After several day of leaked photos and a few videos Ruger made its official announcement today of the American Pistol. The press release has a heavy emphasis on military and police use as well as consulting with many military and police trainers input into its design.

Ruger refers to a recoil reducing cam with a low mass slide which spreads the recoil impulse over a longer time. Interesting to be sure but until we get our hands on one we can only speculate as to the configuration. This is a full size service pistol in both 9mm and 45 acp. This is a bit unusual since most new pistols start out in one caliber with a second and possibly third coming later. It appears Ruger is covering the bases for a possible entry into competition for a future military pistol.

Ruger describes the frame as having a one piece fire control unit, chassis, in stainless steel. This makes me think of the SIG 320 with the ability to change the chassis over to a smaller frame if needed. Just speculation on my part so we shall see as things develop.

I did expect this pistol to ship with three mags but it ships with two. The 9mm capacity is 17 with the 45 acp holding 10 rounds.

The suggested retail price is right in the same ballpark as the SIG 320 and Glock at $579.00. More details are below in the Ruger press release and specs.

Details of current models

Ruger American 45 acp

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) is proud to introduce a new line of full-size duty pistols. Designed with the latest U.S. Military standards in mind, the Ruger American Pistol™ is built to perform in the harshest conditions. A true American innovation, this new pistol is a revolutionary platform for Ruger.

Ruger polled law enforcement and military trainers throughout the country to determine the form, function and features of this firearm. The resultant new pistol combines a recoil-reducing barrel cam (which better spreads recoil over time) with a low mass slide, low center of gravity and a low bore axis to provide better balance, less felt recoil and less muzzle flip than comparable pistols.
The Ruger American Pistol also features a pre-tensioned striker system, which allows for a short takeup trigger with positive reset, and a modular wrap-around grip system that adjusts palm swell and trigger reach to fit a wide range of hand sizes.

“The Ruger American Pistol is the most advanced semi-auto pistol we have ever produced,” noted Ruger CEO Mike Fifer. “Rugged, reliable, and a great value in the finest Ruger tradition, the Ruger American Pistol is ready for duty anywhere in the world. Our customers deserve the opportunity to ensure their security with such a well-engineered pistol from an American company they can trust – Ruger,” he concluded.

Every Ruger American Pistol is built on a rigid, one-piece, precision-machined, black nitrided, stainless steel chassis with integral frame rails and fire control housing. Additional features include genuine Novak® LoMount Carry three-dot sights, a stainless steel slide with non-reflective, black nitride finish, a one-piece, high-performance, glass-filled nylon grip frame and a mil-standard 1913 accessory rail.

Available in 9mm Luger and .45 Auto, the 9mm weighs in at 30 ounces with a 4.20” barrel and the .45 weighs in at 31.5 ounces with a 4.50” barrel. Both ship in a hard case with replaceable grip modules and two, nickel-Teflon® plated steel magazines (17-round for 9mm and 10-round for .45 Auto; 10-round magazines are also available for the 9mm where required).

Ruger American Pistol website