Spectro,
When someone posts "In private conversation w/ Karl and Eric, it's become obvious that there is MUCH that gets "put out" in various venues and boards that should be dealt with privately, man to manufacturer, if you know what I mean", it makes me wonder about basic education of firearms... If people don't post ongoing problems, then no one will get educated as to possible dangers. I have taught firearms training for over 15 years and the last thing I would want to do is cover up a possible problem with any firearm. The company may stand behind a product, however not informing the public would be negligent. This forum does just that, it lets us all know about the pros as well as the cons when it comes to the R9S. Rohrbaugh is a growing company and they must know that there will be positive as well as negative statements made about their product.
Prior to buying mine, I watched their video. It insinuated that the R9S is fully functional out to a range of 25 yards, and it is. It may be designed for close quarters, however it can be deadly at 25 yards.
You have also stated "I know for a fact there are guys who totally misused their R9, shooting hundreds of rounds in a session (totally against factory advice), then complained loudly to everybody about their results!" As of yet, I have not seen this recommendation or admonishment in any of the Rohrbaugh documents. I wonder, other than having an extremely sore hand, what should the outcome be? After competing in PPC, IPSC and SASS matches, I would wonder about any weapon that can't handle 200 rounds of factory ammo in any time span.
The reason that I have remainded on this forum is to learn, both the positive as well as the negative issues as to our little beasts. I carry mine all the time, however I want to stay up on its quirks.