Author Topic: IS MY R9s SPECIAL? OR NOT?  (Read 4548 times)

Offline BobJhn

  • New Member
  • *
  • Posts: 15
  • New Member
IS MY R9s SPECIAL? OR NOT?
« on: November 14, 2019, 09:36:09 PM »
In September, 2004 I bought a R9s thinking it would be a good carry gun.  After putting 100 or so rounds through it over a couple of months, I decided it was not what I wanted for that purpose - - even though I really appreciate the quality and size.  And I don’t carry a backup. So, I put it away, and just fondled it occasionally.  Now, after reading entries in the Forum, I wonder how my gun compares to some of the variations that are discussed. Several factors seem to be important – R or not, place of build, serial number, type of grips, something about the magazine base plate, etc.  I could keep reading various threads and maybe figure it out, but I hope someone will help me understand where mine fits in. It may be a Stealth Elite model.   
It has Rohrbaugh R9s on the right side of the slide, with the serial number R196 on the frame underneath, and Farmingdale, N.Y. on the other side, both in a German style lettering (DS Zierschrift?).  The grips are black graphite or carbon fiber looking and checkered (?) with light blue shading around the edges.  The mag base plate has Rohrbaugh engraved in a very small text in a ribbon design, and what looks like a spring inside a shield. What else should I use to describe it? I will try to attach photos, and will appreciate any help.

Bob

Offline tracker

  • Grand Master
  • *****
  • Posts: 5391
Re: IS MY R9s SPECIAL? OR NOT?
« Reply #1 on: November 14, 2019, 10:11:20 PM »
Yours is a beautiful example of an early Farmingdale model with blue CF grips. It is definitely not a stealth/elite model but only a standard R9 model for that period. Later models had some internal refinements that contributed to their enhanced functionality and reliability. I have two R9S that are quite similar to yours.

Offline tattoo

  • Master
  • ****
  • Posts: 499
Re: IS MY R9s SPECIAL? OR NOT?
« Reply #2 on: November 14, 2019, 11:31:39 PM »
All what trackers said but is an r9s as it has sights.

Offline Brenden

  • Grand Master
  • *****
  • Posts: 1747
  • Farmie!!!
Re: IS MY R9s SPECIAL? OR NOT?
« Reply #3 on: November 15, 2019, 12:41:38 PM »
It’s a beautiful blue gripped Farmy!!
NRA Life Patron Member
GOA
Molon Labe

Offline backupr9

  • Grand Master
  • *****
  • Posts: 1616
Re: IS MY R9s SPECIAL? OR NOT?
« Reply #4 on: November 15, 2019, 03:18:00 PM »
A beautiful pistol.  The original blue grips are valuable in their own right.  Welcome to the Forum.
"Those who would sacrifice a little freedom for a little order, will lose both, and deserve neither." 
Thomas Jefferson

Endur Fortis

Offline PhilZ

  • Grand Master
  • *****
  • Posts: 523
Re: IS MY R9s SPECIAL? OR NOT?
« Reply #5 on: November 15, 2019, 03:39:14 PM »
Nice early gun with the classic blue carbon fiber grips.

Offline ECR

  • Grand Master
  • *****
  • Posts: 1709
Re: IS MY R9s SPECIAL? OR NOT?
« Reply #6 on: November 17, 2019, 03:51:11 PM »
Hello Bob and Welcome to The Forum.

So, I’ll get right down to it for you the best I can:

•   R or not?: . . . . . I believe you are actually referring to the “S” and not the R. Early R9 Pistols we were designating as R9 (No Sights) or the R9s (s = Sights). You have a rare R9s slide on your early Farmingdale, N.Y. pistol. The reason that that was short lived was the fact that bureaucracy is alive and well in government. The NYS Police, who records serial numbers of firearms here in New York State, contacted us and said that if we used the “s” after the “R9”, it is a different firearm and that we would have to submit another round of firearms for testing and record them as a different model. We explained that all it was was sights/no sights, but the exact same pistol. Nope, the law is the law. We conceded and just went with the R9 designation after that event, which would have cost more funds, more firearms sent to them and forfeited and more paperwork for a sighted model. Silly?. . . . Yes. Typical government gobble-dee-gook?. . . . Yes.

•   Farmingdale, New York:  Original factory location.

•   Serial Number:  R196 = The 95th R9 Pistol manufactured for the public. We started at R101.
The first pistols just had numbers like 1, 2, 3, etc. up to 48. Then we had a few higher numbered pistols for the purposes of trying new finishes on the frames. 200 and 300 series were selected for that purpose. Just a few of those exist today.  The R proceeding the number on your pistol, and many others to follow, let us know in the factory that that frame was the upgraded frame with full support (360 degrees) around each side for the barrel pin. No R prefix had a cutout on the right hand side in that area for the trigger sear bar. With testing, there was a slight issue with some frames beginning to have hairline cracks there, so we redesigned the area for full support of the barrel pin and redesigned the sear bar to allow clearance for travel there. It was a much needed improvement in the design keeping the integrity of the frame strong.

•   Grip Type:  You have the highly sought after original Blue Carbon Fiber Grip Panels on your R9. I have seen those sell on eBay a number of years ago and $350 for a set was the norm.

•   Magazine Bases:  The original mag bases did not have a cut in them to allow the mag release to fit into the mag. Those very early smooth base magazines did like to “pop out” when firing on some pistols. We addressed that issue by having a cut out to allow the mag release to drop into the base plate thereby stopping that issue and keeping the magazine in place when firing the gun.

•   Stealth Elite model?:  No, as tracker mentioned earlier. . . . . you have the “Standard” model R9S.

•   Lastly, the Logo on the bottom of the Magazine:  You stated: “The mag base plate has Rohrbaugh engraved in a very small text in a ribbon design, and what looks like a spring inside a shield.”  What that actually is is the design of our family shield / crest from Germany.

. . . . so there you have it Bob. I do stop by the forum from time to time and try to answer questions about the pistol, so if you have any other questions, feel free to ask away. There are many knowledgeable folks here who have been around since day one, as it were, so you are in good hands. You can also private message (PM) me through this site.

Again, Welcome aboard!

Best Regards,

Eric C. Rohrbaugh
Makers of the NRA Shooting Illustrated: "Handgun of the Year for 2005" and receiver of an NRA Golden Bullseye Award.

Offline PhilZ

  • Grand Master
  • *****
  • Posts: 523
Re: IS MY R9s SPECIAL? OR NOT?
« Reply #7 on: November 17, 2019, 09:20:23 PM »
ECR’s historical info post is the type I’m going to start to screen-shot just in case the forum closes down.  The forum has been a great source of historical info.  Maybe we could start compiling info somewhere like wikipedia. 

Offline BobJhn

  • New Member
  • *
  • Posts: 15
  • New Member
Re: IS MY R9s SPECIAL? ?DEFECT?
« Reply #8 on: December 16, 2019, 02:15:05 PM »
Eric,
Thanks for giving me some insight regarding the pedigree of my R9s.  Rather than holding on to it, I plan to list it on the Forum for sale.  I would be inclined to describe it as blemish free, or LNIB, but there is something I am not sure about.  I don’t want to misrepresent it, and hope you can help me with this.

Along the top of the chamber there is what may be friction/wear tracks. I am providing a photo, but I haven’t been able to get one that shows what it actually looks like to me. In the photo, the marks seem dark, but in direct light they actually are slightly shiny (brighter than the adjacent metal).  I only recently noticed them.  I thought about trying a polishing compound or 1500 grade silicon carbide paper to blend it in, but don’t want to disguise a possible defect.   

Questions - - Is this somehow just normal wear as the result of putting about 100 rounds through the gun? Have others reported anything similar?  If it is not a common thing for these guns, is it possibly the result of a misfit between the frame and the top of the chamber?  Should this be a significant factor in how I describe the condition of my gun when I list it for sale?  And should it have much of an impact on what the sale price might be otherwise?

Please let me know what you think.

Bob
I couldn't find a way with PM to attach the photo, and so am using this reply route.

Offline ECR

  • Grand Master
  • *****
  • Posts: 1709
Re: IS MY R9s SPECIAL? OR NOT?
« Reply #9 on: December 16, 2019, 07:48:06 PM »
Hey Bob,

That is consist with wear on the top of the barrel for an R9 with about 100 rounds sent downrange. No hurt, no foul whatsoever. You have an extremely early Rohrbaugh R9 in top condition with all of the original features untouched. Any collector of Rohrbaugh pistols would be proud to have that particular sidearm within their collection.

Regards,

Eric Rohrbaugh
Makers of the NRA Shooting Illustrated: "Handgun of the Year for 2005" and receiver of an NRA Golden Bullseye Award.

Offline PsychoSword

  • Expert
  • ***
  • Posts: 240
Re: IS MY R9s SPECIAL? OR NOT?
« Reply #10 on: March 10, 2020, 08:04:37 PM »
Wish I still had my Farmingdale. It also had the blue CF grips.

Offline ECR

  • Grand Master
  • *****
  • Posts: 1709
Re: IS MY R9s SPECIAL? OR NOT?
« Reply #11 on: March 20, 2020, 04:37:16 PM »
Those were special pistols PS.
Makers of the NRA Shooting Illustrated: "Handgun of the Year for 2005" and receiver of an NRA Golden Bullseye Award.

Offline PsychoSword

  • Expert
  • ***
  • Posts: 240
Re: IS MY R9s SPECIAL? OR NOT?
« Reply #12 on: March 29, 2020, 12:12:55 AM »
Those were special pistols PS.

I didn't fire in much, but it never gave me a problem, and I miss the blue CF grips a lot on that gun especially.

Worked great with WWB 115gr. and 115gr. or 124gr. Gold Dots.