R9 conversation to .380 question?

[Sonny_Boy]

Hi,

I have a R9 serial number in the mid 400s and have a .380 complete slide with barrel. What else besides a .380 magazine do I need to complete a conversion.

Thank you.

[ECR]

Good Morning Sonny,

Along with the .380 barrel and the complete slide, you will need:

* .380 Recoil System (The springs are different strength - possibly get those at Williams Gunsights or Wolff Springs)
* .380 Ejector (They were wider than the 9mm versions by +/- .007" or so. I believe the R9 ejector was .098" and the R380 was around .105")

I may have an ejector in one of my boxes, so I'll give a look and get back to you.
The springs? . . . . . I really doubt it, but again, I will give a look through what I have.

In a pinch, try using a worn-out 9mm outer recoil spring on your R9 recoil assembly. I did try that back in the day and it did function the slide properly.

[Sonny_Boy]

ECR,

Thank you kindly for your reply and possible help in my scavenger hunt. The hunt is on.

[ECR]

Hey Sonny,

Well, sorry to say. . . . . . I have failed miserably in my search for R380 parts here. I do not have any .380 ejectors, springs or magazines in my boxes. Try Williams Gunsight. They had all of our parts. Being the .380 was not too popular, they may have thrown those out.

Regards,

Eric R.

[Sonny_Boy]

 :(YIKES!

Interesting article on .380

https://www.guns.com/news/review/rohrbaugh-r380-review-what-the-r9-shouldve-been

Just called Williams Gunsite and they have plenty .380 magazines, recoil springs and ejectors.

No more .9mm magazines, but springs and ejectors in stock.

Thanks for the heads up.

[Sonny_Boy]

Eric

If I have a complete.380 slide and barrels there is no need to change the extractor correct? 

All items in hand now to try the conversion.

[ECR]

Sonny,

If you have a fully assembled slide for the .380, you're good to go. Let us know how you do. It should be a straight forward swap if you're handy.

Eric

[Sonny_Boy]

In progress thank you.

[Sonny_Boy]

Finally got time to shoot and discovered the .380 slide was missing the firing pin, sifting spring and firing pin retainer. Thought maybe I could use the one from my .9mm slide.

Is that possible? If so how does the retainer come out?

If not can these be purchased ?

[ECR]

Sonny,

You can take the setup out of the R9 Slide if you are "Handy". If not, wait until I get back from a venture I'm heading out to in West Virginia tomorrow morning with my motorcycle club and about 14 members riding the back roads of that area for the weekend. We should be back late Monday. I'll write a note and leave it on my desk to remind me when I get home to look for those items and then we can work out the details.

Enjoy the weekend and we'll talk next week.

Regards,

Eric R.

[Sonny_Boy]

Eric:

Thank you once again for your help.  I was able to push the .9mm firing pin down far enough that the firing pin retainer should slide out.  I was able to jiggle the retainer, but it did not want to slide out, so I figured there is a trick or a lock of sorts to get it out.

Thanks and enjoy your outing, sounds like a grand time.

Best regards.

[ECR]

Oh Sonny Boy . . . . . . I'm Baaaaack. . . . . . . . (lol)

Okay, I found a couple of firing pin retainers, a firing pin and a couple of firing pin springs.

PM me here and we'll work out the details to get these parts over to you.

Talk to you soon Sonny.

Eric R.

[ECR]

Here is a photograph of the parts I found in my parts boxes.

[Sonny_Boy]

How was your ride?
Nice, just what the doctor ordered. Thank you for looking for these hen’s teeth!
How much and how to pay ?
Still baffled on how to get the retainer out.
Sonny Boy

[ECR]

How was your ride?
Nice, just what the doctor ordered. Thank you for looking for these hen’s teeth!
How much and how to pay ?
Still baffled on how to get the retainer out.
Sonny Boy

Hello Sonny,

My trip with our motorcycle club was great. The West Virginia roads were twisty and well paved, unlike what we have to endure on Long Island, the worst roads in the United States!

To get the retainer out, you'll need a small flat punch that can fit inside the firing pin hole. Push in the firing pin just enough to have the pin in but not too far as to have the punch in too deep, which would restrict using a small hammer to tap on the punch downward from top to bottom and knock the firing pin retainer out of the slide. We machined a punch just for that duty with a step-down cut to the thickness of the retainer. It worked perfectly.

Ref. the parts, I'll pm you the information. Thank you.

Eric R.