With a lot of interesting engineering behind it, the new Rock Island Armory pistol isn't a 1911 from the Philippines but rather something quite different from here in the U.S.

The new RIA 5.0 in 9mm gives off some very Archon Type B, Dan Wesson DWX, and Laugo Alien vibes right off the bat. A hammer-fired design with a two-piece modular grip frame, it uses a rectangular 4.91-inch barrel inside a slide that rides the same sort of internal rails used on the CZ-75, which gives it an exceptionally low bore axis. It uses a 17+1 capacity flush-fitting magazine, which we bet is probably the same as the one used by the RIA STK-100.

A unique aspect of the RIA 5.0 is that it uses a patented new Ram Valve System that Rock Island says is "engineered to maximize barrel mass and linear movement for super soft recoil." For reference, the RVS sprang from the mind of Fred Craig, the "C" in the innovative .22 TCM cartridge. 
 

Other standard features include a 4.5-pound trigger that is described in company literature as a "buttery-smooth trigger with no stacking for greater accuracy in rapid-fire situations," a Dawson Precision fiber-optic front sight, and an LPA adjustable rear sight. Optics ready, RIA plans to market a special edition of the pistol complete with a C More RTS II red dot installed. 

While Rock Island, a brand of Philippine-based Armscor, has long been importing guns from overseas into the U.S., the RIA 5.0 is constructed in Cedar City, Utah. 

"The RIA 5.0 is really an engineering marvel,” said Martin Tuason, president and CEO of Armscor/Rock Island Armory. "It’s an extremely shootable sporting pistol with a meticulously engineered trigger system. Best of all, we’re proud to say it’s made entirely in the U.S.A."

The RIA 5.0 has an MSRP of $998.88 and will be on hand at SHOT Show in Las Vegas later this month, where we will bring you more information as we get it.