As I mentioned on another thread, I was finally able to take my NIB Rohrbaugh R9 home earlier this week. During my waiting period, I managed to find an additional magazine on gunbroker and overpaid for 100 rounds of 124 gr Speer Gold Dot. I already had some Federal HST and Inceptor ARX ammo on hand, so I felt like I was ready for my first range day. On top of that, I contacted Brian at designergrips and ordered carbon fiber grips with silver inlays, as well as his disassembly tool (for those who haven’t had the pleasure yet, Brian is wonderful to deal with).
When I got my R9 home I gave it a good cleaning and lube with Ballistol and Eezox (and Slip 2000 for the rails) and took my time getting familiar with the pistol. It really is a beauty…top notch fit and finish, and an amazing trigger. The magazine release is very stiff to operate, but I sorta got the hang of it and felt better about it over time. For those familiar with the RM380, you already know how it feels in the hand. I have small but meaty hands, and it seemed to fit me just perfectly. If you have bear paws for hands, you may disagree. While breaking the pistol down was a snap, reassembly was another story altogether. Dear god, no one who has complained about that recoil spring assembly was exaggerating. Brian’s tool was a godsend, and after a few tries it got to be second nature (although reinserting the disassembly pin can be its own bit of torture).
I took the pistol to the range the next day on a clear and balmy New England day (25 degrees tops, with 10 MPH winds!!). I typically shoot inside 7 yards for most of my training, but I had to share the range with someone test firing a .22 rifle, so I ended up shooting a steel plate at 25 yards. Certainly not ideal for a pistol this size, but I was more concerned about functionality. (And I was surprised to be hitting steel well over 50% of the time, even though I was really just putting rounds downrange. I think that speaks to how well this pistol points, and how darn good this trigger is.) Despite my trepidation, I didn’t find the recoil to be particularly harsh, nor did I notice that it made the pistol squirm around in my hand. I was able to get back on target fairly quickly for followups. And the ARX rounds felt like I was shooting .32 ammo…they really turn the pistol into a pussycat.
As for functionality, I probably put about 50 rounds downrange, and ended up with two FTF hangups. Both were with the Gold Dots, which surprised me. But the good news was that the HST and ARX rounds were 100%…and if I had to pick two rounds for carry, these would be it. Weirdly, one of my magazines was out of spec…wouldn’t budge after being inserted a few inches into the well. I mixed the mags up in my bag, so I have no idea if this one came with the gun or was the one I bought separately. But that still leaves me 3 good ones.
When I got the pistol home I cleaned her up again (I’m a pro at taking it apart and putting it back together now), and put on Brian’s CF grips (they add just a bit of swell to the palm, which I appreciate). Damn, what I fine looking pistol. It has been on my waist ever since, and will likely remain there for the foreseeable future. Frankly, this gun was as steal at the price I paid, and I only regret not getting one sooner.
Sorry for the longish review, but I figured it wasn’t too often that someone gave a review of a NIB Rohrbaugh.
TLDR Version: The R9 is a little gem that feels great in the hand, shoots better than it has any right to, and sports beauty queen looks. What’s not to like?
Here it is after it's first cleaning, posing in a family photo, and sporting its new grips:
https://imgur.com/a/W7fVSMB 
