One firearm question that I’ve gotten over the years, more so than any other is: “What kind of a ‘gun’ should I get for survival?” Needless to say, this opens up quite a can of worms, and there is no one gun that can do it all, and there is no pat answer that I can give folks. In another life, I used to tell preppers or survivalists that the first gun they should get on a limited budget was a pump-action 12 Gauge shotgun. I’ve since changed my thinking on that, for a number of reasons. First off, the limited capacity of a shotgun, and secondly, the recoil – its not for the faint of heart, and third, is the ammo – it takes up a lot of room and is heavy. Lastly, is the limited range of a shotgun. Oh sure, there are some positive aspects, like all the different types of ammo available – any thing from light bird shot, to 00 buckshot, to slugs for taking all but the biggest game.
These days, I tell folks to get some kind of .22 LR firearm. And I’d like to see them get a rifle first, and a handgun second. The long gun is more versatile, for taking small game at longer distances, while the handgun is concealable. Of course, the lowly .22 LR can be use for self-defense as well – it’s not what we’d call a “manstopper” round, but with proper shot placement, it will sure make a bad guy wish they were someplace else. Of course, we then have the cost of .22 LR ammo – after the long ammo drought we just went through — almost six years — .22 LR is finally, once again, available in quantities and prices have come back to close to what they were before the drought. Of course, a person can easily pack several 500-round bricks of .22 LR ammo in a backpack, without too much trouble.
There are many very fine .22 LR firearms on the market, that will sure get the job done, and I prefer something that is semi-auto, for faster shooting and ease of reloading. It doesn’t take much time to stick a fully loaded magazine into a .22 LR rifle or handgun, so that’s a big advantage. And, if someone were within 150-yards and posed a threat to you during a SHTF scenario, they will sure wish they were some place else.
Someone can take medium-sized game with a head shot – again, this would be in emergency situations ONLY. We do not promote poaching. However, when it all hits the fan, taking wild game may be your best bet when it comes to feeding your family. I once knew a fellow, who wasn’t making ends meet, and he was poaching deer on a regular basis to feed his two kids. I didn’t condone it then, nor do I condone it now, since he could have found other methods of making ends meet to feed his family. The point is, he took deer with head shots from a .22 LR rifle.
One of the most anticipated firearms to come out of the 2019 SHOT Show this past year was the Taurus TX22 pistol, and needless to say, it is chambered in .22 LR. This isn’t a small, or compact sized .22 LR pistol – it is a full-sized handgun. It has a polymer frame and Aluminum alloy slide, with a fixed 4.10-inch barrel, and outstanding three dot white sights on it – adjustable sights. The TX22 is striker-fired, and that is a bit different than most .22 LR pistols, they are usually hammer-fired. One of the biggest attractions that the TX22 offers is it comes from the factory with two, 16-round magazines. The magazines easily load by hand. However Taurus also included a mag loader to make the job even easier. The gun fires single-action only. It has what Taurus calls their Pittman Trigger System (PTS), and the trigger pull is really quite nice.
The TX22 only weighs in at 17.3 ounces, so it is a light-weight. The height is 5.44-inches, and the width is 1.25-inches and overall length is 7.06-inches. I really like the ambidextrous safety, as well as the ergonomic grip – the gun just flat out feels great when you grip it in your hand. I’m hoping that, Taurus will design some centerfire handguns that feel this good. Are you listening, Taurus? Now, when it comes to the slide, it only allows ejection of the empty brass out of the side of the slide – there is no opening in the top of the slide, like most centerfire handguns have. I was a little concerned that there might be ejection problems, but didn’t experience any with this set-up.
When it comes to a way a handgun feels in the hand, my lovely wife is the expert in this department. No matter how well made or how well designed a handgun is, if it doesn’t feel just “right” in her hand, she has no interest in it – if the gun doesn’t feel right, she doesn’t shoot it nearly as well as she is capable of shooting. And, Taurus sure nailed it with this TX22 – everyone who shot it commented as to how great it felt in the hand – everyone. And, secondly, they all couldn’t believe how light-weight the TX22 is – even with a fully loaded magazine in place.
Early in the long ammo drought, my local gun shop bought a lot of my .22 LR ammo from me, to resell to their customers – and we are talking a LOT of ammo. I figured, at best, the drought would last maybe 6 months, not 6 years! So, my .22 LR ammo supply was extremely low – I refused to pay $50.00 – $80.00 for a 500-round brick of .22 LR ammo. That’s what it was selling for. So, none of us in my family did a lot of shooting with our .22 LR firearms for all those years. Over the past 6-8 months, my .22 LR ammo supply has been rebuilt, and we are once again doing a lot of target practice with various .22 LR chambered firearms.
I still see folks, in the various big and small box stores, purchasing 3-4 bricks of .22 LR these days – they don’t want to be caught short-handed like I was – and they were, too – for all those years. I’m happy to say, the .22 LR ammo makers are turning out this caliber like crazy. I never thought I’d ever see the day, when you couldn’t walk into a gun shop or big box store, and there wouldn’t be any .22 LR on the shelves. And, some of those stores that were getting some .22 LR ammo – were only selling it one box at a time, per day, per customer – they really rationed it out. I can’t blame ‘em in the least, though.
We have now run about 1,000 rounds of various types and brands of .22 LR ammo through the Taurus TX22, and have not had any problems – at least not with the gun. We had just one failure to feed, and that was a dented .22 LR round. So I can’t fault the gun for that. At 500 rounds we cleaned and lubed the TX22 and it is a piece of cake to disassemble for maintenance. It was dirty at 500 rounds, and after we completed our shooting over several weeks we cleaned and lubed it again. Needless to say, .22s tend to get dirty, so keep ‘em cleaned and lubed.
I hunkered down and did some accuracy testing at 25-yards, and I could easily get groups around one inch if I held steady, and depending on the ammo I was shooting – that is outstanding accuracy. The PTS trigger Taurus put on this handgun is a contributing factor to the accuracy. The gun was shooting a little bit low, and it only took one adjustment on the rear sight to get it dead-on at 25-yards. We did shoot at some large rocks out to about 100-yards, and could easily hit them most of the time – that is standing on two feet, without any sort of a rest. BTW, this new Taurus pistol is being made in the USA. And I’ve read that Taurus will be moving from Florida soon, since it is fast becoming an anti-gun state.
If you’re in the market for a new .22 LR pistol, or if you’re looking for your first .22 LR pistol, the new Taurus TX22 is worth a close look. They are retailing for $349. As I mentioned, they come with two 16-rd magazines. Taurus is currently sold out if you want any spare magazines. When they have them, they are only $22 each – that’s a deal. So, I check the Taurus web site regularly, as well as some other web sites, for spare magazines. I’m sure that I’ll eventually find some.
This is one nice gun, well-built, solid, accurate and a great shooter! The only “bad” thing is, now my wife wants one for herself!
Sir, when you put these guns through their paces, you usually mention who the ammo manufacturer is. Who do you like when it comes to .22 ammo? Thanks!
I have a 12 gauge for close-in defense after reading one time that nothing has a greater inherent, deterrent effect than the sound of a 12 gauge being cycled. I think double ought buck should do the trick since that’s like firing nine .32 rounds all at the same time.
I still agree with that thinking, but I have to admit the objections Pat raises are real, and I have broadened out since purchasing the shotgun. I’m wondering the same thing as Hoosier Gal: what ammunition do you recommend for a .22? I have a Ruger 10/22, and out of a full magazine, as many as three rounds will jam when the casing doesn’t eject properly. I have tried several different kinds of ammunition (Remington, Federal, CCI), and they all do this to me. Any suggestions?
I’ve always had good success with CCI Blazers and Mini-mags in the 10/22. Also, Winchester Super-X. But not so much with Remington or Federal bulk pack ammo.
Are you using standard 10-round rotary magazines, or the banana clips? If you’re using the bananas, that is probably the problem. Never met one that was reliable.
I use the bananas. Never tried the rotary magazines. That’s worth a look. Thanks.
There are videos on YouTube, showing how to build up the back surface of the BX-25. Supposedly, a tighter fit gives better accuracy. Haven’t tried it. Prefer the centerfires for high-volume reliability.
Sussex Girl,
When I first looked at purchasing a shotgun for home defense, back in the early 1980s, the young man at a local sporting goods store fave me the same line of bs, “nothing like the sound if a pump action 12 ga. being racked, yada, yada, blah, blah, blah.” When I said I didn’t have the strength to rack the pump, get said the shotgun had be “worked over” by a gunsmith first. My reaction was, why should I spend several hundred dollars on anything that isn’t useable from the factory?
Then, I stopped in at the little neighborhood gun shop owned and run by an older gentleman who had sent many years as a LEO firearms instructor and armorer. His advice was to get a double barrel 12 ga. He said he had seen rookie officers, after months of training at the Academy and several more on the street, get into their first firefight with their patrol shotgun, end up hunkered down behind a trash can or one of the old green mailboxes on a street corner, and after the smoke had cleared, there were 8 unspent shot shells at their feet. They had been trained well, but when the SHTF, the adrenaline spiked and they pumped all 8 rounds out of the tube but never pulled the trigger. He said that if that happened to them with all their training, what was going to happen to me? The best thing was KISS, “keep it simple, stupid.” One button to remove the safety and to choose which barrel to shoot first. Otherwise, just aim and squeeze the trigger. He also said that, while the sound of the pump action might be intimidating, it also let the bad guys know where you were and that you were armed. This was in Miami back during the heyday of the drug wars – think “Miami Vice” without the glamour. Yes, it really was that bad. So, if they were serious, they knew where to find you and they would come in shooting first. He said that if they came in your house or apartment and stayed out in the living room and kitchen, all your “things” could be replaced. Let them take the tv, the stereo, the toaster. That is what insurance was for. But if they came into the bedroom, be ready to defend your life with that 12 ga. Ask questions later.
I have always remembered his advice and I still don’t own a pump action shotgun. I have access to several, now that I am older, married and a firearms instructor, but I still prefer my double barrel coach gun and my double barrel Beretta.
Very good point. I’ve never tried a double barrel. Now you have me thinking.
SussexGirl – Have you tried swapping out the stock extractor with a Volquartsen? This should eliminate most jamming issues. I use CCI SV typically with a suppressor exclusively so I also clean the rifle every session as well as the magazines maybe quarterly. If I get one jam per 100 rounds it’s rare. It’s a very reliable setup once it’s dialed in.
I also have a TX22 and it’s very nice – one jam in 200 rounds. WAY more reliable than my GSG Firefly (which seems to jam often) and a better trigger and more simple operation overall. Mimics your typical striker fired 9mm in terms of size and operation so it’s a great practice gun. It’s as accurate as you are. Paired with CCI subsonic segmented HPs – I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that if it came down to it 🙂 Only downside to me is that it’s almost a tad too light. Otherwise highly recommend.
I haven’t tired anything to modify the gun itself. I’ve only tried different makes of ammunition. Your suggestion is interesting, although since I’ve never done any work on any of my guns except to clean them, I don’t know that I’d be up to the task of swapping parts on a gun.
Not to hijack a TX22 thread, but if you can remove the 10/22 bolt (which you should be doing to properly clean the gun), then you can replace an extractor. Not endorsing either link, but the first is the part and the second is the install.
https://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/bolt-parts/extractor-parts/extractors/exact-edge-extractor-mkii-mkiii-mkiv-10-22–prod13845.aspx
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvn7rFwj4H4
Watch the video and see if you feel comfortable with the process. 10/22’s are fun and easy (and cheap) to work on. There’s lots of DIY things a non-gunsmith can do that can make a real impact on performance. This is definitely one of the best.
I haven’t really noticed anything I want to change on my TX22 quite yet. I just added a cheaper green laser to clear the suppressor for aiming as the stock sights don’t clear it. So far, so good.
Thanks! I apologize for not responding sooner, but my daughter got married a week ago, and things have been a little hectic. Anyway, I’ll look into this. The way you explain the process, it doesn’t seem so daunting now.
Thanks Pat. Great info as always. Been considering one, Now I just have to convince the boss.
Palmetto State Armory has this for $259.99 and there is a $50.00 rebate (VISA Card) available bringing the out of pocket cost to $209.99 after rebate.
Pat: When are you going to test the Taurus G2C????
Owned a Tuarus product in the past until I found out that they required you to send the pistol back to them for repair. They would not ship repair parts out to the gunsmith, even though the store was an authorized dealer. Are they still that way?
Buck
Yes it is. I sent them a .380 Curve pistol detailing the issue and 3 weeks later they sent it back and it did the same thing. Now I will admit my Taurus Tracker .44 mag revolver has had no issues despite a diet of heavy a** handloads on my end. So I’d say read your reviews and ma,e your call when purchasing Taurus products.
What is the shelf life of .22 LR ammo?
I understand if you register your TX22 with Taurus they will give the original purchaser a Limited Lifetime Warranty. I believe it must be registered within 30 days of purchase.
My 10/22 does very well with Federal Match .22. 16.95 for 325 rds.
I have a product inquiry unrelated to firearms.
This just came across my radar and I am wondering if any of you has an opinion about it: https://www.wyze.com/wyze-sense/
Carry on
I’ve been shooting 22lr ammo that I’ve had for 20 years through my TX 22. If say shelf life is A WHILE lol.