This review covers two pistols made by Rock Island Armory. First is the Rock Island Armory TCM Rock Ultra FS Combo. The second pistol in this review is the Rock Island TCM9R MAPP.
Armscor is the manufacturer and parent company, while Rock Island Armory is the brand name used for the firearms produced by Armscor for the American and international markets. Armscor is owned by the Tuason family with Martin Tuason serving as President and CEO until his passing in late 2025. Primary operation is in the Philippines.
Rock Island Armory acts as the primary brand name for firearms manufactured by Armscor. While Rock Island Armory was originally a separate U.S. company, it is now functionally the same entity as Armscor regarding production and distribution.
The .22 TCM (Tuason Craig Micromagnum) round was created by custom gunsmith Fred Craig in collaboration with Martin Tuason to develop a high-velocity, low-recoil bottlenecked cartridge for the 1911 platform. The cartridge was created by cutting down a 5.56mm casing and necking it down to accept a .22 caliber projectile. Key to its design was allowing easy 9mm conversions for 1911s. A later variant, the .22 TCM 9R, was designed with a shorter bullet to fit in standard-length 9mm magazines such as those for Glock pistols.
Rock Island Armory TCM Rock Ultra FS Combo
The Rock Ultra FS is hand fitted from 4140 Ordnance steel. It features a 5-inch 9mm barrel and a drop-in 22TCM9R accessory barrel. You’ll also find a skeletonized hammer and trigger with adjustable over travel stop, low-profile rear adjustable 2-dot LPA rear sight and high visibility fiber optic front sight. This pistol is fitted with G10 tactical grips, finished with a durable parkerized coating, and is engineered with front and rear CNC angle grooves and full-length under picatinny rail.
This all-steel 1911-style pistol typically ships as a combo package, allowing users to swap between the proprietary .22 TCM round and standard 9mm by simply changing the barrel and recoil spring. The firearm includes both .22 TCM and 9mm barrels. Switching between calibers is a simple process for those familiar with field-stripping a 1911. The Ultra weighs 40 ounces unloaded. MSRP is $899.
I thoroughly enjoy shooting this pistol. Despite the substantial muzzle blast and “basketball-sized” fireballs, the .22 TCM has negligible felt recoil. Trigger pull averaged 4.3 lbs. Throughout my range time grouping has been consistent and pleasing.
Rock Island TCM9R MAPP
It is said by those who have traveled abroad, the CZ-75 is in Europe what the 1911 is in the U.S. Naturally, there are a lot of clone manufacturers for the CZ-75, as there are for the 1911. The fact that Armscor is producing this particular polymer version means a proven design lives on and at a very affordable price. Most CZ clone manufacturers alter the design slightly, especially for the polymer models, but I always felt the EAA Witness version was as good as they come. When I first held the MAPP in my hands, my suspicion was confirmed. The only discernable difference between it and the Tanfoglio pistol was the word “Philippines” on the right side of the frame and the Rock Island logo on the slide. I did a little investigation and learned the parts for the MAPP are manufactured in Italy by Tanfoglio and shipped to the Philippines for final assembly. Mystery solved.
When you hold the MAPP, you understand immediately why the CZ-75 and its clones have never needed interchangeable backstraps. Like the 1911, it’s a model that just fits your hand naturally no matter the size of your hand. The gun weighs 28 ounces; a loaded 16-round magazine adds 8 ounces. Barrel length is 3.66 inches with a 1-in-16 twist. There is a Picatinny rail, handy should you wish to use this as a home defense handgun. Trigger pull on the evaluation model was 6.2 lbs. single-action. The double-action trigger pull is 14 lbs. You can carry this gun cocked and locked, so the double-action trigger pull would not be a factor. The LPA sights are snag-free with three well-defined white dots. These sights are dovetailed and could easily be exchanged for fully adjustable sights, night sights or sights of another color. The gun came with two 16-round magazines.
The stainless steel slide on the MAPP fits inside the polymer frame. This is in keeping with the original CZ design. The entire top side of the slide is rounded except for the last two inches where the gripping serrations are located. The slide racks easily, even with my old arthritic hands and shoulders, and the slide lock lever is easily pushed up with your thumb when the slide is fully to the rear. The other controls on the left side include the safety which firmly snaps on and off giving me complete confidence in cocked-and-locked carry, and the magazine release which can be reversed for left-handed shooters.
Takedown for cleaning is pure CZ. Remove the magazine and eject any round in the chamber. After ensuring the gun is unloaded and with the slide in battery and hammer cocked, grasp the gun in your right hand with your thumb underneath the beavertail, wrap the fingers of that hand around the top of the slide and with them, pull the slide back about a quarter of an inch until the little dot at the rear of the slide and the corresponding dot at the rear of the frame are in vertical alignment. Using the base of the magazine or another flat object, push or tap on the protruding part of the takedown pin on the right side of the frame until it’s flush. You should then be able to remove the takedown pin from the left side of the frame and remove the slide from the frame by pushing it forward on its rails. Compress the recoil spring and remove it and its guide rod. You can then lift the barrel from the slide. The gun is now ready for inspection and cleaning. Reassembly is straightforward—essentially reversing the steps.
While the gun is apart, it is interesting to make note of how the internal trigger block safety works. It’s just the opposite of how many of them work. The safety button inside of the slide is held up to block the firing pin from moving forward until the trigger is in its full rearward position.
Inside the case was an orange warranty information card with a note saying that due to the fit and tightness of the firearm, RIA recommends a break-in period of 500 rounds. There is also a warning in the manual against using +P ammo.
I saw no evidence at the range of this gun needing a 500-round break-in period. Without even cleaning it, I started shooting it with the Armscor FMJ 124 grain ammunition sent to me for the MAPP evaluation, and the first magazine of shots, fired free-hand at a target fifteen feet away, were tightly grouped though slightly below point of aim. I shared the shooting chores with several others including new friends we met at the range, and as we continued shooting throughout the day, we all continued to get good results, but most agreed the pistol shot slightly low. That’s not a hard problem to correct, and it did nothing to dampen our enthusiasm for the gun.
I brought several brands of defensive ammo along including Novx 65 Grain ARX, Browning 147 Grain BXP, Hornady 115 Grain Critical Defense and Fiocchi 124 grain JHP. After shooting at least one entire magazine with a particular brand, we started mixing and matching. All in all, we shot over 500 rounds that afternoon and had absolutely no malfunctions. Five-hundred round break-in or not, we now had a broken-in gun to put to the test at 25 yards. This would require another range trip.
Back home, I cleaned the gun for the first time and a couple of days later headed to my favorite outdoor range for some 25-yard shooting. That day, I fired 5-shot groups with Armscor 124 grain FMJ, Browning 147 Grain BXP, Federal Hydrashok 115 grain and Inceptor ARX 65 Grain. The Armscor gave me one group of three inside 3 inches with the other two 5 and 7 inches away. The ARX all grouped within 5 inches and all rounds fired landed within a 9-inch circle regardless of the brand.
Confident in the accuracy and reliability of the handgun, I loaded it with ARX defensive ammo and carried it cocked and locked for a week in a Crossbreed SuperTuck IWB holster. In the privacy of my home and with the gun unloaded, I practiced drawing and aiming at various targets, something I make a habit of doing with any gun I carry for defense. The MAPP MS draws easily and aims naturally. I’ve always loved that about this design. After the first week of becoming reacquainted with the gun, I rummaged around and found an Alien Gear holster set up for a Springfield XD that fit the MAPP quite well. So for another week I carried it in the Alien Gear holster.
What are my conclusions? I’m glad to see Rock Island has kept this model alive and even more pleased to see they have a model chambered for the TCM9R round. The MSRP on the MAPP MS 9mm is $492 with street prices around $400. Checking around, I found several retailers who, just like I had done, had overlooked this gun. But we all remembered the EAA Witness P. Here it is again, and from a company that is realistic with their pricing and relentless about quality and standing behind their products. I suspect I’ll be keeping this one.
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