New Angle On FTF/FTE/Ammo

[Reinz]

Ok, let's assume shooting technique is perfect and ammo is a nonissue.

Now as I have mentioned before, my four R9s shoot fine without isssues.  I bought the first one new in 2006, the rest used in 2010, 2011, and 2012.  i thought the serial numbers were all over the map and told a forum member so.  However, upon closer inspection I found that they ALL fell in between the range of 1200- 2000.  Wow, what are the odds?

So now I am wondering if maybe the earlier guns had more time and attention paid to them. Or maybe the springs were better?

Or as time wore on and as the R9 gained popularity, maybe the factory did not have as much time to polish this or that as much.  Or radius this part as much as it should or tweak that spring juussst right, like they used to.

The desire is there, just not the time.

So, as a little nonscientific test, you problematic guys, give us your serial number range, e.g., 12xx.  You flawless feeders, please do the same.

It is just so puzzleling to keep reading about all of these problems, when a lot of us just don't experience it.

What you say?  Give it a whirl?

[C0untZer0]

I think in general, the way it works is, for most guns / gun owners, if a person buys a gun and it is problem free - we probably do not hear from that person.  However if a person buys a gun and experiences problems - they are going to get on the Internet and start researching and asking for advice etc...  The person may not have even known that a user's forum even existed, but if they are having problems they will find out and they'll post their problem on the user forum.

But having said that, I get the feeling that the Rohrbaugh purchaser is a little different.  Boberg owners are like this - no matter what their experience, they are sharing it on the forum.  So I think Rohrbaugh owners are more apt to post their experience on the forum - good or bad, more than let's say the average person who buys a 1911 or something.

I have been saving my pennies for an R9, but these latest reports have me spooked right now.

[mz368]

I have fired a number of rounds through  three with no issues.  SNs were  13xx, 54xx and 56xx - the first is a standard model the last two are stealths.

[Richard S]

I think in general, the way it works is, for most guns / gun owners, if a person buys a gun and it is problem free - we probably do not hear from that person.  However if a person buys a gun and experiences problems - they are going to get on the Internet and start researching and asking for advice etc...  The person may not have even known that a user's forum even existed, but if they are having problems they will find out and they'll post their problem on the user forum.

But having said that, I get the feeling that the Rohrbaugh purchaser is a little different.  Boberg owners are like this - no matter what their experience, they are sharing it on the forum.  So I think Rohrbaugh owners are more apt to post their experience on the forum - good or bad, more than let's say the average person who buys a 1911 or something.

I have been saving my pennies for an R9, but these latest reports have me spooked right now.

Count:

I don't want to get up on my soap box (it's never far away), but there is absolutely no reason to be "spooked" over the R9. When it hit the market in May 2004, the R9 was the smallest and lightest pistol ever designed for the 9mm Parabellum cartridge. It remains so 8+ years later.

I don't know exactly how many R9s have left the factory by now, but it is in the multiple thousands. Relatively few complaints get posted to this Forum. Reinz has rightly observed that these pistols are unique with minimal tolerances. They require not only the best ammunition and good care but also an owner who understands them. (These pistols aren't like the AK-47 assault rifle designed by Comrade Kalishnikov to be stamped out in the hundreds upon hundreds of thousands for vast Soviet and Warsaw Pact armies, many members of which could neither read nor write.) The Brothers Rohrbaugh stand behind every weapon that bears their family crest and they provide lifetime warranties to the purchasers -- subject, of course to certain warranty-voiding practices such as firing +P or +P+ ammunition through the pistol.

When you are ready to purchase your R9, do so in the sure and certain knowledge that you will be the owner of a masterpiece of form and function that with regular care and maintenance will serve you for the rest of your years. To wit . . . this one that has shown no vices in the past 8+ years.

[jeeptree2112]

Serial # R61xx  Sent back for FTE and FTF
Just picked it up and it looks and feels brand new.  It just feels good in your hand.  Slide is better, trigger is better, and tomorrow I'm sure it will shoot better.  They really lube this thing, tells me I need to be a bit more liberal with the lubrication.

[kjtrains]

jeep.  Glad to hear your R9 is back; looking forward to that positive range report.   

[nyr888]

Mine was a stealth model with serial 59xx

[backupr9]

My original R9 was R3428.  It worked flawlessly but I stupidly sold it to buy a Covert.
The Covert R57xx had FTE/FTF due to an out-of-spec firing pin retainer.  Sent back to Karl and returned firing fine but with locked in grip screw that stripped.  Sent back to Karl again and returned with completely new frame R61xx, and everything else "tweeked."  It has not had one failure so far with over 200 rounds through it (I've been away for nearly two months, so not fired recently).  My Boberg is a really nice pistol and shoots great, but I carry the R9...smaller, very handy, and at the distances involved in personal defense, there is little if any benefit to a +P round IMHO. 

[BlueC2]

R38XX Stealth Elite works flawlessly with Gold Dots (both sizes about 100 rounds). WWB has only had one FTE in about 50 rounds. Wont swallow Remington UMC - Cant even feed the first round from the mag.

321 - I have never fired so I have no idea about performance for the early farmie.

[lawmanv16]

Hello! I have put about 250 rounds through R9S SN R59xx with a few issues but nothing major, placing me somewhere in between the flawless folks and the problematic bunch, and I would call myself closer to the former than the latter.  Most failures to feed were maybe one or two in a 50 round box and usually came closer to the end of a session when my grip was not watched so carefully and the gun was getting warm and dirty.  Gold Dots have never given me any issues, but strangely enough the Winchester white box that many have had success with are a no-go for me.  They are the only round that gives me failures to extract, many of them; sometimes its one a mag, sometimes i can go a mag or two before it happens, but the round sticks in the chamber and the extractor appears as though it slips off of the case rim, leaving me with a jam that requires two hands and a little concentration to clear.  With good ammo the gun does its part provided that i do mine, just wanted to ring in and report an overall good experience with a Rohrbaugh that is right in the range where others have had some trouble.  Thanks for reading...

[BlueC2]

I should add that proper shooting technique goes a long way and even if you are using gold dots if you limp wrist the gun you will get some sort of failure. I have never had a problem myself but I'm a pretty big guy, but others I have gone shooting with have had problems holding on to the little pup well enough to prevent FTFs and FTEs.

[Richard S]

Lawman:

Welcome to the Forum and thank you for that report. Also, based on your handle, thank you for your service in law enforcement.

[Dr. Gonzo]

i think we(newer R9 owners) go out buying an R9, expecting to use the same technique as our bigger guns, not realizing it takes a little more familiarizing with a 13.5 oz. 9mm pocket gun. I distinctly remember shooting my friends 4xxx series gun and the first 2 mags i fired, i had FTFeed's and FTExtract's. My friend took it from me, loaded it, and fired the mag flawlessly, looked over at me and said: "Hold onto it! It's not like your Glock 19, don't give it any slack." Next couple of mags i fired...not one hiccup.

I now own 2 Rohrbaughs, one R9 and one 380. Not a peep from either. The R9 is a used High 5xxx series. Normal wear, I change the springs every 200 rounds and I run it with a thick coat of hoppe's oil w/ Weatherguard.

[Dr. Gonzo]

Welcome to the forum Lawman!

[Z]

Welcome Lawman.
Enjoy the forum!