Thursday, February 02, 2012

Boberg update.

Boberg XR9S at the range.
I took advantage of the nice weather yesterday to head out to MCF&G and bust a few caps in the early afternoon. Boy am I rusty. I put a hundred rounds through my 22/45 and three mags through the M&P, mostly to make sure I still remembered which end the bullets came out.

I also put a magazine of 147gr Federal Hydrashoks and six magazines of Remington UMC 115gr FMJ through the Boberg. No malfunctions. So that's no malfunctions of any type with any ammunition except those three Speer Lawman rounds that disassembled themselves: Don't use Speer Lawman in the Boberg.

I still can't get over how mild this gun is to shoot. Tiny, lightweight nines tend to be vicious; the Kahr PM-9, for instance, is not the kind of gun with which you'd want to spend an afternoon plinking soda cans, but you could shoot the Boberg all day.

The trigger takes some getting used to for me. All the shooting I do is with single-action or striker-fired type triggers or conventional double-action revolvers. While the Boberg is a true double-action, the trigger feels a lot more like one of those "LDA/LEM"-quasi double action triggers in that there's a long, light takeup that stacks quickly towards the end and then breaks without any real warning.

This little thing is growing on me. It's smaller than the Airweight J-frame in my coat pocket, just as light, and no matter how you slice it, seven rounds of 9x19 beats six of .32 Magnum.

28 comments:

Joseph said...

That mag in the picture reminds me of an infamous HK ad. It just don't look right.

Pricing aside, I'm interested in the Boberg (though the Sig 938 is tempting me). It seems to be the best of the pocket 9's as far as size, quality & recoil. I've shot and owned others and for that reason, I think I may have to save up and get one of these. Thanks for posting about it here, I look forward to the entire review.

DaddyBear said...

I looked at some of the little 9's and .380's this past weekend, and to be honest, they look really sweet. If you can't conceal one of those, give it up. However, when I picked one up, my hands pretty much swallowed it. I'll have to get some time shooting one before I decide whether or not they'd work for me at all. I need a gun that's comfortable to hold and shoot and won't give me slide bite every time I pull the trigger. Again, it's all about practice and proper technique, so I'll have to see if I like them enough to put the time and money into it.

Lanius said...

So, Tam, are you still of the opinion this pistol will sink without a trace, eh, and whoever wants to own one should buy one outright..?

Ed Rasimus said...

Who chopped the nose off that gun? It is the first weapon I've ever seen where the trigger guard extends beyond the barrel! Only thing uglier I've seen lately is a Rhino.

Old NFO said...

Dammit Tam, now you're gonna make me go relook at those again... :-)

Anonymous said...

Holsters issues? It doesn't look like a normal holster design would have enough leverage to keep it from coming loose.

Gerry

Bubblehead Les. said...

"...seven rounds of 9 x 19 beats six rounds of .32 Magnum."

Which is why I'm heading out to the Ye Olde Gunne Shoppe today to buy a Pocket 9.

Randy said...

Is the camera angle misleading or is the nose of that 9mm stuck in the magazine?

perlhaqr said...

I wish I was driving through Indy now instead of last month. I'd pay for the whole range trip just to get a chance at that thing. :)

I wish I could go work for that guy.

Randy said...

Oops, I just wasn't up on the latest tech and spoke too soon. I see now that this gun PULLS the round out of the mag instead of pushing it forward. Sorry, R

maddmedic said...

Hmmm..
Interesting...
Thanks for the writeup....

Lanius said...

@Ed

Those are fighting words!

Rhino has a neat futuristic design, (though flawed execution) but Boberg is both pleasing to the eye and apparently quite functional.

Are you perchance a Glock-owner?

Anonymous said...

Do you carry a spare mag for the Boberg and if so, which carrier and any concerns about that top round and how it's exposed?

Thanks

PJ

Matt G said...

" It's smaller than the Airweight J-frame in my coat pocket, just as light, and no matter how you slice it, seven rounds of 9x19 beats six of .32 Magnum."

Good points, but you point out the ONE instance where a quality small revolver has it all over a small pocket auto: performance out of a coat pocket.

Robert Langham said...

Bananafana Boberg.

Sport Pilot said...

I’m waiting to see the SiG 938 and Boberg before forming an opinion one way or the other but the barrel axis alignment of the Boberg looks promising. Either might prove handy as a pants pocket or behind the belt holster carry due to their abbreviated size. As for external coat pockets I’ll stay with a hammerless J Frame, they were a perfect fit in the old Tuffy Coat’s I detested.

Fiftycal said...

Uh, is the Boberg worth 4 Kel-tec PF 9's? Or a PF9 AND a 1911?

Tam said...

Fiftycal,

"Uh, is the Boberg worth 4 Kel-tec PF 9's? Or a PF9 AND a 1911?"

Uh, there's not a 1911 worth owning that doesn't cost a Boberg-and-a-half. And a Boberg is easily worth a hundred and fifty Kel Tec PF-whatevers. But so's a rock.

Skip said...

Um, Tam, I think you just popped a certain photographer's bubble.

Oleg Volk said...

The grip on the Boberg is so far forward that it's easier to hold steadily than almost any other pistol. I can't miss a silhouette at 50m with it and can usually hit at 100m also - try that with other subcompacts! Plus shooting +P+ through it doesn't hurt. Fortunately, many holster makers have hit the ground running on this...I don't have my XR9 yet but already have three holsters for it!

Thomas said...

Does the Boberg have a loaded chamber indicator, or do you just watch for the copper jacket poking out the front of the barrel?

global village idiot said...

That's a lot of money for a gun like that. It sure is nifty.

But I'm looking at this from a different angle. Suppose I accidentally dropped my 1960's vintage Hi-Power into the effluent tank of the sewage treatment plant in My Fair City.

I could replace it with a brand-new one that looked just like it for the cost of this little thing.


Hmmm....

gvi

wv: mifees: those miffed by the miffors

Arne Boberg said...

"....this pistol will sink without a trace..."

It sure will if you take it fishing and don't keep it in the boat! As far as our business prospects - they look quite good.

Tam said...

Arne Boberg,

I've got my fingers crossed. The boutique end of the pocket pistol market is a tough niche in which to thrive, but you've definitely got the right product for it!

Nylarthotep said...

Tam, How's the assembly/disassembly?

Jake (formerly Riposte3) said...

I'm very interested in one of these. Unfortunately, even if my wallet could handle a gun purchase right now, that price point would make me hesitate. I hope that, if everything goes well, it comes down in a year or so (maybe to an MSRP of ~$750 or so at most). Right now it's significantly higher than other guns in the same market, never mind the dirt-cheap Kel-tec equivalent others have mentioned. Even Sig's brand new P938 is only $825 in its most expensive variation.

Lanius said...


It sure will if you take it fishing and don't keep it in the boat! As far as our business prospects - they look quite good.


I've been excited about the XR-9 ever since I saw the prototype videos. The idea is very neat.

But Tam here was a doubting Thomas just a year back...
I'm glad she changed her mind though... :D

Anonymous said...

The trigger is incredibly close to the nose of the gun, which has to have something to do with the comfort in shooting it.