It often seems like there’s no middle ground with semi-automatic rimfire pistols. Either these kinds of handguns seem to come across like flimsy and inexpensive afterthoughts, or they’re full-on performance guns with the price tag to match.
The Taurus .22LR TX-22 Compact TORO comes as a nice middle-of-the-road surprise because for an accessible real-world price of around $300 or so, shooters get an American-made, fully-featured, optics-ready rimfire pistol. The best part about the Taurus TX-22 Compact TORO is that its frame dimensions are nearly the same size and width as the majority of compact double-stack 9mm pistols which means that while lightweight, it does not feel like a toy in your hand. It also comes with an extremely agreeable striker-fired trigger and a pair of ambidextrous thumb safeties. Most importantly, short of specialized rimfire rounds, the Taurus TX-22 Compact TORO has a penchant to swallow lead and spit out brass with nary a complaint.
Taurus TX-22 Compact TORO Overview
The Taurus TX-22 Compact TORO is a “full-size” (read: not a micro) compact striker-fired pistol with polymer frame chambered for the .22LR cartridge. Like the rest of Taurus’ TX-22 models, the TX-22 Compact TORO has a fixed barrel that works off a reliable straight blowback action and magazines that effortlessly feed the rimmed 22LR cartridges. As a member of the TORO (Taurus Optics Ready Option) club, the slide on the pistol is cut for Shield Sights RMSc/Holosun-K pattern optics. The model featured in this review also ships with a Riton Optics MPRD 2 red-dot sight from the factory. Unlike many of Taurus’ firearms, which are manufactured in Brazil, all members of the TX-22 product family are manufactured in the United States at Taurus’ Bainbridge, GA, facility.
Grip And Frame
Because Taurus designed the TX-22 Compact TORO to conform to dimensions similar to guns such as the Walther PDP-F, Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 Compact, Glock G19, Tisas PX-9 and others, the grip and frame fit adult hands with no problem. As a matter of fact, when I took it out of the box and held it for the first time, the TX-22 Compact TORO’s grip instantly reminded me of the Tisas PX-9 I just mentioned. Both pistols have similar grip contours with oval-shaped backstraps and generous radiusing where the backstrap transitions into the top portion of the frame. Similarly, the Taurus TX-22 Compact TORO has an aggressively undercut trigger guard that provides an alcove for the firing-hand’s middle finger and allows for the formation of a solid firing grip.
Albeit shortened due to their compact nature, Taurus TX-22 Compact TORO frames are molded with a railed Picatinny surface that accepts shortened pistol-mounted lights–models like the Streamlight TLR-7 series. TX-22 Compact frames are also equipped with a pair of ambidextrous thumb safeties; I found that they needed a bit of a break-in to smooth out and work more easily. These pistols also possess a single low-profile slide-stop on the left side and are meant for a right-handed thumb.
Barrel And Slide
When it comes to cycling and reliability, a semi-automatic pistol could be viewed as an equation in need of balance between the slide, its recoil spring and cartridges. As such, the TX-22 Compact TORO uses a lightweight slide machined from aluminum that is anodized black and optimized to cycle standard or higher pressure .22 LR ammunition. Besides the aluminum material’s lighter mass, the TX-22 Compact TORO slide also has three generous weight-reducing slide-cuts forward of the chamber. The slide just ahead of the breech-face also has a wide cut. This is not only another weight saving measure needed for this pistol’s reliability, but it also provides more clearance to allow spent brass to eject. Working in tandem with this lighter, dedicated-.22LR slide is a captive recoil-spring assembly that consists of two springs. It’s worth pointing out that the TX-22 Compact TORO is extremely easy for nearly anyone to rack since .22LR doesn’t require a strong spring to cycle.
In addition to accepting any micro red-dot optic with the Shield Sights RMSc or Holosun-K optics footprint, the TX-22 Compact TORO slide’s dovetails are cut for Glock-pattern front and rear sights. The default set of sights included from the factory consists of white-dot front sight and a plain black serrated rear U-notch.
The 3.6-inch-long barrel found on the Taurus TX-22 Compact TORO comes with a low-profile thread protector that matches the rest of the barrel’s external diameter. This cap can be removed, and a thread adapter can be installed in place to make the pistol compatible with suppressors or other muzzle-related accessories.
Magazine
Due to the rim found on the .22LR’s case, magazines for semi-automatic .22LR firearms can be finicky. I found the polymer 13-round TX-22 Compact magazine, which is only slightly thinner than a Glock 48 magazine, to be easy to load. The follower’s thumb-studs won’t dig in and cut the skin of the thumb like I’ve experienced with other models. Once loaded, cartridges stay put inside the magazine.
Trigger
The TX-22 Compact TORO’s striker-fired trigger is very agreeable and the unit on my specimen breaks cleanly at around 4 pounds. Unlike most striker triggers which rely on a bladed safety to be depressed, this trigger takes a slightly different approach. The entirety of the trigger face must slightly pivot down to travel rearwards and break the shot. Its length to break is .5 inch, while it can reset in as little as .25 inch.
The Taurus TX-22 Compact TORO At The Range
During my evaluation, I fired five different types of .22LR cartridges through this pistol. From this selection of ammunition, I fired two types, the Federal 40-grain Automatch and 42-grain Winchester Super X subsonic, simply for function testing. The other three cartridges, which are listed in my accuracy report for this gun are Eley’s Club 40-grain RN, Aguila’s Super Extra 40-grain RN Plated and Federal Premium’s 29-grain defensive Punch FP rounds.
Though not on the accuracy report, Automatch cycled flawlessly and without any major issue. Unfortunately, about 30 percent of the subsonic Winchesters did not cycle. There’s no point in blaming either the pistol or this ammunition, as the gun is simply set up to function with standard or high-velocity rimfire ammo. Due to the length of the barrel, rounds cannot generate their full muzzle-velocity potential because the propellant does not fully develop as the bullet travels down the bore. This affects each cartridge’s final muzzle velocity and the by-product is extra fouling. One only needs to shoot the TX-22 Compact TORO during an extended range session to notice the buildup of carbon around the front of the slide and muzzle.
I fired roughly 300 rounds through my review session and only had issues with the specialty subsonic loads and a handful of the Federal Premium Punch rounds. Knowing the finicky nature of repeating rimfire pistols, I’m comfortable in stating that the Taurus TX-22 Compact TORO is generally reliable as long as the shooter sticks to standard or high-velocity .22 LR. Bulk ammunition is fine as this isn’t a target pistol. In fact, average accuracy from rest spanned between 2- to 3-inch groups at 15 yards. This is fine for training, plinking or even Steel Challenge competitions, but maybe not for a bullseye match. In the context of a compact .22 LR semi-automatic pistol with a thinner barrel, this type of dispersion is the norm.
The Takeaway
It seems like most major handgun companies offer a semi-automatic .22LR rimfire pistol, and Taurus is no exception, especially given how many different variants of the TX-22 series its customers can purchase. From full-on Steel Challenge TX-22 race guns with compensators to smaller models like the TX-22 Compact TORO, shooters can take home reliable pistols suitable for a wide variety of tasks that are also made in the United States and do not break the bank. While the recoil from a .22 LR round will never match that of a 9 mm round, I do really appreciate that the TX-22 Compact TORO’s frame feels like a “real” centerfire compact pistol. If anything, I found that it added some degree of fidelity when practicing defensive shooting drills.
Specifications:
- Manufacturer: Taurus USA
- Country Of Origin: United States
- Action Type: Striker-fired semi-automatic
- Caliber: .22 LR
- Capacity: 13 rounds
- Frame: Polymer
- Slide: Aluminum
- Barrel Length: 3.6 inches
- Sights: Drift-adjustable serrated U-notch rear, standard white dot front
- Trigger Pull Weight: 4 pounds, 1 ounce
- Length: 6.70 inches
- Width: 1.25 inches
- Height: 4.90 inches
- Weight: 16.5 ounces
- Accessories: Two magazines. cable lock, threaded muzzle adapter, Riton Optics MPRD 2 red-dot sight, documentation/manual
- MSRP: $469.99
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