Ruger RXM 9mm 17+1 4 in. Black – Superb Reliable Carry Pistol

Description

The Ruger RXM 9mm is the pistol Ruger and Magpul built together, and the most interesting thing about it is not the slide or the barrel. It is where the serial number sits.

On almost every striker fired pistol the grip is the firearm. On the Ruger RXM 9mm the firearm is a removable stainless steel fire control insert that lifts out of the grip module. The part you actually hold is an accessory, which means you can change its size, its texture and its color without a form, a transfer or a trip to a dealer.

What the Ruger RXM 9mm gives you

• 9mm Luger, 17+1, two Magpul PMAG 17 GL9 magazines supplied
• 4 inch alloy steel barrel in black FNC nitride, 1:10 right hand twist
• Removable serialized stainless steel fire control insert
• Interchangeable Magpul Enhanced Handgun Grip with 3/4 scale TSP texture
• Tritium co-witness height front sight, steel drift adjustable rear
• Slide cut for direct mounting of RMR, DPP and RMSc pattern optics
• Flat faced trigger, extended magazine release, raised slide stop
• Flared magazine well, undercut trigger guard, universal accessory rail
• 23.4 ounces, 7.15 inches long, 5.60 inches tall, 1 inch slide width

Why the Ruger RXM 9mm is built around a serialized fire control insert

• The serialized component is the fire control insert, not the grip, so grip modules are ordinary accessories
• Changing the size, color or texture of the grip needs no transfer and no dealer
• Magpul builds the EHG in full size and compact, in black, flat dark earth, gray and OD green
• Ruger states the design is intended for Gen 3 compatibility with off the shelf parts, holsters and accessories
• One pistol can be a range gun and a carry gun by changing the module rather than buying a second gun

Ruger RXM 9mm specifications

• Manufacturer model number: 19442
• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Capacity: 17+1, two magazines included
• Magazines: Magpul PMAG 17 GL9
• Barrel length: 4 inches
• Barrel material and finish: alloy steel, black FNC nitride
• Rifling: 6 grooves, 1:10 inch right hand twist
• Slide: through hardened alloy steel, black FNC nitride, 1 inch wide
• Grip frame: black Magpul Enhanced Handgun Grip
• Front sight: tritium, co-witness height
• Rear sight: steel, drift adjustable
• Optic pattern: RMR, DPP and RMSc
• Manual safety: none
• Action: striker fired, semi automatic
• Overall length: 7.15 inches
• Height: 5.60 inches
• Weight: 23.4 ounces
• Included: two magazines and a co-branded carry case

A tritium co-witness front sight on the Ruger RXM 9mm, fitted as standard

Ruger lists the front sight as tritium at co-witness height and the rear as steel and drift adjustable. A tritium front sight is a night sight, and here it is standard equipment rather than an upgrade, which is unusual at this end of the market. Co-witness height means the irons stay usable through the window of a mounted optic instead of vanishing under it, so the pistol still has sights on the day the battery dies. The slide is cut for direct mounting of RMR, DPP and RMSc pattern optics, so an RMR pattern Holosun or a smaller RMSc pattern Holosun goes straight onto the slide with no adapter plate stacked in between.

Magpul Enhanced Handgun Grip modules, magazines and ammunition

Because the grip is not the firearm, a spare Magpul EHG grip module in black or the same module in flat dark earth ships to your door like any other accessory, with no transfer and no dealer in the middle. The Ruger RXM 9mm feeds from Magpul PMAG 17 GL9 magazines, which is the same magazine Ruger puts in the case, so spares are easy to find and there is no proprietary magazine to chase. For carry, Federal 147 grain HST is the load with the longest record behind it. For practice, CCI Blazer Brass 115 grain FMJ keeps the round count up without punishing the budget.

Other RXM models we stock

If you want a longer barrel, the threaded 4.5 inch RXM in black is the same pistol set up as a host for a compensator, and the 4.5 inch threaded model in gray is the same gun in the other finish. MAG5 does not sell NFA items, so if a suppressor is where you are heading, that can is a separate purchase with its own ATF approval and a dealer set up to handle it.

Worth knowing before you buy

• Ruger records this model as not available in California or Massachusetts.
• Zanders records no direct shipping to Rhode Island or Washington.
• There is no manual safety. The safeties are an integrated trigger safety and an internal striker blocker.
• Zanders lists the weight at 23.2 ounces and Ruger lists 23.4. We are quoting Ruger.
• Full factory specifications for model 19442 are published by Ruger on the official spec sheet, and the 9mm Luger cartridge itself is standardized by SAAMI.

Why the Ruger RXM 9mm earns its place

• A tritium front sight fitted as standard on the Ruger RXM 9mm, at a price where most makers fit painted plastic
• An optic cut that takes three of the common footprints directly, with no adapter plate
• Magazines that are already everywhere, rather than a proprietary pattern
• A grip you can replace yourself, in a different size, for the cost of an accessory
• Two magazines in the box instead of one, which is not how most pistols at this price arrive

This pistol suits the shooter who wants one gun that can be set up several ways. The concealed carrier gets a tritium front sight and a 1 inch slide. The range shooter gets a flat faced trigger, seventeen rounds and a magazine that costs what a magazine should cost. The tinkerer gets a grip module that comes off with a punch. Newer shooters should know that 23.4 ounces is a full size pistol weight and that is a good thing here, because the weight is what keeps the Ruger RXM 9mm flat under recoil.