R9 in Training Class?

[Craigt]

I have read a number of times that the R9 must be cleaned every 50 – 80 rounds.  I plan soon to take a refresher course and would very much like to use the R9 but the course requires 200 to 300 rounds in one evening.  Aside from the aspect that it might be too punishing on the hand, is there any way to quickly clean & re-lube sufficiently and quickly enough to use it for such a class?

I carry exclusively in front pocket, Colt .380 Pocket Lite (currently), R9 (after break in), NAA .22 Mag.  I have used a Glock 27 in a strong side holster for previous classes but it seems the intense learning situation might best be conducted with the exact equipment and procedures most likely to be employed in an actual situation.

Any of you used your R9 in such a class?

Craig T.

[BillinPittsburgh]

For almost all of the formal training I have taken, I used either my Kimber 1911 or my Glock 26.  Much of the time I chose the Glock because I had not yet acquired the Kimber.

My usual thinking is to use a gun that gives me no excuses for poor performance when I am paying for the instructor's time, and I have a lifetime to transfer those skills to whatever gun I might be carrying at the time.  Occasionally, I brought the Glock 26 to class instead, and found that my performance did not deteriorate too much with the more difficult gun.

On one occasion, I brought my Kel-Tec P-32, drawing from both pocket and ankle holsters.  It was hardly the best way to learn pistol shooting in general, but was an excellent way to quantify the capabilities and limitations of the gun and carry methods.

Bring both the Rohrbaugh and a larger gun.

[R9SCarry]

I'm with Bill - bring and use larger (usual primary, or primary type) gun, and the R9.

I reckon with most training, folks need to learn a lot of basics, which are IMO more readily mastered with a larger gun with which you feel comfortable.

Once basics and overall skills are honed then - translate these to the R9.  I think much of this can be done without the aid of extra or specific tuition - just capitalize on work done so far and spend time at the range - familiarizing and practicing.

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Forgot Craig - your question re cleaning etc and 200 -300 rounds.  First off - I VERY much doubt you'll want to run that much ammo thru the pup in one sitting!!!  if you do tho and need to clean - practice field strip enough so that you are slick at so doing - and then wipe off any crud and, main deal - relube slide and rails, barrel lugs etc - remember on the FAQ there are some Rohrbaugh pics showing main lube points.

[DDGator]

I agree.  Take a larger (but similarly functioning gun) to training.  We all should have another larger gun for carry when necessary and appropriate.

[mefly2]

A nice course of fire which your instructor might approve is to use your R9 as a bug when you encounter a malfunction with the primary weapon.  I'm sure that the insructor would be glad to randomly load a "dummy" round into your mag so that you would truly benefit from the drill utilizing the bug. Such drills are often real eye openers (read that stress inducers) for leo's on the range.
mefly2
  

[EdMan]

Craig,
I see some very good advice here from some of the more experienced R-9 users. I’m an experienced hand gun user, but I’ve only had my R-9 for a couple months; having fired about 350 rounds through it before sending it back for repair (you can see my other posts for details). One thing I did learn about the R-9 is that it heats up quite a bit when firing more than 12 or so rounds in less than a couple minutes. Maybe this is because of having less mass to dissipate the heat than other larger pistols. My pup starts to have problems, like light primer strikes after it heats up. So based on this I would not use the R-9 for anything that requires a few hundred rounds fired in a short period of time. In fact I hear that Karl Rohrbaugh has said this about the R-9, "...to be carried a lot, and fired little."

I used a Glock 23 .40 caliber for my concealed carry license qualification (200 rounds of full power 165 grain .40 S&W). No failures of any kind. Like the others have posted; it is better if you use a larger – dare I say more reliable - easier to shoot well pistol for your training.

Good Luck Craig.

Ed