Taurus has been making firearms for over 80 years, but their profile in the United States has elevated in recent times. The company has set up manufacturing facilities in the United States and has released well-executed models, designed to compete with major American and European brands at a lower price point. In 2019, Taurus released the TX 22. It resembles a number of slide-operated .22 rimfire pistols designed for training and plinking. But it holds 16 rounds of ammo, while all the others are stuck with 10-round magazines. The TX 22 portfolio has expanded to include the smaller TX 22 Compact. The TX 22 Compact has at least one fan in GMW’s Jeremy Stone. Here is his take on the TX 22 Compact and why you need one.
Why you NEED a Taurus TX 22 Compact – YouTube
All About the Taurus TX 22 Compact
The TX 22 Compact comes with the latest updates to the original TX 22 but on a smaller scale. The TX 22 Compact sports a shorter 13-round magazine and a 3.6-inch barrel. The Compact weighs in at 16.5 ounces unloaded, making it marginally lighter than the 17.3-ounce, 4.1-inch barreled full-size TX 22.
The TX 22 Compact comes with a Picatinny rail on the dust cover for mounting a weapon light. The anodized aluminum slide has Taurus’s TORO optics cut for the Holosun K footprint, and red dot sights. The barrel comes from the factory with 1/2×28-inch threads for mounting the suppressor of your choice.
Unlike some versions of the TX 22 full-size, the Compact comes with an ambidextrous manual thumb safety. The Compact, like the others in its family, is a striker-fired handgun, whereas most .22 pistols on the market have a concealed hammer.
What’s to Like about the TX22 Compact?
Jeremy took the TX 22 Compact for a 600-round range burndown, but he made sure the pistol was fully equipped. He outfitted it with a Nightstick TCM 550 XL-GL light/laser combination and a compact Holosun HS507KX2 red dot sight. For good measure, a rimfire suppressor was thrown on as well. Despite this defeating the concealability purpose of the Compact, the option exists, and it is worth knowing how the pistol will function with the added weight.
Without cleaning, the TX 22 got through the range trip with ZERO malfunctions. I will go out on a limb and suggest that Jeremy used CCI ammunition. Otherwise, dud rounds and more fouling would be a certainty with that many rounds downrange using .22 LR ammo.
The overall smaller package might be worthwhile for shooters who think small guns equate to small recoil. In this case, it is true and the Compact is user-friendly enough to be a great training pistol. It has good useable iron sights and the potential for a red dot, as well as a noticeable manual safety that can be easily engaged, whether you are right or wrong-handed.
The TX 22 Compact in its most stripped-down form can also make a viable carry gun. While using a .22 LR, especially an autoloading .22, for personal defense is controversial, Taurus goes out on a limb to say it can be deployed like that. While not ideal for the task, it might be ideal for more people than you think and the TX 22 is one of the better .22 auto pistols on the market. For this task, Jeremy recommends using the Federal Punch 29-grain solid round. That’s an opinion I concur with, although any high-velocity .22 round that is reliable in your handgun, can be effective too.
What’s to dislike about the TX 22 Compact?
The TX 22 Compact has well-appointed ergonomics, but there are a few pitfalls to the design to be aware of. It is a .22 LR pistol and some ammunition can be finicky to use, while others can be very reliable. As an unapologetic southpaw, Jeremy liked the ambidextrous safety. However, the other controls are not set up the same way. The trigger pull is neither the heaviest nor the lightest. It has the typical mush and a short amount of take-up of a striker-fired design that is absent with hammer-fired pistols. Jeremy also noted a small amount of play in the trigger, even with the safety engaged.
Do You Really Need a TX 22 Compact?
The Taurus TX 22 waded into a flooded .22 pistol market full of competent designs and came out as Guns & Ammo’s Gun of the Year in 2019. Since then, the design has only gotten more modern and more adaptable. The TX 22 Compact just may be the best of the bunch in these categories. Those of us who like to shoot, have a favorite .22 rimfire. I certainly do and it isn’t a TX 22. But if you are in the market for a new .22 pistol as your first, or as another tool in the kit, the TX 22 Compact and the TX series in general are well worth a look.
