Hand crossbows require a free hand to load the ammunition even if you ignore the loading property. Jeremy Crawford has stated this as well. They have added an offhand attack option so I think the intent to separate them completely is there (hopefully). Being able to choose the bonus/extra effects on that attack should absolutely be a thing. It’s also stupid annoying to have to use the BA attack first if you don’t want to stab the same thing both times. I definitely agree it should be fixed.
