Help!

[Danny Villanueva]

Just picked up a used R9. Looks absolutely new! Fired 50 rounds of both hp and round nosed with no problem! Kicks like hell! Not even close to my XRS9 as far as kick but love it! Need advise what to add to lessen the recoil. Mag extension, etc...? Sure would appreciate any as I plan to use this in carry options! Thanks!

[tracker]

VZ grips, 3M tape, and mag extension. Works for me. Also, I recommend Talon Grips general tape that can be cut and fit to the R9 grips.

http://talongungrips.com/

[JoshA]

I just squeeze really hard. Correction: really, really hard.

I do have VZ grips on mine, but they don't lessen the recoil at all. The may help to mitigate it a bit, but more than anything they look great.

I have been quasi interested in a mag extension, but don't want it taking up extra real estate in the front pocket.

My R9 has been broken for a bit waiting for the factory to reopen but I have ran a lot of rounds through mine.

There are some really good guys on here. Oh, and Tracker too... Just kidding Tracker : )

I think most guys just grin and bear it. Probably the best thing you could do is to go shoot a Seecamp 380 and then you become slightly desensitized to the recoil.

My opinion is that "carry much and shoot little" has become the mantra of the R9 forum because of some of the peculiar nuances of owning the worlds smallest 9mm auto pistol which are:

1) fairly stout recoil

2) has an appetite for expensive ammo. Mine likes 124 gr gold dot and 124 gr lawman.

3) MAY not be the most rugged considering the fact that it is a small light design shooting the 9mm cartridge. Not what most would call a range pistol

4) grip screw vibrate out hence rendering the pistol useless (get some lock tight or O'rings)

There may be more and some of these may or may not be the case with yours.

The point being this... If you carry it a lot (because it's small enough to do so) and you shoot it little (because of the aforementioned reasons) you shouldn't have to worry a lot about heavy recoil, expensive rounds, wearing out prematurely or grip screws vibrating out.

These tend to be looked at as the "negatives", but to me and most on here it's just the price of doing business with the worlds smallest 9mm.

For what it's worth I didn't heed a lot of the recommendations (largely because I didn't look for this site until AFTER I had some reliability issues with my USED R9) and ended up spending a lot of time, money and sore hands getting my feet wet in the R9 world : ) 

So that's my 2 cents worth. Sounds like you got a good one. Let us know what you find to reduce recoil best and welcome to the forum.

[Svarog]

I just squeeze hard also . But, really ,for me recoil is very manageable. I expected much stronger kick . And also I just ordered VZ grips. I'll  try them out when they come. 

[Danny Villanueva]

I am a newbie here and really appreciate your replies! Guess not much you can do but grin it and bear it! I will as long as it stays reliable as really like this pistol! I have been trying  a Pearce grip extension I had laying around and looks like with  a bit of trimming will fit! I just  can't  remember which this is for! Anyway ,I will keep,you updated if anybody likes !

[MRC]

The Pearce Extensions made for the Kahr PM9 will fit right on the R9 magazine.  The only trouble is the R9's European style magazine retainer and the plastic grip extension is not a good mix in my opinion.

[backupr9]

This is a belly gun meant for 10-15 yard (at most) conflicts and in such situation I can guarantee you will not notice the recoil.  When practice is necessary use a shooter's glove and, as with all small autos, a firm grip and forearm makes ejection and feeding more effective.  IMO practice should be for presentation of the weapon, point and shoot accuracy at close range (as opposed to target practice) and to establish and maintain trust in trouble free function.  I do like my VZs and mag extensions.  Congrats on your acquisition of a word class pocket pistol.

[jetboater]

I totally agree with JoshA--- get a Seecamp .380 and the R9 will seem like a .22!  I fire off a mag in my SC .380 then the R9 isn't bad at all!  The seecamp feels like an M-80 going off in my hand.


Seriously, the VZ grips and the mag extension on the R9 helped me a lot.  The VZ grips are tapered in the front and back and help get a much firmer hold on the pup.   I have 3 R9s and keep one without the mag extension and it fits in the pocket a little easier but the extension does help control it better.

  It did take new a few range sessions to get used to the recoil but I love the combination of size and 9mm---worth the extra recoil!