The following is my Range Report: on the Rock Island Armory .22 TCM and .22 TCM 9R models
Recoil influences my practical handgun accuracy. This made me wonder if I should experiment with a caliber that produces less recoil than 9 mm, which is my current go-to self defense handgun round.
First I checked out what was available in .380 ACP. I wanted something that was recoil operated with a double stack magazine and a four to five inch barrel. I could not find anything in .380 ACP that fit that profile.
Then Ruger introduced the Ruger 57, and my attention was drawn to the FN 5.7×28 mm cartridge. As I was studying that cartridge, I ran across some references to the .22 TCM. It sounded like a very interesting cartridge, producing muzzle energy similar to the 9 mm, while creating significantly less recoil.
I contacted Rock Island Armory to ask if I could borrow one of their full-sized M1911 A2s chambered in .22 TCM for testing and evaluation. They agreed to provide me with a sample (henceforth called the “22TCMFS”) along with 250 rounds of ammunition. Several days later I picked up the 22TCMFS from my FFL, and arrived home to find the box of ammo on my doorstep.
Opening the Box
The 22TCMFS arrived in what I consider to be an ideal sized case (11.5″ X 8.5″ X 3″). A smaller case would not be large enough to comfortably hold the firearm and magazines. A larger case would take up too much space inside of my gun safe. Another feature that I liked about the case was that it uses sliding latches rather than the less durable flexible plastic hinge type latches that are found on many cases.
Along with the 22TCMFS and two magazines, the case contained a plastic bag with an inspection certificate, two test fired casings, an Allen wrench, a small screwdriver tool, and the owner’s manual.
I read the manual to familiarize myself with the 22TCMFS, and to see how well the manual was written. The largest section of the manual consists of parts lists and exploded diagrams of the various models of Rock Island Armory 1911s chambered in .22 TCM. I noted that the manual claims that these handguns have an effective range of 100 yards, that this model weighs 2.448 pounds, and that it has a trigger pull of between 3 and 4 pounds. I was also interested to note that the manual recommends lubricating the 22TCMFS with 5 weight light machine oil or motor oil.
I took the 22TCMFS from the case and field stripped it to familiarize myself with its major parts. The 22TCMFS has a nice workmanlike black Cerakote finish. Its initial appearance was marred by splotches of excess oil. These were easy to remove in the initial cleaning.
The trigger was very smooth and broke crisply. The rear sight adjusts for both windage and elevation. The fiber optic front sight is quite easy to acquire. The slot on the rear sight is a bit narrower than I would prefer.Continue reading“Rock Island Armory .22 TCM and .22 TCM 9R – Part 1, by The Novice”