It is unusual for a company to offer a smaller version of an existing 22-caliber pistol, but Taurus did just that when it introduced the Compact size of the well-received TX 22. Most shooters want a 22 to learn the basics of marksmanship or to train others. But a few deploy the 22 as a personal-defense gun. The 22 LR has served many well in emergency situations, and it has also failed in some, so we recommend a bigger centerfire round. Just the same, the TX 22 compact is a fast-handling and reliable handgun that is as good as any other 22 handgun for home defense.
The pistol weighs 17 ounces, so it isn’t much lighter than many of polymer-frame 9mm carry guns. We like the rakish configuration of the pistol. While the TX 22 isn’t a large pistol, the grip fit larger hands better than the other 22 pistols. The TX 22 compact features lightening cuts in the slide, one on each side and another on the top of the slide. Our gunsmith noted the slide cut out isn’t a true ejection port but is instead a large slide window. No way a spent cartridge case will find room to hang up on this slide cut out.
The polymer frame and aluminum-alloy slide are SOP in the industry for a modern 22-caliber automatic pistol. Where there is a concern for strength — as in the barrel — Taurus uses steel. While the muzzle is threaded, the thread protector is barely discernible. The sights are nice high-profile types with a serrated rear and white-dot front. The slide features forward and rear cocking serrations. The trigger guard is squared off. A slight dip is present at the rear of the trigger guard.
Takedown is simple enough. The trigger guard houses the take-down lever. Not a favorite location, but as long as you clear the magazine and chamber, there are no concerns. The pistol field-strips easily by pulling the slide off the frame. The disassembly is very easy, very smooth, and in contrast to other 22-caliber blowback pistols, the slide, barrel, and recoil spring and spring guide are removed together. This is the easiest disassembly of the trio, but we agreed none of the pistols are difficult to maintain.
A wall protects the magazine release, which is positive in operation. The ambidextrous safety is well designed. All three guns have good triggers. The Taurus TX 22 breaks at 4.5 pounds. While measured weight is the same as the SIG P322, the Taurus TX 22 felt cleaner. It feels similar to many service-grade 9mm handguns’ trigger actions. The TX 22 magazine is plastic and easily loaded to capacity. If all pistol magazines in 22 caliber had a button to control the follower, we would not need magazine loaders. The magazine’s capacity is three fewer than the full-size TX 22 at 13 cartridges. Full-size TX 22 magazines lock in and function in the TX 22 Compact.
The pistol was test fired with the same ammunition as the other pistols. We lubricated the slide and barrel hood as well as the muzzle portion of the barrel in all three handguns. The TX 22 came out of the box running. We were able to fire the pistol a little more quickly than the others. We were able to gauge the Compact’s felt recoil as the least of the three guns, with recoil comments being “little,” “nothing,” and “maybe some push.” It’s true that 22s don’t kick much at all, but the push was definitely lighter with the TX 22.
Correspondingly, its offhand accuracy was good to excellent. The pistol fits the hand well, comes on target quickly, and gets hits. Point of aim and point of impact were closely related. We feel the TX 22 is a good understudy for anyone using a polymer-frame carry pistol.
The TX 22 Compact sailed through 300 cartridges without a failure to feed, chamber, fire, or eject, save for the annoying failures to ignite the Aguilas. Our youngest rater doesn’t put absolute accuracy as his primary motivation in training. His goal is speed, coupled with good center hits. The TX 22 topped the three pistols in this regard. Surprisingly, the TX 22 Compact pistol we tested slightly outshot a full-size TX 22 we had on hand. Sometimes a short gun gets on target quickly and provides good results.
Our Team Said: Compared to the SIG P322 and KelTec P17, the Taurus TX 22 Compact makes runs on steel plates and multiple targets faster than the others. As for bench accuracy, the Taurus TX 22 Compact is slightly behind the SIG P322, but not by much. The smallest group at 15 yards was 1.65 inch. This is quite an accurate pistol, and it is a Best Buy.
