Ruger American Pistol Compact Now in .45 Auto

by
posted on December 28, 2016
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
rugeramerican_2.jpg
Ruger has announced the addition of the Ruger American Pistol Compact in .45 Auto. This newest compact model is offered in the "PRO" configuration with no external manual safety. Introduced in December 2015, the feature-rich Ruger American Pistol was designed with the latest U.S. military standards in mind and was tested in the harshest environments to ensure rugged reliability. 

Ruger polled law enforcement and military trainers throughout the country to select the form, function and features of the Ruger American Pistol. The resultant 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 take-up 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.



With a 3.75" barrel, overall dimensions of 7.25" long, 4.65" high and a weight of 28.6 ounces, the Ruger American Pistol Compact model shares all of the features and rugged reliability of the duty-size gun in a smaller, lighter, more concealable package. It ships in a hard case with medium and large replaceable grip modules and two nickel-Teflon plated steel magazines (one 10-round extended magazine and one 7-round compact magazine). 

The American-made Ruger American Pistol is built on a rigid, one-piece, precision-machined, 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. For more information, visit Ruger.com.



Additional Reading:

Compact Model added to Ruger American Pistol Line  
Tested: Ruger American Pistol 

Latest

EAA XXX 01
EAA XXX 01

EAA's Witness2311 CMX XXX & SC9 XXX: A More Practical 2011 Design?

New for 2026, EAA Corp. is downsizing the Witness 2311 CMX design with the CMX XXX and SC9 XXX, two handguns that are built around an entirely new magazine.

Lessons Learned About Long-Distance Shooting at FTW Ranch

At the SAAM/Impact Precision Advanced Course offered by FTW Ranch, students learned a few important lessons about long-range shooting that others might overlook.

I Carry: Springfield Armory SA-35 Polished in a Falco C631 Gorham Holster

In our latest episode of "I Carry" above, we're taking a closer look at the details of the new Springfield Armory SA-35 Polished, and we're packaging it with a high-quality leather holster from Falco Holsters, along with a new EDC knife from Work Sharp.

ATF Suffers Major Cybersecurity Incident

On Aug. 27, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced that an outside group had breached its systems in what it termed a "major incident."

The Armed Citizen® Aug. 28, 2026

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

A Conversation About Gun-Making in America

Recently, a paper titled “The American Tradition of Self-Made Arms" written by Joe Greenlee, director of NRA-ILA's Office of Litigation Counsel,was cited by a court in an important ruling on frame-or-receiver litigation.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.