Review of the Rost Martin RM1C
Rost Martin is a relatively new player in the firearms industry, but they’re making waves fast. Based in Dallas, Texas, they were founded by Chris and Stefany Toomer, bringing a combination of military experience and deep industry knowledge to their designs. Chris served as a Marine Corps infantry officer and later worked in research and development at Springfield Armory. Stefany, on the other hand, comes from a lineage of firearms industry veterans—her grandfather was Bob Reese, founder of Springfield Armory. With a clear vision to create high-quality, American-made firearms, they launched Rost Martin, and their first release, the RM1C, hit the market just before SHOT Show 2024.
Naturally, I had to check it out and I like seeing American companies jump into the firearms industry with something new, even if the premise is tried and true. Here’s what I think.
First Impressions
Let’s be honest—this is a Glock 19 platform handgun. But—and it’s a big but—it does not fit any of my Glock holsters, which is frustrating. That aside, I wanted to put this thing through its paces and see if it had enough going for it to make a lasting impression.
The Slide
First up, the slide. Right out of the box, it’s easy to manipulate. The aggressive front and rear cuts make it simple to get a solid grip, whether you’re chambering a round or running failure drills. I like that attention to detail. The machining on this thing is tight, and the finish is smooth and well done. No weird tool marks or inconsistencies—just a solidly built slide.
One of the first things I noticed was the optic cut cover. It’s metal, not plastic, and that’s a major win in my book. I’ve seen too many manufacturers cheap out on that part, so kudos to Rost Martin for doing it right. The pistol uses a plate system, and it even comes with an RMR plate in the box, which is a nice touch.
The RM1C also has steel sights—another plus. These aren’t going to fold under pressure if you need to rack the slide off a hard surface. I tested it, and the sights held up with no issues, no loss of alignment. The sight picture is classic and effective—blacked-out rear with a white dot front post. It makes for quick and easy target acquisition, which is exactly what you want in a carry or defensive pistol.
Barrel and Accuracy
The RM1C sports a 4” hammer-forged barrel. Hammer forging is one of those things that tends to give you better durability and accuracy over time, so that’s another solid choice. The barrel meets industry standards and performed as expected during my testing. It’s more than reliable for defensive use.
Frame and Ergonomics
Now, here’s where things get interesting. While the internals should be familiar to anyone who’s worked with striker-fired pistols before, the trigger really stood out to me. If I could put this trigger in every Glock I own, I’d do it tomorrow.
The take-up is smooth, and you hit a very clear wall just before the 90-degree break point. The break itself is clean and consistent. But the real magic? The reset. It’s short—really short. You’re right back at the wall almost immediately, making follow-up shots a breeze. It feels like the profile of a Glock performance trigger but outperforms it in almost every way. This is easily the best part of the gun.
But not everything was perfect. The grip angle was weird for me. No matter how I adjusted, I couldn’t seem to get a high enough grip on it. It felt like there was always a little gap between the webbing of my thumb and the slightly squared-off beavertail. That’s a problem because a solid grip is key to recoil management, and this design didn’t quite allow me to get as locked in as I wanted.
That being said, the textured thumb pads were actually pretty nice. They provided a consistent index point, which helped with repeatability in my grip. The grip texture itself was also well done—not overly aggressive but more substantial than a stock Glock frame. If I had to compare it to something, I’d say it felt similar to the Canik line of pistols.
Another nice feature is the 3-slot Picatinny rail under the front of the frame. If you want to throw a weapon light on it, you’ve got plenty of room to do so.
Shooting the RM1C
Here’s where things got a little disappointing for me. As much as I loved the trigger, I just didn’t enjoy shooting this gun.
Because I couldn’t get what I felt was an efficient grip, the recoil felt snappier than it should have. Even with my best grip, it shot more like a PSA Dagger Micro than a Glock 19. If you’ve never shot a PSA Dagger Micro, let me put it this way—I’d rather shoot a Taurus G2C in terms of felt recoil than the PSA Dagger Micro. That’s not a great comparison for a gun the size of a Glock 19. I expected it to feel more balanced, but instead, it had that micro-9mm snappiness that I don’t particularly enjoy.
That said, accuracy wasn’t bad. Even with the extra felt recoil, my groups at 12 yards were respectable. This gun is far from unshootable—it just didn’t feel as smooth or controllable as I wanted.
If you have larger hands than I do, or if you swap to a different backstrap (it comes with three), you might find a grip configuration that works better.
Magazines and Capacity
The RM1C comes with two steel magazines: a 15-round flush-fit and a 17-round extended. These mags are solid, well-made, and lock in with no issues.
Dimensions and Colors
The RM1C’s full length is 7.1”, with a height of 5” with the 15-round mag and 5.5” with the 17-round mag. The width is a slim 1.1”, and it weighs in at 21.1 oz. It’s available in three colors—Black, Stone Gray, and FDE.
Pricing and Variants
You can find the RM1C retailing between $400-$450, which is a solid price point for what you’re getting. Rost Martin also now offers an RM1C Comped version (MSRP $489) and the RM1S, their subcompact model, which retails around the same price as the RM1C.
Final Thoughts
I love seeing new American companies step into the firearms space. Like the AR platform, the Glock 19.3 footprint is something we’ll likely see more manufacturers building upon in the years to come. And I’m all for it. The more competition, the better the innovation.
Ruger just dropped the RXM, and I’m hoping to review that one soon. Shadow Systems is already pushing the envelope, PSA and others are in the game, and Zev Technologies is carving out a niche of their own. Rost Martin is now in the mix, and while the RM1C isn’t quite a Glock killer yet, they have a bright future ahead.
Review by Tom Plemmons
Tom Plemmons is the Blacklands Security Group CAO and an avid gun enthusiast. He is currently working toward his NRA instructor certification and will receive his Glock armorer certification in May of 2025. He is a member of GSSF and looks forward to competing in the coming year.
