New owner with issues

[marcus]

I bought an R9s about 1 month ago. I took it out 4 times in a 2 week period.  I shot about 50 rounds per session the first 3 times, using a variety of ammo including Winchester WB 115 g fmj; Mag. Tech 115 fmj, Black Hills 115gr jhp; Wolf 115 fmj; Fiocci 115 fmj. Fourth session was 14 shots with Winchester WB. Total rounds of first four sessions 165 with no Jams problems at all. After each time I cleaned and lubed the  pup per the instructions. I waited about 10 days between 4th and 5th session and had 4 Failures to eject in 28 shots (4 -7 round gun fulls) In each case the brass did not eject and was lodged in the gun as the next round tried to feed and got stuck because the brass was in the way. I used Winchecter WB during this session same lot as in prior sessions. About 50 of past 165 rounds were Winchesters without problems. I would appreciate any advice about what I have done wrong. Was it I waited 10 days since last cleaning carried the gun and did not fire. Can the R9 go that long between cleaning even if not fired? I did not see lint or dust on gun before firing in 5th session. What generally caused failure of brass to eject out of the gun?  

[kjtrains]

Try the Winchester 115 gr. Silvertips and Gold Dots 115 gr. HP.  Silvertips are hard to find and Gold Dots can be found at Cabela's in 20 per box for $20.99.  Not cheap at all.

[DanR9SF]

I have yet to receive my R9 but I keep my pocket gun in a pocket holster, in my pocket, every day, for year after year.  I expect it to fire reliably after not being fired for a long time, perhaps 6 months or even longer.  As long as its been stored in a pocket holster, in a clean pants pocket, and as long as it was cleaned and lubed properly after the last range session, it should fire reliably after sitting in a pocket holster in your pocket for months or even longer.  At least that's my requirement for any pocket gun to be used as my only carry gun.

[Corvette]

What do you do in the event both Winchester ST's or Speer GD's become impossible to find or production stops?
I don't understand.......why can't Rohrbaugh do something to make the R9 more compatable with more ammunition?

[kjtrains]

Good question.  I don't have a good answer, but its like a Seecamp, they both need good ammo or I should say excellent ammo.  

Find out which ammo your Rohrbaugh likes best and always keep a box on hand for defense purposes.  Carry alot, shoot not so much.

Like I said, not a good answer, but I think it will work.

[tracker]

Regarding the ammo issue, buy what you can now when you see it.
Some may be available on line but on back order; I put in a few
back orders recently. Also, there is only a limited scope of individ-
ual control of these kinds of things. One suggestion is , funds per-
mitting, buy a few shares of an ammo mfg. stock such as Olin. [OLN]
If the demand continues the stock will ,theoretically, go up in price.
At least there will be a small compensation for no ammo. When they
eventually overproduce, the stock may go down but ammo will once
again be available. It is kind of like risk management.

[DTM_39]

Marcus, First welcome to the forum.  Waiting 10 days between range sessions would not cause the problems you are referring to.  Sounds to me like your R-9 ate everything you fed it.  Some of it not very good stuff.  I would double check for little pieces of crud or shavings off the cases .  If the gun is spotless inside and the problems persist contact Rohrbaugh and they will take care of your problrm.  Dan

[marcus]

Thank you. Marcus

[Bill_in_TX]

I waited about 10 days between 4th and 5th session and had 4 Failures to eject in 28 shots (4 -7 round gun fulls) In each case the brass did not eject and was lodged in the gun as the next round tried to feed and got stuck because the brass was in the way. I used Winchecter WB during this session same lot as in prior sessions. About 50 of past 165 rounds were Winchesters without problems. I would appreciate any advice about what I have done wrong. Was it I waited 10 days since last cleaning carried the gun and did not fire. Can the R9 go that long between cleaning even if not fired? I did not see lint or dust on gun before firing in 5th session. What generally caused failure of brass to eject out of the gun?  

Waiting 10 days between cleaning sessions is really no reason for a pistol not to function.

There are a number of reasons for a pistol not to eject.

Probably the number one cause in small pistols like this is a form of limp-wristing.  That is, allowing the pistol to move around (particularly ride up) too much during recoil.  That takes some of the momentum away from the slide so that it doesn't get back to the ejector firmly enough to kick the old brass out.  
Usually, limp-wristing will result in a stovepipe jam in which the spent brass is sticking out the ejection port, but didn't have enough energy to get out of the way of the next loaded round trying to get in the chamber.

My suspicion would be that maybe you got comfortable with your new pistol and relaxed too much when shooting it this last time.  If you got stovepipe type jams, I'd suggest that you try another range session making a conscious attempt to hold it very firmly.  

Sometimes extractors will have a soft spring and not clear the brass from the chamber.  Again, usually that's seen as the brass left in the chamber with next round jammed up against the spent primer of the fired round.

I emphasized usually above because those indicators aren't cut in stone.  Infrequently, you can also get an ejector issue that will mimic either one.  However, the ejector on the Rohrbaugh is pretty robust and would be my last suspicion.

[Richard S]

Marcus:

There's not much I can add of value to what has been posted above by others, but I think I would strip down your R9, give it a detailed clean and lube, and put it through its paces again -- making certain to maintain a firm grip. As Bill has noted, what is commonly referred to as "limp wristing" can sometimes cause failures to eject in a small pistol such as the R9.

I've carried my R9 (No. 132) daily for what will soon be five years, using a front or back pocket holster depending on mode of dress. I make it a practice to clean it and the magazines after any range session and once each month to get rid of "pocket dreck" even if it has not been shot during that month.  The pistol has shown no vices.

Good luck with what I consider to be the finest pocket pistol yet produced.

[tracker]

One other possible point is all of the different type ammo you used
in the range session, viz., Mag-tech, Wolf, Fiocchi, etc.. Some of
those is like putting regular gas in a Ferrari, to paraphrase some
of Richard's comparisons. i would suggest using a proven range
ammo like WWB and at least isolate that problem as a possibility.
The pup does not seem to do well with lab testing in the ammo
clinic. Keep it simple and with what works when you solve this
problem.
  

[Richard S]

Tracker, as always, makes an excellent point! (It's also good to see a Navy carrier pilot endorse the old Army ground pounder's mantra about keeping things simple.   )