Estimated reading time: 0 minutes
Self-defense isn’t something that should be out of reach due to finances, but it happens. It’s also common for gun people—myself included—to recommend pistols with higher price points when someone’s looking for a carry gun. That’s mostly because it’s of the utmost importance that the gun in question performs reliably, but that doesn’t mean we don’t sometimes lose sight of the fact that simpler handguns can be fine, too. One gun that fits into the lower price point category but offers great aesthetic appeal and consistent performance is the GForce Arms RPX9 Exodus. Check it out.
Table of contents
GForce Arms RPX9 Exodus
GForce Arms itself hasn’t been around long—just a handful of years. The RPX9 Exodus is the company’s compact pistol and yes, it’s imported from Turkey (or “Republic of Turkiye” if you want to get pedantic). As for GForce itself, it’s based in Nevada and staffed by an enthusiastic, experienced team. Let’s talk about that right up front. Simply because a gun is imported doesn’t make it Less Than and having them imported is the best way to keep the price point down.
So, while we might all prefer to see American Made stamped on our guns, it isn’t realistic. GForce does nothing to hide that fact—unlike some manufacturers—and has “Radikal Made in Turkey” stamped right on the frame. If you’re someone who needs a defensive handgun but can’t afford most possibilities, well, GForce has you covered. There’s a niche for these guns.
Details
The Exodus is a 9mm compact handgun designed for self-defense applications. It’s made for both form and function. The gun has a 4.02-inch barrel, 7.3-inch overall length, 5.25-inch height, and 1.5-inch width. Yes, it’s a double-stack and has a capacity of 15 +1 (a 10-round magazine is also available for restrictive states). Empty it weighs 1.33 pounds.
As you might expected, this is a polymer-framed handgun with a 4140 steel slide. It’s well-balanced—that’s always a nice discovery—and is made with quite a few carry-friendly features. Angled serrations at both the front and back of the slide make racking the slide easier and indentations at the top of the grip give your hands a bit more purchase during live fire. Other details that encourage a solid grip are an undercut trigger guard and extended beavertail. Grips are also aggressively textured and the included backstrap has a raised dot pattern. The edges of the slide and frame are rounded to reduce snagging.
Available on GunsAmerica Now
Other features of the Exodus include ridged surfaces on controls and a series of internal safety mechanisms—there’s no external thumb safety, which is fine by me. An accessory rail in front of the trigger guard makes it easy to add a weapon-mounted light and, best of all, there’s a removable optics plate on this particular variant. The gun does ship with green fiber optic rear sights and a red fiber optic front sight.
Can You Use Glock Parts on the GForce Arms Exodus?
This gun is compatible with Gen 3 and Gen 4 G19 parts in the entirety of its slide. That means internals like springs and the trigger can be swapped for any of the myriad aftermarket parts out there. It also means you could change the sights if you wanted to, although their factory sights are very nice right out of the box. In addition, it’s compatible with Glock magazines, leaving a lot of aftermarket options possible.
Now, to address the gun-related gorilla in the room. No, the Exodus is not a Glock. It’s easy to see any polymer-framed pistols as Glock-offs, but that’s more because everyone is familiar with Glock. It’s the brand even non-gun guys are familiar with on some level. The GForce Arms Exodus has a lower price point than Glocks but manages a broader aesthetic appeal as well as a different feel in your hands.
It also has features like a flared magazine well that you don’t find standard on other polymer pistols. Then there’s the variety of finishes—mine’s a black-framed gun with a burnt bronze slide and flared mag well, but there’s an entire list of color options. These aren’t just plain black plastic guns.
How Does the Exodus Shoot?
What’s important—although aesthetic appeal is nice—is how the gun shoots. There are two ways to approach this. One is to consider how the Exodus performs compared to higher price-point pistols and the other is to look at it within the context of its price. Then we go on to the dirty details of what it can and cannot do.
Looking at the Exodus as you should—how it does as a gun with a $299 MSRP—comes first. The gun outdoes its price point, there’s no debating that. It’s a fact. That doesn’t mean it’s perfect or that it’ll outshoot your fancier gun, only that it performs not only as expected but better than anticipated.
Design
Now, on to how it does overall. The Exodus fits nicely in my hands, and I fully admit I’m a fan of double stacks thanks to my long fingers. The palm swell of the backstrap it shipped with fits snugly into my hand, and that’s a good thing because there aren’t options to swap it for other sizes. Also useful is the undercut, which helps position my fingers higher. Without that, I might have a dangling pinkie, but as it is the fit is perfect. Furthermore, the shape of the attacked flared magazine well offers extra pinkie support. It’s a little front-heavy, but not excessively so, and that works well to mitigate recoil.
The factory fiber optic sights are fantastic and draw the eye. Thanks to the Exodus’ overall design, felt recoil and muzzle rise are negligible (not that I’d expected much different from a 9mm compact). Shooting from 10 yards, this is a gun that’s accurate, but not precise. That isn’t uncommon for defensive handguns and not a problem if you want to use this gun for self-defense. At 25 yards, five-shot groups broaden to about 4.0 inches when shooting from the bench. All that means is it’s capable of use as a self-defense gun from an accuracy standpoint.
Cycling
As for cycling, I’ve had no failures or issues with the Exodus. That said, I’ve noticed some shooters struggle with limp-wristing a bit more than one might expect from a polymer, striker-fired pistol. What that suggests is that the Exodus might not be ideal for shooters with weaker grip strength (and that isn’t unique to this gun, either). If a new shooter wants to run an Exodus, they might need some extra help with grip. I’ve watched multiple experienced shooters run this gun without issue, so it may be a case of YMMV. In my case, it’s been entirely reliable. Also, remember to run your gun wet. Lube is often a factor when issues arise.
Trigger
The trigger on the Exodus has a little bit of grit and stiffness that might ease off with use. If it doesn’t smooth out, it’s a simple matter to grab an aftermarket trigger and drop it in. Using my Lyman Digital Trigger Pull Gauge I got an average pull weight of 5 pounds, 9 ounces.
Read More: Taurus GX2 Review: A Budget-Friendly 9mm Pistol for Concealed Carry
Should you get a GForce Arms RPX9 Exodus?
The GForce Arms RPX9 Exodus is a decent option if you’re looking for a budget-friendly polymer handgun. If possible, run one at the range or try out a friend’s so you can get a feel for it in advance. It’s accurate, comfortable, and has been reliable in my own hands running both hollow points and full metal jacket rounds. Keep your gun lubed and maintained and replace parts as desired or needed with the compatible Gen 3 and 4 G19 components. This is a nice little gun and will meet the needs of a lot of people.
Take a closer look at the GForce Arms RPX9 Exodus here.
Specifications:
Manufacturer: GForce Arms, Turkey
Model: RPX9 Exodus
Caliber: 9x19mm Parabellum
Capacity: 15 +1 (10-round model available)
Action: Striker-fired
Barrel length: 4.02-inches
Frame material: Polymer
Slide material: 4140 steel
Sights: Red fiber optic front, green fiber optic rear
Optics ready: Removable optic plate on some models
Length: 7.3-inches
Height: 5.25-inches
Width: 1.5-inches
Weight: 1.33 pounds, empty
Ships with: (2) 15-round magazines, cleaning kit
MSRP: $299
*** Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica! All Local Sales are FREE! ***
Hope the pistol is better!!~ I have a GForce pump shotgun with is totally worthless …. won’t feed shells, just jams them on the way up. Not anything I would bet my life on.
R.I.A also has a version of this pistol, the RIA DY9. I found it at a lower price than list in this story. I too like it. It shoots nice and feels nice in the hand. It is a gun I would recommend as well.