The Rohrbaugh Forum
Rohrbaugh Products and Accessories => Rohrbaugh R9 (all variations) => Topic started by: ECR on January 25, 2017, 10:31:59 PM
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I am trying to reduce the size of the photographs I took of our prototype pistols and the fixtures we used to create the R9 Series Pistol. I hope you find this entertaining. It certainly has historic value and I hope those of you who own our firearm get a kick out of this photo history of "The World's Small and Lightest 9mm Handgun" and "The Shooting Illustrated Handgun of the Year for 2005". I have quite a few shots, so it will take me a few days to get them all up here with notes about each one.
This First Photograph: Top left: 1st. fixture to see if the predecessor to the R9 (actually a .380 at that point) would fire. That fixture was placed behind a steel barrier and placed in a ransom rest with a pull string on the trigger. We did not want to get hurt if things went wrong. Karl Rohrbaugh was at the helm. It worked fine, however, this first prototype was interesting in that we had a pressed fit barrel in a sleeve. Karl pulled the string, the round ignited and the bullet went downrange, followed by the barrel insert! lol.
Second Photograph: Top right: Our First full frame attempt, which had "Safegun" technology. (patented)
Third Photograph. Bottom left: Second full frame for the early .380
Forth Photograph. Bottom middle: Prototype R9 9mm frame.
Fifth Photograph. Bottom right: Complete version of our Original gun. It was a .380 ACP Pistol with "Safegun" technology. You had to wear a neodymium magnetic ring to activate the trigger mechanism. That was dropped after a long discussion by me with my brother Karl. Karl agreed to drop the "Safegun" trigger design and just make the plain gun without that feature, which really helped in our marketing early on by the way. You can see the prototype ring just below that gun in the lower right hand corner.
Enjoy!
Eric C. Rohrbaugh
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This is how the case looks when you open it. This plastic case has all of the prototype items in it. I will be taking photographs of everything in here and posting them with explanations for each.
More to follow in the next few days.
Eric C. Rohrbaugh
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Cool stuff
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Yes,very cool Eric.
Do ya miss it all?
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Very interesting!!!
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Coolness!
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Yes,very cool Eric.
Do ya miss it all?
A little bit, yes. I was with my brother Karl this day along with Donato Fucci Jr., who also working with us at the factory, as we enjoyed a nice day at the range shooting and then had a nice lunch at a brewhaus afterward. It was a fun day. We reminisced about the SHOT Shows and how we would hang out with everyone who was anyone, which was always fun. Throw a name out there and we most likely knew them and they us. We were part of the fabric called the firearms business. . . . . and it was rather interesting! Do we miss the "idiots"?. . . . Not at all. Do we miss working at the shop and wondering what we were going to do for lunch and then sitting at the boardroom table eating and conversing about things and then go back to make something special!? You bet cha we do. . . . . But that was then, and this is now. . . . . . We are retired and figuring out what to do next. Ha haa. . . . . .
Regards,
Eric R.
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Very cool Eric!! Looking forward to the rest of the pics. This is the kind of stuff and stories that should be put into a book of the history of the company.
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That's great Eric.
I still got er!
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That's great Eric.
I still got er!
Cool
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Very cool Eric!! Looking forward to the rest of the pics. This is the kind of stuff and stories that should be put into a book of the history of the company.
I have thought of writing a book on the company and many other things Karl and I have done in our lives. A little caveat ~ Did you know my brother Karl was the bass player on the hit song in the early 1960s by The Shangri-La's: "Leader of The Pack"!?
OK. . . . . There ya go! Ha haa . . . . .
Have a good night all.
Eric R.
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Thanks for sharing all the insider stuff with us Eric!
Very cool stuff 8)
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I have thought of writing a book on the company and many other things Karl and I have done in our lives.
Eric-
I hope you do write a book. Your giving us the back story on the company and the R9 is very much appreciated. And I still think you and Karl should develop the 45 - I was really looking forward to that one.
-Chris
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I have thought of writing a book on the company and many other things Karl and I have done in our lives.
Eric-
I hope you do write a book. Your giving us the back story on the company and the R9 is very much appreciated. And I still think you and Karl should develop the 45 - I was really looking forward to that one.
-Chris
There could be a whole chapter in the book just on the 45 ; )
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Developing the Rohrbaugh .45 I believe would be an expensive proposition. The prototype picture I saw of it was exciting, elegant, & most of all alluring. Alluring sells. I bet an infusion of some venture capital would make the process easier. I, for one would be interested in being a part of it & I'm sure that I would not be alone. Food for thought......
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I have thought of writing a book on the company and many other things Karl and I have done in our lives.
Eric-
I hope you do write a book. Your giving us the back story on the company and the R9 is very much appreciated. And I still think you and Karl should develop the 45 - I was really looking forward to that one.
-Chris
Many people were looking for the R45 Chris. A few years to go on our "Do Not Compete" clause . . . . . . ecr
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Developing the Rohrbaugh .45 I believe would be an expensive proposition. The prototype picture I saw of it was exciting, elegant, & most of all alluring. Alluring sells. I bet an infusion of some venture capital would make the process easier. I, for one would be interested in being a part of it & I'm sure that I would not be alone. Food for thought......
You never know . . . . . . ecr
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OK everyone. . . . . Here are the next photographs of some prototype parts for the R9 Series Pistols. These were fixtures and different style firing pin designs we tried for the R9. They were all machined by Karl and a good friend of his here on Long Island in the late 1990s. Remember, there was no functioning pistol yet at this point, just working on all of the small details to work up to a complete firearm! These were just for the firing pin and firing pin spring!
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Hello everyone. Here are a few more photographs from the Rohrbaugh Archives. This was the first frame that Karl made with the help of a good friend of his who had a machine shop. The frame has a slit in it for our introduction to "Safe Gun" technology. That is the item that helped us get investors for the project as shareholders in the early days around 1996. Notice the slit in the trigger guard of the frame. That was where the lever was hidden for the trigger lock mechanism. Enjoy the photos.
Regards,
Eric C. Rohrbaugh
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Some more shots...........
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and a few more............ Note the bottom photograph shows the first style trigger sear/transfer bar. This frame and components were for the predecessor of the R9 9mm Series pistols. This was a .380 caliber blowback design pistol with the "Safe Gun" System. Karl was competing against the Seecamp .32 caliber pistol and wanted to make something a little larger in caliber, hence the original pistol from Rohrbaugh was too be this handgun design. More to follow here in a few days if I can stay on it for you.
Enjoy the History!
Regards,
Eric C. Rohrbaugh
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Thanks Eric, this is some great insight into those days. Please keep them coming ;D
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THAT is impressive. Hats off to you sir!
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Thank You offrd and Kevin. More to come. I felt it only proper for those of you who are R9 connoisseurs and historians should have these available. It is a good and safe place to have them logged.
ECR
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Here is the very first fixture Karl made to test his theory for his gun. He didn't even know if it would work at that time! This was somewhere around 1999 or so. Anyway, we set it up with a backstop and it was affixed to a vice behind a steel plate so if it "blew up", we would be protected from the debris. It worked just fine as we all know by this point. We attached a string to the trigger, not shown here, and went behind the steel plate and pulled the string to set things into motion. Being it was a pressed-in barrel at that time, the bullet (.380) did in fact go downrange, and then the rifled sleeve went off right behind it! We had that on camera somewhere. It was funny as hell watching the sleeve go out of the barrel right after the bullet did! Ha haa. . . . . Whelp. . . Back to the drawing board we went. Ha haa. . . . yeah, but the bullet was almost dead center in the paper target! Success! Yes!
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More shots of the first test fixture.
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The original prototype magazine in .380 acp.
More to come in the following days everyone.
Enjoy your evening.
Eric R.
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I still think this needs to be a book. You can call it "From Rohrbaugh to Remington"
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I have thought of that offrd. . . . . . But I'm currently busy with three different musical ventures right now and also I am heavily involved as an officer in our local BMW motorcycle club here on Long Island. Add into the mix is we have two grandsons, 2 & 4, so everything takes a lot out of me at this point to even think about writing a book about our venture with Rohrbaugh. . . . . Although, I do have a strong recurring feeling to make such an effort for that to happen. We'll see as time goes on.
Thank you for your interest in what we have done with the R9. Many other companies have taken some of our design traits and utilized them in their own designs. You know what they say about copying. . . . . it's the greatest form of flattery. Ha haa....
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Here is where I spend a good amount of time each day. . . . . my home studio creating. Also, I forgot to mention I am currently refurbishing a 1976 Fender Rhodes Electric Piano (Stage 73) for a friend of mine. . . . yeah, I'm a busy guy! lol
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Hi Eric I have to say I carry my R9 almost daily and I did have a few questions about it I'll have to ask but I sure hope that you guys can go back into business I feel much better having you there for any repairs or parts.
I miss you guys
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I can tell you Karl & I will not be making R9 pistol ever again on our lifetime. We are enjoying our retirement now. Thank you for the kind words however.
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I can tell you Karl & I will not be making R9 pistol ever again on our lifetime. We are enjoying our retirement now. Thank you for the kind words however.
Maybe consider SEMI-retirement?
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Ha haa . . . . . . . ::)
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Hey everybody . . . . I hope you are all enjoying these historic photographs I'm adding here to the forum for future reference. I am having fun doing these. That said, here is the next few shots I have for this thread. Enjoy the History of Rohrbaugh!
Here is our early Rohrbaugh 380 design with our patented "Safegun" trigger mechanism. Remington Arms now holds that patent, along with the R9 Series Pistol in .380 and 9mm.
Regards,
Eric C. Rohrbaugh
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More photos.........
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More photos ................ These are showing you the "Safegun" trigger mechanism.
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I have more to follow guys. I tried posting the photographs showing how the trigger worked using a custom neodymium magnetic ring to activate the system, but, for some reason, the photos kept presenting upside down!? I'll look into that and get those posted as soon as I can. They really show how it worked, so I'll figure it out soon. Ha haa . . . .
Anyway . . . . Enjoy these for tonight!
Eric R.
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Thanks for posting these Eric, very interesting.
I kinda like the open slide.
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Eric,
Thanks for your time posting these!
Very cool! 8)
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I just noticed my reply #38 . . . . . I had "666" posts!
"The Devil" . . . . . . LOL
Glad you guys are enjoying these photographs and sometimes the brief descriptions there of.
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Great pics. :D :D :D :D
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Thank you Kevin.
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This is a SAD post :-[ All those partially made pistols waiting for new owners. Makes you feel like going through the dog pound and seeing all the pups that need adoption.
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LOL . . . . . . More of those "Lost Puppy Pictures" coming too Kevin. lol