For readers who like to scan an article all the way to the end to find the “bottom line” of a review, I’ll put my review of the Rock Island Armory (Armscor) MAPP-FS 9mm handgun right up front: I drew this gun from the holster at 3 yards and fired into a 3” circle in less than half a second. I did this several times and could do it consistently. I don’t shoot a lot of guns that can come up on target this quickly.
With incredible design features and Armscor continuing to expand into the U.S., I anticipate that we will begin to see more MAPP-FS guns on duty as a result.
A durable design
The MAPP-FS frame is polymer with a generous front rail, deeply cut beavertail and a curved trigger. It has a frame mounted safety, which, when flipped up, allows a “cocked and locked” carry. The MAPP-FS is a durable design, which is reminiscent of the CZ-75 types of firearms. At 2.13 pounds unloaded, it is about the right weight for a duty gun. It uses 10-round magazines, which are not quite double stacked, allowing the MAPP-FS to be a bit thinner and easier to grip than similar designs.
The front sight is “integrated to slide,” meaning it is machined into the slide, which is the strongest way to place a front sight on a handgun. It cannot be knocked loose or drifted incorrectly. It’s great for shooters like me who don’t like when equipment fails. This sight won’t. For shooters who like to add custom sights, this may be a deal breaker.
I found the sights easy to acquire, even when shooting under stress. Like I said, this is one of the fastest 9mms to get into the gunfight I have seen in a while. The rear sights are low profile and drift adjustable. If all of their guns come from the factory sighted in with the same amount of precision as this one, drifting will not be necessary.
We found the double-action was relatively light. In fact, I personally shot faster with this gun than several of the ones I carry regularly. The pull of the double-action runs from 14 to 15 pounds, while the single-action runs 4 to 5 pounds. I like the feel of a good combat trigger and this one epitomizes a service gun in every way.
The MAPP-FS is different than “conventional” handguns, which is why I alluded to the CZ-75 similarity, or more appropriately a polymer version of the Tanfoglio EAA Witness. In fact, one of the photos on the Armscor website is sporting a “Made in Italy” engraving. This gun has the Rock Island Armory logo on the side, one of my favorite gun logos of all time. Armscor is the parent brand and their products are duty worthy.
The MAPP-FS frame design dominated many handgun competitions because of its superior ergonomics. The MAPP-FS is definitely designed for all day shooting and draws out the best in users. Like many polymer gun users, I would do some custom stippling on this one, although the original molded texture is more than adequate.
The difference
The design has several advantages over some other guns I currently carry.
First, the slide rails are cut into the outside of the slide, and the ones on the frame are on the inside, not the other way around. Thus, the frame actually fits around the slide. This allows a lot of subtle things that I really like. For example, since the top of the slide has a generous contour, it doesn’t drag along the sides of a holster. You know how some IWB holsters make the slide retract a little when sliding the gun back in? It rarely happens here.
Moreover, I have yet to see this design be sloppy when it comes to frame to slide fit. It is inherently strong and easily maintained.
Second, there really isn’t such thing as “slide bite” on this gun. Of all the things my fellow shooters wanted to do in the 80s, it was to get the web of the hand up on the backstrap as much as possible. This gun has a comfortable place for the hand to ride and a protective shelf that really lets the shooter steer the gun with ease.
Third, it’s slide heavy. There’s actually a noticeable difference between the balance of this gun and other duty-sized guns. Instead of forcing the barrel down, most shooters found it stable when running from target to target.
Fourth, this design has outstanding ergonomics. One can sweep the safety and swap magazines with very little shifting and the natural swell in the backstop allows the shooter to quickly create a master grip when drawing. Armscor uses metal bodied magazines and pressing the mag release causes them to spit free of the mag well quickly. Everything on this gun flows easily.
The MAPP-FS includes a reversible magazine release. I didn’t try to flip it around, because it came right-handed and I’m right-handed, but it seemed easy enough to swap. It has a simple safety mechanism and, when carrying cocked and locked, I found that sweeping the safety was intuitive and quick. All of the controls for the MAPP-FS are on the left side of the gun, and therefore designed primarily for right-handed shooters.
The model I tested came with a 4.4 inch 1/16 barrel. There is a 3.6 inch version, which I think is a bit handier, but I wanted to test the duty-sized model.
Factors on the range
I ran this gun on a “square” range, with multiple target drills. Though I did not have a good holster for this gun, I may purchase this model and therefore invest in a Kydex OWB platform. I tested it with a universal IWB clip holster from Elite Survival Systems. This is a simple scabbard, so it is pretty fast to deploy the MAPP-FS—lightning fast, in fact. I’m a slow shooter, but I squared off on a target and started to play. Using a random “beep” on a shot timer, I could step back as far as 3 yards and go 1/2 second on a 3” target. I used various squares and circles. After a dozen rounds, I was still punching little groups from a draw on these targets.
Normally I prefer mid weights for the duty sized 9mm guns, but Armscor sent me some of their 115 grain FMJ rounds, and they barely bucked the gun in my hand. The gun steered these bullets into small groups at 25 yards also. Armscor USA ammunition is made in the U.S., by the way. They have been steadily expanding their U.S. production of many of their products.
I did not have any failures at all with this gun, even with my reloads. The cartridges have a very shallow angle going into the chamber which allows for smooth feeding. The MAPP-FS has a pinned external extractor, which is not only easy to inspect, it is easy to replace.
Field stripping and maintenance is also fairly easy. One retracts the slide until the two dots at the rear of the slide align, then the slide stop is driven out from the pinned side. The barrel is similar to the original Hi-Power barrel—a short-recoil, cam locking system. It field strips into six parts, which allow for pretty easy access in cleaning.
Although this is an informal piece of information, there are plenty of forums that talk about parts interchangeability of these guns. If the RIA brand sounds obscure for duty use, you should know that armorer parts for this gun are already out there and readily available. In fact, its probably a great bargain priced “prepper gun” for the well informed.
There is an intangible that you should know—their customer support goes the extra mile. The MAPP-FS has an MSRP of $492, making it one of the least expensive duty-worthy handguns on the market. There is no doubt that the MAPP-FS is worthy of swearing in.
About the Author
A retired police officer and military small arms trainer, Lindsey Bertomen has taught shooting techniques for over a decade, in addition to teaching criminal justice at Hartnell College in Salinas, California. Off the clock he enjoys competing in shooting sports, running and cycle events. He welcomes comments at [email protected].
