Author Topic: To be updated: the R9 2000 round test thread  (Read 29086 times)

Offline JoshA

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Re: To be updated: the R9 2000 round test thread
« Reply #30 on: March 11, 2014, 11:01:53 PM »
Very well sir.

I will look forward to your future posts. Looks like she's running like a sewing machine now.

Take care.
War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse.

John Stuart Mill
English economist & philosopher (1806 - 1873)

Offline C0untZer0

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Re: To be updated: the R9 2000 round test thread
« Reply #31 on: March 19, 2014, 06:03:29 AM »
Before I purchased my R9 I poured through posts to get an idea of what kind of ammo the R9 liked and didn't like.  My biggest fear was that the R9 wouldn't cycle the 147gr rounds.  I didn't want a 9mm that could only shoot 115gr standard pressure bullets.

My conclusion from my own research reading posts here, was that the 124gr Gold Dot was the round that worked in most R9s.  It was the most trouble-free cartridge.  So I sized up the 124gr std pressure Gold Dot to make a decision on whether or not I could live with that as a SD round if it turned out that the 124gr Gold Dot was the only round my R9 would shoot.

I came to the conclusion that the 124gr Gold Dot is an adequate self defense round and I purchased an R9.

Now it just so happens that my R9 also shoots the Winchester Ranger "T" Series without any problems and I like that round better than the 124gr Gold Dot for SD

Offline guncats

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Re: To be updated: the R9 2000 round test thread
« Reply #32 on: April 19, 2014, 09:35:34 PM »
updated test log with Gold dot 124gr JHP results (one-handed, both strong and weak hand).

Strange thing is I felt the gun cycles more "solidly" with one-handed hold, the recoil came straight back, instead of the "rocking" motion when using two-handed hold.

I now have enough confidence in this little gun, this will probably be the end of the test.... I know it is not even at half-way point of the original 2000rd goal, but considering the Farmingdale R9's will soon become "collector items"...... :P

Offline guncats

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Re: To be updated: the R9 2000 round test thread
« Reply #33 on: April 22, 2014, 11:03:26 PM »
updated log with Gold Dot 115gr JHP results.
The 115gr recoil is a bit sharper than 124gr, not really a straight back kick, instead it has more of an upward rocking feel to it. Hurts the wrists....

Offline guncats

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Re: To be updated: the R9 2000 round test thread
« Reply #34 on: April 30, 2017, 09:13:51 PM »
4-302017
* took the little gun out of safe and ran a few speed drills today, using Speer Lawman 124gr FMJ. Out of 30 rounds, got one fail-to-fully-eject (empty case pushed back into the chamber, middle of the mag) and one no-bang (the extracted round doesn't show primer strike mark, it was possibly a failure to fully into battery; this was in the middle of the mag. ).
  I got home and checked the gun over and everything looked ok, except that the recoil spring felt rather soft. And I don't remember the round counts on this spring. so I came up there to check the round count records ( which is the primary reason of why I started this thread, I can access the info by a simple google search, anywhere; sharing the experience is just the by product ;)). Sure enough, this spring was way pass the 200rd replacement point, it was already pushing the 300rd mark even before today.
-- with this recoil spring, the first 285rd were malfunction-free.

**Lesson learned: Do change spring before the 200rd mark, or the gun WILL[/ malfunction....


Offline Douglas

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Re: To be updated: the R9 2000 round test thread
« Reply #35 on: May 04, 2017, 08:54:43 PM »
Just checking in. Thanks for the update!  8)

Offline guncats

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Re: To be updated: the R9 2000 round test thread
« Reply #36 on: May 28, 2017, 10:26:09 PM »
5-26-2017
fired 14rd of Speer 124gr FMJ to "burn-in" the new recoil spring. each drill with one round in the chamber, 6 in the mag, two-handed hold, rapid fire; 100%

then tested 14rds of Federal HydraShok 124gr JHP, again "one in chamber, 6 in mag", slow fire
-- strong hand, using the newer mag (stiffer mag spring): 7/7, no problem, 25ft group about 4"
-- weak hand, using an older mag (noticeably softer mag spring): #3 &4 failed to feed, jammed nose-up; might have something to do with the softer mag spring.

(I wanted the hydrashok to work, since Sportsmansguide have them for $12 per box of 20..... oh well, will stick with the GoldDot 124gr for now)

https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/federal-premium-hydra-shok-9mm-luger-hsjhp-124-grain-20-rounds?a=706752
« Last Edit: May 28, 2017, 10:35:37 PM by guncats »

Offline backupr9

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Re: To be updated: the R9 2000 round test thread
« Reply #37 on: May 30, 2017, 09:03:27 AM »
Guncat, could the weaker mag spring have been an issue, or the could the weak hand have been the culprit...just a little limp wrist action?
"Those who would sacrifice a little freedom for a little order, will lose both, and deserve neither." 
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Offline guncats

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Re: To be updated: the R9 2000 round test thread
« Reply #38 on: May 30, 2017, 10:59:30 PM »
probably both. But I suspect the mag spring has more to do with it. Maybe I will burn the remaining 6rd of Hydrashok next time, using the new mag and shoot it weak handed.

and this brings up an interesting point..... how often do we need to replace mag springs? how soft is too soft?

Offline backupr9

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Re: To be updated: the R9 2000 round test thread
« Reply #39 on: June 03, 2017, 06:45:30 PM »
There were discussions a few years back about the need to replace recoil springs because they were rapidly pressure loaded, but that mag springs, even left with a loaded magazine, would not require frequent replacement.  I've heard arguments pro and con.  Eric, or MRC or any one of our other experts need to weigh in on this one.
"Those who would sacrifice a little freedom for a little order, will lose both, and deserve neither." 
Thomas Jefferson

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Offline tracker

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Re: To be updated: the R9 2000 round test thread
« Reply #40 on: June 03, 2017, 07:09:57 PM »
Springs wear out from use: compression and expansion, not from being left compressed in a magazine. As previously mentioned the same principle applies to recoil springs. However, I have not heard of any recommendations on "rounds fired" criteria with the magazine springs. I have heard of loaded 1911s brought home from the war that had remained unfired for 70 years and fired flawlessly.

Offline MRC

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Re: To be updated: the R9 2000 round test thread
« Reply #41 on: June 03, 2017, 07:54:45 PM »
tracker is absolutely correct about springs.  I just never shoot a pistol enough anymore to worry about mag springs.  I do routinely replace recoil and mag springs on Auto Mags I pickup, but those guns are 40+ years old.

That said, the guys at our club that shoot the steel matches will routinely shoot a 1000+ rounds over a weekend and these are held monthly when the weather is warm. They replace mag springs a lot as they are very competitive and a jam will take them out of contention.

The slide speed on a R9 is very high so a good mag spring is required.  I really do not know of many people who shoot their R9 a lot as they are really not made for that type of shooting.

Let's face it, one of the steel shooters could very well wear a R9 out in a weekend.

Offline guncats

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Re: To be updated: the R9 2000 round test thread
« Reply #42 on: June 04, 2017, 01:20:47 AM »
...

Let's face it, one of the steel shooters could very well wear a R9 out in a weekend.

I'd rather say "the R9 could very well wear a steel shooter out in one match". ;) , his shots will be all over the place toward the end .....very different kind of recoils.

Offline MRC

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Re: To be updated: the R9 2000 round test thread
« Reply #43 on: June 04, 2017, 07:15:13 AM »
...

Let's face it, one of the steel shooters could very well wear a R9 out in a weekend.

I'd rather say "the R9 could very well wear a steel shooter out in one match". ;) , his shots will be all over the place toward the end .....very different kind of recoils.

That could happen also.   :)

But believe me, those guys are marathoners.  A 1000+ rounds of fairly hot 40 S&W can take a toll also.
« Last Edit: June 04, 2017, 07:17:27 AM by MRC »

Offline ECR

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Re: To be updated: the R9 2000 round test thread
« Reply #44 on: June 12, 2017, 12:50:08 PM »
Hello everyone. . . . . I'm back from my little "Vacation" on my ole' BMW Scooter.

So, I see we have mention of the magazine springs for our R9 Series Pistols. Well, here is how things went at our shop:

Initially, the mag springs were ten coil jobs. They would begin to give us weak pressure against the rounds in the magazine within a relatively short time, depending on use. Karl went to a 13 coil spring and, while that worked, I felt it was too difficult to load the magazine and I also felt it was not necessary for it to be that stiff. I experimented by cutting one coil off of the 13 coil magazine spring and did a test fire of around 500 or so rounds, all of which were trouble free. I felt confident with this spring at 12 coils and it had the added benefit of being a little bit easier to load the ammunition into the magazine. As a number of you have correctly suggested, a weak mag spring will cause different malfunctions in a semi-automatic pistol. I feel if you are having any troubles with "stove-piping" and such, remove the base plate on your mag and count how many coils you have. If it's a 10 coil spring, then you have the 1st. Gen. spring and you should update that to the 12 coil spring. If you have a 13 coil, you have a 2nd. Gen. spring. Those work well, but are tougher to load. If you have a 12 coil spring, you have the 3rd. Gen. spring, which was to become the "Standard Magazine Spring" for the R9 Pistol. We had the least amount of jamming issues using the 3rd. Gen. 12 coil spring!

Below are the R9 magazine springs from Left to Right: 

Gen. 1 ~ 10 coils

Gen. 2 ~ 13 coils

Gen. 3 ~ 12 coils
« Last Edit: June 12, 2017, 08:25:12 PM by ECR »
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