The Rohrbaugh Forum

Rohrbaugh Products and Accessories => Rohrbaugh R9 (all variations) => Topic started by: PCShooter on December 11, 2010, 03:15:42 PM

Title: New Member, New (to me) R9s...first impressions.
Post by: PCShooter on December 11, 2010, 03:15:42 PM

After many months of lurking as an envious guest, I can finally claim a Rohrbaugh as my own.

Picked it up last week and took it for a spin yesterday.  

First impressions:  

• I'm impressed with the quality of the trigger.  Definitely on par with the custom work I've had done to all of my Sig Sauer's by Grayguns.  Very smooth, no stacking, clean break...very nice.

• The finish leaves a lot to be desired.  The original owner had the gun for only a short time, yet there is a fair amount of holster wear...certainly more than I would expect for such a little amount of use--even if it was holstered and un-holstered repeatedly.

• Many members here suggested 115gr. Gold Dots.  I loaded up with some for my first shooting session and...Aye Carumba!  There is NO way that my 5'2" 100lb. wife is gonna be able to handle those!  I switched to 147gr. Hornady FTP's and they were a bit easier to handle.  I think she could handle the recoil in a life-or-death situation, but I have my doubts.  (I envision the thing leaving an imprint in her forehead after the first trigger pull.)
  

• Accuracy was wAY better than I expected.  Even with the snappy gold dots, I was able to hold a fairly tight group at 20 feet.  It's no plinker or range gun, but I feel very comfortable carrying this gun for self defense.

I initially bought the gun in the hope that it would be a suitable purse-gun for my wife.  She isn't a "shooter," but has mentioned the desire for a small gun for those times when...well, you know.  I'd like her to try the .380 version, despite my belief that it's an anemic caliber, it's better than carrying nothing at all.

Even though this one won't work out for my wife, I still think it'll fit the bill for those times when I need to venture out for a short time (taking the garbage out to the curb, for example).  I live in a big city and in a safe building, but the neighborhood is dodgy...to say the least.  I'm in a wheelchair and this will be easy to slip into a chest pocket.  As it is, I sometimes go unarmed on those occasions--getting fully rigged up is just too inconvenient for those short excursions to the curb or to the 7-11 up the street.

That's about all I can think of at the moment.  Here's a pic that I took after the first magazine...to commemorate the moment, ha ha!

(http://i55.tinypic.com/33pc6mo.jpg)

Title: Re: New Member, New (to me) R9s...first impression
Post by: yankee2500 on December 11, 2010, 03:21:34 PM

PCShooter,  Welcome to the group.
 There are a few people who have had there pups ported and say that does help with the recoil, mine is not and I am fine with it as is.
Good shooting by the way.

John

Title: Re: New Member, New (to me) R9s...first impression
Post by: jetboater on December 11, 2010, 03:54:22 PM

welcome to the world of Rohrbaugh---they're great gun (I have 3)

you may consider a mag extension --they allow you to get another finger on the grip (for me that's 2 vs 1) and make a huge difference for me in being able to handle the recoil.

John (yankee 2500 who just welcomed you in the earlier post) is the one who sells them--he had them designed and machined--they're very high quality and match the gun well (I have 6 of them for my R9s)  
John also sells a very nice takedown tool-both are available in the classified section

Title: Re: New Member, New (to me) R9s...first impression
Post by: kjtrains on December 11, 2010, 06:27:39 PM

PCShooter.  Welcome to the Forum.  All the above are great suggestions and you will probably want all the items that John sells for the R9 and also the R9 Coffee Mug for yourself; all are excellent items.  Again, welcome.

(http://s575.photobucket.com/albums/ss197/kjtrains/AutumnWelcomeScene.gif)

Title: Re: New Member, New (to me) R9s...first impression
Post by: Richard S on December 12, 2010, 12:19:02 PM

PCS:

Welcome to the Forum, and congratulations on your R9 Stealth.

If the holster wear inflicted by the former owner is an "itch you need to scratch," you might consider sending it off for recoating by Bearcoat, Wilson, or Robar.

The subject of holster wear to the finish of a pistol gives me an opportunity once again to recommend a product which I use on all of my guns -- Renaissance Wax. I started using it on the surface of my guns and holsters years ago when I learned that the NRA Museum uses it for its collection.

http://www.restorationproduct.com/

It has been six and one-half years now that I have been carrying my Farmingdale R9 on a daily basis. Applying Renaissance Wax to the pistol has always been the last step in its regular cleaning regimen. The result is no visible holster wear on the pistol, and the holster is as new (as shown in this photo taken this morning).

(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/RichardS/rohrbaughr9atsixandonehalfyears.jpg)

[size=10][Edited to correct link.][/size]

Title: Re: New Member, New (to me) R9s...first impression
Post by: FB3 on December 22, 2010, 10:45:58 AM

I found that putting some skateboard tape on the front and rear of the grip really aids in controlling the pistol.

Even plain I think that the R9 9mm has a lot less perceived recoil than a Seecamp 380 that I used to have.

Good shootng on that target!