Ruger American Pistol: The Gun Built for the U.S. Army You Can Buy

We support our Publishers and Content Creators. You can view this story on their website by CLICKING HERE.

Key Points and Summary: The Ruger American Pistol (RAP) was initially designed for the U.S. Army’s Modular Handgun System competition but was never entered.

-Instead, Ruger focused on the civilian market, a decision that paid off. The RAP is a full-size, semi-automatic pistol available in 9mm and .45 ACP.

-Its robust construction, ambidextrous controls, and innovative design, such as a recoil-reducing barrel cam and a modular polymer frame, make it reliable and versatile.

-It passed rigorous testing, firing 20,000 rounds without significant issues. Affordable and durable, the RAP is a solid choice for law enforcement, armed security, or civilian shooters seeking quality on a budget.

It Didn’t Get A U.S. Army Contract, But the Ruger American Pistol Is A Hit 

Ruger initially designed the Ruger American Pistol to compete for the Army’s Modular Handgun System contract. However, Ruger decided against entering the competition and decided to sell the pistol commercially. The decision was good news for pistol owners, especially those loyal to the Ruger brand. 

With positive consumer feedback, the Ruger American Pistol (RAP) may not have an Army contract, but it is an excellent pistol. 

Background on the RAP

Ruger, formerly Sturm-Ruger, has been in the gun-making industry since 1949. The company’s niche was revolvers, such as the Security Six and Redhawk, and rifles, such as the Ruger 10/22 and Mini-14. I owned both rifles many moons ago and liked them. I never owned a Ruger handgun, but I have fired several as friends had Ruger revolvers and their early automatics, the discontinued P-series.

However, when the Army asked for competitors for the Modular Handgun System contract, all major handgun manufacturers decided to enter weapons into the test; Ruger developed the Ruger American Pistol (RAP) for precisely that role. 

A military contract would be a very rich contract. The Army’s initial contract was for 100,000 pistols, and the rest of the armed services were sure to follow. Sig Sauer eventually won the competition, but the Ruger pistol never competed against it. 

Ruger decided not to enter the Army’s competition and concentrate solely on the civilian market. Ruger product manager Mark Gurney said, “A good way to make a little money from federal government sales is to invest a lot of money.”

Perhaps Ruger decided that, since they had never had an Army contract and the cost of building a new facility to manufacture the pistol was prohibitive, entering the Army’s pistol competition wasn’t worth it. 

When developing the pistol, Ruger designed and built it with the Army trials in mind. They put the pistol through the ringer, immersing it in mud, dust, dirt, water, high heat, cold, and humidity. It never missed a beat. The RAP fired 20,000 rounds without incident. A test on the shooting range fired 5,500 rounds with only one malfunction, which was attributed to the ammunition used.

Ruger American Pistol Specs:

The Ruger American Pistol is a full-size semi-automatic pistol with a Browning-type locked-breech short recoil action. The RAP is chambered for 9mm Luger and .45 caliber ACP. 

The barrel cam was designed to reduce felt recoil by controlling the slide’s rearward movement when a round is fired. The weapon’s serial-numbered part is the steel chassis, which fits into a one-piece, glass-filled polymer frame with three different-sized wraparound backstraps. The design is similar to the Sig Sauer P320. 

The stainless steel slide has a black Nitride finish. The weapon is truly ambidextrous, with the slide lock, manual safety lever, and mag release identical on both sides of the pistol. The top of the barrel has a small hole through which the shooter can see if a round is in the chamber.

An authentic, metallic Novak Lo-Mount 3-dot sight system tops the slide. Like the windage-adjustable rear sight, the front sight blade is dovetailed into the slide. A Picatinny rail is under the slide to fit optics or sights. Disassembly and assembly are easy. The nickel-teflon-coated magazine holds 17 rounds plus one in the pipe. 

Numbers that Matter for Ruger American Pistol:

Slide Width1.05″

SightsNovak® LoMount Carry 3-Dot

Weight 30 oz.

Overall Length 7.50″

Height5.60″

Grooves 6

Twist 1:10″ Right Handed

Capacity 17+1

Ruger has produced an excellent combat pistol that is an excellent duty weapon for law enforcement officers or armed security. They also make a compact version that is excellent for concealed carry.

Although they don’t have a contract with the Army, civilians who don’t have a lot of money will appreciate the ease of purchasing one. 

About the Author: 

Steve Balestrieri is a 19FortyFive National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing for 1945, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in other military publications.