After posting about how I really like the Springfield Prodigy 1911DS and mentioned Race City Defense in the post regarding high-end guns, I was able to acquire a lightly used RC9c for just slightly over my personal budget limit. Other than a few small nicks on the grip module, the gun is in excellent condition, and it came with a brand new Trijicon RMR HRS optic installed. I wasn't really fond of the Coyote Tan RMR, so I will sell it to offset the total cost of the gun to fit well within my budget limit.
Photos from the Gunbroker auction
Race City Defense (RCD) started offering their RC9 pistols officially in late 2023, so they are a relatively new high end 2011 builder. Prior to the launch of their RC9 pistol, they were customizing Springfield Prodigy 1911DS pistols (as well as other guns), which I can definitely appreciate since I do that myself at RFV Tactical. The RC9c, which is their new dedicated carry pistol, was released in June of 2025. Despite being a used gun, this one is the newest version of the RC9c with the updated optics plate that has four mounting screws instead of two, a pinned front sight to keep it from walking out of the dovetail, and lightly chamfered edges on the front of the slide and frame. I've read multiple posts across the internet that compare the RC9c to the Atlas EOS at almost half the cost.
While I prefer the polymer grip modules on my 2011 style guns, so that I can do my RFV Tactical grip texture work on them, the aluminum grip module on the RC9c has a really good feel to it. It was designed for RCD by Kovert Projects, and is made in house at RCD. It has a unique texture design that gives you a lot of traction without being too abrasive. I also love that the grip has a step cut to fit shorter magazines (including the Staccato C2 16-round magazines) while maintaining a full-size feel, which is exactly what I've done to most of my full-size polymer 2011 grip modules. Unfortunately, the magwell opening does not have any kind of chamfer to it at all, so I chamfered it myself to help with smoother reloads. I'm not going to bother refinishing the magwell chamfer as it will get nicked up over time with reloads anyway. One of the things I don't like about aluminum grip modules is that they get nicked up or scratched pretty easily.
The RC9c really appealed to me because the overall aesthetics are nearly perfect. It has simple angled serrations that are nicely proportioned (five up front and five in the back), a tri-topped slide, a wide frame, a pinned non-functional beavertail, and is DLC coated with polished flats on the slide. I do wish it was a little more dehorned as it has a lot of sharp edges and corners. The height of the extended mag release button was so tall that the magazine would get released when I inserted the gun into a holster. I tried installing a mag release button from a Prodigy and a Gen 1 STI, but the grip module is wider in that area than the polymer grips, so they didn't work at all. I had to trim it down to a reasonable height, and I will refinish it once I've confirmed that it won't have any issues. It also came with some fairly wide paddle thumb safety levers, which I don't like because of my high grip. Rather than modify the factory safety levers, I just installed some left-over thumb safeties that I had already thinned down, dehorned, and refinished in my custom DLC Mimic Cerakote color.
The fit and finish of this gun is excellent. The slide to frame fit is very tight, and on par with my older STI guns that have the best fitment of all of my 2011 style guns. The DLC coating is excellent as well, and the polished flats on the slide is a very nice touch, but it is kind of a fingerprint magnet. It also has a ramped cut on the front of the slide's stripper rail to eliminate any hang up on the disconnector. Racking the slide is very smooth even with the tight fit. The trigger is also tuned very nice. The pull weight is right at 2 pounds from the factory with very little pre-travel and a positive reset, so I didn't have to do any trigger tuning at all. I did have to properly fit the slide stop lever, as the slide would consistently lock back with one round left in the magazine with multiple magazines that don't ever have that issue in any of my other 2011 style guns. Upon further inspection, it appears they did not remove enough material from the bottom of the slide stop. The photo below shows the RC9c slide stop compared to a Staccato slide stop before and after I trimmed it.
The top inline barrel ports on this gun are very effective at reducing muzzle rise, and it's my preferred type of porting on a gun as it seems to be the most effective porting style. The RC9c is my only steel frame 2011 with top inline ports. Despite being marketed as a carry gun, the RC9c is a very heavy pistol and weighs slightly more than my non-ported Prodigy 1911DS, which was my heaviest 2011 style gun until now. The extra weight combined with the barrel ports make this gun very easy to shoot fast and accurately, but it's performance is not any different than some of my other ported 2011 style guns. I'll need to do some one-on-one comparisons with a few of them soon.
One of the negatives to the RCD guns in general is that they only ship with a Trijicon RMR optic mounting plate that they designed and make in house. Currently, you cannot order mounting plates for other optics on their website even though I've seen older RC9 pistols with other optics installed. I installed a Trijicon SRO that I took off of another gun that is not in use anymore (*cough* P320 *cough*). I also installed a Surefire X300 full-size light, because... all my guns must have optics and lights, which is non-negotiable. 😁
More photos coming soon...
