Thread: trying to learn, 4 questions

I'll tackle 2 of your question.
First most autoloading pistols that are for carry have the mag release near the trigger for ease of mag changes if maintained yes they are reliable.
Second life expectancy of a pistol varies by quality and model, and usage.
You must maintain your firearm for best results but you can not expect a least cost to last as long as the better quality higher priced ones.

Considering most reputable gun manufacturers have lifetime warranties, life span is not an issue. If something breaks on your gun, I'll be it will be replaced for free.

Gun Finish - since you do not like the chrome/stainless, it does not matter which finish you choose if you are going to use a holster to carry. Eventually the finish will wear out.

Flash suppressors/silencers - it will not affect the functionality of the gun, but you have to remember that if it's going to be on a semi-auto, and the barrel is flush with the slide, you will need to purchase a longer barrel, besides, you have to check if it's even legal in your state to own a silencer. the last time i checked it was legal in texas, but you have to have the authorities sign the forms and it's a hassle to have it done. i was told that you probably have to go to court in order to force the authorities hands to sign it. oh one more thing, IT AIN'T CHEAP EITHER.

different finnishes?
well springfield, S&W, Glock and Kimber have names for their different finishes - review their catalogs on line


basically
carbon steel
stainless steel
parkerized
nickel plated - getting very rare

Good answers above. My take:

Finishes: Depends on manufacturer. Most are good from the factory, aftermarket finishes vary from expensive and awesome, to el-cheapo, and garbage... Carry gun??? Not as big an issue. It's a tool. It WILL get scuffed.

Magazine releases are almost unversally at the base of thhe trigger guard now. Better for one handed shooting without shifting your shooting grip. The off hand reaches for the new mag, while the shootng hand ejects the empty. They are all reliable.

Barrel lifespans? Lots of factors. Most test cycles include 10,000 rounds for failure testing... The barrel will go much longer. It depends if you are shooting lead or jacketed bullets. It depends on the corosiveness of the powder you're shooting. It depends on the cleaning frequency. It depends on the hardness of the material the barrel is made from... MOST will last much longer than a shooter will shoot. Example: 10,000 rounds = 100 rounds fired for 100 trips. If you shoot 100 rounds per week through a gun, EVERY week, you'll take 2 years to shoot 10,000. 50 per month is a lot of shooting for many hobbyists. Competition shooters will burn 300-500 rounds in an average weekend.

Sound suppressors are most often found on rimfire pistols, for very high volume indoor target shooting... or for assasination attempts. They will usually run you a few hundred for the threaded barrell, a few hundred for the suppressor, and a few hundred for the license to OWN one, IF you can get the state to issue you one, and the license must be renewed...

Welcome to the forum Keep reading, keep learning. Hope this helped.

Buy XD! hahaha

JeffWard

ThanK You all for offering answers to my original post.
Really appreciate the knowledge.

Now I will study manufacturer web sites and take a shooting class.