Rost Martin RM1S: Short, Sweet—an Everyday Carry Treat

Rost Martin quickly established itself as a legitimate contender in the packed polymer-frame, striker-fired 9mm pistol market. That’s no easy feat, but its inaugural pistol, the RM1C, was no ordinary semiauto either. As a friend pointed out after picking it up, it feels like a Glock 19 that’s been customized for improved ergonomics.

Although considered a compact, the RM1C isn’t small by today’s standards, and many people are opting for smaller pistols that are easier to conceal and more comfortable to carry, while still maintaining a respectable magazine capacity. The new Rost Martin RM1S is designed to stand out in this extremely competitive space. With a 3.6-inch barrel, it’s smaller—about a half-inch shorter and more than an ounce lighter—than the RM1C but still delivers 12+1 and 15+1 capacity.

The downside to smaller pistols is that they tend to be harder to shoot, and that’s given rise to compensated barrels. Rost Martin wasted no time in coming out with a compensated version of the RM1S, the RM1S Comp, which I had the chance to test.

“We had so many requests for a comped subcompact pistol that we moved the RM1S Comp up in the production line,” said Chris Toomer, who along with his wife, Stefany, co-owns Rost Martin.

Ergonomics and Features

The RM1S Comp is an ergonomically designed, feature-rich pistol that’s economically priced at less than $500. It’s available in any color you want—as long as it’s black. The polymer grip’s beavertail and undercut trigger guard facilitate a high hold, which mitigates muzzle rise and felt recoil. Three interchangeable backstraps allow you to tailor the grip to your hand for optimal comfort and control.

The RM1S Comp features Rost Martin’s Responsive Grip Texture, which has a deeper cut than the original RM1C models. Deeper serrations equate to better traction. Texturing appears on either side as well as on the frontstrap and the backstrap.

Textured index points above the trigger guard provide a tactile reference for your support-side thumb and your trigger finger, when not shooting. There are even shallow serrations on the front portion of the trigger guard for those who prefer to wrap the index finger of their non-shooting hand around it for better control.

Scalloped areas on either side of the pistol, aft of the trigger guard, provide comfort and consistent placement for the thumb of your shooting hand and your trigger finger. In a departure from the RM1C series, these areas on the RM1S Comp are textured.

Trigger and Grips

The squared trigger guard is oversized and easily accommodates a gloved finger. The flat-face trigger has a blade-style safety that must be pressed rearward to fire the pistol. I’m a fan. Safeties requiring manual manipulation can be problematic, but when you press the trigger the RM1S Comp’s safety is automatically disengaged.

At the rear of each backstrap is a slot to attach a lanyard. Most people will never use a lanyard, but it might come in handy in the backcountry. The slot doesn’t interfere with your grip, so there’s no downside to it.

The RMS1 Comp has a serrated, fully ambidextrous slide stop and magazine release. This is a big deal on a defensive pistol, even if you’re not left-handed. If you’ve ever tried to clear a double feed with just your left hand, you know what I mean. Locking the slide to the rear by pushing up on the slide stop with your left index finger is not fun.

The slide stop is big enough to use as a slide release for efficient loading, but it’s not so big as to be cumbersome and it won’t dig into your hand. The oblong magazine release provides plenty of surface area for your thumb, but it was rather stiff on my test gun.

Mag Well and Sights

The mag well is slightly flared to help funnel the metal Mec-Gar magazines into the pistol. Rost Martin got this just right. The flare provides a bit of a ledge for your pinky finger to help reduce muzzle flip, but it’s not so pronounced that it causes the grip to print through a cover garment the way big, competition-oriented mag wells do.

The magazines feature numbered witness holes so you can easily tell how full they are. Finger cutouts give you something to grab hold of should you need to strip a magazine from the pistol, although the RM1S Comp’s metal-bodied magazines are less likely to hang up in the mag well than polymer mags.

The RM1S Comp’s extended magazine has a sleeve that fills the gap between the base plate and the mag well. Shooters with average-size hands will be able to achieve a full firing grip with the extended magazine inserted. The RM1S Comp’s two-slot accessory rail will accommodate a variety of popular subcompact pistol lights.

The RM1S Comp’s slide is constructed of nitrocarburized steel. It’s optics ready, with a metal Trijicon RMR optics plate included. Docter/Noblex, Shield RMS/SMS and Leupold DeltaPoint Pro optics plates can be purchased separately from Rost Martin. If you prefer iron sights, the RM1S Comp sports a black serrated U-notch rear sight and a serrated front sight with a white dot.

Accuracy and Compensator

The top of the slide features anti-glare serrations. Slide serrations front and rear provide ample grip for manual cycling or peeking into the chamber. There’s also a square witness hole that serves as a loaded-chamber indicator. When the RM1S Comp is cocked, the red-painted rear of the striker protrudes from a hole in the slide plate.

Like other Rost Martin models, the RM1S Comp can be disassembled without pressing the trigger, a smart safety feature. First remove the magazine and ensure the pistol is unloaded. Then, while pressing down on both sides of the takedown lever, pull the slide rearward slightly. At this point, the slide twists off the frame, as opposed to sliding off as with most striker-fired pistols. Now the recoil spring and barrel can be removed.

For accuracy testing, I mounted a Rival Arms red dot, which has the same footprint as the Trijicon RMR. The best group was just under an inch with Black Hills 125-grain Honey­Badger. Several groups printed less than 1.5 inches, with the overall average group measuring just over that.

I’ve fired several comped pistols similar in size to the RM1S Comp where the compensators didn’t seem to make a difference—as if those companies added a comp as a selling point and weren’t overly concerned about whether or not it does its job. The Rost Martin’s comp did its job.

Engineered Recoil Reduction

“Using high-speed cameras, we filmed the RM1S Comp being fired and noticed a decrease in muzzle rise. Why would you not give yourself every advantage on a pistol your life could depend on?” Toomer explained.

The recoil reduction from the comp was even more noticeable while firing the RM1S Comp offhand. It shoots flatter than most pistols of its size and chambering, which means faster and more accurate follow-up shots. That’s an important feature since it can take multiple hits to stop the threat.

Toomer said Rost Martin is always tinkering with the triggers on its pistols to make them as smooth and clean-breaking as possible, and the RM1S Comp’s trigger is better than you’ll find on most striker-fired pistols. As advertised, the trigger broke right at five pounds. There was some take-up, followed by a crisp break at the wall. A plastic nub behind the trigger serves as an overtravel stop at about 90 degrees. Reset was short and easily discernible.

Like other Rost Martin pistols I’ve fired, the RM1S Comp was comfortable to shoot. According to Toomer, Rost Martin strives to make pistols that are economically priced and “punch above their weight.” Based on my evaluation of the RM1S Comp, the company achieved that goal.

Reliability is King

Having a pistol that’s accurate and controllable is important, but it’s still got to run reliably, which the RM1S Comp did. The pistol did not malfunction during testing.

With a suggested retail price of just $489, the RM1S Comp is not only considerably less expensive than comparable striker-fired pistols, but it also has a better trigger than many, and enhanced ergonomics. So if you’re looking for a feature-rich 9mm carry gun, the RM1S Comp is worth considering. It’s easy to conceal, easy to shoot and reliable. The fact that it will save you money compared to a similarly configured pistol is a nice bonus.

Rost Martin RM1S Comp Specs

• Type: striker-fired semiauto centerfire
• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Capacity: 12-, 15-round mags supplied
• Barrel: 3.6 in. hammer forged, ported, crowned
• OAL/Height/Width: 6.72/4.4/1.1 in.
• Weight: 20.6 oz.
• Construction: nitrocarburized steel slide, polymer frame w/interchangeable backstraps
• Sights: black serrated rear, serrated white dot front
• Trigger: 5 lb. pull (measured)
• Safety: trigger blade
• Price: $489
• Manufacturer: Rost Martin, RostMartin.com