Surprise is rare in the gun industry. These days, another Glock clone, AR, or pricey custom 1911 is expected. The Rideout Arsenal Dragon, however, is different. Usually, I can size up a new gun quickly, but the Dragon is entirely unique.
The Rideout Arsenal Dragon looks like it stepped out of your favorite Sci-Fi movie. It’s certainly distinct, and about all I can tell from first glance is that it’s a semi-auto pistol. It’s a product of scrupulous gun design and a dedication to making a product that does things differently, not just for difference’s sake. It wants to be the best at what it does and to keep pushing the industry forward.
Popping the Hood On the Dragon
The Dragon uses a lever-delayed blowback design. Lever-delayed guns are rare, so this makes it one of only six I know of. The lever-delay design uses leverage to delay the breech opening until pressure has dropped enough to allow the weapon to safely cycle. The Dragon uses a lever mounted at the front of the bolt that interfaces with the bolt carrier.
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When you fire the gun, the gas created by burning gun powder pushes against the bolt face, which makes the bolt want to reciprocate. The lever creates a mechanical disadvantage, delaying the bolt’s movement and keeping the breech closed.
It all occurs in fractions of a second, reducing recoil significantly while allowing the gun to use a fixed barrel.
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Fixed barrels have benefits, namely in accuracy. Less movement of the barrel is always better than more. It also allows for the Dragon’s somewhat odd layout where the barrel sits inline with the web of the shooter’s hand. There is a lot of static out there about bore axis, and while most of it’s just noise, if it’s radical enough, you can see a difference.
The Chiappa Rhino is likely the most famous example of a low bore axis actually making a difference. The Rideout Arsenal Dragon is the second. Positioning the bore that low pushes the recoil rearward more than upward. As far as I can tell, this is the lowest bore axis of any semi-auto pistol. This unseats the Laugo Alien as the king of low-bore axis semi-autos.
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On top of this, the gun doesn’t have a slide as we know it. The system consists of a bolt and bolt carrier, a bit like a rifle but shrunk to accommodate a 9mm pistol. This reduces the reciprocating weight, which further reduces the gun’s recoil and muzzle rise.
Dragon In the Hand
One of the big selling points of the Dragon is its tool-less modularity. The grip detaches from the frame, much like a 2011. You can customize the grip with different backstraps to alter its size and, in the future, swap the entire grip out for, say, a compact grip. The grip’s design is thin and encourages a very high grip on the gun, which again, helps reduce muzzle rise. Users can fit magwells to the bottom for faster reloads as well.
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The entire gun can be disassembled into its core components without tools. This makes it inherently modular and easy to fix should something ever break. I imagine cleaning becomes much easier as well.
The gun makes smart use of Springfield Echelon magazines. This helps keep the grip thin, avoids the plague of proprietary, and allows the gun to use a truly ambidextrous magazine release. With capacities ranging from 10 to 20 rounds, the Ehcelon magazines offer a little something to everyone, regardless of your state’s laws.
The gun uses a striker fire system with a trigger that’s very 1911-like. It moves straight rearward and offers a user-adjustable pull of between 4.5 pounds and 2-pounds. It’s quite nice and feels more like a rifle trigger than a typical handgun. The trigger has a trigger safety device, and that’s our only external safety.
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All That & More
Let’s talk about accessories. The gun uses what Rideout Arsenal calls the N-ROC. N-ROC stands for Non-Reciprocating Optics Carrier. It’s a fixed optic mount for Trijicon RMR optics, with other options available in the future. You can remove and attach your N-ROC to accommodate other optics’ footprints.
The N-ROC can also be used as a charging handle, which is nice since the gun doesn’t have a slide, and most people like grabbing the rear of the gun to chamber a round. The lack of reciprocation also means the optic remains fixed. A fixed optic is an optic that’s intrinsically easy to track as you shoot. As a small bonus, it’s less stressful on the optic, and you won’t have it shear off at any point.
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If you don’t want to use an optic, that’s fine too. The gun comes with fiber optic high-visibility sights that remain stationary as the gun fires. The front sight is positioned to be snag-free and easy to see.
Up front, the barrel has what’s essentially a tri-lug device. This allows you to fit muzzle devices, like compensators and suppressors. Rideout Arsenal produces its own comp and adapters to fit different suppressors, and Rideout Arsenal showcased its own suppressor that aligns with the gun’s design for a clean, natural look.
Dragon’s Domain
Currently, the Dragon is intended to be a high-end race gun. A competition pistol designed to buy you fractions of a second that separate winners from losers. The design is all about speed and low recoil. The folks at Rideout Arsenal have stated they plan to produce various models for carry, duty, and combat roles.
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Currently, the base model of the gun retails for $3,600. There is a complete package with optic, backstraps, holster, and more for around $5,200. The current lead time is 6 to 9 months, with the first run scheduled for delivery. Speaking of holsters, Rideout Arsenal is producing its own competition-oriented holster, but that’s all we have so far.
The Dragon is far from typical when it comes to guns. It’s something new, truly innovative, and utterly fascinating. I can’t wait to get some actual trigger time behind one, and I’m hoping it happens sooner rather than later.
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