Ruger American 45acp test drive

Peter Cummalotta · Jan 10, 2016

I picked up my "True" Ruger American Pistol today. I say true because I purchased the 45acp model. I really do not think that 9mm is very American but what do I know. This is my first venture into the polymer world of pistols in the 45acp caliber. I am a big fan of the 1911 model but since I am such a Ruger advocate and already own a SR1911, I decided to give the model #8615 a try. I took it out in the back yard and fired a few clips through it and found out the good, the bad and the ugly. There is a lot of good and not too much bad or ugly. You will like the price. I purchased mine for less than $500 which is $75 under mfg list price. The price is competitive with the competition. You do get an extra mag but no holster, mag holder or other goodies. You will like the recoil, it has a new recoil reducing barrel. The nitride coating, different wrap around grips, ambidextrous slide/magazine controls, no external rear safety/lever are all good. It has an easy takedown system which is nice for the beginner and there is no mag safety, it will fire with no mag in the well. It does have Novak sights which are easily changed out. (shopruger.com already has a selection of available options.) The other thing you will not like is the beating the top portion of your thumb knuckle will take after firing a few rounds down the pipe. This is my only real complaint. It is an ergonomic mishap on Ruger's part. The top portion of the grip, where it meets the slide, is just not correct. The contour is just not right, this will be the big complaint that you hear from this gun. I first thought is was just me but after letting a few of my friends try it out, they struggled with it also. We tried different grips but that did not seem to be the answer. I should state, not everyone had this problem but the problem can not be ignored. Personally, I think a little time/effort/machining/etc may correct the problem. Last but not least, after emptying a mag and inserting a full mag, the slide will disengage and move forward. Not good if you have your finger inside the guard! It happened only twice but it will need some attention to detail for sure. I really, really, suggest that any of you considering buying one, go to your local gun shop/range and try one out. Check out ruger.com for participating locations or you can borrow mine if you like. Happy New Year Everyone!

Jim Puke · Jan 10, 2016

Yawn · Jan 10, 2016

Jim Luke said:
meh

Agreed... Though glad to hear the price. It is priced right for what it is. My SR45 has fantastic recoil reduction. It is the first thing everyone notices about the firearm when they shoot it. Good for those wanting into a Ruger semi, but not a reason to change from the SR platform.

jimjc · Jan 15, 2016

Peter Cummalotta said:
I picked up my "True" Ruger American Pistol today. I say true because I purchased the 45acp model. I really do not think that 9mm is very American but what do I know. This is my first venture into the polymer world of pistols in the 45acp caliber. I am a big fan of the 1911 model but since I am such a Ruger advocate and already own a SR1911, I decided to give the model #8615 a try. I took it out in the back yard and fired a few clips through it and found out the good, the bad and the ugly. There is a lot of good and not too much bad or ugly. You will like the price. I purchased mine for less than $500 which is $75 under mfg list price. The price is competitive with the competition. You do get an extra mag but no holster, mag holder or other goodies. You will like the recoil, it has a new recoil reducing barrel. The nitride coating, different wrap around grips, ambidextrous slide/magazine controls, no external rear safety/lever are all good. It has an easy takedown system which is nice for the beginner and there is no mag safety, it will fire with no mag in the well. It does have Novak sights which are easily changed out. (shopruger.com already has a selection of available options.) The other thing you will not like is the beating the top portion of your thumb knuckle will take after firing a few rounds down the pipe. This is my only real complaint. It is an ergonomic mishap on Ruger's part. The top portion of the grip, where it meets the slide, is just not correct. The contour is just not right, this will be the big complaint that you hear from this gun. I first thought is was just me but after letting a few of my friends try it out, they struggled with it also. We tried different grips but that did not seem to be the answer. I should state, not everyone had this problem but the problem can not be ignored. Personally, I think a little time/effort/machining/etc may correct the problem. Last but not least, after emptying a mag and inserting a full mag, the slide will disengage and move forward. Not good if you have your finger inside the guard! It happened only twice but it will need some attention to detail for sure. I really, really, suggest that any of you considering buying one, go to your local gun shop/range and try one out. Check out ruger.com for participating locations or you can borrow mine if you like. Happy New Year Everyone!

Glad to see you liked your new RAP 45. I do agree that the 45 is American but I don't think bullets have nationalities and I think the 9mm for the vast majority is a better round for a variety of reasons.

Anyway I've seen a few reviews that say the rear frame above the grip is hitting the knuckle on some, it didn't for me but that's something people will need to check out.

I'm hoping you'll do some accuracy shooting and let us know what you think.

FergusonTO35 · Jan 15, 2016

Is it true the RAP doesn't have a firing pin safety in the slide?

wixedmords · Jan 15, 2016

Peter Cummalotta thank you for your review of the new Ruger American.

Yawn · Jan 16, 2016

FergusonTO35 said:
Is it true the RAP doesn't have a firing pin safety in the slide?

Is that true? I can't imagine that would be the case...

M4eagle · Jan 18, 2016

Peter Cummalotta said:
I picked up my "True" Ruger American Pistol today. I say true because I purchased the 45acp model. I really do not think that 9mm is very American but what do I know. This is my first venture into the polymer world of pistols in the 45acp caliber. I am a big fan of the 1911 model but since I am such a Ruger advocate and already own a SR1911, I decided to give the model #8615 a try. I took it out in the back yard and fired a few clips through it and found out the good, the bad and the ugly. There is a lot of good and not too much bad or ugly. You will like the price. I purchased mine for less than $500 which is $75 under mfg list price. The price is competitive with the competition. You do get an extra mag but no holster, mag holder or other goodies. You will like the recoil, it has a new recoil reducing barrel. The nitride coating, different wrap around grips, ambidextrous slide/magazine controls, no external rear safety/lever are all good. It has an easy takedown system which is nice for the beginner and there is no mag safety, it will fire with no mag in the well. It does have Novak sights which are easily changed out. (shopruger.com already has a selection of available options.) The other thing you will not like is the beating the top portion of your thumb knuckle will take after firing a few rounds down the pipe. This is my only real complaint. It is an ergonomic mishap on Ruger's part. The top portion of the grip, where it meets the slide, is just not correct. The contour is just not right, this will be the big complaint that you hear from this gun. I first thought is was just me but after letting a few of my friends try it out, they struggled with it also. We tried different grips but that did not seem to be the answer. I should state, not everyone had this problem but the problem can not be ignored. Personally, I think a little time/effort/machining/etc may correct the problem. Last but not least, after emptying a mag and inserting a full mag, the slide will disengage and move forward. Not good if you have your finger inside the guard! It happened only twice but it will need some attention to detail for sure. I really, really, suggest that any of you considering buying one, go to your local gun shop/range and try one out. Check out ruger.com for participating locations or you can borrow mine if you like. Happy New Year Everyone!

While I really like Ruger n own many of their firearms, I don't understand how u recommend the All American 45acp after what u described including the beating of top hand etc.... That is a huge issue in the intro of a new firearm especially considering how many outstanding competitors there are that don't have such a problem I think I'll stick with the SR45

FergusonTO35 · Jan 18, 2016

I was lookimg at the parts breakdown for the RAP and didn't see a firing pin safety or any place in the slide for one. Maybe there is something that does the same thing in the frame.

tuna · Jan 20, 2016

Gotta get the papers, get the papers.

exavid · Jan 20, 2016

I was having a similar banged knuckle with my .45 S&W M&P. The under side of the beaver tail had a slight mold mark and the poly was just a little bit rough. So I polished the underside of the beaver tail so it was slick and smooth and now I can shoot all afternoon with it and don't get any bruised knuckle anymore. It might be possible it's a similar deal on the Ruger American. Take a close look at the part of the pistol that's actually hitting your knuckle, might be a bit rough or something like that.

martyj · Jan 21, 2016

How is the clearance between the trigger and trigger guard on these?
That is the one down fall that Glocks have in my opinion. They need a bigger trigger guard loop.

vito · Jan 25, 2016

Nothing I've read about this new gun makes me think it will be a better choice than my old P97.

DA_TriggR4Ruger · Jan 26, 2016

vito said:
Nothing I've read about this new gun makes me think it will be a better choice than my old P97.

The fact that there is manufacturer support for the American 45? Parts availability? Much better grip? Much better trigger? Uses metal rails instead of plastic rails? Holds 10 rounds instead of 8.

I owned a P97 years ago, KP97DC to be exact. Was a great gun for its it's time. It never had a huge following but was very reliable and much more accurate than the P89 it replaced. But the American pistol is night and day better.

Try it. You might like it. ;-)

contender · Jan 28, 2016

I don't often read the Semi-auto section,,, but came her just to see what folks were saying about the American.
I have a serious question. It's about the following statement.

"It is an ergonomic mishap on Ruger's part. The top portion of the grip, where it meets the slide, is just not correct. The contour is just not right, this will be the big complaint that you hear from this gun. I first thought is was just me but after letting a few of my friends try it out, they struggled with it also."

Now, if I understand this correctly,,, it's the rear portion of the grip, the beavertail portion, where the web of the dominant hand goes up under the slide. Is this correct?
If so, the non-dominant hand should be forward of this area.
I fail to see how a knuckle is placed under the rear of the grip area, under the slide.

What am I missing here?

I shoot using the isosceles two handed grip method. The method adopted by most of the semi-auto professionals all over. It's used by pros, competitors, etc. In no way does any knuckle fit under the rear portion of the grip.

If you could post a picture of your gripping method,,, maybe I would understand how you got a knuckle rapped.

Emmerdeur · Jan 28, 2016

I believe he is referring to the first knuckle of the thumb on the dominate hand.

contender · Jan 30, 2016

I read the thumb knuckle part,,, but if the gun is gripped with the web in the space behind & under the beavertail, the thumb knuckle should be off to the side of the slide & not in any position to receive contact during recoil.

I'm going to put my hands on a 45 cal American again in a few days,,, and see if there is any way this is an issue.

DA_TriggR4Ruger · Jan 30, 2016

contender said:
I read the thumb knuckle part,,, but if the gun is gripped with the web in the space behind & under the beavertail, the thumb knuckle should be off to the side of the slide & not in any position to receive contact during recoil.

I'm going to put my hands on a 45 cal American again in a few days,,, and see if there is any way this is an issue.

If possible please post pics of how you're gripping it, and also how you think he was gripping it. Because I'm confused as much as you are. Inquiring minds must know. lol

Emmerdeur · Jan 30, 2016

contender said:
I read the thumb knuckle part,,, but if the gun is gripped with the web in the space behind & under the beavertail, the thumb knuckle should be off to the side of the slide & not in any position to receive contact during recoil.

I'm going to put my hands on a 45 cal American again in a few days,,, and see if there is any way this is an issue.

Maybe we have a different idea of what the first knuckle is. I think of it as the one right next to the web between the index and thumb.

Emmerdeur · Jan 30, 2016

Ok did some googling. It's referred to the 1rst joint and 2nd knuckle. That is why I dropped out of med school I guess.

Ruger American 45acp test drive

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