The magazine release on the bottom is pretty much old school european.Mag release on the heel = not a good choice for a tactical weapon IMO. That is true even though, as I understand, the H&K P9 is one of the few handguns with a heel mag release that allows the magazine to drop out without needing to be pulled out. The thing is, you normally use your two hands to activate it, one to hold the pistol, the other to operate the mag release. Nice looking gun though, they make some fine quality firearms.