Best Of Shot Show 4 of 38: Ruger American Pistol

The new-from-the-ground-up Ruger American Pistol is a polymer framed, striker-fired pistol available in 9mm and .45 ACP (both $579). Built on a rigid, one-piece, precision-machined, black-nitrided, stainless-steel chassis with Integral frame rails and fire control housing, the American Pistol features ambidextrous slide stops and magazine release buttons, interchangeable grip modules (S, M and L in 9mm; M and L in .45 ACP), precision-machined, black-nitrided stainless steel slide, pre-tensioned striker system, short take-up trigger with positive reset and trigger-blade safety, internal automatic sear block safety, 4-slot Picatinny rail molded into the dust cover, a recoil-reducing barrel cam designed to spread recoil energy over time, low-mass slide and low bore axis. They come with two nickel-Teflon plated steel magazines. Magazine capacity is 17 rounds in 9mm and 10 rounds in .45 ACP. A 9mm model with State compliant 10-round mags is also available. Contact Sturm, Ruger & Co., Dept. OT; Tel.: (336) 949-5200; Web: www.ruger.com