What Might Have Been...

[Talyn]

....The Remington RM380

Freedom Group, ( ) the private equity holding company that owned Remington in the bad old days, was great at two things — recalls and buying companies. In 2014, they purchased Rohrbaugh, a company known for producing the extremely tiny 9mm handgun, the R9. They also produced the Rorhbaugh 380, which was often overshadowed by the 9mm model.

Remington acquired the company in 2014, the same year they released the catastrophically flawed R51. When they bought Rohrbaugh, they didn’t seem too interested in producing the 9mm version, which would directly compete with the R51. Remington didn’t have a .380, though, so they built the RM380, based on the Rohrbaugh.

Beyond making mass production easier, Remington added a few touches to make the little gun more appealing to the mass market. The original Rohrbaugh guns were incredibly simple, purpose-built pocket pistols. They lacked a slide release and used a heel magazine release.

The RM380 added an ambidextrous magazine release and a slide lock. Remington also kept the metal frame, making it one of the few modern pocket .380s to use one. Maybe the only one.

What Might Have Been: The Remington RM380 - The Shooting Wire | The Shooting Wire

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www.shootingwire.com

If Remington hadn’t destroyed their reputation with the R51, the RM380 would have been a popular pistol. They could have discontinued the R51 and introduced the RM9, and had another winner.

 

[PieterCoetzee]

For what its worth Remington also Fd with the EAA imported Baikal imports of affordable Double Rifles and Combo Guns. They cut out EAA and imported a limited inventory under the Spartan Name at a higher price

I remember when the Rohrbaugh 9mm guns came out. I wanted one. The Remington R51 never impressed me. I put on the same level as a Sccy or Keltec; better than harsh words but hardly my first second or third choice

 

[NMEDGE]

When I worked at LGS I sold a lot of these to older women. For some reason they just liked them.

 

[Talyn]

When I worked at LGS I sold a lot of these to older women. For some reason they just liked them.

Considerig the popularity of micro 380's now, the RM380 would still be a viable product if Remington Arms was still alive.

IMO, the Freedom Group was a covert anti-2A op that set out to destroy as many firearms companies as they could, and they were successful.

 

[PieterCoetzee]

Considerig the popularity of micro 380's now

IDK? Im not seeing 380s jumping off the shelves.. maybe one 380 for every 50+ 9mm.. Its the micro 9s Hellcats, P365s and G43x's that top the list.

 

[Jester560]

The Freedom Group was a 2A terrorist organization hell bent on destroying the firearms industry in the U.S.

 

[Talyn]

As I implied above...

While exact unit sales for small .380 pistols are not publicly published by manufacturers, they represent one of the best-selling categories for concealed carry. Almost every major handgun maker has a compact or micro-compact .380 in their lineup due to their discreet size and manageable recoil.

There are dozens of small, subcompact, and micro-compact .380 ACP pistol models on the market today. Because new variants and rolling updates are constantly being introduced by various manufacturers, the exact total fluctuates, but industry experts typically count at least 15 to 20 distinct, widely available pocket .380 models.

 

[PieterCoetzee]

As I implied above...

While exact unit sales for small .380 pistols are not publicly published by manufacturers, they represent one of the best-selling categories for concealed carry. Almost every major handgun maker has a compact or micro-compact .380 in their lineup due to their discreet size and manageable recoil.

There are dozens of small, subcompact, and micro-compact .380 ACP pistol models on the market today. Because new variants and rolling updates are constantly being introduced by various manufacturers, the exact total fluctuates, but industry experts typically count at least 15 to 20 distinct, widely available pocket .380 models.

Im really not trying to pick a fight and I acknowledge that there are several 380 models available; but my experience from a gun sales perspective is that they simply arent a big seller. Yes we keep one or two on the shelf but buyers dont seem to be interested. I think the last one we sold might have been in January and maybe 500 other guns since then.

I remember the only P365 in 380 we ever sold. It had been ordered from an online dealer. It was the same size as the 9mm version and the customer paid more for it then if he had bought the 9mm version from us. It just didnt make sense to me.

I do sorta like the S&W EZ in 380. It was made for elderly shooters with limited grip strength. The slide is easy to rack and easy to grip. The grip is large enough to get a full hand on and the grip safety was a genius idea making a manual safety unnecessary. Also making the magazine easy to load was geared to arthritic hands. I suggested to a rep that they needed to make a double stack version BUT they screwed up and made it in 9mm with a heavy to rack slide. Had they made the 380 version a double stack it might have been the perfect "I want a gun for self protection" gun for older first time buyers who just heard the latest defund story on the news

 

[Talyn]

I doubt you work/lurk in the only LGS in the nation, but as per the article that RM380 has the qualities that would have made it a viable option for those interested in a micro compact 380.

 

[PieterCoetzee]

I doubt you work/lurk in the only LGS in the nation.

No sir its an old school gun shop with a gun smith on the premises and as I said Im not trying to start an issue, just passing on what I see everyday You might have other observations

 

[Pitdogg2]

I was really hoping that the Remington R51 was going to be an updated better steel model 51 in 9mm. Unfortunately it was a massive P.O.S. the plastic trigger was a joke. They must have made several very good R51's to send out for review to the magazine guys, they waxed poetic about it. When I handled it in person I had a heck of a time just trying to get the dealer sample to fire.
Garbage!!

 

[Cokeman]

Have any of you shot the RM380?

 

[Condition1]

Rohrbaugh 9mm had its share of problems also. Springs had to be changed out at a low round count along with a few other parts. It was a cool gun but impractical. I think the reason Remington bought it out was they had big plans but found out it wasn’t feasible to produce a handgun that was if I remember right had a $1200 price tag.

 

[HayesGreener]

I don't think I ever encountered either of those guns in the wild.

 

[Anchorite]

I would snatch one of those RM380s up if/when I find one.

I just think they are "neat." Wouldn't consider carrying one as a primary, EDC, but oh the cool factor.

 

[NMEDGE]

I don't remember how much they cost but they were not that expensive.

 

[Talyn]

I would snatch one of those RM380s up if/when I find one.

I just think they are "neat." Wouldn't consider carrying one as a primary, EDC, but oh the cool factor.

Several are on GB right now.

 

[Talyn]

I don't remember how much they cost but they were not that expensive.

All on GB, except for one, are relatively cheap.

 

[Talyn]

Rohrbaugh 9mm had its share of problems also. Springs had to be changed out at a low round count along with a few other parts. It was a cool gun but impractical. I think the reason Remington bought it out was they had big plans but found out it wasn’t feasible to produce a handgun that was if I remember right had a $1200 price tag.

The Rohrbaughs are/were very nice, but like the Seecamps (still available) are very deep-carry pistols that one typically wouldn't be running cases of ammo through for fun.

 

[Condition1]

The Rohrbaughs are/were very nice, but like the Seecamps (still available) are very deep-carry pistols that one typically wouldn't be running cases of ammo through for fun.

You missed my point. It wasn’t cases of ammo it was in the very low hundreds. The springs could fail at anytime along with the extractor and ejector. It was recommended to change these components out at no more than 200 rounds and half that with time also being a factor. Not to many people were willing to spend that kind of money on a small handgun that might let you down when you needed it. The bullpup design in a rifle sucks and it sucks twice as much in a handgun.