Boberg XR9 (SHOT 2008)

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GigaBuist

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I thought this was an interesting take on pocket pistols:

http://www.nrahab.com/?p=1054

Click the link and you'll see a cutaway diagram of the pistol. It has a unique feeding mechanism. The rounds are pulled out of the magazine as the slide comes back, lifted into position, and then chambered when the slide comes forward.
 
If they are trying to sell it as a pocket pistol, it would be nice if they had a model without the accessory rail. That looks like it just adds bulk to the front end of the gun and most people aren't going to add a light or laser to a pocket gun.

It does look interesting if it can be reliable. Any word on cost?
 
Semi-auto or Semi-Rube Goldberg?

Let's see an extractor needs to 1 - grab onto the back of a round that is pointed in the wrong direction, then 2 - pull it out of the magazine, then 3 - pivot the round so it points in a different direction to get the round aligned with the chamber, and 4 - push the round into the chamber.

Whereas, the old style 1 - shoves the round out of the magazine and 2 - a ramp or part of the chamber lines up the round with the chamber so it will go in.

Call me skeptical, but :scrutiny:, well, I'll wait 'til a decent percent of the police and armies adopt it.
 
Pretty cool. Wonder if a design like this has ever been tried before?
Click to expand...
From what I gather the designer (Russian) borrowed the idea from belt fed machine guns. I found an animation on how they typically work here.

The big difference between the two is that the pistol has to lift the round out of the magazine and move it backwards to get it clear of the barrel. Different, but I can see the heritage.

If it works, well, you get a 4" barreled 9mm in a pistol the size of Glock 26.
 
More complexity equals more potential failure points. I also fail to see much point in having a four inch barrel if you are going to retain the same sight radius.
 
I think that looks reminiscent of the DP28 machine gun in terms of feeding. Considering the FN2000 uses a similar system in reverse to eject cartridges, I I have the hope that its successful. Plus if you can have a 4" barrel in a subcompact, what about a fully size? 6" barrel in a pistol no larger then a 1911 anyone?

Anyhow, personally would not get this thing untill it has gone through at least 1 year of the required "troubleshooting" phase any new design.
 
Not That New

I saw an article back in the 1970's about a pistol design like this.

Basically, it feeds like a pump shotgun or lever action rifle with a tube magazine. It pulls the next round back and then raises it to chamber the round.

In the rifle and shotgun, the spring inside the magazine tube supplies the push to slide the round onto the loading tray that raises it into position. For a magazine fed pistol, the spring pushes up, not back. This means a method of pulling the round out of the back of the magazine has to be included in the design.

That extra part has been the stumbling block.

Jim
 
If they are trying to sell it as a pocket pistol, it would be nice if they had a model without the accessory rail. That looks like it just adds bulk to the front end of the gun and most people aren't going to add a light or laser to a pocket gun.
Click to expand...

The only reason for the accessory rail is that this space was up for grabs anyway. Inside that area would be an optional laser sight. The first prototype did have the "slim" front end without the rail and without the space for the laser sight; however, the goal of this gun was to duplicate the power and accuracy of a full-sized gun (which has been achieved). That included the provision of a picatinny for a flashlight and a laser sight for ultra-precision shooting.
 
Let's see an extractor needs to 1 - grab onto the back of a round that is pointed in the wrong direction, then 2 - pull it out of the magazine, then 3 - pivot the round so it points in a different direction to get the round aligned with the chamber, and 4 - push the round into the chamber.

Whereas, the old style 1 - shoves the round out of the magazine and 2 - a ramp or part of the chamber lines up the round with the chamber so it will go in.
Click to expand...

These comments could almost be mistaken for not liking something new just because it is new. But I will give you the benefit of the doubt because there were many people were just not prepared for this at the Shot Show (especially some of the big manufacturers).

#1 There is no "wrong direction". The cartridge is aimed the same way the whole time.
#2 The motion of a traditional feed system is actually more complex than in the XR9. The old-style mechanism relies on having the magazine spring "timed" with the slide spring so that the rim can pop under the extractor. The XR9 grabs the round and shoves the rim under the extractor when the slide is almost at a complete stop - at its back position - and doesn't let go of the rim it until the spent case is ejected. See: 1919 Browning machine gun.
#3 Have you heard of "feed ramp jam"? The XR9 has no feed ramp. Nor does it have a magazine follower. Unnecessary parts have been eliminated.
 
Why a rail on a pocket pistol?
Click to expand...

Because Americans have fallen for the marketing hype and won't buy a new handgun anymore unless it has a rail - see the Kel-Tec PF-9 and Walther PPS...
 
I like it! I'd buy it just cause it's unique and different. I can get past the rail, but front slide serrations? :rolleyes:
 
So this boils down to the Pistol Version of a Bullpup. While I like the idea I worry about the extra complications introduced to the action. Instead of just pushing a round into the chamber this has to pull the round out of the mag and move it up into position where it is then pushed into the chamber. I am not completely sold yet but I like the initial idea.
 
I like it. I'll buy one, assuming they aren't ridiculously priced (ridiculous as in Wilson Combat ridiculous ;)). Even if it maybe doesn't turn out to be the most reliable or best idea for a carry gun, I think it looks kind of cool and would be a neat novelty to have.
 
Why a rail on a pocket pistol?
Click to expand...

Just for your sake, the web page was changed to read "pocket-sized gun" instead of "pocket gun". Most full-sized pistols offer rails, why not the XR9?

The rail itself is actually narrower than the gun, so it does not in any way affect or hinder pocket carry, if that is how you want to carry it.
 
Well, it looks cool. I'd buy it if not outrageously priced. But then I'm a sucker for weird guns. It would look nice next to my Mateba.
 
I don't get all the rail hate... Have you guys seen the ArmaLaser RSS pictures? That thing is tiny, like penny-sized. And, amazingly, some of us actually see more reason to have a laser on a gun with such a small barrell than on, for example, a full length M&P.

Course, if you need a laser on your M&P, who am I to judge :evil:

I just don't see why people are so down on a pistol providing people with more options.

Personally, this is the most exciting thing I've seen out of SHOT this year. If it retails for dirt cheap I'll buy one immediately, and if it's somewhere in the H&K range I guess I'll start saving my pennies. (I do agree about the serrations though. Ugggg-leeeee.)
 
Personally, this is the most exciting thing I've seen out of SHOT this year. If it retails for dirt cheap I'll buy one immediately, and if it's somewhere in the H&K range I guess I'll start saving my pennies. (I do agree about the serrations though. Ugggg-leeeee.)
Click to expand...

The only ones not excited about the XR9 were the big manufactures. This gun seemed like a distraction to them.

As far as the slide serrations: It was noticed that many people shooting this gun tended to pull at the front of the slide, so the serrations were added in front. The front serrations might be removed in favor of the rollmarks for the logo.
 
What is the construction of the gun?
Click to expand...

The frame is Fortal aluminum (15% stronger than 7075-T6).
Springs are currently music wire. Most likely to be SS in production.
The slide is Stavax (high-grade 420 SS from Uddeholm Sweden)
The grips shown are Stereolithographs, production grips will likely be polycarbonate.

The barrel is currently 4140 Steel. Production barrels will likely be high-strength stainless steel.

No decision yet on using castings or forgings.
 
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