but most handguns have the three dots.

As a LH shooter, I prefer the paddle release.

PPQ M1 made me a believer of the merits of a paddle release.

I have a tendency to blame such things on unimaginative conservatism and the fact that “best” is not necessarily equivalent to “popular.” But if someone has a dozen guns with the left side pushbutton magazine catch that he’s shot for years, it’s unlikely he’s going to be enamored of a different mechanism. I’m just happy when the pushbutton can be switched to the right side so I can operate it with my index finger. Fortunately that’s becoming common these days—albeit probably for the wrong reason.

I have 3 usp's. I really like the paddle release.

My buddy likes the paddles on his Walther. We tease him about his "ND mag release" because the index finger is the trigger finger and should only be used as such!

He doesn't seem to have figured out that we all use our index finger on our ARs for the mag release and often BAD levers for the bolt catch/release. Hell, my XCR has the bolt catch levers built into the trigger guard.

To respond directly to the OP's list:
-100% ambi -- Honestly not important to me.
-a failure of one paddle side still leaves you the other -- Why would I expect one side to fail? Are push buttons failing at any noticeable rate?
-less chance of inadvertent operation -- Or double the chance as there's two sides?
-no shifting of grip to release, especially those with small hands -- Maybe true for small hands...not so much for me.
-multiple options on how to use the mag release
-- Buttons have options too...use thumb, support hand, switch sides as sigfreund apparently does.

My experience with the paddles is on the VP9. As grumpy1 showed, my finger gets poked by it.
Even after filing it down, it still rubs and is bothersome. I have big hands, and it's awkward bringing my finger that far back to use the right side paddle. I do have to shift the pistol a touch to properly get the left paddle with my thumb, but it's not bad. I've always been on the fence about selling the VP9. Once I saw HK is releasing a push button (hopefully here), it made up my mind...the VP9 is gonna get sold.

For as much teasing as we give my buddy that likes the paddles, I get that it works well for him, and that's all that matters.

To answer the OP; I really don't know because I really prefer it. I have accidentally activated the standard button release accidentally while the pistol was holstered and couple of times. No danger of doing that with the paddle.

I went through an HK phase and did find I was faster on reloads with the paddles after getting used to them. It took less time for it to feel natural than what I thought. I've moved away from the HKs, but I have to admit I really liked the paddles when I was using them.

All valid points.

I was never saying they should surpass or are necessarily superior to the time honored button just that I was surprised they were not more popular then they are especially when folks buy into a Walther/HK.

I can see how those with "monkey paws" may have issues. I don't have that problem since I can't palm a ...... golf ball .

I like the paddle release, I just don't want any of the pistols it exists on.

I am in the minority probably, as I like heel release magazines/Makarovs, P83's, early Sig P220's, and my first paddle magazine release was a USP 40 if I remember correctly.

Using a M1 PPS for the past year, I have become used to the method.

One of the main advantages I see, in paddle/heel release magazine releases is less chance of an accidental mag kickout.

I own and like both. I'm more familiar with button, but have to admit that paddle works pretty darn well.

In general, I think that rapid reloads are something we place too much emphasis upon. It's a neat skill, looks cool and helps you win matches, but I suspect is of little practical significance to the CCW holder. Even in LE, how often is the reload conducted during an active exchange of rounds, out in the open where maximum speed is required? I'll bet it's not often.

I prefer the paddles. We're all made different.

My take: because for most shooters it's not a clearly superior system to button operation. Simple as that. No need for the typical old dog to retrain for a new system when it's something that is not vastly better or advantageous to use.

Individuals may prefer it over the button release, but I'd argue that any performance advantages the paddle release may offer will vary from person to person, unlike the speed advantages the button release has over the old heel release. As for me, I like the paddles but it's because my relatively short index finger can easily manipulate the paddle without too much shifting of my hand on the grip. Then again and despite my short digits, I'm not having any problems manipulating the button release on my carry Glocks for fast mag changes and quickly returning to my proper grip purchase during the process.