For what it's worth... My CM9 has been just shy of 100% out of the box... Would have been 100% if I had been paying attention.

I had one 125gr LRN fail to go completely into battery... About 30 rounds into my break in. I ejected the round and found a huge wad of sticky red bullet lube on the bullet... With a clear mark in the lube showing the lube was the problem. I scrapped the round clean and put it into another mag... Fed and fired fine.

My CM9 is closing in on 1k round with only 1 FTF.... Ammo related. It has reliably fed everything from Truncated Cone cast lead, to the ugliest JHP I had on my loading bench. It has eaten low power / low pressure plinking loads and +P over listed load max (no pressure signs on cases though... ) JHP screamers. Not a single factory load has been in my gun since proof testing at the factory and the only FTF has been my own damn fault (shoulda seen the lube mess while loading the mag).

I did hand cycle the gun 300x prior to shooting, I did remove a few minor burrs from the frame that showed up in the hand cycling, I lubed similar to the tacked lube chart... I use grease on the rails and barrel, RemOil elsewhere. Same treatment I give any new to me gun... Nothing special in my eyes was needed to prepare it.

I trust my CM9. More than I can say for my LC9. That staple gun will be sold off ASAP... Trigger sucks and the primer shaving issue caused loads of trouble (solved now... Over 800 trouble free cycles since the repair). My PF9 has been 100% out of the box, but the CM9 trigger is heads and shoulders better.

When I can't carry a "real" gun... My CM9 will be with me. Thanks to PJ Holsters for the amazingly good AIWB holster, the CM9 disappears and is a cinch to carry. Now I just need JS Holsters to speed up with my 2x pocket mag carrier.

One of my five mags was a touch loose in the feed lips... it wanted to let the top round walk a bit would lead to nose under FTF.
I tightened it up and never saw the walking round again.
I also use a pocket holster for my spare mags to encourage the rounds to stay seated firmly.

Interesting... good photos.
How does the gap compare with spring/follower in place?

Luckily for me... I got a good Kahr... mine continues to tick along nicely.

So... With the spring and followers in place the gap is covered?

If so, that would lead me to believe the gap is not the issue I initially thought it could be.
Would seem the MK design is a bit more fool proof though.

I have a CM9 with a little less than 2000 rounds through it. I bought it when they first came out and it has ran great with all but one type of cheap ammo. I just don't use that ammo anymore in it. I carry it daily because it is comfortable (crossbreed mini-tuck), points well & fires when I want it to.

I recommend a CM9 with the exception that some I have seen do have some sharp edges that might require a minute or so to smooth out.

I believe that the gap is an issue, as the gap presents itself as a place for rounds to get stuck as they move up the magazine during the firing cycle while the follower is still further down inside the magazine. The several nose below the feedramp issues I had with the PM9 were caused by the round somehow moving too far forward while it was rising past the gap, getting stuck under the feedramp lip.