I've watched the Boberg startup for quite some time. It's an intriguing firearm. Unfortunately it's a one trick pony.
By that I mean that it only improves on the current state of the art in one area, barrel length.
It's bigger in all dimentions and heavier unloaded than a loaded R9.
It's heavier and taller than a PM9 although a little shorter in slide length.
It's a completely untested design and will have limited production so it'd not likely to have meaningful reliability data available for some time to come.
Is a bigger, heavier firearm worth a longer barrel?
If the answer is "yes", then buy a Glock 19, or even two for the same price as one XM9. If the answer is "no" then buy a PM9 and save $400, or buy an R9 which is already a proven design and is significantly smaller and lighter. The R9 is a much better concealment firearm than the bulky Boberg is spec'ed to be.
The Boberg has a lot of "gee-wiz" factor but not much other than novelty to justify it's price.
Some things could be done to make it more competitive, like reducing the capacity to 6+1 to shrink the large grip reducing size and weight.
We'll see what the future brings, I wish Arne Boberg the best. I'd love to see another quality US manufacturer thriving.
