The Arms Corporation of the Philippines (Armscor) is a
firearms manufacturing company
The following list of modern armament manufacturers presents major companies producing modern weapons and munitions for military, paramilitary, government agency and civilian use. The companies are listed by their full name followed by the short ...
headquartered in the Philippines. The company is known for its inexpensive
1911-pattern pistols
A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, ...
,
revolvers
A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six ro ...
,
shotguns,
sporting rifles, firearms parts and ammunition. The company, whose manufacturing facility is located in
Marikina
Marikina (), officially the City of Marikina ( fil, Lungsod ng Marikina), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 456,159 people.
It is loca ...
, produces about 200,000 firearms and some 420 million rounds of ammunition a year, where 80 percent of this is exported and sold to over 60 countries. In 2017, the company was renamed Armscor Global Defense, Inc..
History
Armscor traces its roots back to a Manila print shop, Squires Bingham & Co., founded in 1905. The print shop later imported and sold motorcycles and various sporting goods, which included some firearms and ammunition. The company was bought by the Tuason family in 1941 and began making firearms through the present corporation in 1952. Armscor manufactures its own line of firearms and holds manufacturing contracts for other companies' firearm lines, such as Twin Pines' Rock Island Armory (RIA) pistols. In addition to the
Rock Island Armory 1911 series pistols, Armscor is the source of pistols for STI's Spartan,
Cimarron Firearms
Cimarron Firearms is an American firearms importer that has been in operation since 1984. The company's field of specialty is reproduction firearms from the American Civil War to the end of the Old West period. Founded by Mike Harvey in Houston, ...
pre-1923 Model 1911,
and Charles Daly 1911 style pistols. Armscor is an
ISO 9001
The ISO 9000 family is a set of five quality management systems (QMS) standards that help organizations ensure they meet customer and other stakeholder needs within statutory and regulatory requirements related to a product or service. ISO ...
certified compliant company which manufactures weapons using CNC (Computer Numerical Control) equipment.
The company is headquartered in
Marikina
Marikina (), officially the City of Marikina ( fil, Lungsod ng Marikina), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 456,159 people.
It is loca ...
,
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
and represented in the United States by its subsidiary Armscor International, Inc, located in
Pahrump, Nevada
Pahrump ( ) is an unincorporated town located at the southernmost tip of Nye County, Nevada, United States, about west of Las Vegas, Nevada. Pahrump lies adjacent to the Nevada–California border and the area had a population of 44,738 as of ...
with facilities in
Stevensville, Montana
Stevensville ( Salish: ɫq̓éɫmlš) is a town in Ravalli County, Montana, United States. The population was 2,002 at the 2020 census.
Stevensville is officially recognized as the first permanent settlement of non-indigenous peoples in the sta ...
.
Armscor became a registered trademark on February 24, 2009.
[
]
Ownership/Management
Armscor is owned by the Squires Bingham Co. Inc, a holding company for the family of Don Celso Tuason. Don Celso's eldest son Demetrio "Bolo" Tuason is the Chairman Emeritus. Younger brother Daniel "Concoy" oversees production and plant operation. Bolo's son, Martin, is currently the president and CEO of the company.
Products
While it is primarily known as a manufacturer of M1911 pistols, Armscor manufactures and markets a number of other handgun, revolver, shotgun and rifle models as well as ammunition and accessories.[
]
Revolvers
* M200
* M202
* M206
![Armscor Rock Island Armory M200 right side](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Armscor_Rock_Island_Armory_M200_right_side.jpg)
Handguns
Armscor's handguns are based on the Colt M1911A1 design and Tanfoglio versions of the CZ-75
The CZ 75 is a semi-automatic pistol made by Czech firearm manufacturer ČZUB. First introduced in 1975, it is one of the original " wonder nines" and features a staggered-column magazine, all-steel construction, and a hammer forged barrel. I ...
.[
]
* GI Series
* 1911 Tactical Series
* Match Series
* 2011 Tactical Series
* 22 TCM/Micro Mag Series
* XT 22 Series
* MAP/MAPP Series - Armscor assembled and marketed Tanfoglio Combat
The Tanfoglio Combat or Standard, also known as T(A)95 or EAA Witness Steel, is a modified clone of the Czech CZ-75/ CZ-85 pistol. It is made in Gardone Val Trompia near Brescia, Italy by Fratelli Tanfoglio S.N.C.
Design details
The Tanfogl ...
and Force
In physics, a force is an influence that can change the motion of an object. A force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (e.g. moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate. Force can also be described intuitively as a p ...
pistols.
Shotguns
Based on design of High Standard Flite King shotgun.[
* M30
]
Rifles
The company has been making bolt-action and rimfire rifles since 1980.[
* MAK 22 Also known as AK 22
* M1600
* M1400TS
* M1400E
* M1500TM
* M1700
* MIG 22 Standard
* MIG 22 Target
* TCM 22 Rifle
]
Innovations
Armscor introduced a new propriety caliber named the .22 TCM
The .22 TCM or 22TCM (.22 Tuason Craig Micromagnum) is a proprietary bottle-necked cartridge created from a 5.56 NATO cartridge developed by custom gunsmith Fred Craig and Rock Island Armory (RIA) for semi-automatic pistols and the Rock Island ...
(Tuason Craig Micromag) based on the 1911 pistol. The cartridge is essentially a 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge shortened to 1.265 in. total length with a 40-grain jacketed hollow point
upright=0.2, Cross-section of a hollow-point bullet; proportions are those of a .22 Long Rifle cartridge
Jacketed soft point (JSP) round. Right: Jacketed hollow-point (JHP) round. JSP is a semi-jacketed round as the jacket does not extend to ...
bullet. Its main characteristics are its high velocity and low recoil, allowing for repeated accurate shots.
More recently the company has released a bolt-action rifle chambered for this cartridge.[
]
AFP (Armscor) Arsenal Battalion
Due to the nature of the Business of ARMSCOR, it has been tapped by the Armed Forces of the Philippines
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) ( fil, Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas) are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy (including the Marine Corps). The P ...
to be one of its partners as an "Affiliate Reserve Unit". The company was designated as the 1st (ARMSCOR) Arsenal Battalion (Reserve) and placed under the operational control of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Reserve Command.
See also
* PROGUN
* Rock Island Armory 1911 series
The Rock Island Armory 1911 series is a product line of single-action recoil operated semi-automatic pistols. They are designed and manufactured by Armscor in Marikina, Philippines, and distributed in the United States by Armscor USA, located i ...
* Armscor (South Africa)
Armscor (stylized as ARMSCOR), the Armaments Corporation of South Africa is the arms procurement agency of the South African Department of Defence. It was originally established in 1968 as an arms production company, primarily as a response t ...
References
External links
{{commons category, Armscor (Philippines)
Official Page of ARMSCOR Philippines
(Archived)
Official Page of ARMSCOR USA
Firearm manufacturers of the Philippines
Companies based in Marikina
1905 establishments in the Philippines