>>Hi Skyhook...
I really don't think it's fair to compare the results of your R9 to that of your Glocks. I have five Glocks, and like yourself - I've never experienced a feed problem. However, if I were to compare the function of my Glocks to every other gun I own...I would probably have surplused half of the guns I own before fully understanding them.
This is NOT to say you shouldn't expect reliability with your R9...just that the R9 is a different critter, as in one of those guns which can require some work to find the right ammo for...can take some re-think/focus in shooting technique...can benefit from mods - like abrasive tape on the grips...AND, I now firmly believe where as before it was a notion - is NOT for everyone = some few folks just canNOT get the things to work for them. I hope this is not the case for you, and that with a bit more trial and error work it will come to serve you like a faithful Hound.
Now before you lay into me for being nuts, I would like to share with you some of my R9 thoughts and experiences...
As mentioned a while back I own two R9s, one from early production, the other new. Up until last Summer I have been fortunate to enjoy/trust both guns with hardly a hitch after a bit of tinkering finding the right ammo and technique.
Catching up a bit from my earlier posts, this thread... Mid-Summer all of a sudden…just after a successful outing/both guns, and a good clean and re-lube BOTH guns started experiencing Failures to Feed with favorite defensive rounds (.115gr GDHP)…this being from the same batch of ammo they had been fine with...used seven different magazines with varying but not acceptable results. Simultaneously, both guns continued to cycle round nosed practice ammo just fine (.115gr Winchester White Box, .115gr Blazer in copper case).
I spoke to the factory about my probs and was asked to send the guns back ASAP. Instead, because I was so discouraged, I let them sit in my safe for several months before returning them around the time you sent yours back.
I Recently got my guns back along with a call from Karl and notes on repair (don't have them in front of me.) Going from memory here…there were no big smoking gun(s) to report, although they did remove some metal I think from the back of the barrels, and I believe they also did a good polish on the feed ramps…perhaps a bit more but I don't remember. Since the guns were there they replaced all the springs, although the large mainsprings had been replaced by me not all that long ago. A variety of ammo was run through both guns with no probs before sending them back to me. Interestingly, Karl said he is using .115gr Winchester Silver Tip Hollow Points in his gun…although I got the feeling it was more a matter of convenience than trial and error.
Before testing the guns myself, which I did only yesterday, I made some mods of my own just to make the guns more user friendly. First off a while back I got some pinky extension base plates from Pearce which were made for the Kahr Mk 9…with a little bit of whittling to fit the R9 I had a perfect fit. Next I tried to attach some grip tape I found in a hardware store (meant for deck use on boats), but could not get the stuff to stay on even after careful attachment – in black it looked pretty cool though…!…might have worked with another type tape. Also mentioned and used by Karl I added Pachmayr Rubber Grips, size #4 to both guns…these added two finger knobs (what else do you call them?), which in conjunction with the pinky extensions gave me a rock solid full two finger hold (might be three for other users) that was enhanced on the back of the grips by the rubber = niiiiiiice feel. So yesterday I finally made it to the range…
Admittedly I did not run extensive tests to both guns this time out, but I did run one mag each of four different types of ammo…two practice (.115gr Winchester White Box and .115 Blazer, this time with aluminium cases as used by the factory) and two defensive (.115gr Speer GDHP…same batch that failed last summer, and .115gr Winchester Silver Tips…as used by Karl). Guys…all I can say is every round cycled and fired perfectly…and with the grip mods the guns were almost pleasant to shoot…!!…at least this time my fat knuckles were not racked when shooting, which is a big improvement, and after firing 48 rounds total there was no fatigue…!! I can add that this control of the guns improved my accuracy dramatically (at five yards).
**See next post as this is deemed too long**