USA office opened in 1985
Nevada, Montana

Armscor history in Philippines

1905 – Squires Bingham & Co starts as a print shop
– sells sporting goods on the side
1941 – Don Celso Tuason purchases Sportsman’s Headquarters
1952 – In postwar Philippines, Don Celso Tuason obtains the first license in his country to begin firearm and ammunition manufacturing
1952 – The company is renamed Squires Bingham Manufacturing Inc.
1965 – Don Celso turns over control of the company to his three sons: Bolo, Butch, Concoy
1980 – Squires Bingham Manufacturing Inc. is reorganized
– becomes Arms Corporation of the Philippines (ARMSCOR)
– Demetrio “Bolo” Tuason is named Chairman and President
Armscor bult 1911s for
– Charles Daly
– Tanfoglio
– Rock Island Armory

1985 – Armscor Precision International opens its first office in the US
1985 – acquires the Rock Island Armory brand
– partly outsourced to IMBEL (Indústria de Material Bélico do Brasil)
– distributed in the U.S. by SARCO
– rebranded Armscor 1911s
1997 – the second manufacturer awarded the ISO 9001 certification
2011 – new production facilities in Stevensville, Montana
– Armscor USA Ammo
2012 – Martin Tuason becomes new president
2014 .22 TCM
2015 .22 TCM 9R
2016 – Open US Manufacturing plant in Pahrump, NV
2017 M200 .38 caliber revolver

Armscor USA and Rock Island Armory
150 North Smart Way
Pahrump, NV 89060

(775) 537-1444

About Armscor USA

Armscor is a Philippine firearms and ammunition maker with a history reaching back to 1905, when it began in Manila as Squires Bingham & Co., a print shop that also sold sporting goods. The Tuason family has owned the business since 1941, began manufacturing firearms in 1952, and in 1980 reorganized it as the Arms Corporation of the Philippines (Armscor). Headquartered in Marikina since 1958, the company was renamed Armscor Global Defense, Inc. in 2017 and reports producing about 200,000 firearms and 420 million rounds a year, with most exported to some 60 countries.

American shooters know the company best through Rock Island Armory, the U.S. brand it acquired in 1985, and its affordable 1911-pattern pistols. American Rifleman has described Armscor, unofficially, as the world’s largest producer of M1911 pistols. Its U.S. operation, Armscor International, is based in Pahrump, Nevada, with an ammunition plant in Stevensville, Montana, that opened in 2011. Third-generation leader Martin Tuason, who described himself as a son of both the Philippines and the United States, headed the company until his death in November 2025.

Key Facts

1905: Founded in Manila as Squires Bingham & Co.
1941: Tuason family acquired the company
1980: Reorganized as the Arms Corporation of the Philippines (Armscor)
1985: Acquired the Rock Island Armory brand and opened its first U.S. office
2011: Opened its first U.S. production facility, an ammunition plant in Stevensville, Montana
2017: Renamed Armscor Global Defense, Inc.

Sources

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