Rohrbaugh 9MM

[white spaniard]

Has anyone herd of a rorbaugh 9MM? a co-worker baught one anf never herd of the company.

[Marcus L.]

http://www.rohrbaughfirearms.com/product/prod_set.html

A tiny 9mm pocket pistol. However, its size puts limitations on it. You cannot shoot +P or +P+ ammunition through it, it has a very slow twist rate to reduce recoil torque(anything over 115gr may have accuracy problems), and the recoil spring wears out fast. Due to the very light slide mass, it is much more dependent on the recoil spring for recoil absorption. I think Rohrbaugh rates it at 500rds or less before it needs replacing. There's several reviews around the net, and none of them really have raving reviews on it. Most testing claims it is very finicky about ammo.

[white spaniard]

OK thanks for the info wow he said he paid 1,200.00 for it

[sigmundsauer]

I have an R9S Stealth.

The Rohrbaugh definitely has some peculiarities that must be considered. However, it does what no other pistol can do at this point - carry seven rounds of full power 9mm in a package almost identical to .380 class pistols.

The pistol is not without caveats, but it definitely has utility.

Tim

[RogerinTPA]

I handled one back last oct/nov time frame at my fun store. It is a good looking weapon, but for the price, holly dog sh&t batman!:eek: I'll stick with my M&P9c thanks!;)

[sigmundsauer]

I handled one back last oct/nov time frame at my fun store. It is a good looking weapon, but for the price, holly dog sh&t batman!:eek: I'll stick with my M&P9c thanks!;)

The M&P9c is a fine pistol, but hardly in the same size class as the Rohrbaugh.

Rohrbaugh ain't perfect, but it does what no other pistol can do at this point.

Making a 13 oz auto pistol work reasonably well with full power 9mm ammunition is a very, very tricky task. And although I will say that it does not work as well as any of my compact 9mm's (which are really just chopped full size pistols), I'm amazed that it works as well as it does.

Regarding the price. It is a very, very limited market. The high costs of investing in state-of-the-art CNC equipment and manual labor to produce such a niche pistol have to get passed along somewhere. If Rohrbaugh was able to sell enough of them to compete with mainstream handguns like the Smith 442, I am sure the price would be considerably less expensive.

But, again, it's the price of ownership for a pocket pistol that fires full power 9mm.

Tim

[Savior 6]

I think the Rohrbaughs are great weapons. I wanted no smaller than a 9mm for a carry weapon and my R9s more than fits the bill. I am a medium frame guy and the Rohrbaugh is very easy to conceal in a cargo pocket, even a front pocket of my pants or shorts. It suites my more than casual attire but always gives me that extra assurance that I have at least a 9mm.

[SecretAgentMan]

One of my co-workers likes his R9S enough that he bought a second one. I've never had the opportunity to shoot the Rohrbaugh, though, so I'm in no position to render judgement.

[KingsideRook]

I'll echo what others have said -It's a tiny little niche, but it owns the niche. For a wallet-size pistol in 9mm, it's the only game in town.

At over a grand each, I sold about 100 Kel-Tec P3AT pistols for every Rohrbaugh. BUT, every Rohrbaugh owner was happy with what he got, which I could not say about those who bought the Kel-Tec. I fluffed-and-buffed my Kel-Tec into operation, but it wasn't a Rorhbaugh. If you just had to have a 9mm pistol in your change pocket, it's the only thing on the market, and it does what it advertises, within the realm of expectations for pocket pistols, of course.

Not a lot of fun to shoot after 4 mags, but the half-dozen or so I saw all worked with 2-3 types of ammo, and shot right where pointed at 7 yards. If you can afford it, I say load it, get some practice, carry it.

[MarkC]

A Kahr PM9 is only
1/10 of an inch longer.
1/4 of an inch taller.
5/100 of an inch thicker.
1.2 oz heavier
It will handle any type of ammo you want to put in it and you can find them in the $650 range.

[sigmundsauer]

A Kahr PM9 is only
1/10 of an inch longer.
1/4 of an inch taller.
5/100 of an inch thicker.
1.2 oz heavier
It will handle any type of ammo you want to put in it and you can find them in the $650 range.

The PM9 is a good pistol, but if you add all those "small" dimensional differences together you end up with a measurably bulkier pistol than the R9 (even more so than what the numbers would suggest) that is less suitable for true pocket carry. In fact, I believe the R9 is at the upper end size-wise of what can be practically carried in a pocket, so I'm not personally interested in anything larger.

Tim

[varoadking]

The PM9 is a good pistol, but if you add all those "small" dimensional differences together you end up with a measurably bulkier pistol than the R9 (even more so than what the numbers would suggest) that is less suitable for true pocket carry. In fact, I believe the R9 is at the upper end size-wise of what can be practically carried in a pocket, so I'm not personally interested in anything larger.

Tim


Sounds like you could use some bigger pockets... ;)

[MarkC]

The PM9 is a good pistol, but if you add all those "small" dimensional differences together you end up with a measurably bulkier pistol than the R9 (even more so than what the numbers would suggest) that is less suitable for true pocket carry. In fact, I believe the R9 is at the upper end size-wise of what can be practically carried in a pocket, so I'm not personally interested in anything larger.

Tim

Any size difference is measurable, but "measurably bulkier" is a purely subjective assessment. I understand that the small variances may seem large to you but to me they are quite insignificant. My Kahr (and I carry the MK9--I don't like the cheap feel of polymer stuff) sits in a pocket holster and is completely unidentifiable, every bit as inconspicuous as my son's P380.

The Rohrbaugh is well made pistol and I understand their owners affection for them, but for me their drawbacks are considerably larger than the small size advantage they offer.

To each his own.

[sigmundsauer]

I agree that we each have our own criteria which makes a particular pistol more suitable for our tastes. By "measurably bulkier" I am making a distinction from subjective assessments as it can be measured, one that is better illustrated here:http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/R9.htm

I've personally found the PM9 to be just too big for pocket pistol duty, imo. But depending on the person, the clothes, and where you carry it, I am sure a PM9 can perform well in that role.

I find the R9 to be at the upper limit for me. It's not just the size, it's the weight too. 14 oz of pistol may not sound like much, but add a fully loaded magazine and start walking around and it can flop around more than I'd like. Many people, including myself, can easily conceal weapons standing in front of mirror motionless, it's factoring in normal daily activity, movement, and bending over/down and such that defines how discreetly any given pistol can truly be carried.

Tim

[MarkC]

By "measurably bulkier" I am making a distinction from subjective assessments as it can be measured

Any size differences are measurable. But the term you use carries with it a certain prejudice that might make someone unfamiliar with the two pistols under discussion imagine that there is a significant size and weight difference. And once again at that point what is and isn’t significant is entirely subjective.

Concerning weight, it is 14 oz for the Kahr opposed to 12.8 for the Rohrbaugh with empty mags. Holding one in each hand at the same time (which I have done) the difference is almost indistinguishable. Loaded, the difference is even less noticeable.

As far as being discreet, when the two pistols are carried in a good pocket holster (which is where a pocket pistol ought to be) there is no visible difference—both disappear. Indeed larger sub-compacts than either of these can be carried in the pocket quite successfully.

Now obviously you feel more confident carrying the Rohrbaugh and that’s fine. But it’s important for someone considering purchasing one not to simply take the word of anyone on an internet forum, especially when (depending on where one lives) the Rohrbaugh might be hard to find to make a side by side comparison with other weapons being considered. Feel is incredibly important. How big are a persons hands? I can’t go any smaller than the Kahr and I use it as a last resort.

And there are other sizes to consider. Rohrbaugh is quite adamant about using standard 9mm ammo. When I’m limited to 6+1 I want +p or +p+ cartridges in the mag and the Kahr handles them quite nicely. The size of the punch is something to consider.

Anyway I wouldn’t tell anyone what to carry, only to spend as much time as is possible handling and shooting the weapon before laying down the funds.

Have a nice day

[Jack_Stroker]

I just recently became aware of these things. I handled one at a gun show and frankly, while neat, it damn sure isn't worth the cost. $1,200 for that? No thanks. They can keep it.

[MarkC]

I just recently became aware of these things. I handled one at a gun show and frankly, while neat, it damn sure isn't worth the cost. $1,200 for that? No thanks. They can keep it.

Certainly falls into a niche market and it's not worth it if it isn't doesn't serve a purpose--just like anything else. But it's basically a custom gun and the workmanship and detail are flawless. If you buy the gun because it fits your needs it's definitely worth the price. It's a classy little piece.

[Savior 6]

Any size differences are measurable. But the term you use carries with it a certain prejudice that might make someone unfamiliar with the two pistols under discussion imagine that there is a significant size and weight difference.

For those who want a comparison I would visit the link that sigmundsauer has posted. It shows a great size comparison of the Rohrbaugh and Kahr PM series.

[MarkC]

For those who want a comparison I would visit the link that sigmundsauer has posted. It shows a great size comparison of the Rohrbaugh and Kahr PM series.

There is also a good write up on all the popular 9mm pocket pistols in one of the current months handgun mags. Don't remember which off hand.

[ToddG]

Having handled (but not shot) both, specifications aside there's no question that the Rohrbaugh is a much smaller package. The individual numbers just don't do a good job demonstrating the actual difference ... after all, dimension specs for guns are always based on the max. So if one gun has a lever that sticks out really far, it gives the impression that the entire gun is fat, when it's not.

However, I think the Rohrbaugh's real contribution will be opening up a potential new handgun market. Like the original .32 Seecamp, which was finicky and only worked with select loads, the Rohrbaugh fills a niche that didn't exist before for folks willing to accept its limitations. Now it's up to other bigger companies to assess whether that niche can sustain the cost of developing new smaller 9mm guns in their product lines.

[Marcus L.]

Personally I'm looking forward to the Boberg if it ever goes into production:

http://www.bobergengineering.com/

http://www.bobergengineering.com/video_page.htm

The unique action allows the barrel to be moved back over an inch so that the overall pistol profile is incredibly small.

[maximus83]

Wow, that Boberg XR9S (the shorty model) is one interesting-looking design. I cannot believe, from the diagram of the XR9S on the linked page, how far back the barrel sits. There's like, no frame left forward of the trigger guard!

I looked at the Rohrbaughs with interest, but saw enough reports about reliability that it scared me off. Apparently it's not easy to build a VERY small centerfire pistol and have it feed and fire reliably. Looking forward to see if this design works.

[evidence120]

Here is a pretty good size comparison of some pocket guns. http://www.mouseguns.com/PocketAutoComparison.pdf

I'm looking at the two Kel-tec 9mm models, PF9 and P11. Any opinions? The only difference seems to be capacity.

[dcmdon]

I own a 10.5 ounce pocketable pistol that works very reliably with 9mm ammunition (actually .357 mag, but its the same bullet) . Its called a Smith and Wesson 342 PD.

Don
p.s. it only holds 5 rounds but its rock solid reliable.
p.p.s. the bobberg is more like a Kahr in size, still much larger than the Rohrbach

[achildofthesky]

Hefted one a few weeks back ad was impressed by the apparent build quality and it is positively tiny. It disappeared in my pocket... Nice..
Patty

[Marcus L.]

Hefted one a few weeks back ad was impressed by the apparent build quality and it is positively tiny. It disappeared in my pocket... Nice..
Patty

5-finger discount?

[achildofthesky]

(;->) No just checked for fit....

Patty