The Rock Island Armory STK100 9mm Luger semi-automatic pistol, brand new for 2021 from Armscor USA - Rock Island Armory – the US-based branch of the Armscor International company of the Philippines – branches the Company's handguns line into previously uncharted territories. As of today, Rock Island Armory is best known for being the world's biggest manufacturer of 1911-type pistols; its product line also includes a series of budget-priced revolvers and hammer-fired 9mm pistols patterned after the well-known Italian Tanfoglio handguns.

The STK100 striker-fired, 9mm double-action pistol was conceived to tick all the boxes in the must-have feature list for modern handguns that want to play a significant role in sport shooting, target practice, personal defense, home protection, and law enforcement applications. What's important, however, is that the STK100 meets those criteria... without a single once of polymer in it.

The Rock Island Armory STK100 pistol is built around a patent pending, clamshell-design modular machined aluminum alloy with a fully checkered, slip-proof grip and some of the best ergonomic features of the 1911 platform – such as the grip angle and the extended beavertail, allowing for a safer and higher grip, conclusive of better control and on-target accuracy.

The frame is railed for accessories and features a rounded trigger guard; more generally speaking, sharp angles have been largely rounded out all through the STK100 to make it as snag-proof as possible. Within the frame is a carbon steel chassis with extended slide rails. All controls – magazine release catch, hold-open lever, disassembly lever, trigger with integrated blade safety – are all pretty much "Glock-style" in design and configuration.

The use of machined aircraft-grade aluminum instead of polymer allows Armscor to optimize the manufacturing procedures for the STK100 by using materials and technology which the company already masters; at the same time, the aluminum frame is still just barely heavier than polymer, while at the same time offering a level of strenght, rigidity and resistance that only metal can be conclusive of, and all in a very thin package: the STK100 is barely 31mm / 1.¼" wide.

The slide is machined from a solid steel billet, fully parkerized in matte black, and is distinctively designed and generously lightened at the front. A tenon-cut front sight with retaining screw and a rear fixed front sight are provided from factory; the rear sight is integrated in a cover plate that can be removed to access an optics interface, allowing the STK100 pistol to be equipped with the vast majority of modern micro red dot sights for handguns – another highly desireable feature for modern sporting, service and defensive handguns.

The STK100 features a 114 mm / 4.5" long barrel with six right-handed grooves and a constand 1:16" rifling pitch. The trigger pull weight ranges between 1,3 and 3,1 kg (3 to 7 lbs), which is more or less standard for a striker-fired pistol; the STK100 is 20 cm / 7.91" long overall, and weighs 820 grams (1.8 lbs) when empty.