Rock Island Armory have introduced a new pistol, the RIA 5.0. The new RIA 5.0 is a 9x19mm with some very interesting features. It has a rectangular outer barrel profile and unlike most conventional contemporary pistols, the RIA 5.0 doesn’t use a tilting barrel lock-up. The frame is aluminum with a polymer grip and internally the pistol is hammer rather than striker fired. The pistol is not ambidextrous with magazine release and slide catch on the left side only.
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The general idea of many of the RIA 5.0’s design features is to reduce the pistol’s felt recoil. Designed by Fred Craig, the pistol uses the ‘Ram Valve System’, a patented linear locking system, which combined with its low bore axis is intended to make for a very controllable pistol.
The pistol is available in two configurations, the standard model with traditional sights and the SP with a smooth slide with no provision for iron sights and factory mated with a C-MORE RTS2 red dot optic.
RIA 5.0 (Rock Island Armory)
Here’s how Rock Island Armory describe the RIA 5.0:
The RIA 5.0 features a patented RVS recoil system engineered to maximize barrel mass and linear movement for super soft recoil. It has a buttery-smooth trigger for greater accuracy in rapid-fire situations, and a two-piece modular grip frame for flexibility and control. The level of research and precision engineering that went into the making of this sporting pistol is unmatched.
Right – RIA 5.0 ST (Rock Island Armory)
Specifications for the RIA 5.0 ST:
| SERIES | RIA-USA |
| CALIBER | 9MM |
| CAPACITY | 17+1 |
| BARREL | 4.91″ |
| OVERALL LENGTH | 8.11 INCH / 205.99 MM |
| OVERALL WIDTH | 1.33 INCH / 33.78 MM |
| OVERALL HEIGHT | 5.17 INCH / 131.32 MM |
| WEIGHT | 2.47 LBS / 1.12 KG |
| FRONT SIGHT | DAWSON PRECISION, FIBER OPTIC ON DOVETAIL CUT |
| REAR SIGHT | LPA ADJUSTABLE ON DOVETAIL CUT (ALSO AVAILABLE WITH C MORE RTS II RED DOT OPTIC) |
| GRIPS | NYLON GRIP |
| FINISH | E100 CERAKOTE |
| ACTION | SEMI-AUTOMATIC |
| TRIGGER PULL | 4.5 LBS |
| PURPOSE | PERSONAL PROTECTION |
| MSRP (US) | $998.88 |
| ARMOR SERIES | YES |
RIA 5.0 SP (Rock Island Armory)
Specifications for the RIA 5.0 SP:
| CALIBER | 9MM |
| CAPACITY | 17+1 |
| BARREL | 4.91″ |
| OVERALL LENGTH | 8.11 INCH / 205.99 MM |
| OVERALL WIDTH | 1.33 INCH / 33.78 MM |
| OVERALL HEIGHT | 6.35 INCH / 161.54 |
| WEIGHT | 2.47 LBS / 1.12 KG |
| FRONT SIGHT | N/A |
| REAR SIGHT | C MORE RTS II RED DOT OPTIC |
| GRIPS | NYLON GRIP |
| FINISH | E100 CERAKOTE |
| ACTION | SEMI-AUTOMATIC |
| TRIGGER PULL | 4.5 LBS |
| PURPOSE | PERSONAL PROTECTION |
| MSRP (US) | $1298.88 |
| ARMOR SERIES | YES |
The RIA 5.0 ST has an MSRP of $998.88 while the SP with its red dot comes in at $1298.88 MSRP. Find out more at www.armscor.com.
It’s certainly a good-looking pistol and I’m looking forward to finding out more about how it works. Let us know in the comments what you think.