In 2019, Taurus USA launched one of the first guns in the company's catalog to be designed and manufactured here in the United States in Bainbridge, Ga. Dubbed the TX22, it's an innovative blowback-operated, striker-fired .22 LR pistol sporting magazines with more ammunition capacity than traditional single-stack designs. The standard model TX22, which was the first to ship, features a sight system, controls and profile comparable to popular defensive 9 mm pistols. That version accepts 16-round magazines and, thanks to the polymer frame and an anodized aluminum slide, it weighs in at just 17.5 ozs. The slim 4.1" barrel fits flush with the front of the slide. However, it has recessed, within the slide, muzzle threads that can be fitted with a provided adapter to mount devices including compensators and sound suppressors.
By 2021 the company was ready to launch the TX22 Competition model with a 5.25" threaded bull barrel and an extended slide. As part of the action's blowback design, the barrel is stabilized against the frame so that it does not shift or tilt when the side cycles. This allows for the Competition version of the TX22 to have an optic mounting plate set directly into the top of the barrel, which also keeps the optic and bore in alignment. The top of the slide is trimmed away where needed to accommodate the plate.
The TX22 standard model (l.) compared to the new T.O.R.O. Black configuration (r.).
The third member of the TX22 series, the optics-ready Compact T.O.R.O. model, was added to the lineup in 2023. Sized to mimic the profile of "micro nine" carry pistols, the pencil barrel with its recessed threaded muzzle has been trimmed to 3.60" and the grip frame is about half an inch shorter as well. This reduces the magazine capacity to 13 rounds, however this model will accept larger 16-round magazines, too. T.O.R.O., which stands for Taurus Optics Ready Option, means the slide arrives with a cutout sized for the direct mounting of Holosun K-pattern footprints. With an adapter plate, optics with Shield RMSc or J-Point footprints can be used as well. The slide has three weight-reducing vents located between the muzzle and the ejection port to compensate for the added weight of an optic.
The standard pencil barrel’s recessed muzzle threads (l.) shown next to the Black model’s extended bull barrel (r.) and threaded muzzle.
This brings us to the subject of this evaluation, the new-for-2024 TX22 Black. I've mentioned the previous models here because the Black incorporates features from all three. The Black model is assembled around the standard frame, which borrows some of Walther's PPQ styling, albeit without interchangeable backstraps. The dustcover features a molded-in 1.75" accessory rail. Frame indentations, located above the square profile trigger guard, serve as resting points for the trigger finger.
The Black model’s slide features weight reduction ports forward of the chamber.
The external controls include a reversible, metallic magazine release button, a left-side slide stop and a slim profile, ambidextrous thumb safety lever. The trigger is fitted with a hinged shoe that takes the place of the more prolific integral blade safety. This particular pistol exhibited a 4-lb., 9-oz. trigger pull with the slightly mushy take-up and break common to striker-fired semi-automatics.
The Holosun SCS-Carry optic is ruggedly built, simple to use and features a rechargeable solar-powered battery.
This model ships with two magazines, one of which has the original 16-round capacity. The second magazine is a new feature. It's a 16-round magazine body fitted with an in-house grip extension base, which increases the capacity to 22 rounds. As of this writing, additional extended magazines are not listed for sale on the company's shoptaurus.com website, but hopefully they will be available soon.
The Black pistol’s controls are patterned after previous TX22 models.
The standard-size forged aluminum slide borrows the forward weight reduction vents and the T.O.R.O. optics cut-out of the Compact model. The metallic sight system consists of a white dot front sight paired with a serrated, drift-adjustable square-notch rear sight. Although the front and rear cocking serrations are a plus, the slide is fairly easy to cycle manually.
The TX22 Black’s external footprint is similar to many of the popular Compact-sized 9 mm carry pistols.
The TX22 Black has a threaded bull barrel, which is the same barrel profile as the Competition model, however, it has been shortened from 5.25" to 4.60". This means about a half inch of barrel protrudes beyond the slide, which allows the 1/2x28 TPI threaded muzzle to be used for mounting muzzle accessories without the need for an adapter. A thread protector is provided.
This pistol is easily disassembled for routine cleaning like other striker-fired, polymer-frame pistols.
This is a multi-purpose rimfire that leans towards use as an understudy for compact 9 mm pistols. With this in mind, the gun was topped off with the recently released K-size Holosun SCS-Carry optic for the range evaluation. This model's 7075-T6 aluminum housing is enclosed to keep dirt and debris away from the critical components. A singular control button activates a green aiming reticle consisting of a 2-m.o.a. dot ringed by a 32-m.o.a. circle. The owner can choose to use just the dot, just the circle or both together. The reticle brightness is automatically adjusted via multi-directional light sensors depending on ambient light levels.
This pistol ships with one 16-round magazines (l.) along with one of the new extended 22-round magazines (r.).
The SCS in this micro-optic's name stands for Solar Charging Sight. It employs a top-mounted solar panel connected to a built-in rechargeable 20,000-hour battery. This means the sight can operate indefinitely without the need for the battery to be replaced. Other features include an IPX8 waterproof rating and a multi-layer glass lens. The SCS-Carry ships with mounting hardware for a suggested retail price of $470.
This pistol proved to be both reliable and enjoyable to shoot.
I was looking forward to taking this version of the TX22 to the shooting range to see how its blend of features would come together and perform. The test ammunition ranged from affordably priced bulk-box rounds to premium-grade hunting hollow points. The pistol experienced two failures to eject within the first 50 rounds fired. After that, it was smooth sailing without any other ammunition related malfunctions. I'm happy to report that the pistol was mechanically sound and the new 22-round extended magazine proved to be just as reliable as the 16-round magazines.
The range test included four factory magazines and mix of practice-grade and small game hunting .22 LR loads.
When I conducted benchrest, five consecutive, five-shot group accuracy testing with the 4.1" barrel Standard model at 25 yards, the extreme spread was 2.98" using typical sporting goods store loads. The same testing process with similar ammunition using the Competition model's 5.25" bull barrel, with the barrel-mounted optic, shaved the extreme spread down to 2.17". The new Black model with its 4.6" bull barrel and slide-mounted optic split the difference with an extreme spread of 2.45" using Browning, CCI and Federal loads. The following table shows the full set of performance results including 10-shot strings fired next to a Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph:
With five years of production history behind it, the Taurus TX22 series of pistols has proven to be durable, reliable and enjoyable to shoot. The Black model is a particularly flexible configuration that can successfully straddle a variety of rimfire pistol roles including casual plinking, small game hunting and as a rimfire understudy for similarly sized centerfire pistols.
The Browning load punched out a five-shot group of 1.87”.
But among its many features, perhaps the most notable is its price tag. As of this writing, the standard model TX22 is listed on the company website with a suggested retail price of $349. The Black model is listed at $364. This means you get the optics-ready slide, threaded bull barrel and an extended 22-round magazine for just $15 more. That makes it a real bargain in my books.
Taurus TX22 Black Specifications:
Manufacturer: Taurus International Manufacturing Inc.
Action Type: blowback-operated, semi-automatic, rimfire pistol
Chambering: .22 Long Rifle
Barrel: 4.6" alloy steel; six-groove, 1:10" RH-twist rifling
Frame: matte-black polymer
Magazine: 16- and 22-round detachable box
Sights: white dot front, serrated square-notch rear
Trigger: single-action, 4-lb., 9-oz. pull
Overall Length: 7.06"
Height: 5.44"
Width: 1.25"
Weight: 19.7 ozs. (with 16-round magazine)
Accessories: cable lock, owner's manual
MSRP: $364
