PUP is a good nickname, I do believe, because this cute little guy barks and bites.
For me it truely was "love at first bang". The recoil impulse while stout, was, for me, easily manageable and the R9 rewarded my early efforts with sub 2" groups at 15 yards. That is astounding performance in my mind for this tiny jewel. In my short experience with the Rahrbaugh R9s, it is the best of the best of pocket pistols. Just for reference I'm 6', 190lb, and wear an XL glove, so the diminutive pup looks comical in my hand. But it performs like a champ.
But others had mixed reviews.
My oldest boy, an accomplished shooter in his own right, was clear after his first mag. "I don't like it." He whole heartedly acknowledged the beautiful craftmanship and design that allowed for such a small package, but for his hand, it was not a perfect fit. His preferred little pistol is the Ruger LCP. When I asked him to rate the comfort of firing the R9, he said the PM9 was less comfortable and the PM45 and LCP were more comfortable for him. Recoil was his only complaint, but it was enough to elicit a negative review from him. His hand is also XL, like mine, but he is a bit larger and "meatier" at 6'2" and 240lb. His hand reflects that extra bulk and is a little chunkier than mine.
The other shooter, whose opinion I value greatly, is a 70+ yo US Marine. At 5'9 and about 150lb he is a lean, mean, fighting machine. His eyes are failing him, so "blowing the wings off of a gnat at 1000 yards" may be a challenge these days, but he is as avid and enthusiastic shooter with a love of beautiful firearms. With the pup, he didn't mention recoil, instead his comment was "trigger sucks, I'd get that fixed". The long, creepy double action pull was a "no go" for him and when pressed for addition opinion he stated that in his opinion "that trigger is broken" and "needs fixin'." Translated from grizzled old Marine to less coloquial speech, this means that he feels the trigger linkage design is poor and causes unnecessarily poor trigger feel and length of pull.
As far as the R9s performance "it put's 'em in the bread basket ok"
Contrast that with the enthusiasm of my littlest one, 12 years old, 80lbs soaking wet, and shooting since he was old enough to fit into shooting glasses. He placed 3 rounds in the black at 7yards. His review? "Can I shoot it again, Dad?" I said, "not today", because I wish to protect his young, growing joints. But I have no doubt he can handle the R9, even with his limited strength and bulk. Which brings to the forefront a point for us all to note. A positive attitude and enthusiasm have much to do with shooting well.
The R9 is a niche firearm, there are not compromises as much as there are necessities of design to accomplish it's packaging and performance. The light weight and small size required for ultra-concealability means the perceived recoil can be stout. The smooth lines and lack of protuberances desired for an unhindered pocket draw, as well as simplicity of design for reliability, means a lack of other safeties. This necessitates the long trigger pull as a secondary safety mechanism. (We all know that the primary safety is the one between your ears)
Due to these design decisions, I can carry the R9 without compromise. It can be kept quickly accessible in a normal-sized pants pocket, and can be drawn effectively from that location for times when waistband carry in not an option. My Kahr PM9 tends to hang up in my pocket when drawn, even after much practice. For other situations, yes, there are better choices for a handgun, but the R9 gives me options to carry a full powered 9mm firearm where required attire dictated that it was not an option before. I really like that.
I am sure the future will bring new materials and new designs, but for now, there just isn't a better total concealment package with the power of the Rohrbaugh R9.
