First Impressions
Something about the sharp angles and hard lines makes this pistol look and feel like a sci-fi character’s backup gun in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
On the one hand, it’s a petite gun when compared to most self-defense firearms. On the other, its jagged profile gives it an ominous feel. I really like the looks, and I can see how new features like extra-aggressive rear slide serrations solved issues I had with the older Taurus PT-22. That gun was still a fun little pistol, but I think the 22TUC is a clear step up.
What really impressed me was how the 22TUC felt when I picked it up. The finger grooves and improved grip texture are nice, but the feather-like weight makes this thing float in my hand.
Related: Factory Tour – Taurus Is Thriving in Southwest Georgia
Its polymer frame chops off so much weight that the heavier slide puts the center of gravity near my pointer finger. It feels light enough to almost disappear into the weight of my hand. Then again, that’s exactly what Taurus was going for in the first place.
The company spells it all out in its marketing material: "The First Rule of Gunfighting: Have a gun. The 22TUC from Taurus USA is the ultimate expression of 'have a gun.' An extremely light-weight .22 LR, the 22TUC takes advantage of developments in .22 LR terminal ballistics to deliver a CCW option that is user-friendly, easy to shoot, and, most importantly, a gun you can carry effortlessly … remember: the .22 you carry beats the .45 you left at home."
After getting my first look at the 22TUC, the gun certainly seemed to fit that bill. Here’s a closer look at what makes this firearm tick.
Specs & Features
Featuring a long double-action-only trigger, the semi-auto blowback-operated 22TUC’s most noteworthy feature is its tip-up barrel design. While the gun hosts very aggressive rear slide serrations, there’s no requirement for you to ever rack the slide in the first place.
A small lever on the right-hand side of the frame releases the hooked barrel. Loading and unloading the chamber can all be done with this feature instead of working the very small slide. Since the 22TUC is very short and light, the heavy recoil spring makes it difficult for many people to operate the slide.
There’s no extractor – just like Beretta’s tip-up 21A Bobcat. Empty cases are blown out of the chamber by the rearward pressure of expanding gases. The 22TUC is significantly lighter than the all-metal Bobcat, which is a very fine but markedly more expensive gun.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the basic specs for the Taurus 22TUC:
Weight: 9 ounces (10.3 ounces with the magazine)
Length: 5.14 inches
Barrel Length: 2.48 inches
Sight Radius: 3.6 inches
Height: 3.74 inches (4.34 inches with the magazine)
Width: 1.04 inches
Capacity: 9+1
Trigger Pull: 8.33 pounds
The trigger pull is long, with a total rearward travel of 0.85 inches before the break. The reset is even longer and stretches to a full inch. Because there is no manual safety, just like a self-defense revolver, that long trigger pull is the 22TUC’s safety.
That trigger pull isn’t unpleasant, either. It’s smooth throughout the pull with next to no stacking to get to the wall. I find it easy enough to stage the trigger near the wall before breaking each shot.
Here’s a closer look at that trigger and the barrel release lever in action:
The trigger breaks at a heavy but controllable 8.33 pounds, which is around what you’d get with other double-action revolvers and pistols. As a rimfire gun, I like the double-action trigger for its double-strike capabilities. Rimfire ammo is known to have occasional primer issues that this feature helps eliminate.
Speaking of .22 LR ammo, not all rimfire ammo is equal in the eyes of the Taurus 22TUC. The manual includes a list of specific ammo that is recommended for the gun.
While it’s even more compact than the company’s 13+1 TX22 Compact pistol, the 22TUC is still relatively fat for a mouse gun and offers above-average grip space as a result.
Related: New: Taurus TX22 Compact 13+1 .22 LR Pistol
Lastly, I think it’s worth emphasizing that the tip-up 22TUC’s 9+1 capacity is quite generous for its size and weight. It stacks on two extra rounds over the pricier Beretta 21A and still comes in at a fraction of the cost and weight.
Range Testing
I’ve tested several tip-up .22 LR pistols over the years. The designs are always neat, but I’ve noticed most of these little rimfire handguns require a break-in period. They can also be picky about ammo.
That all proved to be true for the minuscule 22TUC when I started breaking it in at the range. I don’t consider any of that to be a deal breaker, since the ammo is cheap to test and self-defense ammo should always be tested anyway. I was particularly happy to find some ammo that the 22TUC loves in the process.
Outside of the ammo on the list in the picture above, I had decent luck with cheaper ammo like 40-grain Federal Champion and 40-grain Aguila Super Extra. I was especially pleased to discover that my 22TUC loved self-defense loads like Federal’s 29-grain flat-nosed Punch.
I could see that difference with the self-defense loads, which resulted in a noticeably brighter muzzle flash and spicier recoil. Fear not, this .22 LR pistol is very easy to control. Personally, I would run through 200+ rounds of cheap bulk ammo to break in the gun. I would follow that with a few boxes of self-defense ammo to pick what I wanted for my primary carry ammo.
My testing left me most confident with the flat-nosed 29-grain Federal Punch, which experienced no malfunctions across two boxes of 50 rounds. In total, I put 600 rounds through the 22TUC.
Here’s how each type of ammo fared for the first 300 rounds: 100 rounds of 40-grain Federal Champion (one malfunction), 100 rounds of 40-grain Norma Tac-22 (seven malfunctions), and 100 rounds of Aguila Super Extra (two malfunctions). Most of these malfunctions were failures to feed or eject early in the testing. I also moved between ammo types through the first part of my testing to spread it out.
Now, here’s how the next 300 rounds went: 100 rounds of 29-grain Federal Punch (zero malfunctions), 100 rounds of 40-grain Eley Club (zero malfunctions), and 100 rounds of CCI Pistol Match (one failure to eject spent casing).
Related: Gun Review – Taurus PT-22 Pocket Pistol in .22 LR (VIDEO)
This was my takeaway from all that testing: always break in your gun at the range and test your self-defense ammo. I’ve had similar ammo issues with more expensive tip-up Beretta 21As, so just make sure you’re feeding the gun what it likes.
With that boring stuff out of the way, here’s what I got in terms of accuracy at various self-defense distances:
All in all, the long double-action trigger pull and 8.33-pound pull weight don’t make the 22TUC a hard gun to shoot. The recoil is pleasantly low, the 9+1 capacity is generous for the size, and the fat grip provides ample space for both shooting hands.
Pros & Cons
Here’s my short list of the pros and cons for the new Taurus 22TUC:
Pros:
- Affordably priced
- Tip-up barrel makes loading easy and safe
- Extremely lightweight design
- Small, concealable size
- Good grip texture and slide serrations
- Reliable with the right ammo
- Accurate at self-defense ranges
- Generous 9+1 capacity for a mouse gun
- Allows for a nearly full grip
- Double-action trigger allows for second-strike capability
- Improved sights
Cons:
- Short break-in period for reliable function
- Somewhat picky about ammo types
- Weaker .22 LR chambering
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Long double-action-only trigger pull
Final Thoughts
I know plenty of people with concealed carry permits who rarely take their self-defense firearm with them when they leave the house. I get it. It’s not always convenient or overly comfortable to carry a gun every single day.
On the other hand, the gun you leave at home does nothing but offer regret in the moment you need it. Taurus’ little 22TUC gives you a lightweight compromise.
It’s not intended to be a go-to range plinker, and it even prefers some self-defense-specific ammo. It’s also not intended to be the threat-stopping powerhouse offered by a full-size 10mm. The 22TUC is a last line of defense, but its accuracy and 9+1 capacity make it a formidable little pocket protector.
