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Polymer-frame striker-fired handguns are the typical service pistol these days, although a few of the previous generation aluminum-frame pistols are still in use. The balance of function, affordability, and economy has a great deal of appeal.
The lucrative market is far from tied up by Glock. Even a few percentage points of sales may mean millions. Ruger offers good-quality handguns, some of its own design and others based on proven designs. They make a good 1911, and their Security 9 is a credible defensive handgun.
Their newest handgun is in many ways a close clone of the Glock Generation 3. There has been a rule concerning Glock clones. Those selling for less than the Glock are pistols in which corners have been cut.
Those that cost more offer better sights or a superior trigger action. The pistol illustrated is original in some ways and, in other ways, pretty much a Glock. The first rule of logistics is that gear must be affordable and accessible. The Ruger RXM is affordable and plenty of spare parts are available – from the Glock Store and others.
RXM Features
The RXM 9mm features a frame and slide similar to the Glock 19. The barrels interchange in my Glock 19s, they lock in and function. The slide does not, but I don’t own a Gen 3 Glock, only Gen 5s. The handle doesn’t feature grip inserts. However, the grip frame fits most hands well.
Ruger redesigned the handle by two degrees. Instead of the Glock’s famous twenty-two-degree angle, the Ruger features a twenty-degree angle. You can feel the difference in a side-by-side comparison. Some folks shoot everything they pick up well, but for the rest of us, a slight difference in grip design makes a difference in the way we shoot. The grip is comfortable, and the MagPul frame is designed to offer a good balance of adhesion and abrasion.
The pistol is a collaboration between Ruger and MagPul. Those two don’t often get things wrong. The huge difference between the Glock and the Ruger RXM is that the RXM features an internal chassis like the SIG P320 or Beretta APX. If MagPul offers a range of frames and they should this will make for an interesting development. The slide is a nitride finish while the frame is finished in Stealth Gray. The slide features forward cocking serrations and is nicely beveled for easy re-holstering.
The pistol features a single tritium dot in the front sight. The sights are high profile, but they don’t co-witness with every red dot. In the case of the Riton illustrated, they co-witness perfectly as the Riton has auxiliary sights built into its housing. The slide is cut for a direct mount of the optic. This seems a solid option, but it is not as versatile as the Springfield Echelon or the Glock MOS. However, it works fine with the optics it is cut for.
The pistol is supplied with two MagPul magazines. I have used quite a few MagPul magazines with good results. The pistol is compatible with all Glock magazines, magazine availability is no issue. The slide lock is not ambidextrous. The magazine latch is easily manipulated, it seems standard Glock in operation.
The pistol features a nicely beveled magazine well—perhaps even too large for some tastes but certainly allowing a rapid-speed load. Mechanically, the trigger action is the same as a Glock. Rack the slide, and the action is prepped.
Press the trigger to finish cocking and releasing the striker. However, according to the RCBS trigger weight gauge, the Ruger breaks clean at 4.5 pounds, which is about a pound lighter than a Glock on hand.
On the Range
The initial firing wasn’t a revelation. Ruger firearms are rugged, of good value, and run reliably. This piece doesn’t break the track record. The pistol’s trigger action and good sights make it easier to get fast hits with than a comparable Glock. That is something. I fired almost two hundred cartridges in the first outing with good results. Then, more in the following weeks.
The pistol runs well I even fired several bags of steel case loads left over from the panic driven pandemic era. FMJ, hollow points, and +P loads ran well.
Firing from a solid benchrest, it was no mean feat to put five rounds of my favorite carry load, the Speer Gold Dot 124 grain +P, into 2.5 inches. The pistol is well worth the money. It is measurably easier to use well than a Glock, has much better factory sights, and features a removable chassis.
The resized grip frame more than makes up for the lack of grip inserts, but if you have large hands, you should try one on for size. It may cramp the hand.
I ordered a Falco Paterson 633LT light-bearing holster. This is a semi-pancake design that is both optics and light-capable (Falcoholsters.com). With the Streamlight TRL 7 mounted, this is a credible combination. Sure, there are Kydex rigs available, but the Falco Timeless leather is superbly nicely fitting, fast, and secure. Next, I mounted Riton 3Tactix PRD optics.
Ritonoptics.com—It isn’t top-end, but this unit has been on three pistols and given good results. I cannot recall a problem with any Riton optics, and I own several. A red dot can be difficult to master for many of us. Both eyes open, and you bring it up to the eyes, and eventually, you get it. A lot of training, and eventually, you get up to speed.
The red dot is easy enough to mount with the Ruger’s direct mounting. The revelation was in firing. The slight difference in grip angle presents the red dot to the eye more efficiently than the Glock. And that is something.
In the end the RXM is a great shooter. It is a good gun for the money, and would be a good gun for more money. Time will tell but the American made RXM just may shake the polymer world up.
Specifications
- Ruger RXM
- Caliber 9mm
- Action DAO striker fired
- Capacity Supplied with two MagPul 15 round magazines
- Overall Length 7.15 in.
- Barrel 4 in.
- Height 5.3 in.
- Weight 23 oz.
- Average Retail $399
Ratings
Reliability With FMJ, JHP, +P and steel cased ammunition *****
Accuracy *****
Note: It’s more accurate than most Glocks.
Concealed Carry *****
Note: The Glock 19 is perhaps the best sized 9mm for a mix of lightweight and concealment. This one is in the same shoe box.
Affordability *****
Note: So, does it possess the ability to add upgrades? Time will tell. Barrels and magazines are no problem. We’ll see.
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THIS I may get!
Let me know how you like it if you do. It does look like a good concept split between Glock and Sig (250/320) and probably would have been the pick over 320 if it was out and looked to have the aftermarket.
“No mean feat” implies something that is difficult to accomplish. It doesn’t mean what you’re trying to say here.
Dog pile…….
“ Firing from a solid benchrest, it was no mean feat to put five rounds of my favorite carry load, the Speer Gold Dot 124 grain +P, into 2.5 inches.”
Uh, at what distance?
And why is it that posting pictures of the author’s targets to verify the info presented is now a lost art.
That was a bedrock feature of RF’s ownership.
Carry on…
This is it. This is the modular and more affordable Glock, that could and should have won the Army M17/M18 trials. And best of all, it doesn’t have the telepathic trigger but a trigger dingus. Much appreciated.
“Telepathic”
Read: I have garbage trigger discipline.
And it’s not like the trigger dingus actually did anything, as evidenced by the same avalanche of morons self-identifying when Glocks first got popular.
No mean feet means Jakie Chann can’t show up to the party drunk.
Ohhh, look, another polymer framed pistol.
Just fingered one at my LGS, $409.00 . May have to get one.
No thanks. I already have a Glock. If I didn’t, then I have always had good experiences with Rugers so I wouldn’t turn up my nose at it.
“It’s more accurate than most Glocks.”
Every decent gun I’ve ever owned is more accurate than me. My Glock is plenty accurate for what I need it to do.
Finally … I don’t think it takes Glock magazines!
Lol, it does take Glock magazines. Didn’t read closely! Objection retracted!
Of course it takes Glock magazines! Tested it thoroughly with Glock magazines. Glock magazine in one image, and MagPul magazine mentioned in caption of the holstered gun.
Will I be listing my tweaked Sar9s on GB so I can run purchase some Rugars RXMs? No and Hell No.
Debbie, agreed but the Ruger is a very good shooter. Well worth a hard look. I have had good luck with the SAR 9
My LGS also has a Canik TP9 for the same price as the Ruger RXM, Oh, decisions.
Easy. Send money to Turkey or USA. Well, not all that simple— I know Turkey has a heavy investment in distribution in USA- just saying– If you want the Canik cause it isnt a Glock, then you may not want the Ruger.
BRING BACK THE P89 AND P90!….AND FOR GOD SAKES, PUT FRONT STRAP CHECKERING ON THE 1911s!
I don’t get the Gen 3 part. Even Glock and its fanbois agree that Gen 3 needed more “perfection”. It survives only because of The List in CA, which a brand new pistol from a completely different manufacturer is obviously not on.
Would it have to do with expired patents?
I understand that the G4 / 5 patents haven’t expired yet, but I don’t get the whole thought process.
Ruger and Glock each sold their versions of semiauto pistols in the 80s. Ruger’s heavy, slide-safety DA/SA was both less popular and more expensive to make, so Ruger started making its own polymer pistols – essentially its own Glocks. They seem more ergonomic and less bulky than Glocks, with more choices (striker or hammer, cartridges, safeties, etc.).
I get that people like Glock mags, so maybe try a version that takes Glock mags. Other than that, what does this accomplish other than, essentially, conceding that the best original(ish) designs you could come up with are so inferior that they need to be replaced by a copy of your competitor’s twice-superseded version?
ummmmmmmm Ruger American did not sell that well– others such as Security 9 sold OK– the RXM is setting records in sales. American made, Glock like, and perceived as offered by a rock solid maker. A superb combination for sales and service
Boots beat me to it. They did it because money. They saw an opportunity and took it. It’s the same reason there’s a new variation on the P320 or P365 every other month. The R&D has already been paid. Now it’s just profit. I also suspected it’s an admission that the Ruger American pistol hasn’t been very popular.
Can be sold in California and be cloned ad infinitum. Plus preexisting aftermarket support. Also seems to be the standard for most 80% versions so much like the 1911 it will have at least a few versions that stick around for a variety of reasons.
Boots and Dude,
I think part of me understood that, and am just frustrated with the fact that customers seem to have rejected what seem like more thoughtful products.
SAFE,
No, it can’t. That’s my original point. It’s a by-name list, and a very detailed one. The moment you open it you can see that Armscor, the alphabetically first manufacturer, has several listed 1911s, some of which are divided only by finish color. That does not mean that California has tested and accepted 1911s as safe for anyone to make. It doesn’t even mean that Armscor can do so, much less a completely different manufacturer using a different model designator.
The G19 itself is an illustrative example. Gen 3s are acknowledged to be safe, and the G4 changes did not affect safety in any way, yet Glock themselves cannot sell a version of their own proven-safe pistol without resubmitting it for testing.
Not as familiar with CA issues but the rest is more than enough to keep gen 3 as the standard outside of Glock and will remain so until gen 4 and 5 come out of copyright.
I have a Ruger RXM and found only one appropriate magazine that wouldn’t fit the mag well, much less function: A first generation, non-metal-lined factory unit for a Model 17. When loaded with more than a couple rounds, it swells up too much to stuff in the frame.