The Taurus TX 22 — It's One Versatile Plinker

The Taurus TX 22 is part of a growing list of Taurus guns that is drawing renewed interest in the brand. This rimfire fun-gun is designed to be a versatile plinker and a stand-in for training when ammo availability or price might get in the way. And Taurus is building these so that their customers can add on what they want.

The TX22 with the Silencer Central Banish 22. This is a solid option for teaching new shooters the fundamentals of handguns.

If you are looking for a solid .22 LR that isn’t going to break the bank, this is a great place to start.

Taurus TX22 mid-sized rimfire pistol on top of a box of Remington 22 Thunderbolt cartridges — The Taurus TX22 is a mid-sized rimfire pistol and a great option for those who want to go plinking.

Taurus TX 22 Specs

Capacity: 10 or 16 Rounds
Action Type: Single Action Only (or no manual thumb safety)
Firing System: Striker
Front Sight: Fixed (White dot)
Rear Sight: Adjustable (White dot)
Frame Size: Full Size
Barrel Length: 4.10 in.
Overall Length: 7.06 in.
Overall Height: 5.44 in.
Overall Width: 1.25 in.
Weight: 17.30 oz
Slide Material: Aluminum
Frame Material: Polymer
Barrel Material: Steel Alloy
Caliber: 22 LR
Safety: Manual Safety, Striker Block, Trigger Safety
Slide Finish: Hard Anodized Black
Frame Finish: Black
Barrel Finish: Matte Black
Magazines Included: 2

The Taurus TX 22 build

Taurus TX 22 ejection port — I initially had concerns about the size of the ejection port, but the .22 brass clears with no difficulty. I didn’t have any ejection issues during the evaluation.

The polymer frame and aluminum slide make this a light build. The choice of aluminum for the slide, too, had some people talking early on—but aluminum and other alloys are becoming more ubiquitous in rimfire builds. The steel is in the barrel, where rigidity matters.

The barrel itself is thin. The end is capped with a thread protector. You may not notice it unless you look at the barrel end. The barrel, even with the end cap, rides flush inside that aluminum frame.

Taurus TX 22 take-down lever under the trigger guard — The take-down lever is hiding up under the trigger guard.

The barrel extension replaces the thread protector and allows you to put on a muzzle device or a silencer. I’m running a Silencer Central Banish 22 on this one. The weight of the Banish suppressor adds just a bit more to the front end of the gun but steadies what little muzzle-flip comes from a hot .22 in a light handgun.

Apart from this, the design will be familiar to Taurus fans. The surface texture on the frame and the ergonomics are in line with many of their newer semi-autos.

The Controls

Taurus TX 22 safety lever — The safety lever on the TX22 is oversized, intuitive, and easy to reach. Even though this gun is compact, the controls are built for adult hands.

This dude has a wide trigger shoe. I’ve grown accustomed to the rounded metal trigger shoes on some of the higher-end, much heavier rimfires. While the TX22’s trigger pull is consistent and light, the shoe is big. The design is built more like most EDC 9mms and not like a target pistol.

Taurus TX 22 mag release — The TX-22 mag release. Note how the frame’s lines provide a tactile ramp to the button.

The TX22 comes with or without the manual thumb safety. The lever is ambidextrous and easy enough to locate on the slide with your eyes down range. It isn’t as tactile as an M1911 thumb safety, but it provides that extra measure of assurance, especially for anyone who might be using this gun to teach someone else shooting fundamentals.

The mag-release button is a trapezoid placed just behind the trigger. The frame, at the base of the magazine well, protrudes slightly and helps protect the button from accidental release.

TX 22 mags

Taurus TX 22 plastic magazine — The TX22 mag is plastic. Any arguments against plastic mags for fun guns or range time seem to have fallen away. These work fine and produced no feeding issues.

You’ll want more magazines. I’m not saying that because I’m writing for GunMag Warehouse. Loading rimfire rounds is fiddly, and best done at home, watching an old Clint Eastwood western. The mags come in two sizes—10 round and 16 round.

Taurus TX 22 mag base plate — The mags have nice big base plates, and the grip has a cutout above the mag to help strip the mag if it gets stuck.

At first, I was a bit bummed by the limited capacity, but—if you are using this as a stand-in for an EDC gun on the range—you might want to work with the same number of rounds in each gun. There are extensions being made now that allow for more rounds. I’ve not had the opportunity to try any of those at the time of this writing.

Taurus TX 22 stagger-stack mag and gun — The stagger-stack mag lets you see just how many rounds you have at the ready.

The Extras

I’ve been running this with a Viridian E-Series red laser. The laser is daylight visible, though I find that visibility diminishes past its practical potential at a distance of 25 yards or more in sunlight. In shade or low light, a laser is a fun addition to a plinker.

Taurus TX 22 with Viridian E-Series red laser — Viridian makes a red laser for the TX-22. I found it to be precise enough for plinking. In low light, especially, this really speeds up the time to target.

The Banish 22 is a solid suppressor. It knocks off the edge of a .22’s report. Adding it to the TX22 isn’t complicated, though it has its nuances. The thread protector is on tight, and getting it off requires some muscle.

Taurus TX 22 barrel with thread protector locked in place — The barrel, showing some signs of recent use, with its thread protector locked in place. Getting this off requires some muscle, and causes the gun to flex in ways that don’t inspire confidence. But the system flexes and returns to zero, with no trouble.

The force you need to apply makes the entire system flex. If you aren’t making the switch on the range, I’d recommend tearing down the gun and clamping the barrel in a padded vice.

Taurus TX 22 barrel adapter — The TX22’s barrel adapter can be screwed on to attach a suppressor. Keep this someplace safe—it is easy to lose.

The Banish 22 on the TX22 allows for hearing-safe plinking. The light slide on the TX22 cycled well, even with subsonic rounds. If you don’t already have a can for every caliber—what are you waiting for? Wait times have never been this short.

Banish 22 silencer — The Banish 22 from Silencer Central is a great can for rimfire. It is rated for full-auto fire and provides a bit more mass off the end of the barrel to mitigate any of the TX-22’s jumpiness.

Final Thoughts on the TX22

Taurus TX 22 front sight — The front sight has a small dot on a wide blade. This is easy enough to see for fast target acquisition, and the white dot is small enough to dial in decent accuracy for a plinker like this.

Taurus has made some really compelling guns in the last few years. And it looks like they’re building the TX22 into a platform for rimfire that will cover just about anything you would want in a budget-friendly semiautomatic, from plinking to competition to training.

Taurus TX 22 rear sight — The rear sight, too, combines the potential for speed and accuracy. It, too, is adjustable.

Retail on this version is below $300.

Remington .22 Thunderbolt cartridges piled next to Taurus TX22 — Even with Remington’s .22 Thunderbolts, the suppressed fire is hearing safe. Grab some while ammo is plentiful and get back on the range.

At this price, the popularity of the Taurus TX 22 is easy to understand. The gun is capable, shoots straight, and performs reliably. And the extras – from the adjustable sights to the potential of the threaded barrel, begin to set this pistol apart.