anyone have a rohrbaugh?

[skyugo]

i know i'm the guy that jumps in with a "get a g26 and a holster!" when pocket guns are brought up (just did it fact)
but has anyone shot one of these things? are they painful to shoot? do you train with it regularly? is it reliable?

they're uber expensive, but i'm strangely drawn to them. :confused:

[ToddG]

Not I, but a gentleman who hangs out here at M4C wrote up a very detailed review that we published at PTC:
Pocket Wonder -- Rohrbaugh R9S Stealth (http://pistol-training.com/articles/pocket-wonder-rohrbaugh-r9s-stealth)

[skyugo]

Not I, but a gentleman who hangs out here at M4C wrote up a very detailed review that we published at PTC:
Pocket Wonder -- Rohrbaugh R9S Stealth (http://pistol-training.com/articles/pocket-wonder-rohrbaugh-r9s-stealth)

interesting review... thanks

[Erik 1]

I've read that review several times and I still can't quite decide about the Rohrbaugh. On the one hand, it seems like it would fit my needs for carry at work perfectly (office environment, high-end business casual, people I have been working with for years who are not gun-friendly and who would notice immediately if I sprouted a weird lump somewhere). Plus, there's just something very appealing about it in much the same way a good mechanical watch appeals. On the other hand, it's very expensive and seems tempermental. I still keep coming back to it, though. Too bad you can't test drive these things.

[sgalbra76]

Plainly spoken, the R9S is the most unreliable pistol that I have chosen to keep

.....I don't need to read any further than this.

Since reliability is the single most important characteristic of any firearm used in a defensive situation, that in my opinion eliminates the Rohrbaugh from any consideration. I would feel more comfortable with a 2-shot Derringer that I know will reliably go bang every time. The R9S even has a weak striker strength and you can't even be sure the first shot will go off.

Also, the Rohrbaugh has a very slow barrel twist rate. This keeps the torque down on the pistol so that it reduces the recoil twist in the hand. This is why using a bullet longer(heavier) than 115gr will not be very accurate. So, you're limited to the 115gr loading which is so-so in performance.

An auto pistol just isn't very viable in such a small size and weight unless you go with a smaller cartridge which is less abusive to the pistol and the shooter.

[skyugo]

Plainly spoken, the R9S is the most unreliable pistol that I have chosen to keep

.....I don't need to read any further than this.

Since reliability is the single most important characteristic of any firearm used in a defensive situation, that in my opinion eliminates the Rohrbaugh from any consideration. I would feel more comfortable with a 2-shot Derringer that I know will reliably go bang every time. The R9S even has a weak striker strength and you can't even be sure the first shot will go off.

Also, the Rohrbaugh has a very slow barrel twist rate. This keeps the torque down on the pistol so that it reduces the recoil twist in the hand. This is why using a bullet longer(heavier) than 115gr will not be very accurate. So, you're limited to the 115gr loading which is so-so in performance.

An auto pistol just isn't very viable in such a small size and weight unless you go with a smaller cartridge which is less abusive to the pistol and the shooter.

though 9 of the 11 malfunctions he encountered were with s&b ammo. hard primers...
seems like a 9mm snubnose revolver could be made really really short....

i dunno.. i'll probably just stick wiht my glock 26. it's invisible and incredibly reliable.

[GKoenig]

I owned one. Had salivated over them for about 6 months after release when one showed up in the used section of the local shop. NIB, unfired from some collector's estate.

It is a very beautifully crafted piece of kit. It is just a neat little pistol to hold and appreciate and it is clear that the folks making it know how to run a CNC machine to nice tolerances.

Unfortunately, it was a 100% jam-o-matic. Shooting it is not a very comfortable exercise (an intrinsic fact when dealing with pocket pistols like this). My single range trip included 150 rounds of quality, 115gr Rem. ammo and about 18 malfunctions of the FtE and FtF variety.

Rohrbaugh refused to work on the pistol under warranty given that I was the second owner. The fact that it was clearly unfired and sold by a stocking Rohrbaugh dealer and still well under warranty and that they are a new company that should step the hell up and stand behind their products mattered not. They wanted a flat fee of $100 to diagnose and whatever it cost to fix.

Returned it to the dealer who took it back less $50. Figured that was the least screwed I was going to get on this deal.

If you want a small pistol in a serious use caliber, get a Kahr PM9 and put 500 failure free rounds through. In my experience, Kahrs are binary - they either work out of the box and run forever or they need to be sent back and fixed. If you get one that runs, refresh the recoil spring every 1500 rounds and it'll treat you properly. Much easier to pocket carry than a 26. Much more pleasant to shoot than a .38/.357 revolver.

Rohrbaugh can go pound sand. I wanted nothing more than to be a big fan of their product, but I feel they just screwed me.

[sigmundsauer]

though 9 of the 11 malfunctions he encountered were with s&b ammo. hard primers...
seems like a 9mm snubnose revolver could be made really really short....

i dunno.. i'll probably just stick wiht my glock 26. it's invisible and incredibly reliable.

The preponderance of malfunctions were with the Blazer Brass.

Plainly spoken, the R9S is the most unreliable pistol that I have chosen to keep

A plainly relative statement, not necessarily an indictment on the Rohrbaugh.

Making a 12 oz pistol 100% reliable with all 9mm is probably a bridge too far. Testing compatibility with carry ammo will lead to best success and least disappointment.

There isn't a pistol out there that can do what a Rohrbaugh can at any price. It is not without compromise and is not for everyone.

[skyugo]

well gentlemen, you've saved me 1100 dollars and i thank you. :)

[harrydog]

I also owned one and it had constant reliability issues, regardless of what ammo I used. I really, really wanted to keep this pistol but in the end I had to get rid of it. It went back to Rohrbaugh three times over the course of a year or so. After the third time all of the reliability issues seemed to be resolved but by that time I just didn't have enough faith in it to actually carry it.
It was a neat little gun, very well made, and the Rohrbaugh brothers are great guys with good customer service and they tried their best to make the gun reliable. I think the problem is that this gun is really pushing the envelope size wise for a 6+1 9mm pistol and as such it can be very finicky.

[CGSteve]

Not that American Rifleman is the greatest authority, but for what it's worth, the Feb 2010 issue does a review of all (if not all) the most popular pocket guns currently available.