Still Considering.....

[Richard S]

Bubbaman:

No one is trashing you for investigating. I believe you posted your first inquiries on the R9 back on November 25, 2005, in which you stated:


[size=10]I'm amazed at the number of posts, discussions, etc. concerning failures to feed, and the many other issues[/size].


You then asked about the R9's recoil compared to a pocket pistol chambered for .380 ACP, and that same day I posted the following response:


[size=10]Bubbaman:
 
Welcome to the Forum.
 
I own both the Guardian .380 and the R9.  Bearing in mind that felt recoil is highly subjective, I find my G380's recoil, even with +P ammunition, to be a little less than that of my R9.  I would describe the R9's recoil as "stout" but entirely manageable.
 
As to the cost of the R9, the best simply costs more  -- more to manufacture and more to purchase.  I have one of the first R9s sold to the public and am pleased to report that it has shown no vices. [/size]


That R9 I mentioned back on November 25, 2005, is in my pocket today. After three years and four months of service, it still has shown no vices.

I've been a regular follower of this Forum from its earliest days and can count on the fingers of one hand the number of R9s which have reportedly suffered from irreparable "defects." When one considers that the number of R9s produced is now approaching the 3,000 mark and that so-called "problem guns" will always generate more chatter on the boards and forums than those which are "well behaved," I personally have no concerns whatsoever about the R9's reliability. I trust my life and the life of my beloved little wife with mine. And in the odd event that some problem ever develops with my R9, I know that the factory will make it right.  

Therefore, my advice would be as follows: If you want the smallest, lightest, most concealable, full-power 9mm pistol yet made -- a design now well-proven by more than three years of service -- get an R9, wrap it in some great leather, feed it a diet of gold (Dots or Sabers), and enjoy!  

Good luck to you.
 

[Bubbaman]

Thanks Richard for the kind response. That makes me feel alot better. My intentions were never to bash the R9. In fact, I really like what I've seen. I'm just a very "low maintenance" kind of guy. I don't need anything that requires alot of attention. Thanks again.

[Richard S]

* * * I'm just a very "low maintenance" kind of guy. I don't need anything that requires alot of attention. Thanks again.

Bubbaman:

You sound like one of my nephews. He's absolutely one of the best wing shots I've ever seen in my 70 years on this earth! If it's moving through the air within range of his shotgun, it's "toast" -- feathered or clay . . . no matter. And he does it with a Remington Model 1100 older than he is which he has wrapped in camouflage tape and keeps uncased on the floorboard behind the seat of his pickup truck. His idea of cleaning the gun is to wipe it down now and then with an oily rag -- the same rag he uses to check his motor oil. But it's a real hoot to watch him give lessons in humility to some of my friends around here with their four-figure engraved and inlaid shotguns.

I've let him shoot my R9, but I'd never let him take it out of my sight.  

[DTM_39]

Richard, Your nephew sounds like my grandpa. He used to clean the barrel by putting a round through it. I still have some of his old guns and they still shoot just fine. I'm sort of in the middle.  I clean them once in a while but not as much as I should. Dan

[Bubbaman]

Oh, I clean my guns. I'm a little bit anal about my stuff. What I meant by low maintenance was that I read a couple of years ago that you needed to keep grease on the outside of the barrel, replace the springs every 100 rounds, etc. I want to be able to clean the thing up, shoot the heck out of it, and repeat. I think the R9 is meant to be fired enough to be familiar, but carried more than fired.  

[DTM_39]

Bubbaman, I believe the grease if laid on to thick used to gum things up. The reco was to go with the oil. I clean and lube every 50 rounds. I believe the current reco on the recoil spring is 200 rounds. I'm sure somebody will correct me if that figure is wrong. The gun gets hot so you should let it cool off after a couple of mags. Dan

[Richard S]

Richard, Your nephew sounds like my grandpa. He used to clean the barrel by putting a round through it. I still have some of his old guns and they still shoot just fine. I'm sort of in the middle.  I clean them once in a while but not as much as I should. Dan

Dan:

Now that Taps have been played for the two sergeants in question, I am at liberty to say that I once knew a grizzled old armorer who had a special way of cleaning firearms when no one was around to see. His process involved a certain 55-gallon drum which his buddy in charge of the headquarters motor pool allowed him to keep there under a tarp, ostensibly out of sight and out of mind. The drum was filled with what might euphemistically be called "surplus" gasoline. The armorer referred to his gun-cleaning technique as "expeditious total immersion."

How did I hear about any of that?  Let's just say that "stuff" occasionally happens, and some of that "stuff" is brought to the attention of an Army division's chief of military justice.    

[DTM_39]

Richard ,  I hope that old armorer waited for the guns to dry before he fired them.  Dan