My close friend Charles ‘Charlie” Brown acquired a new RP9 through Remington and was kind enough to bring it by for a test drive and to see what is what. At first glance the RP9 is a polymer receiver striker fired duty size pistol, with eighteen plus one capacity. There is no shortage of such handguns on the market but that is no reason not to try this new Remington.

It was a pretty brisk Sunday afternoon when Charlie Brown showed up, with the brand new RP9 and a few boxes of 115gr Sig Sauer factory ball ammunition. We were beginning to lose daylight so he and I got right to it, starting out shooting groups at twenty five yards to see if the new Remington would shoot straight.

 

It would be fair to say this pistol would not be my first choice for a NRA Bullseye match but we did get a couple inch groups with many being under two. With that said, the better than average three dot sights, with serrations on the adjustable rear, to cut down on glare and trigger pull made it easy not to disrupt the sight picture during trigger press.

The trigger broke clean at five and a half pounds with some take up and a bit of over travel, the reset was quick from full throw. An incorporated trigger safety being standard is what we are becoming used to seeing. The receiver incorporates a molded in accessory Picatinny Rail. The take down lever is just below the Remington roll mark. Just behind that is the ambidextrous slide stop. My only complaints were the slide stop did not have a ledge for releasing the slide on a fresh magazine and the right side of the slide stop was tough to operate.

 

You can see the dovetailed sights and forward and rear cocking serrations. The reversible magazine catch is a tear drop shape with plenty of serration. You will notice the exaggerated beaver tail allowing a solid and deep purchase on this pistol.

Remington includes three different backstraps so you have some options on grip size and profile. The eighteen round magazines fit almost flush, with a thick base pad to ensure positive seating. The magazines took some break in to get all eighteen rounds in easy. After loading them a few times and letting that set and running, they got easier to load full.

3 round groups shot from a rest at 25 yards.

Range Day

Conclusions 

The Remington RP9 is very similar to many of the other striker fired polymer pistols but taking into account the trigger and sights I believe that is enough to warrant a closer look. After some 300 rounds Charlie, Allison, and I liked the pistol. At the very least it was reasonably accurate and reliable and that is almost always enough. I can appreciate the added touches of the RP9, such as the aggressive cocking serrations,  capacity, and controllability. The RP9 may be a bit large for concealed carry but with the right holster and being able to dress around the gun it could be done. I would see this as an excellent option for home defense, though in that case some night sights would be a good idea. The RP9 would also serve well for range use as well as running in your local matches. With just the one complaint of no ledge on the slide stop I am satisfied with the new Remington RP9 and how it ran.

Update 

Since being published I had had some point out some less than stellar reviews on the RP 9. Several people had issues withe the RP 9 and Freedom Munitions. I have shot some Freedom Munitions in past tests over chronographs and what I had was loaded pretty light as compared to other brands. The last time I tried some of their 300 Blackout I had problems with the BCG cycling and never locking back on several proven AR-15s. With the RP 9 having a larger and heavier than usual slide, the failures looked like the ammunition was not generating enough energy to eject the case from under the extractor. At formal count tonight Charlie Brown and I ran about 350 rounds through the pistol and there were no malfunctions. The pistol was brand new and the slide became a bit sluggish in about 150 rounds. It was at that time we decided to oil the brand new pistol and that was the end of that.

Specifications 

Remington RP9

Caliber 9mm Luger : +P rated.

Magazine capacity : 18

Barrel Length : 4.5 inches

Length : 7.91 inches

Width : 1.27 inches

Height : 5.56 inches

Trigger pull : 5.5 pounds

MSRP $489

Acknowledgments 

Charles Brown, fellow gun enthusiast and my photography mentor

SIG Sauer Ammunition 

Hornady 

Defender Ammunition 

Ammo For Sale.com

 

 

 

 

 

By Hunter Elliott

I spent much of my youth involved with firearms and felt the call early on to the United States Marine Corps, following in my father's and his brother's footsteps. Just after high school I enlisted and felt most at home on the rifle range, where I qualified expert with several firearms and spent some time as a rifle coach to my fellow Marines. After being honorably discharged I continued teaching firearm safety, rifle and pistol marksmanship, and began teaching metallic cartridge reloading. In the late 1990s I became a life member to the National Rifle Association and worked with the Friends of the NRA. Around that time my father and I became involved with IDPA and competed together up until he passed away. I began reviewing firearms for publications in the mid 2000s and have been fortunate to make many friends in the industry. Continuing to improve my firearms skills and knowledge is a never ending journey in which we should all be committed. I am also credited as weapons master on a few independent films.

One thought on “Remington RP9, similar but different”
  1. Might be a dumb question but….What is its weight? I really like The18 rd capability even though it may be redundant.

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