GUN TESTS GRADE: A

$249

The TX22 is a full-­size grip, polymer-­frame, blowback-­operated, striker­-fire semiautomatic with a single-action trigger. That sounds like a lot, and we found the TX22 does offer a lot of plinker for the money. In the box, along with the pistol, Taurus includes two polymer magazines, a magazine loader and a suppressor adaptor. The suppressor adaptor is a very cool component and eliminates the need to buy a threaded barrel to use a can, such as in the case of the Glock.

The TX22’s barrel is flush with the end on the slide but wears a thread protector. We required a 3⁄8-inch wrench to remove the thread protector and then installed the adapter. You can then screw on a can.

The slide is made of aluminum with forward and rear angled serrations along with a chamfered muzzle. The top edge of the slide is similar to CZ P-10C-series or SIG Sauer P320-series pistols.

The sight are white three-dot style, which we liked. The rear sight is adjustable for windage and elevation via a small screwdriver, though neither screw is marked for windage or elevation. Clockwise is up on the elevation screw and clockwise will move the sight to right with the windage screw. The elevation screw is farthest to the rear and windage screw is closest to the muzzle.

The receiver is polymer and has a grip that reminds us of an HK VP9 or a Walther PPQ. We like this grip. The girth is thin, the surface of the side panels and straps is a smooth sandpaper-like texture. The beavertail is long. A ridge is formed with the trigger guard that guides the trigger finger toward the trigger. The ridge is also the same height as the magazine catch. We thought the magazine catch could have been slightly larger, but that’s nitpicking. The magazine button is reversible. While the grip is exceptionally comfortable, the manual thumb safety is difficult to operate without breaking your grip. We’d suggest a larger lever.

While the manual safety is nice to have, the TX22’s primary safety is built into the trigger. Unlike other striker-fire pistols with a pivoting insert in the trigger to prevent accidental discharge, the TX22 uses a totally different approach. The trigger features three stages. In the first stage, the trigger shoe is rotated to release the trigger safety. In the second stage, which has the most movement, the striker block is raised. In the third stage, the trigger bar pushes the sear, which releases the striker. The trigger pull starts out at about 3 pounds through stages one and two. When you hit stage three, the trigger-pull weight jumps to 5 pounds. Once the striker is released and the slide cycles, the trigger reset is less than a 1⁄4 inch. The trigger is wide and smooth, which we liked a lot.

The slide stop on the Taurus is smallish but was easy to manipulate with the firing hand or support hand. We found the magazine to be easy to load. The follower did not require a lot of effort to hold, but we did encounter some cartridges vertically falling into the magazine, which was the operator’s error. The magazine loader helped ensure the tiny cartridges were loaded correctly.

Going hot, we experienced no issues with Remington Thunderbolt ammo. In fact, this inexpensive ammo gave us the best group out of all the pistols and ammo, a five-shot cluster measuring 0.43 inches. The TX22 could really shoot the black out of the center with this ammo. Blazer ammo averaged 0.87-inch groups. We also experienced failure-to-feed jams with the Winchester ammo, but when we did get it to run, our best group was 0.75 inches and it averaged 1.04 inches. We also experienced light primer strikes with the Federal ammo, but when it did run, our best group measured 0.51 inches.

The Taurus TX22 offered little felt recoil, as you might expect. The thin, full-size frame made it easy for large-hand shooters to operate as well as average to small-hand users.

Our Team Said: For the price, the TX22 offers a lot of performance and value with the suppressor adaptor. We felt the trigger was easy to master, and we found ourselves having a lot of fun shooting the TX22. Some thought the look of the TX22 was a conglomeration of other pistol styles, so it isn’t the most elegant. We think this would make a great training pistol as well as a great plinker.

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