A month after getting the R9 back from the factory and nearly 200 rounds later, I’m not nearly as elated about the reliability as after that first re-test on May 4th. It might have just been another fluke that it ran 4 failure-free magazines through the pistol, or maybe there was something about the factory tuning that worked for one trip to the range but then went back out of whack. Since coming back from the factory, it’s averaging slightly more than one failure for each magazine I run through it. I’ve put the pistol in a dozen other hands to confirm that it’s not just me. In order to eliminate most of the variables people tend to blame malfunctions on, I’ve gotten into the routine of only running 115 grain silvertips through it and cleaning and lubing with superlube as directed by the factory after every two-magazine test. (not 1, not 3 – but exactly 2 magazines each trip to the range.) Since coming back from the factory, I haven’t seen a single stove pipe or failure to eject. Every single failure has been one or even two bullets pointing straight up out of the magazine – apparently having missed the feed ramp entirely.
I’m still obviously not confident enough to carry this thing, but somewhat hopeful that after breaking in, it might get better. In the meantime, I picked up a Kahr PM9 for carry purposes a few weeks ago. That pistol has fed about 800 rounds of a wide variety of standard and +P loads pushing bullets ranging from hardball to Glaser, MagSafe, Cor-Bon, HydraShoks, Golden Saber, and Gold Dots. All without a single failure. And the four-rail design doesn’t seem to mind dirt.
The Kahr wins by a landslide in reliability and power (ability to run every +P ammo I’ve gotten my hands on), but is still noticeably larger in some pockets and more difficult to present smoothly. The Rohrbaugh wins in material quality and groups much better for me on the rare occasion I can fire 5 consecutive shots without a jam. Yes, I’m being very patient – even stubborn -- so the pup hasn’t been kicked to the curb yet, but instead follows me to the range twice a week for a tiny workout hoping that some day it might be broken in enough to shake the curse it carries. In the meantime, all my pockets are getting stretched out by this big, fat and heavy Kahr. I’ll probably send the R9 back to the factory again if it doesn’t improve before the second or third recoil spring wears out – but the cost of overnight shipping and 6 week wait each time is probably what will eventually break the camels back and make me lose all interest in giving this pistol any more chances. If it still isn’t working when I get to 1000 rounds ($500 worth of silvertips), it will probably be buried forever in the back of my safe – my conscience would never let me resell a pistol that has proven itself this unreliable.
Pointers from others on the forum whose guns shot themselves reliable leave me hopeful that it’s just a matter of time and patience and wear. Though it seems counter-intuitive, I’m going to try more one-handed shooting in the next few weeks to see if that helps. And I’ll throw a couple of boxes of GDHP back into the mix just in case this particular pistol is finicky about the widely recommended silvertips. And of course, I’ll experiment with a tighter grip and a looser grip and a higher grip and a lower grip. Any other suggestions? Positive and helpful suggestions, please. No more knocking the guys who aren’t having great experiences with your favorite gun.
I’ll give another follow up after a few more weeks.
