Newbie questions

[Jack_Bauer]

There's a lot of information here to digest. I've found I can only search for so long.

Couple of quick questions. How likely is it to find an R9 in a gun shop? According to Rohrbaugh's site there's a shop about an hour away from me in Baton Rouge. I could call them but then what fun would that be? What should I expect to pay NIB at a dealer? Any online shops that have good prices?

I'm looking for an optimal carry piece. It gets quite humid down here and I supposed there's a little salt in the air. What would be the better finish? I like the Stealth but then in your pocket no ones going to see it anyway.

How are the sights? Enough to snag or nothing to worry about?

I owned a Guardian .380 and never carried it. Found it was too heavy and too bulky. How does the R9 compare?

Thanks for your patience. If I can answer any HK questions I'd be happy to reciprocate.

[mcop511]

I was in that Baton Rouge shop last week and they had 2, a two tone and a stealth. They were slightly higher than retail, if I remember right.
The more experienced here can perhaps better answer your other questions.

[Jack_Bauer]

I was in that Baton Rouge shop last week and they had 2, a two tone and a stealth. They were slightly higher than retail, if I remember right.
The more experienced here can perhaps better answer your other questions.

Have you dealt with that shop before? If so, do they deal? I've never paid the display price for a gun ever.

[mcop511]

Sorry but I dont know about their dealings. I was passing through on my way to Cabela's in Gonzales and stopped to look at Rohrbaughs. Never got to talk to a salesperson cause they were so busy!

As far as sights I think its a non issue. They're so low profile you wont notice the difference. To me the only reason not to get them is if you like the looks of the non sighted one better. For my old eyes, they sights are some help in aiming, thus my choice.

Humidity's tough here in North Louisiana too. Either model will hold up just fine.

Weight is in the eye of the beholder. I will say if you cant put up with the Rohrbaugh's weight you probably wont want to carry anything except a knife. It is VERY light.

Most dealers seem to charge about the same give or take $50-$100. There are some good deals on used (and very collectible) ones on the auction and for sale sites from time to time.

[Richard S]

There's a lot of information here to digest. I've found I can only search for so long.

Couple of quick questions. How likely is it to find an R9 in a gun shop? According to Rohrbaugh's site there's a shop about an hour away from me in Baton Rouge. I could call them but then what fun would that be? What should I expect to pay NIB at a dealer? Any online shops that have good prices?

I'm looking for an optimal carry piece. It gets quite humid down here and I supposed there's a little salt in the air. What would be the better finish? I like the Stealth but then in your pocket no ones going to see it anyway.

How are the sights? Enough to snag or nothing to worry about?

I owned a Guardian .380 and never carried it. Found it was too heavy and too bulky. How does the R9 compare?

Thanks for your patience. If I can answer any HK questions I'd be happy to reciprocate.

JB:

You've given me so much help over at PCT in accelerating my learning curve with the HK P7 that I'm pleased to try to reciprocate.  Here are two macro photographs which offer size comparisons of my G380 and R9:

As for availability of the R9, if you can't find one locally, you can order direct from the factory for shipment to your FFL or you can usually find one or two on the block over at Gunbroker.com.

The sights of the R9 (originally termed the R9s) are virtually snag-proof, and they are actually functional sights which can be seen by "mature" eyes -- not some of those "micro nubbins" requiring 20/10 vision to use them.

As you know, the R9 is about five ounces lighter than the G380. (The custom sterling-silver grips on my G380 give it another three ounces of weight.) Because of its stainless-steel consruction and ease of disassembly, I tend to carry the G380 whenever I'm in the field, especially in areas where it is likely to become covered in muck and mud. In those situations, I can fieldstrip the G380 while sitting on a flat rock, clean it by sloshing it in clear water, spray it liberally with Ballistol, and slap it back together again
-- all in a minute or two -- and expect it to go "bang" if needed.

In my opinion, the G380 is a superb backup gun which fills a specific need . . . but the R9 is quite simply the finest pocket pistol ever made.

And as "flyandscuba" has observed, an R9 in the pocket and a P7 on the belt make an excellent CCW combination.

[theirishguard]

Jack, I can get you one. Send me a PM. Tom