Help! Should I buy one???

[Bob79]

OK, I'll try and keep this short.  First in theory the gun sounds perfect-very small, very light, & is 9mm.  First and foremost the gun has to be small and of good caliber for me to carry it, which it is.  

SO, the BIG question is, will it be VERY reliable?  I know that nothing is 100% flawless, but it needs to be darn close, especially for the $$$.   I understand there are 2 ideas about a brand new manufacturer, 1.) the gun will be near perfect and possibly the best guns they ever make because the have to be to prove themselves 2.) they're new and haven't worked out all the bugs yet.  

So people I need some facts please.  What have your guns been like as far as failures to fire?  I don't need to know how it jammed, why, etc...but just simply 1 out 200 or whatever it is. Only stipulation is, I don't want to know about failures if you were shooting poor quality ammo.  

Finally, I'm not too firearm savy, so my question is- as far as functionality what makes this gun's design top notch?  I don't know what blowback means, or those other terms, so explanation would be very appreciated.  What I do know is that 95% of the time you get what you pay for, and I understand its made from one solid piece of material, and the frame is metal (not polymer), and its supposed to be well made.  

I'm not interested in that it looks sexy, or is going to be rare, I want the most reliable pocket gun you can get.  If everyone thinks that the Kel-Tec .380 is darn near as reliable as the Rohrbaugh, but is just in abundance & ugly, then I'd go with that.  I do understand this is a Rohrbaugh forum, but everyone here seems knowledgable, so please try be impartial and fact based, THANK YOU.

[9mil.mouse]

Hi Bob,

I believe you're right, the R-9 is indeed a very small, very light, exceptionally high quality, 9mm pistol. If you are looking for a 9mm pocket pistol of the very highest quality, and can afford the freight,  it's probably a good fit for your needs.

I have 350 rounds through mine, all quality factory ammo, and I am careful not to "limp wrist". That just means I hold the pistol firmly with both hands, so the slide can operate properly and feed the next round for firing. I have even shot the Rohrbaugh weak hand unsupported. No failures of any sort so far. This is really what I had expected, but still, I'm impressed with the reliability of this little pistol.

The pistol is not hard to shoot. The trigger pull is long, as you would expect from a double-action, and the trigger does not "re-set" for the next shot until it is returned almost all the way forward. This makes follow up shots not as quick as with some of the other trigger mechanisms on my other pistols. I'm still getting used to it. After about 30 shots, my trigger finger gets sore, not from squeezing the trigger, but I think from the recoil, which while not severe like a magnum, is certainly noticeable, as you'd expect from a very light pistol.
When my strong hand trigger finger gets sore, I usually change to my weak hand, and fire a few more rounds and then
go to another, larger pistol.

You ask about Kel-Tecs. I have their .32 and .380 and like both. These little guns have very good factory support, but both of mine did have to return to the factory and be tweaked and polished a bit at home before I was satisfied with their reliability.  I'm not throwing rocks at Kel-Tecs, they are good little guns, but the Rohrbaugh is several (many!) levels higher in quality right as it comes in the case.

[R9SCarry]

Wow .... more members comin along . great!  Bob ... big welcome and also 9mil-Mouse ... same to you.

Well Bob . in case you haven't seen the link in other posts here yet .. go look at my range report over on THR .....

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?threadid=81781

That may help a bit.

Your points #1 and #2 .......... the former is applicable ... these guys have worked long and hard to iron out bugs . QC is incredibly important to them.  So - you can I think be sure that what is released is fully checked such that the guys are happy with them.

Most of us have had extended waits for ours ... simply because it was not deemed sufficient to send them without dealing with some small issues.

This gun Bob is locked breech ... bit like the principle of a Browning Hi-Power, tho implemented differently.  This does reduce recoil somewhat compared with blowback.

A blowback gun has a barrel pinned solidly into place and it is entirely the force of spent case acting on the slide that cycles the gun.  In fact, usually the case is coming out of the chamber before all gas burned . it is quite ''brisk'' recoil.!!

The locked breech actually allows the barrel to slightly drop as slide moves back ... and the case will stay in chamber a tad longer - perceived recoil is that bit less harsh .... tho as we know with 9mm in something as small as R9 - it is still pretty snappy!

My first and only FTE with good ammo was my limp-wristing in first 5 rounds!

This gun is as I understand it Bob toleranced to something like a tenth thou ... very precise - a benefit of CNC.  As mentioned - trigger is superb .. longish travel of course because D/A exclusively.  I find the trigger so sweet - I can hardly believe the pin gets hit with enough force - but it does.

I'll stop there - I ramble!  But . other questions remaining .. bring em on in and we'll all try and anser as best we can.  Much better you should be well informed before a possible purchase of this magnitude.

[Richard S]

Bob:

I'll make my posting even shorter than yours.  

I recommend that you order one or the Rohrbaughs.  In my 68 years, I have owned more handguns than I can recall tonight.  My new R9s is one of the most impressive of them I have ever owned.  That includes the NAA Guardian .380 which has been my constant companion for the past five years.  I shall not be selling thr Rohrbaugh -- or the G380.  If my son doesn't disappoint me between now and then, they  will be left to him in my Last Will & Testament.

Welcome to the Rohrbaugh Forum.  I'm rather new here, myself.  I can assure you, though, that there are good and Knowledgeable people here -- and that the Administrator keeps a close watch out for "Trolls."  If you have the good fortune to obtain one of the Rohrbaughs, please consider staying around to share your experiiences and to help support this new forum.

RS

[DDGator]

"If everyone thinks that the Kel-Tec .380 is darn near as reliable as the Rohrbaugh, but is just in abundance & ugly, then I'd go with that."

Bob,

The Kel-Tec P-3AT is a great gun.  I have one and I am not sure that the R-9 will replace it altogether.  However, the Kel-Tec is a .380.  9mm performance will be better, and perhaps even more importantly, there is a much better range of high performance ammo available in 9mm.

Otherwise, the guns are similar in function.  The Rohrbaugh, however, is a true DAO (double action only) gun.  It requires no movement of the slide to cock the gun.  So if you have a misfire, you can pull the trigger again for a second strike.  The P-3AT does not work that way, and requires a partial retraction of the slide to partially cock the hammer (sort of like a Glock).

If price is a determining factor for you, the 3AT is a great choice -- but if you handle both I think you will understand the difference in materials and quality of construction.

[E36M3]

I think I just decided to go for it.  How long does it take to order, typically, these days?

[GeorgeH]

Great choice.

[Texas_Bob]

 My own observations have been so positive I ordered my second R9S last week. I've had my first since 5/24/04. This "IS" my BUG on a daily basis. I practice two five rds mags EVERY week, weak hand only. I've owned or shot P9, PM9, P-32, P-3AT, airweight and titium smiths in both .38 and .357. I'll take my R9S as my BUG or primary when wearing just jeans and a tucked in T-shirt. If you buy any other pocket ccw right now and you don't like it, you will be "lucky" to sell it for 80% of what you paid for it. At present and for the near future, you will be able to sell your R9 right away if you don't like it for 95-100% of what you paid. Something to think about, hope this helps.

[R9SCarry]

Hey E36 (Ankle!!) ....... welcome Cory.

So - you are gonna go for it eh!  Well . we are looking at three to four months approx .. long time I know but - all good things are worth waiting for!

Tex-Bob ... hehe another double order!  I ordered my #2 about 2 or so weeks ago .. Jume 1st IIRC .. and it is ''on the books''.  I'd like to use my current one more widely but - want to try and keep it real smart and make #2 the all purpose carry ..... and be less concerned over holster wear etc.

The remainder of this year and beyond will be real interesting ...... unfortunately I can't see our Eric getting much improvement on his sleep pattern!  Poor fella.

[E36M3]

Thank you, Sir.  That's perfect - I've got 2 firearms on consignment at my favorite shop and I'll be a PA resident by then.