Remington has been busy recently striking out into some interesting new areas for the company. Who really thought Big Green would come out with a kick-ass competition shotgun that would be the envy of 3-gunners? As part of this broadening of their line expansion Remington has released the RP9 pistol, a Remington-made polymer pistol in 9mm (hence the name) that’s also available in 45 ACP for those so inclined. This is Remington’s first foray into the world of striker fired polymer handguns. So, how did they do?

The first thing that came out of my mouth when I opened the box: “Did they swap my gun for a Walther PPQ?” The profile is almost a dead ringer for the Teutonic plastic fantastic, but closer inspection reveals that Remington’s made some changes…nearly all for the better.

Improvement number one — and probably the biggest one — no finger grooves. European gun manufacturers seem to like to mold finger grooves into grips of their handguns. While that might fit the typical delicate European digits, their grooves definitely do not fit my large paws. Remington’s choice of a straight (and slim) grip with three backstrap options is music to my palms.

Then there’s the slide release. Walther likes their extended version, but Remington seems to subscribe to the “KISS” principle. The slide stop/release looks more like one from the classic SIG SAUER line, a small bent piece of metal that jams into the appropriate slot. It may seem simplistic but that’s the reason I like it.

The last improvement: The Rp costs $300 less than the Walther.

We know…you want the full-on review. In fact, just last night I was out stress testing the Rp. Watch this space for our patented, authoritative, straight dope take on Remmy’s latest and greatest.