Rost Martin RM1C Comped 9mm – New Kid On The Block

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	Rost Martin RM1C Comped 9mm	Check Price

I first heard of the Rost Martin 9mm when it was introduced at the SHOT show in 2024. I was intrigued that it was built in the Big D, Dallas, with a list price well south of $500.

From what I’d read, the pistol was well-received by reviewers and shooters. It was made in what I call the “Goldilocks” size… a 9mm with a 4-inch barrel and a 15- and 17-round capacity. I knew I wanted to get one to review, but it wasn’t until now that a review was possible.

The sample I asked RM to provide is their new comped model. This optics-ready gun comes with one 15- and  17-round magazine, and a large port on top of the barrel just past the front sight. I have had good results from comped pistols. I own a Springfield Hellcat RDP with a red dot and removable compensator.

I have shot several other comped pistols and revolvers and find that recoil does feel lessened with gases deflected up (and sometimes to the sides). Curiosity got the better of me, so I loaded the magazines and let fly. More on that below…

 About Rost Martin

Here is what the company says about itself on its website. I am impressed that they are made in Texas. Chris and Stefany Toomer are at the helm. 

Rost Martin is a Dallas, Texas-based firearms manufacturing brand with a heritage and spirit built on looking toward the future.  Providing high-quality, innovative, and reliable firearms, Rost Martin aims to expand the Second Amendment personal freedoms and rights to the next generation of gun owners, offering our unique perspective as a minority Veteran, and female-owned company.  In development since 2020, our introductory pistol, the RM1C, embodies best-in-class features with reliability at the forefront of the platform, providing peace of mind when you need it most.

Sights

The sights are useful. We have a big U-notch in the rear and a white-dot front post that is XD/XDM-compatible. Both are drift-adjustable for windage. Here are some photos…

Notice also the cocking indicator. It is prominent and tells you if you need to rack the slide.

Just in front of the sight, you can see the “ditch” that is the compensator cut.

Specifictions

• Color Black
• Frame Black polymer
• Grip Width 1.1″
• Length 7.1″
• Slide Nitrocarburized steel slide
• Barrel 4″ hammer forged in 9mm
• Sights Rear: black serrated front: white dot*
• Magazines (1) 15-round (1) 17-round
• Weight 21.1 oz. with flush mag, 21.5 oz. with extended mag
• Trigger 5 pounds, double-action striker 
• Height 5.0″ with flush mag; 5.5″ with extended mag
• Optic Optics ready. One plate is included with the gun, with others available**
• MSRP $489 (I’ve seen the non-comped version sell for $370)

*Perhaps reflecting the company’s owners’ previous employment at Springfield Armory, RM1C sights are compatible with aftermarket sights for the S.A. XD/XDM line of pistols.

**The included optics plate is compatible with Trijicon RMR footprint optics. Other plates that are available on the Accessories page will fit these footprints: Shield, Delta Point Pro, and Doktor/Noblex. They cost $23.50 each. 

Where To Buy

Why I Like It

Flat-Faced Trigger With Short Reset

The trigger uses the typical safety blade and is flat-faced. I measured it at 4 lbs. , 8 oz. Reset is very short, so you should be able to do a mag dump very quickly.

Low Bore Axis

The bore axis sits barely above your hand and, coupled with the compensator, drives the recoil straight back instead of up.

Two Extra Backstrap Inserts

If the gun doesn’t fit your hand, two extra inserts help it get closer to fitting.

Compensator

Speaking of the compensator, it is a large port just past the front sight. It directs gases upwards, and as mentioned above, helps mitigate felt recoil. There is nothing to lose, no separate piece attached to the muzzle.

Grip Texturing

I admit it: I like rough texturing. I’ve been known to apply stair tread tape to slick grips. The RM texturing hits the right notes, being somewhat rough but not overly so. RM calls it “Responsive Grip Texturing,” which supposedly grabs back as much as you grab.

I first saw this texturing style with the S.A. Hellcat I mentioned above. More pressure equals more adhesion. Very nice.

Ambi Controls

Lefties (that includes me) will appreciate the duplicated slide stop and magazine release on the right side of the pistol.

Optics-Ready

An RMR footprint plate is included with the pistol.

Extended Magazine Included

You get one 15- and one 17-round magazine with the gun. Extra mags and several holsters are available on the website.

If you don’t mount an optic, you’re still alright in terms of sights. You have a rear U-notch with a white dot front post. If you want to change them, they are XD/XDM compatible. Also visible in this photo is the red cocking indicator. When it is protruding, the gun is cocked.

The Owner’s Manual

I guess I’m old-school and like to see a printed manual in the pistol box, as opposed to having to download one. I use the interweb at least as well as the next old geezer, but it’s nice when you can pick up a manual and peruse it.

The manual included with this pistol is 42 pages long, is in color, and has a page at the end for you to write down your pistol service record, like your car’s owner’s manual.  A novel the manual isn’t, but it’s close – and more interesting than many novels I’ve read, for sure.

Other Models

If you live in California, take heart… RM just dropped a compliant model for you. It comes in black, FDE, or stone gray. The original 4-inch RM1C, minus the compensator, is $20 less than the compensated one. It is identical to that model, minus the comp, of course, and is a bit shorter in its overall length measurement. It comes in black, stone gray, FDE, and green. 

Rounding out the quartet of models they make, we have the R1MS… I guess the “S” stands for short. It uses a 3.6” barrel and comes with one 12- and one 15-round extended mag. This is the one to get if maximum concealment is your goal. You can see these four models here.

How’d It Shoot?

We grabbed a small assortment of 9mm ammo and headed to my backyard range. I set some targets up at 25 yards and proceeded to ventilate them. The very nice trigger and the muzzle compensator acted together to aid our efforts. Here are some results…

I am posting two targets (1 and 2) from shooting Fiochhi 115-grain JHP loads, and one from S&B practice ammo (115 grain, target 3). The Fiocchi clocked 1110 fps with a 12.7 SD, and the S&B went for 1086 fps with an 8.4 SD. Not bad.

1

2

One “Oops”…

The only fly in the ointment was the fact that the sights were not regulated very well. I had to aim just below the lower right-hand corner of the big black square on my target to get anything I shot to be close to the center. The sights were printing very high and left. Even so, once I had the right aiming point, the gun showed great potential. The sight issue could easily be addressed. I remain positive about the pistol… many pros outweigh one con. 

Taking It Apart

If you’ve ever taken a Glock down, it’s almost the same drill. Pull the mag and empty the chamber. Press the trigger to release the striker. Pull the slide back ½” or so and pull the takedown tabs down. The slide should come off – forward just a bit, and then almost straight up. It doesn’t need to come forward off the rails. Separate the barrel and spring, and clean everything. When you put the spring back, the yellow side goes to the muzzle… it took me a minute to figure that out, because it looks like it should go the other way. The rest of it is the same as a Glock.

Here’s everything that comes with the gun, minus the optic adapter plate, wrenches, and screws. (I got the spring facing the wrong way in the photos above.)

Final Thoughts

Being an upstart firearms company means swimming upstream to get new products accepted by shooters, distributed to distributors, and reviewed.

Many shooters are creatures of habit and don’t take kindly to new guns, unless/until they are proven. Rost Martin seems to have navigated these issues and seems to be flourishing… at least they are introducing new models, such as what we have before us. They were smart to choose to start production with a compact 9mm, as that is the most popular carry gun going today.

With a California-compliant model, that opens the door for many sales. Add in the compensated and the “S” versions, and you have the compact market pretty well covered.

The RM1C Comp delivers a feature-rich compact 9mm at a very decent price. Fitting that popular compact-size mold, this 9mm should deliver years of reliable service. If not, the original owner can obtain a warranty for as long as he or she owns it. 

I have a good friend who carries a Walther PPQ, an older model but still one to be reckoned with. We did a side-by-side with this pistol and his and concluded that the RM1C was 4 ounces lighter, a bit skinnier, had a comparable feature set, had at least the same capacity, and cost (new) a whole lot less than the PPQ. That ain’t too bad!

It shot very well… the compensator helped keep the muzzle down, and the trigger was a pleasure. The XD-compatible sights worked very well and were visible. Reliability was not an issue. I couldn’t find anything to complain about, which says a lot.

Even considering the sight misregulation, I surely think you could do worse in terms of a compact 9mm than the Rost Martin. The company is staking its reputation on it. Another U.S.-based gun manufacturer is a good thing.  I hope Big D is proud – it should be!