Made in America: Inside Rock Island Armory USA's Cedar City Manufacturing Facility
by John Fahrner
Rock Island Armory is known for their affordable 1911 and 1911 double stacks imported into the United States from the Philippines. But what many might not know is that Rock Island Armory is now manufacturing in the United States.
Commitment to American Manufacturing:
Since April 1 of 2022, Rock Island Armory USA has been manufacturing their firearms here in the United States, in Cedar City, Utah.
“ Rock Island Armory wanted to create a foothold in manufacturing in the United States. The city of Cedar City was rolled out the red carpet for us and it only being two and a half hours from out facility in Nevada it was a natural fit.”
- Lisa Tuason, President
“Since they brought me on to run the facility the family has made it very clear that they wanted to bring manufacturing to the US and have American made products. Not just shipped in made and sold. They wanted them made in the USA and have the American flag on the gun. This is huge for me as a veteran.”
- Lynn Gomez, Vice President of Operations/Plant Manager
Every employee who comes in to work at Rock Island Armory USA learns four jobs within the first year. This ensures that everyone is cross-trained to keep your favorite Rock Island guns going out into the wild.
What Are They Making In the USA?:
Right now, Rock Island Armory is focusing on making the TAC Ultra with and without AOS cut in 9mm, 10mm, and 45 ACP, 5.0E, VFR14, and the VRF14P.
All the TAC Ultras are now being made in the United States as of last year. In addition to the above, they are now making the NEW PK-12 “Pak-Out”. We had the pleasure of seeing it being made from start to finish while we were at the facility.
The Facility:
Rock Island Armory is in a 20,000 Square foot facility with the latest and greatest in manufacturing machinery. Using state-of-the-art machines, RIA USA is able to run product 24 hours a day, both manned and unmanned. This helps keep costs down while still producing firearms at a rate that meets consumer demand.
Rock Island has doubled down not only on their commitment in the United States by bringing manufacturing here but also on their commitment to the Cedar City community. During the manufacturing process, scrap material is collected. Most companies sell scraps to help with keeping costs low. Half of all scrap sales go to the City of Cedar City to help fund food banks and other programs to help the community.
Additionally, Rock Island offers factory tours every Friday to anyone who wants to come tour the plant.
Rock Island’s commitment to the Cedar City community and the manufacturing in the United States is what the Second Amendment community is all about.
While at Rock Island, I not only had the pleasure of touring the facility but got the chance to be hands on. Lynn planned a special day for us where we got the chance to see how the manufacturing processes work but also had the chance to assemble a VRF14P.
Now I was unable to get the serial number, but one lucky person will get the gun that I assembled at Rock Island, and don’t worry, their team supervised and double checked all my work.
After we were done at the factory, we had the pleasure of going to the range to try out all the Rock Island Armory USA firearms.
Keep an eye out for their new “Pak-Out”.
RIA USA:
I want to thank the whole team at Rock Island for giving us the chance to tour their facility. A special thank you to Lynn and Lisa for taking the time to walk me around and to talk about all the amazing things Rock Island USA has planned for the future. Since we were there, they have doubled down on their commitment to manufacture more in the USA.
Thank you to Rock Island Armory for their commitment to Gun Owners of America and their continued fight for the Second Amendment.
