Grrr.... I had written a detailed message and my browser suddenly vanished. Probably a mouse error due to a dying keyboard. Anyhow...
JimACP, I used to subscribe to Gun Tests for years, until about eight years ago. Cancelled for the same types of reasons you gripe about; I found too much opinion and too many errors. That doesn't invalidate their reports though, especially when so much of the rest of the world agrees. Just as I found Consumer Reports off-base so often, but still useful for some data. I went from very eager when I first heard about the gun to my current holding pattern as I await settling of the opinions.
DDGator, yes, the world agrees that the R9 is more reliable than the Guardian. But it's less reliable, says the internet in general, than the PM9. One question I'm grappling with is, is it a measurable difference? Or, more importantly, would it impact me? That's a lot harder to say. The replacement of springs is a bigger deal for me. More than half my pistols, bought new and at the time popular, are no longer in production. Should Rohrbaugh go away, the odds of finding replacement springs seems lowish. And even if they stay around, having to order said springs increases the annoyance factor immensely.
The high cost isn't really much of a factor to me. Cost is about what I just spent on earrings for my wife. But I'm only gonna buy one gun in probably the next two years, and if it's gonna be pricey I'd rather it be friendly as a result. I prefer the IDEA of the R9, but may wind up with a PM9 instead for the perceived reliability.
GeorgeH, I agree that there's no Apples-to-Apples comparison to the R9. Or to any other gun. Or to any car. Or any woman. So we generalize. And I agree with everything you said.
RJ, you need some valium, me thinks. Don't seek enemies everywhere you look. My purpose here is simple: I've been researching these guns (compact pistols) a long time. I have ones that no longer are in production, though not as many as many other people here probably. I haven't bought a new gun in more than five years, and I will buy one in the next few weeks, so I wish to ensure I get the one that will annoy me least. Your defensive attitude is interesting, and perhaps warranted if you have regular troll members here, but makes you sound cranky and, well, all alone in the world. People can ask hard questions without being trying to "prove other members wrong"; they may be trying to knock the opinions against rocks to get the shells off, to find the nut (kernel) of truth and reality.
TW, the part I find interesting (beyond RJ's venom) is that you had the two FTEs in 100 shots and don't consider it an issue. (The keyhole doesn't bug me, my view being that if you hit the target, hitting it sideways isn't a problem. It's missing the target that's the problem. And gunfights are close range anyhow.) Yes, it was non-rec'd ammo, but how much does that constrain your options?
