Rohrbaugh R9

[40jjb]

I am looking to invest in the R9 Does any body have any feed back on this pistol? anyone out here have one that would like to elaburate on its cuality or performance? I will be using this peace for deep concealment self defence, Probably will by one for my wife who is going to guet her CCW. Thank you in advance for any info you have on this>>

 

[DocMustang]

I must say the small size of the pistol and that it is chambered in a respectable self defense caliber (9mm) made this pistol attractive to me. The large size of this pistol's price tag ($900+) seems a bit steep. For that price you could almost buy two more conventional CCW pieces or 1 nice 1911. Probably not what you are looking for but still... almost $1000 that is a lot to pay for that level of concealability

 

[logical]

I must say the small size of the pistol and that it is chambered in a respectable self defense caliber (9mm) made this pistol attractive to me. The large size of this pistol's price tag ($900+) seems a bit steep. For that price you could almost buy two more conventional CCW pieces or 1 nice 1911. Probably not what you are looking for but still... almost $1000 that is a lot to pay for that level of concealability

For the same money you could also buy 50 conventional (or alluminum) baseball bats, but they wouldn't fit in your pocket or give you 7 rounds of 9mm in a slim 15 oz. package. No question they are more expensive than many guns...and if they offered nothing extra in return I'd agree it is too high a price...but here you pay extra to get extra (smaller, lighter, higher quality, holds value, etc.).

 

[Wes Janson]

I've handled several at the store, and while they are pricey, they strike me as very well crafted. For such a small DAO, the examples I've handled have an absolutely beautiful trigger pull, and good fitting. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to shoot one yet.

 

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. I don't own one; a friend does and he let me shoot the pistol. It functioned perfectly.

Best.

 

[Riktoven]

Very attractive pistol.

I'm not sure what to think of all the reports of it keyholing ammo.

My only other concern is the price; I could carry 2 642 snubbies for what this beauty costs. Even though it's a pocket gun, I imagine it won't take more than a year of regualr shooting for the ammo costs to exceed the firearm cost, so I say get either the R9 or the 2 S&W 642's

 

[Mandirigma]

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=263941

This thread should help, posted in P95Carry's signature [post 6] are links to the Rohrbaugh forums.

 

[The Amigo]

Nice

Nice gun but way too much $$ for me. I'm looking in to purchasing a Kel Tec
PF9 next paycheck, my friend has one. Reliable, accurate and lite. 7+1 rounds of 9mm cap for $260 not bad.

 

[kokapelli]

Nice gun but way too much $$ for me. I'm looking in to purchasing a Kel Tec
PF9 next paycheck, my friend has one. Reliable, accurate and lite. 7+1 rounds of 9mm cap for $260 not bad.

I would add that the PF9 is ok for +P ammo on a limited basis, where the R9 is not.

I figure these short barrled pistols need all the help they can get, so I carry Gold Dot +P for short barrels in my PF9.

 

[Bobo]

This is a very good source for information:

http://www.rohrbaughforum.com/YaBB.cgi

 

[dbracin]

R9s

I love my R9s. Since I can choose from any of the following at anytime, I almost always go with the R9s.

 

[Rustynuts]

Over $1,200 at my local shop!

 

[PaladinX13]

If it had a bullet-proof reputation for reliability I'd pull the trigger on this one and give in, because it's a really attractive piece of engineering... but in researching it and reading the forums, it sounds like it's can't take getting shot a lot.

The manufacturer's manual (page 4) says, "...you, the owner, will be in the need to periodically replace the pistol’s recoil spring (recommended after 100 rounds)..."

I'm all for maintaining a weapon in proper fashion, but that's a little too much upkeep for me! Is this a case of the manufacturer simply covering their bases (maybe like the arbitrary 3K oil-change for most cars) or is the gun really that sensitive? Any testimonials of guns running reliably far past that? I'm not sure I could trust a gun that needs replacement parts every 2 boxes of ammo with my life....

 

[los]

...I'm not sure what to think of all the reports of it keyholing ammo.

a Keyholing projectile traveling at extreme velocity within CQB distances is exceptional for self-defense. It will have the same or similar affect of a HP bullet that accomplishes complete expansion.

My R9S was a pleasure to shoot. Very well built, light and extremely accurate at CQB distances. Just a bit too large for it to be considered a true pocket carry weapon.

My Seecamp(s) provide the best comfort for year round pocket carry.

 

[45crittergitter]

Fits in every pocket I have, and my life is easily worth $1k. It does have snappy recoil, so you (or your wife) have to hold on, or it will get limp-wrist syndrome. FWIW, Rohrbaugh has a .380 version now for those who can't hold the R9 tight enough.

 

[PaladinX13]

I don't want to belabor the point, but could any of the owners address the 100-round recoil replacement recommendation by Rohrbaugh? More than the cost, this is a barrier to me buying this gun and I want to know if my fears are unfounded or if the manual overstates the issue.

 

[logical]

I don't want to belabor the point, but could any of the owners address the 100-round recoil replacement recommendation by Rohrbaugh? More than the cost, this is a barrier to me buying this gun and I want to know if my fears are unfounded or if the manual overstates the issue.

The pistol is such a tight little package that the recoil spring takes a beating. All springs fatigue with use. In a big gun, the spring might compress to half (making up a number) it's original length every cycle. That is, it's twice as long with the slide in normal position as it is when the slide is retracted. In a smaller gun there isn't room for a spring twice as long as the retracted position length so the spring is pushed closer to it's limit each cycle...so the fatigue is accelerated. They originally reccomended 250 cycles I believe but now reccomend 100, not because the spring breaks or anything, but a weakened(fatigued) spring could contribute to fuctional issues. I suspect the 100 rounds is very conservative, I've gone way past that on the first one I owned a few year ago.

The good news is that there is a new spring design in the works that will drop in to all guns...sounds like its very soon.

Even if it isn't, I don't have a big problem with the 100 rounds thing. This isn't a gun you shoot all day long and you are in there cleaning it anyhow at 100 rounds so what's the big deal putting a new spring in instead of the old one back in. I just set two 50 round boxes separate from the rest...when they are empty it's time to clean and drop a new spring in.

 

[kokapelli]

The pistol is such a ticght little package that the recoil spring takes a beating.

Why would being tight cause spring battering?

All springs fatigue with use. In a big gun, the spring might compress to half (making up a number) it's original length every cycle. That is, it's twice as long with the slide in normal position as it is when the slide is retracted. In a smaller gun there isn't room for a spring twice as long as the retracted position length so the spring is pushed closer to it's limit each cycle...so the fatigue is accelerated.

So why is this not the case in other small guns, like the Kel Tec, NAA Guardian and Seacamp?

 

[logical]

Why would being tight cause spring battering

By tight I mean small/compact. I am in product design and we just always refer to anything where all the components are assembled into very close quarters with little wasted or extra space as "a tight package".

So why is this not the case in other small guns, like the Kel Tec, NAA Guardian and Seacamp?

I really don't know...the Seecamp is obviously a different design and only firing .380 so that's a huge difference. The Guardian is also just .380. Isn't the Kel-Tec 9mm a longer slide?...almost an inch I think...

Why ask why...just change the springs until the improved ones are available or go with another gun I guess.

 

[Wes Janson]

My guess would be due to the overall length of the weapon. The Kel-Tec 9mm is definitely longer...dunno slide length comparisons, but overall length is 5.85" for the PF-9, and 5.2" for the Rohrbaugh (not sure which model). Half of an inch is a considerable percentage of the length of the recoil spring.