Story based on report in the Midsouth Shot Report Blog, MSSBlog.com.
Ruger (aka Sturm, Ruger & Co.) has just announced the new, full-size Ruger American Pistol (RAP), available in 9mm Luger and .45 ACP. The new RAP handgun is an well-thought-out, ergonomic design with many advanced features. Yet this new handgun is very affordable — both 9mm and .45 ACP models list for $579.00 MSRP. (Guns should be available at retailers very soon, with “street price” around $530.)

The new Ruger American Pistol features a pre-tensioned striker system, which allows for a short takeup trigger with positive reset.

The Ruger American Pistol is built on a one-piece, stainless-steel chassis with integral frame rails. It features a stainless slide with black-nitrided finish, Novak LoMount Carry three-dot sights, and a one-piece, glass-filled nylon grip frame with interchangeable backstraps. Up front is a mil-standard 1913 rail. Controls are fully ambidextrous. Importantly, unlike the Glock, you can field strip the Ruger American Pistol without pulling the trigger.

“The Ruger American Pistol is the most advanced semi-auto pistol we have ever produced,” noted Ruger CEO Mike Fifer. See other comments from Ruger’s CEO in this NRA-produced Video:

Ruger CEO Demonstrates New Ruger American Pistol:

The 9mm weighs in at 30 ounces with a 4.2-inch barrel and the .45 weighs in at 31.5 ounces with a 4.50-inch barrel. Both ship in a hard case with replaceable grip modules and two, nickel-Teflon plated steel magazines. Capacities are 17+1 rounds for 9mm and 10+1 rounds for .45 Auto. (There is also a 10-round version of the 9mm for states which restrict magazine capacity).

While developing RAP prototypes, Ruger polled law enforcement and military trainers throughout the country. Based on feedback from these LEO/military trainers, Ruger’s engineers worked to tame perceived recoil and reduce muzzle flip. The new pistol employs a barrel cam to spread recoil over time, a low-mass slide, and a low bore axis. All these elements work together to control muzzle rise and lessen felt recoil. The trigger is pretty smooth reports one early tester, who measured pull weight at just under six (6) pounds.

Ruger American Pistol Quick Review

One of the nice features of the Ruger American Pistol is the modular grip system. Three interchangeable wrap-around backstraps allow the RAP to fit a wide range of hand sizes.