Why not 22TCM?

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Oldschool shooter

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Not sure where to post this, so moderator please feel free to move this. I've been thinking of getting either a pistol or rifle chambered in 22TCM. On paper, it seems to outperform the 5.7x28. Commercial ammo is also less expensive. I realize that ammo and firearms are pretty limited as far as manufacturer. Why no love for this cartridge?
 
I am quite happy with my 22TCM. My only concern is that RIA/Armscor apprently is not promoting the caliber or licensing it to other manufacturers. Consequently, the future of this fine round is in question. I have a handgun that uses the shorter 22TCM9r, and wanted a rifle with a similar chamber but the one sold by RIA/Armscor was not as accurate as it should have been. I would likely buy a CZ or another rifle if available.
 
Really like my 22TCM pistol— I reload for it because the ammo is fairly expensive (not as much as 5.7 but still expensive). I don’t think the cartridge will grow in popularity, unfortunately, because RIA/Armscor is not interested in licensing it to anyone. I guess they are content with selling what they sell. I can’t even buy the TCM bullets for reloading anymore (never in stock anywhere) so I have since found a Speer 40gr varmint bullet that works just fine.
It just seems like Armscor doesn’t care much about the 22TCM any more. :(
 
I have the 22tcm carbine, however, I wanted the compact pistol to go with it. I realized that I am not going to be able to get it. In this case, "it" means the double-action pistol, not the 1911.

I have pretty much decided to convert the carbine to 9mm. That said, I would have loved to have seen the 22tcm take off. However, as noted, Armscor never managed to market it to other manufacturers. I suspect that it will wind up a footnote.
 
I wound up with a rifle in a trade. Right out of the box it's MOA or less depending on how well my shakey pills are working. I thought it would be ideal as my jeep wrangler gun when I go booncocking. Every video I have watched comparing it to the 5.7 showed it to perform better. I really don't understand why as they are almost identical in ballistics with the shape of the bullet nose being the main difference. Shooting steel plate it penetrated compared to the 5'7's dents. Cinder blocks wound up in chunks instead of just broken a little. The rifle's action is as slick goose grease until fired. Then it requires a little oomph to lift the bolt. I put this down to case stretch as they have some. It is RIA's fault for making it a propriatery round that kept interest in it down IMO. If and when I ever get back to shooting I plan on reloading for it. RIA does offer components for sale.
 
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.22 TCM parent case is a .223! it’s a chopped down .223! Bad Butt!

want one of those RIA 1911!
 
I bought one of the RIA .22TCM bolt action rifles not too long after they came out. The rifle had a terribly rough bore (machine chatter marks) so I sent it back to RIA in Nevada & they sent a replacement out. The second rifle was just as bad, if not worse, than the first so I returned it also & a third rifle was sent out. The third rifle had a better (not great) bore, so I kept it as its main role was as a ground squirrel rifle where ranges extend to not much more than 100yds, & gopher-sized groups were obtainable with reloads. All in all, I've been impressed with the .22 TCM cartridge, but it's been let down by the inferior platform of the RIA rifle. I must have a thousand TCM cases, so I've decided to get an old Ruger No.3 that I've had laying around converted to TCM. The No.3 left the factory as a .22 Hornet but had at some point been rechambered for .223 Remington. The bore is still very good, & the Hornet twist should be ideal for the TCM (I use 34gn & 40gn bullets), so I'm having the barrel shortened to 18" which should make it a very handy & compact truck rifle on my yearly gopher safari. Once this project is done, I'm thinking of having the RIA rifle rebored to 9mm Luger.....for no particular reason other than it should be a fun rifle & the .22TCM extractor & 5-shot magazine should work without any modifications.
 
I have a Rock Island Ultra CCO that came with a 9mm and a 22 TCM barrel.

Can't see me every using that barrel.
 
I want one but have been hesitating for a long time. I wanted a double stack .22tcm/9mm combo because at the moment I don't reload and I didn't want the gun to be worthless if armscor drops the ammo. At one point I would have bought it and I couldn't find one anywhere. Now they appear to only make the combo guns in 22tcm9r and only in single stacks. That isn't the end of the world but I already have a 9mm 1911 set up very much like the RIA guns, so if the tcm cartridge is a bust I've just spent $700 on a duplicate of what I have.

I bought a PSA dagger with the idea of putting a conversion barrel in and now it looks like armscor quit making those as well.

I am starting to think about going with a 5.7 instead.
 
redneck said:
I want one but have been hesitating for a long time. I wanted a double stack .22tcm/9mm combo because at the moment I don't reload and I didn't want the gun to be worthless if armscor drops the ammo. At one point I would have bought it and I couldn't find one anywhere. Now they appear to only make the combo guns in 22tcm9r and only in single stacks. That isn't the end of the world but I already have a 9mm 1911 set up very much like the RIA guns, so if the tcm cartridge is a bust I've just spent $700 on a duplicate of what I have.

I bought a PSA dagger with the idea of putting a conversion barrel in and now it looks like armscor quit making those as well.

I am starting to think about going with a 5.7 instead.
Click to expand...
Availability is a problem.
 
I would love to buy a 22 TCM, don't love it or hate it, just difficult to find one and even more difficult is finding rounds for it. Every time I do a search for brass , those that list it , seem to be out of stock.
 
It is a fun sorta novelty gun. I shot a buddy's Sunday in an indoor range so it was dimmer. That is quite a blinding fireball
 
redneck said:
I want one but have been hesitating for a long time. I wanted a double stack .22tcm/9mm combo because at the moment I don't reload and I didn't want the gun to be worthless if armscor drops the ammo. At one point I would have bought it and I couldn't find one anywhere. Now they appear to only make the combo guns in 22tcm9r and only in single stacks. That isn't the end of the world but I already have a 9mm 1911 set up very much like the RIA guns, so if the tcm cartridge is a bust I've just spent $700 on a duplicate of what I have.

I bought a PSA dagger with the idea of putting a conversion barrel in and now it looks like armscor quit making those as well.

I am starting to think about going with a 5.7 instead.
Click to expand...
This confusion is what kept me away. There's .22tcm on the shelf in several stores here but no 22tcm9r...
 
DesertFox said:
This confusion is what kept me away. There's .22tcm on the shelf in several stores here but no 22tcm9r...
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It was also part of what kept me away. Looked into it and got confused with what they were doing. They didn't help themselves with these 2 similar rounds.

Then, no one else getting into it didn't help them. I agree with others in that I don't see it lasting. 5.7 has come back and seems to have much more support, even if it does have its warts/issues.
 
I have come across guns and ammo that are available online finally, none in person which also makes me hesitant. I would still buy a double stack in original .22tcm if I at least knew I could fit a 9mm barrel to the gun if push came to shove. I don't even know if they are truly 1911, or if parts won't interchange since the 22tcm is longer and they had to come out with the tcm9r to fit standard 9mm mags.

The guns Tisa is putting out at under $500 are so nice that I have a hard time wanting to spend $800 on a rock island combo gun that ends up a single stack 9mm the minute things go south. I could buy a press and take up loading, but the cost of entry keeps climbing.

Being around the farm I like the concept of a light fast pistol round that is good for pest control, while still being reasonable for 2 legged threats. The 5.7 being available with vmax bullets makes me like it for varmints, but .22tcm seems to split the gap a little better and I like 1911's as well. I know 22wmr would also fit the bill, but I haven't warmed up to anything I've seen in it yet and also like centerfire better.

The set up seems like a winner, but their manufacturing/marketing seems like they are trying to kill it before it gets off the ground.
 
redneck said:
I have come across guns and ammo that are available online finally, none in person which also makes me hesitant. I would still buy a double stack in original .22tcm if I at least knew I could fit a 9mm barrel to the gun if push came to shove. I don't even know if they are truly 1911, or if parts won't interchange since the 22tcm is longer and they had to come out with the tcm9r to fit standard 9mm mags.

The guns Tisa is putting out at under $500 are so nice that I have a hard time wanting to spend $800 on a rock island combo gun that ends up a single stack 9mm the minute things go south. I could buy a press and take up loading, but the cost of entry keeps climbing.

Being around the farm I like the concept of a light fast pistol round that is good for pest control, while still being reasonable for 2 legged threats. The 5.7 being available with vmax bullets makes me like it for varmints, but .22tcm seems to split the gap a little better and I like 1911's as well. I know 22wmr would also fit the bill, but I haven't warmed up to anything I've seen in it yet and also like centerfire better.

The set up seems like a winner, but their manufacturing/marketing seems like they are trying to kill it before it gets off the ground.
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If you buy a combo gun in single stack or high capacity DS, the RIA mags are actually 38super mags which are made for a longer cartridge than 9mm. The great thing is that 9mm feeds just fine into the ramped 9mm barrel that RIA provides, using those mags, as well as feeding the TCM cartridge properly. Like any manufacturer, RIA/Armscor could discontinue a model, but I think it’s unlikely the standard .22TCM is on the way out yet. They may just do periodic runs, much like CZ does with their lineup.
 
Well PSA may have had a double stack .22tcm only gun marked down so much that a guy could buy it and 500 rounds of ammo for less than one of the combo guns, and I may know a guy who might have bought it:rofl:

If I see it I will be sure to check it out and take measurements and see if I think a 9mm or 38 super barrel could be added easily.
 
I love my RIA double stack with 9mm and 22TCM barrels. It is a really fun range gun with pretty much zero recoil in 22TCM! I wish someone would make a gun as lite as an FN Five Seven in .22 TCM or even 22TCM9R.

The closest I have heard of is RIA's MAPP plastic pistol in 22TCM9R. I would love to see one in person some time.

I can't see ever carrying 22TCM or 5.7 x 28. I don't think either would really offer anything enticing for me.

The one big advantage 5.7 x 28 has over 22TCM is that 5.7 is SAMMI certified so manufactures other than the original manufacture will make firearms for the round.

The icing on the cake for 22TCM is that it is easy to reload unlike 5.7 x 28. I would never buy a 5.7 x 28 because of the reloading headaches I have heard... and the ammo is way to expensive to buy factory ammo.
 
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For me:
1. We learned ~120 years ago that bottleneck pistol cartridges aren't a very good idea against humans.
2. Because 22 Hornet does everything I want to do and is far more established.
 
Crosshair said:
For me:
1. We learned ~120 years ago that bottleneck pistol cartridges aren't a very good idea against humans.
2. Because 22 Hornet does everything I want to do and is far more established.
Click to expand...

22 TCM wouldn't be my first choice for self defense... I prefer .45 acp. But that doesn't mean that 22 TCM isn't a heck of a fun cartridge to shoot! ...and it would probably get the job done just fine in a pinch.... with proper shot placement.

22 TCM pretty much has no recoil and the recoil springs are very mellow so it might be a very good choice for someone with arthritis or other hand strength issues. Shooting 22 TCM makes even a locked breach 380 feel like a recoil beast.
 
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