G-Force Arms is a firearms importer based in Reno, Nevada. The company imports a variety of rifles, carbines and shotguns made to their specs from Turkey by Radikal Arms. Recently, they added a new pistol to their lineup: The GF9 Rapture.
The GF9 Rapture has a very Glockish look and feel to it. Yet some have compared its grip to the Taurus G2 or G3. This, however, is a misconception, which we will delve into later.
A cursory examination of the slide will tell you right away that it is the same dimensionally as the G26 9mm from Glock, with an exception. This one is cut for placement of an optic, yet not in the true MOS sense. It is a proprietary cut that accepts an adapter for the RMR or Shield Sights pattern. A nice set of fiber optic sights with a red front tube come installed on the pistol and there are front and rear cocking serrations present.
Its frame is a completely different animal, being proprietary in nature. This will either make you hate it or realize its genius.
Any hatred may come from a Glock purist as the frame will not take standard Glock magazines, it lacks a rail, and it makes use of different back straps. These concerns may have a measure of validity, and if they concern you that much, pick up a G26 instead.
A little history
In the mid-1990s when the G26 and G27 rolled out, they were the compact handguns that almost everyone wanted. There was a ban on magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds, and the good thing here was that the factory 10-round magazine was flush with the grip frame. A bonus was that it could take the standard capacity magazines of the larger G17 and G19 models, giving the user an option of more capacity.
The significance here was that while certain gun laws were restricting our rights and limiting our options, there was an absolute tidal wave of concealed carry reform going on in the United States at the State level.
There was a legitimate demand for smaller pistols that were easy to conceal, but also capable of effectively stopping a threat.
Glock’s G26 was the perfect candidate at the time because shooters trained on the G17/19 platform had an option that operated, disassembled, and felt the same as their larger counterparts. Plus, it had the benefit of the larger magazines that were harder and much more expensive to come by.
Thirty years later, the G26 has not held up to be as popular as it was at first launch. In the decades since, pistols have gotten smaller, thinner, and of course, manufacturers can produce standard capacity magazines again.
If there was a downside to the G26, it was the size of the grip frame. It was short and fat. Firearms and their magazines have evolved to the point where a shooter can get more rounds in the magazine within the same dimensions.
Looking at the GF9 Rapture
G-Force took the concept of the G26 and went to work redesigning the frame. Of course, to be efficient, this required a change to the magazine. Their redesigned magazine holds 12 rounds and resembles the staggered pattern of the SIG P365 as opposed to the traditional Glock style.
Now, let’s look at the grip’s back straps.
Typically, when evaluating a duty-sized pistol for carry, I tend to install the smallest insert I can find for concealability reasons. On a full-sized pistol, even with XL-sized hands, this can work in most instances. Yet, when you’re using a shorter grip frame such as the one on the Rapture, it may not be the best idea.
Our first exposure to this pistol was at a gun writer’s conference sponsored by Outdoor News America in Dallas, Texas. While I had no issues with the pistol, I noticed that a few other authors did, which seemed unusual as they were also regular shooters.
A few weeks later, G-Force sent me a pistol for testing, and it became clear why there were issues at the range that day.
The Rapture’s smaller back straps give the pistol a very unique angle. That familiar Glock grip angle transforms into almost a straight vertical one. It makes the pistol’s point of aim slightly higher and shortens the reach to the trigger. The worst part for some shooters will be that muscle memory seems to want to position the bore lower, contorting the grip and resulting in possible malfunctions similar to what you may have heard as “limp wristing” the gun.
To remedy this, the pistol’s included punch came out and the largest of the back straps went in. This made for a pistol that ran like a scalded cat.
With a few hundred rounds of 9mm 124-grain FMJ provided by Global Ordnance, sub-3-inch groups at 50 feet became the order of the day.
The advice here is to evaluate the different back straps at the range. There’s nothing wrong with going smaller for a more concealable carry piece, but make sure that combination works for you, especially if you cut your teeth on shooting Glock pistols.
Like anything else in life, if you want to reap the benefits of a pistol like this, you need to put in the time and shoot it, practice with it, and be effective with it.
Outside of shooting, this pistol takes most accessories made for the Glock family of pistols such as sights, but most importantly: holsters. While the G26 has declined a bit in popularity, there are still products being offered for it. In this case, we used a Safariland 575 IWB Holster made for the slightly larger G19 pistol.
Retail on the GF9 Rapture is below $300. That’s pretty impressive with the amount of goodies you get here: optic cut, optic adapters, different back straps, tools, cleaning kit, spare magazine, fiber optic sights, and a rigid zip-up case. Yet don’t dismiss it as a cheap import because it is very well made. It just happens to be made in Turkey.
G-Force is a small-sized import company that runs very efficiently. The firearms that they are having made in Turkey are dialed in because, unlike many other companies out there, G-Force is run by people who shoot and hunt on a regular basis.
Sometimes that’s all the difference it takes.
GF9 Rapture Specs
- Caliber: 9mm
- Barrel Length: 3.25 inches
- Overall Length: 6.5 inches
- Weight: 19 oz.
- Magazine Capacity: 12
- Sights: Standard Glock/RMR or Shield Footprint
- MSRP: $299
