Small Finicky Eaters

[Writer_Ron]

A self-proclaimed pistol guru at the shooting club I used to belong to solemnly warned me not to buy an R-9 (advice that I ignored) on the theory that anyone who bought a pistol that had specific dietary restrictions was foolish.

"Good pistols," he insisted (he is Glock fanatic), "eat everything offered to them."

At the time, he didn't know I already owned a Seecamp 32, which is a supremely finicky eater.

Consequently, I was amused when Kimber announced that the "Solo is designed to function optimally using premium hollow-point self-defense factory ammunition with bullet weights of 124 or 147 grains. While other ammunition may perform well, lighter bullets and inconsistent pressures that can be found in lower-quality ammunition may lead to decreased slide cycle time and compromise function."

It's now an open secret that the compromises necessary to engineer a truly small autofeeding pistol make it unlikely that it will successfully digest every kind of ammo.

That being the case, I've been wondering if...

1. Rohrbaugh should craft a similar kind of statement for the R-9's manual? (There seem to be a few 115-grain -- and possibly 124-grain -- rounds that the R-9 really loves to eat.)

2. The ammo makers will come out with a "micro pistol" loading that parallels their "short barrel ammo"?

Thoughts?

[tracker]

IMO and limited experience Rohrbaugh is not likely to put anything into print like the type and brand of ammo, etc. They will be happy to make verbal suggestions but that is about it.

[yankee2500]

Good thought but I would have to agree with tracker.

[kjtrains]

My thinking is, Rohrbaugh will continue to stand on what they have.    

[Reinz]

I am fortunate in that mine has yet to find any ammo it would not eat.
Not that I try find something that it won't.  But whatever I pick up off the shelf works.

[howards]

as a new owner of a r9 stealth, i too was advised not to buy the gun.  same sort of remarks.  poor feeding, finicky, etc.  i have yet to have any problems. i use speer gold dots, 115 or 124 as verbally recommended by rohrbaugh.  the handgun is great.  the only truly pocket 9 mm.  i am not going to try other ammunition, since this works fine, and gold dots are a fine round.

[yankee2500]

For carry I use Gold Dots & Winchester Ranger both in 124 or 147gr and have never had a problem. I have used many other brands and bullet weighs and all have worked in my pup without issue.
You know what they say   "Variety is the spice of life"  

[kjtrains]

You know what they say   "Variety is the spice of life"  

Depends on what the subject is!    

[Richard S]

A self-proclaimed pistol guru at the shooting club I used to belong to solemnly warned me not to buy an R-9 (advice that I ignored) on the theory that anyone who bought a pistol that had specific dietary restrictions was foolish.

"Good pistols," he insisted (he is Glock fanatic), "eat everything offered to them."

* * *

That being the case, I've been wondering if...

1. Rohrbaugh should craft a similar kind of statement for the R-9's manual? (There seem to be a few 115-grain -- and possibly 124-grain -- rounds that the R-9 really loves to eat.)

2. The ammo makers will come out with a "micro pistol" loading that parallels their "short barrel ammo"?

Thoughts?

My thoughts:

First, may the Lord save us from "self-proclaimed pistol gurus." They can be found in gun shops and public shooting ranges everywhere. All I want from them is that they be registered to vote and that they use their votes to support political candidates who in turn support the Second Amendment.

Next, I concur with Tracker and John in thinking that Rohrbaugh will be unlikely to give official endorsement to any particular brand of ammunition for use in their pistols. While the minimal tolerances of the R9 as the world's smallest and lightest pistol chambered for the 9mm Parabellum may inevitably cause it to prefer high quality fodder, some R9s such as the one owned by Reinz and the one now in my pocket, seem to be veritable "Mikeys"  -- they'll eat anything (to borrow a metaphor from the old Life cereal commercial).

With regard to special ammunition for "micro" autos, it would appear to me that such a load would of necessity differ little from the currently available "short barrel" ammunition. The latter, I would respectfully suggest, can be described in general terms as a cartridge fitted with a bullet (a) designed to expand on impact, (b) light in weight in order to provide maximum velocity from a short barrel, and (c) propelled by premium fast-burning powder containing an additive to reduce muzzle flash. Such cartridges would appear to be ideal for the R9, as long as they are not loaded to +P or +P+ pressures. Nearly everything in life involves a tradeoff of some sort, and the 13-ounce R9 is simply not designed to operate with +P or higher pressure ammunition.

Back to the "self-proclaimed pistol guru" and "Glock fanatic" who urged you not to purchase a Rohrbaugh, the next time you see him make sure he knows that GLOCK Inc. is voluntarily exchanging the recoil spring assembly (RSA) on its new Gen4 pistols (with the exception of G26 and G27 models).  

http://www.teamglock.com/customer-service/recoil-spring-exchange

[Reinz]

Seems that is room for improvement in anything - even the almighty Glock.

[kjtrains]

Glad to hear of the spring exchange.