Skip to main content

Rock Island Armory TAC Ultra FS 10mm Review

Rock Island Armory TAC Ultra FS 10mm Review

(Brad Fitzpatrick photo)

Armscor is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of 1911 handguns. This Philippine company was founded in 1905 and actually predates the John Browning-designed pistol that made the company famous here in the U.S. Rock Island Armory, an affiliate of Armscor, currently offers a wide array of 1911 pistols, including the 10mm TAC Ultra FS.

The TAC Ultra FS 10mm is one of the most affordable 10mm 1911s available, but like other Rock Island pistols, it offers features similar to more expensive guns. Both the frame and slide are made from 4140 ordnance steel, and the TAC Ultra FS comes with a full-size dust cover with an accessory rail. The frame and slide have a matte black Parkerized finish that contrasts nicely with the gun’s black-and-white G10 grips.

The pistol has a full-length guide rod and supported five-inch, bushing-less, six-groove barrel with a 1:16 twist. The eight-round metal magazine sports a rubber base pad, and the trigger on the test gun broke at an average weight of 5.75 pounds on a Wheeler gauge. The trigger and hammer are skeletonized, and the checkering on the G10 grips and mainspring housing offer a secure hold on this gun when firing full-power loads.

rock-island-armory-tac-ultra-fs-10mm
The TAC Ultra FS is built of 4140 ordnance steel that is given a Parkerized finish, which stood up just fine to 10 wet days in the Alaskan wilderness.

Its square notch rear sight has two white dots and is fully adjustable. A screw on the top of the sight controls elevation while one on the right rear portion of the sight adjusts for windage. The front sight is dovetailed into the slide and comes with a red fiber-optic rod.

There are slide serrations fore and aft, the thumb safety is ambidextrous, and the mag well is beveled for faster, surer reloads. The full-size Rock Island Armory TAC Ultra FS 10mm is 8.75 inches long, 1.30 inches wide across the controls and 5.5 inches high, which is on par with most full-size 1911s. Unloaded weight is just below 47 ounces. Suggested retail price is $806, which is considerably cheaper than its competitors.

rock-island-armory-tac-ultra-fs-10mm
The adjustable rear has two white dots, and the front is a red fiber optic. Fitzpatrick appreciated this system, especially at night in the Arctic.

Rock Island’s hand-fitting process results in a factory pistol that operates smoothly right out of the box. Slide-to-frame fit was relatively tight, and despite a few minor machining marks and this gun’s no-nonsense, workaday exterior, there’s little to differentiate the Rock Island from more expensive 10mm 1911s.

It delivered excellent accuracy. I was looking for group sizes between two and 2.5 inches, but the TAC Ultra FS beat that. In fact, one group fired with SIG Sauer’s V-Crown ammunition went 1.28 inches for five shots. Three of the five loads tested averaged under two inches, which places the TAC Ultra FS among the more accurate factory 10mm 1911s I’ve shot.

The TAC Ultra FS’s white dot/fiber-optic layout is functional and well-thought-out, allowing the shooter to make quick adjustments in the field without any special tools. The 10mm has a reputation for being abusive, but this 47-ounce pistol is manageable even with relatively hot loads.

rock-island-armory-tac-ultra-fs-10mm
The pistol is a great shooter, as this five-shot, 1.28-inch group with SIG’s 180 grain V-Crown 10mm ammo illustrates.

Reliability was superb. The TAC Ultra FS fed smoothly and extracted and ejected every load without issue. The only problem was a single hard primer that simply wouldn’t pop, but that wasn’t the fault of the gun.

That’s the type of reliability you want when you’re staking your life on a pistol to protect you from a dangerous predator, which is exactly what I was counting on the TAC Ultra FS to do when I carried it to Alaska’s Arctic as a backup gun while hunting caribou and grizzly. We didn’t always have our rifles close at hand, and that’s when I relied on the TAC Ultra FS to serve as my backup bear protection—while fishing, cutting up caribou meat or glassing, it was often simpler to carry the Rock Island 10mm in a Gunfighters Inc. Kenai Chest Holster. That kept the TAC Ultra FS close at hand at all times.

Recommended


The TAC Ultra FS was exposed to the miserable wet and cold conditions that are as much a part of hunting in Alaska as the mosquitoes. It rained nearly every day, and the pistol was perpetually wet. I’d coated it with a thin layer of oil before the hunt, and at the end of six days there was no sign of wear or corrosion on the outside or inside of the gun. What’s more, the TAC Ultra FS’s trim profile allowed it to sit close to my chest and remain out of the way, and that bright fiber-optic front sight was easily visible in the murky near-dark hours between two and four a.m. at the top of the world.

rock-island-armory-tac-ultra-fs-10mm

There’s little doubt that the 10mm is making a resurgence, and I noticed most of the hunters I saw in Alaska actually carried 10s for backup on bears. The TAC Ultra FS from Rock Island is solid choice for anyone looking to buy their first or 15th 10mm. Accurate, durable, reliable, and affordable, the TAC Ultra FS earns high praise for offering superb performance and excellent build quality at a price you can afford.

Rock Island Armory TAC Ultra fs 10mm Specs

Type: 1911
Caliber: 10mm Auto
Capacity: 8+1
Barrel: 5.0 in.
OAL/Height/Width: 8.75/5.5/1.3 in.
Weight: 46.8 oz.
Grips: black/white G10
Finish: Parkerized
Trigger: 5.75 lb. pull (measured)
Sights: white dot adjustable rear, fiber-optic front
Price: $806
Manufacturer: Rock Island Armory, armscor.com




GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Recommended Articles

Recent Videos

Federal's new.30 Super Carry pistol cartridge offers the equivalent of 9mm Luger performance with recoil and muzzle blas...
Handguns

New CZ P-09 Nocturne

Federal's new.30 Super Carry pistol cartridge offers the equivalent of 9mm Luger performance with recoil and muzzle blas...
Handguns

Smith & Wesson M&P in 5.7 and .22 Mag. Calibers

Federal's new.30 Super Carry pistol cartridge offers the equivalent of 9mm Luger performance with recoil and muzzle blas...
Gear

Streamlight Updates Its Wedge Flashlight with Tail Cap Switch

Federal's new.30 Super Carry pistol cartridge offers the equivalent of 9mm Luger performance with recoil and muzzle blas...
Gear

Hodgdon Adds Match and HD to Its Winchester StaBALL Powder Line

Federal's new.30 Super Carry pistol cartridge offers the equivalent of 9mm Luger performance with recoil and muzzle blas...
Gear

Crossbreed Rogue Holster and System with Mag Carrier

Federal's new.30 Super Carry pistol cartridge offers the equivalent of 9mm Luger performance with recoil and muzzle blas...
Handguns

Smith & Wesson Model 350 Hunting Revolver In .350 Legend

Federal's new.30 Super Carry pistol cartridge offers the equivalent of 9mm Luger performance with recoil and muzzle blas...
Handguns

First Look: Taurus GX4 XL

Federal's new.30 Super Carry pistol cartridge offers the equivalent of 9mm Luger performance with recoil and muzzle blas...
Handguns

A Perfect 10? The S&W M&P 10mm

Federal's new.30 Super Carry pistol cartridge offers the equivalent of 9mm Luger performance with recoil and muzzle blas...
Handguns

S&W M&P Shield Plus

Federal's new.30 Super Carry pistol cartridge offers the equivalent of 9mm Luger performance with recoil and muzzle blas...
Handguns

A Perfect 10? The S&W M&P 10mm

Federal's new.30 Super Carry pistol cartridge offers the equivalent of 9mm Luger performance with recoil and muzzle blas...
Handguns

Beretta A1 Carry

Federal's new.30 Super Carry pistol cartridge offers the equivalent of 9mm Luger performance with recoil and muzzle blas...
Handguns

First Look: Federal .30 Super Carry Pistol Cartridge

Handguns Magazine Covers Print and Tablet Versions

GET THE MAGAZINE Subscribe & Save

Digital Now Included!

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Give a Gift   |   Subscriber Services

PREVIEW THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

Buy Digital Single Issues

Magazine App Logo

Don't miss an issue.
Buy single digital issue for your phone or tablet.

Get the Handguns App apple store google play store

Other Magazines

See All Other Magazines

Special Interest Magazines

See All Special Interest Magazines

GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Get the top Handguns stories delivered right to your inbox.

Phone Icon

Get Digital Access.

All Handguns subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets.

To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine.

Get Digital Access

Not a Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Enjoying What You're Reading?

Get a Full Year
of Guns & Ammo
& Digital Access.

Offer only for new subscribers.

Subscribe Now

Never Miss a Thing.

Get the Newsletter

Get the top Handguns stories delivered right to your inbox.

By signing up, I acknowledge that my email address is valid, and have read and accept the Terms of Use