Buying a concealed carry pistol is a very personal, often confusing decision. What caliber to use, how to carry it, whether to choose a semi-automatic handgun or a revolver. Personally, the smallest caliber I feel comfortable carrying is .380ACP, but I’ll take 9mm parabellum over that any day. The problem with 9mm handguns is they often tend to be too large for my favorite method of concealment: pocket carry.
Carrying a diminutive wheel gun is nearly effortless thanks to its lightweight, slim-profile design. Though doing so brought about its own unique set of challenges. Reloading a revolver is slower for most people than replacing an empty magazine with a full one. Additionally, the long, heavy trigger pull on double action revolvers combined with their lack of grip real estate means the normally mild .38 rounds become very punishing.
Back in 2012, after scouring the internet for months for a suitable 9mm pocket pistol, I was about to give up until I laid eyes on the most futuristic gun I’d ever seen: the Boberg Arms XR9-S.
The XR9-S is a rotating barrel, locked-breech semi-automatic pistol chambered in 9x19mm. Feeding from a detachable seven-round magazine, the Boberg sets itself apart from other pocket pistols not simply due to its impressively minuscule size, but also its strange operating method and magazine construction.
Some might be thinking the rotating barrel aspect of the gun isn’t new, and they’re correct. In lieu of the more common tilting barrel design, a handful of pistols have utilized the rotating barrel method in the past, though none of them have been wildly successful. The only other modern pistol that utilizes a rotating barrel design is the Beretta PX4 series.
The XR9-S uses a relatively uncommon locking system — so what? What’s impressive is that this system, coupled with the reverse-feeding magazines, result in what could be considered a pistol version of the bullpup rifle. This is because the chamber is directly above the magazine well, not in front of it. It’s a confusing concept to wrap your brain around without seeing it first hand, but basically the top round of the magazine is stripped during the rearward movement of the slide instead of when the slide returns forward. The cartridge rides up a feed ramp elevator until it reaches the same height as the bore. It then snaps into the extractor and is pushed into the chamber where it locks.
Why go to so much trouble?
By having the gun in this configuration, the pistol is smaller than a snub-nosed J-frame revolver, yet has a longer barrel and larger ammunition capacity. The model I personally purchased is the Onyx, or all black pistol. I pre-purchased mine a few years back before Boberg was able to bring the pistols into full production. In exchange for being an early adopter, Boberg offered the XR9-S at a 30 percent discount.
Having owned, carried and shot the pistol for nearly three years now, I have a different perspective than most reviewers. The novelty of the action has long since worn off, and the shortcomings have become apparent.
I’ll start out by saying that aside from a Derringer, the Boberg pistol is the most discreet concealed carry firearm I’ve ever had the pleasure of using. It virtually vanishes in khaki pockets and loose-fitting jeans. It’s also surprisingly pleasant to shoot, unlike most sub-compact pistols (I’ll looking at you, Scandium .38 snub).
The low bore height and nearly four-inch barrel, soak up most of the felt recoil. This is due to the fact that it reduces the recoil’s mechanical advantage over the shooter’s wrist. Basically, the difference between grabbing a pry bar from the very end and choking up as far as possible. The position of the bore on the XR9-S mitigates the effects of recoil so much that it almost feels like a stout .22lr or .25ACP, making follow up shots much easier and faster than with similarly-sized automatic pistols or revolvers in combat calibers. On top of that, there’s still the speed advantage of reloading a magazine as opposed to messing with speed strips or loaders for a wheel gun. However, reloading is one of the areas of concern for me.
The XR9-S loading cycle is more complex than traditional pistols. Consequently, it has more opportunities to fail, and fail it does. If a shooter doesn’t fully pull back the slide on their XR9, it will jam the round into rear face of the chamber wall (where the feed ramp would be on traditional handguns). When this happens, the action locks up so tightly that even seasoned shooters have issues clearing the malfunction — not because it’s mechanically complicated, but because often the action will begin locking and seize up, requiring significantly greater force to rack again. Not a big deal while at the range with dry hands, but during a firefight while drenched in sweat or rain, this could get a shooter killed.
When any pistol encounters a malfunction that prevents it from working properly, it’s unfortunate. When that product is designed for concealed carry, that malfunction can turn deadly for its user. So, is the Boberg pistol reliable enough for concealed carry?
In my experience the answer is “probably not”. I say this because without solid muscle memory, a shooter will unintentionally lock up the action when attempting to rack the slide on a fresh magazine. This is doubly true if the gun is dirty. Hell, I’ve fired over 1000 rounds and performed hundreds of reloads on this gun, and it still happens to me on occasion. These two factors prevent me from recommending the Boberg to any shooter looking for a new carry gun.
That said, every malfunction I encountered was technically user-induced. The pistol never malfunctioned when firing or cycling its action to strip another round from the magazine. It also could very well be that my older version of the XR9-S has some hiccups that have been worked out in newer models.
After reaching out to Boberg, they informed me that I am incorrect. They purported that gun is one of the easiest in the world to rack, being a favorite among those lacking upper body strength. Maybe they’re right. Perhaps I need to hit the gym more often, but I find it strange that, having fired well over a hundred different handgun models in the past, the XR9-S is the only pistol I’ve ever experienced this issue with.
In their defense, Boberg did offer to replace magazine springs and recommended I apply anti-seizing compound to the breech block. Being that my handgun is a very early model, it could be that it’s simply a lemon. I’d be happy to re-evaluate the pistol if Boberg would like to either repair or update my pistol. Until then, I wouldn’t recommend this pistol to shooters when the market is so saturated with other quality designs not suffering from these issues.
Boberg XR9-STechnical Specs
| Barrel Length | 3.35″ |
| Overall Length | 5.1″ |
| Height | 4.2″ |
| Width | 0.96″ |
| Weight (unloaded) | 1.09 lbs (17.4 oz) |
| Sights | dovetail drift-adjustable non-illuminated 3-dot sights |
| Action | double-action only |
| External Safety | N/A |
| Ammo Capacity | 7+1 |
| trigger pull weight | 7.5 lbs |
| Included Accessories | Two 7-round magazines |
| MSRP | $1349 |
The Stoeger Cougar, formerly manufacturer by Beretta, also uses a rotating barrel and is till available.
There are more modern pistols with rotating barrel. One of them is Grand Power K100, which seems to be quite popular here in Europe.
The other flaw that was not mentioned was that the rearward loading method of this gun has lead to bullet separation on ammo where the bullet is not well crimped into the case. The action of the loading mimics the function of a kinetic bullet puller. All ammo brands need to be tested before use to make sure the gun will not dismantle the round.
“The action of the loading mimics the function of a kinetic bullet puller.”
The forces involved in cycling these guns are not in the same league as a kinetic bullet puller. Indeed, pulling a cartridge backwards before feeding it is the hallmark of most belt-fed machine guns so it is not a flawed concept. And the fact that most brands of ammo function fine in the Boberg line point to problems in the ammo itself. It’s interesting that some of those same brands of 9mm that don’t function well in Bobergs have also been reported as functioning poorly in 9mm revolvers where they tend to “jump crimp”
I own and carry an XR9-S and love it. I also own an XR45. Both have functioned flawlessly. I find it hard to believe that a person can’t recommend a gun after he admits it was his mistakes that caused the malfunctions.
I tested a Boberg several years ago, and found the same fatal flaw as the author. The Boberg is an impressive bit of engineering and one of the most interesting firearms on the market, but when it locks up, you are out of the fight. Period.
For that reason, I would never consider carrying the pistol.
carry two of them.
There is a list of compatible ammo on their web page. This gun is designed to for conciled carry and self defense. Should only be using ammo that has a good crimp.
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they need to make a Boberg XR50-S in 50GI. Only Guncrafters themselves make the ammo for it so they can perfectly tailor it to function with that specific ammunition.
(Why not? Boberg is a boutique gun anyway. Why they jumping into a saturated market with a ton of other 9’s and 45’s?)
Because the feed system permits nearly an extra inch of barrel length within a very short overall length, optimizing the platform for concealed and/or more comfortable carry and allowing greater accuracy than a comparably sized conventional pistol.
I own several Bobergs and am a very early adopter of the platform. After shooting these guns for almost 3 years, I’ve come to the conclusion that I could safely and very reliably carry it for self-defense using high quality ammunition (such as Hornaday Critical Defense or Critical Duty), but that ultimately it is not a good range gun because its super tight tolerances cause it to get dirty quite quickly. When it gets dirty at about 150 rounds down range, it can seize up when it gets very hot. In my experience with the Bobergs, these pistols should also be cleaned and re-lubed per the manufacturer’s recommendations after each and every range trip. Also, break-in is about 750 to 1000 rounds. There is plenty of compatible ammo for these pistols. Just stay clear of the incompatible ammo and bullet separations are not likely to occur, especially the further along one is into the break-in period and beyond it.
That wasn’t so much a review as a hit piece / beg for a new gun.
If it had been a “hit piece”, he would have at least mentioned the issue of the action literally pulling bullets from their casings.
Oh, well what other little details got left out? These things are well in excess of a grand, please do tell as I was about to get one until I read this little article.
I don’t think Jim has ever experienced that particular issue personally, but its been well documented by other reviewers. I just wanted to point out that Jim wasn’t going out of his way to criticize the pistol with some agenda — he gave a fair assessment of his personal experience after owning it for a few years.
I love unique guns like the Boberg! If I had the money I’d buy one just because it’s so COOL!
I just sold mine because I experienced the exact same thing. EXACTLY! I had to use a rubber mallet twice over four shooting sessions. The gun is 4 months old. My buddy sold his because of the exact same thing thinking his was a lemon. I wanted one so I bought one. I was using the best ammo I could find on the compatible lists and after I thought I had shot enough for it to break in I was WRONG. Plus, the rounds nose dive in the mag on occasion when there are two or three left! I liked everything about it, the double action hammer type, the capacity, the looks, the weight. The gun simply cannot be trusted but is a fun little novelty. You got to have a follower, a strong recoil spring, and to R&D with all the ammo out there. A for effort though.
And yes, I had the blops of Anti Seize, the correct anti seize, exactly where they said.
Did you contact Boberg about any of this? What you are describing (taking a hammer to a gun) sounds like either ill-conceived “gunsmithing” or a major problem that should be remedied by the manufacturer. Same thing with the magazines (Boberg has some defective magazines early on and they offered free replacements).
For the record, I have induced the same failure on my gun and I was able to clear it without the aid of tools. And it’s such an easy pitfall to avoid that I cannot fault the gun’s design.
I have to disagree entirely. Use the right ammo and you will have no issue. Never had a FTF. My favorite handgun to carry and never have issues.
Both the reviewer and Boberg are right about the racking. Racking halfway will cause massive failure. However, racking is indeed easier on the Boberg than on other pistols.
Guess I must be super lucky and/or super skilled. My XR9 has been relentlessly reliable. Regarding racking the slide “issue”, I understand exactly what the reviewer is talking about and yet have somehow avoided it being a problem for thousands of rounds. It just really doesn’t seem to be a issue–basically, don’t baby the slide and you’re good to go. That’s a good practice in any gun.
Furthermore, in a pocket pistol tactical reloads and/or speed reloads should not be high on ones criteria list anyway. Carry-ability, shoot-ability and reliability are what really count in that class of gun, and the XR9 has been 100% in all those categories for me. Plus you get an additional 70+ fps over comparably sized guns .
I have a very old XR9-S — one of the first few hundred that were hand made and pre-patent numbers stamped on it (mine is clean). The author is totally correct on both points — if you don’t aggressively chamber the round, it jams up. However you can drop the mag and clear it pretty fast, and if not that, take it down (it has a simple lever on the side) — if with take down I can do it 10 seconds or so. On the other hand — it is an easy gun to rack the slide on — no excuse to have this problem. On a big gun, yes. On this I was dainty at first because it was small … and had this problem. A little practice, no more, I just yank hell out of it. Separation of rounds not well crimped is well documented as are wide mouth hollow points. I use Winchester +P Bonded narrow mouth rounds and they are fine. Never a problem. Having it fire farther back in your hand reduces the way recoil is felt. I tried other “mouse guns” and could not shoot them well on the first mag (let alone reloading) because with 2 inch barrels they “flip” — with the 3.35 inch barrel fired over your thumb it “settles in” to your hand instead of flipping. I can get a lot of rounds off fast. I do not have carrier on my mags (no need). I do not grease mine. I clean it with brake parts cleaner and then spray heck out of it with synthetic gun oil until it drips, wipe, let set over night to dry. It does act funky when dirty which is a plus on a carry gun. My Glock I have fired 1000s of rounds through (on of them anyway) trying to get it dirty enough to play badly to practice clearing FTF and FTE … never happened. The XR9-S will clog up when it is dry — 100 or 200 rounds OR 6 months idle. So keep it wet. Another write is correct, reloading is not the top priority anyway (although it is easy enough) but I can conceal this in so many ways. I have a cell phone case I use that carries the gun and 3 spare mags (29 rounds) and I wear it in plain sight, never a problem. I’d rather have an accurate 3.35 in barrel with +P 9mm than a 380 all day long — even if I have to take my time and make my shots count — although I found the XR9-S faster to shoot than several 380s I tried. It is perfect if you want 7+1 +P 9mm in a tiny package that shoot as well as a suib-compact Glock (ok almost). Penalty is you have to keep it clean and learn how to rack a slide aggressively. However, it is immune to limp-wristing — have to look on the plus side. I use the 6 lbs spring (I was told it would break — after 3,000+ rounds I wonder when — and have some spare 6.5 lbs springs. It is nicer than the original 9lbs springs. This is an easy gun to shoot well for a mouse gun, and not bad when compared to other sub compacts.