Editorials

Taurus 22TUC: Budget Price, Zero Compromises (Well, Maybe One) By: Chris Baker

November 18, 2025

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In Part 3 of Project Rimfire, we’re taking a look at the Taurus 22TUC – a double-action-only pocket pistol with a tip-up barrel and the best factory sights I’ve seen in this category. It’s one of the lightest and most affordable options for concealed carry currently available. But has Taurus fixed the reliability issues that plagued the old PT-22 Poly from which it evolved?

Details are in the video below, or keep scrolling to read the full transcript.

Hey everybody, I am Chris Baker from Lucky Gunner and today we’re going to talk about the Taurus 22TUC. It’s part 3 of Project Rimfire where I am reviewing an outrageous number of handguns, all chambered for .22 Long Rifle. We’re in the middle of the pocket pistol category. Let’s look at what Taurus has to offer.

Features

The 22TUC is a tip-up barrel style pocket pistol. It’s an updated version of the PT22, which they introduced back in 1991 as the first Taurus designed in the US. It shares many design similarities with the Beretta 21A Bobcat, with the major exception that the Taurus is double action only instead of DA/SA. In 2010, they introduced a polymer-framed version called the PT-22 Poly. Both versions have been discontinued for a few years now. Taurus re-entered the rimfire pocket pistol market in 2024 with the 22TUC.

They’ve eliminated the manual safety on the new version (it’s not really necessary with a double action only). Otherwise, most of the major changes appear to be cosmetic. The slide, frame, and barrel have all been reshaped for a more modern look… maybe not everybody’s cup of tea, but I kind of like it. It’s got a sort of space gun vibe.

The magazines have a nine-round capacity, plus one in the chamber for a total of ten. To load the chamber, you press forward on this lever and the barrel pops up. Place your round in the chamber, close it, and you’re ready to go. The action is blowback operated and with a gun this small, that means the slide is fairly difficult to rack manually. The tip up barrel makes it so you never have to do that unless you need to clear some kind of stoppage.

The polymer frame makes the gun extremely lightweight. Fully loaded, it’s just 11.6 ounces. The only current production semi-auto I know of that’s lighter than this is the Kel-Tec P32.

I really like that these are double action only. I think that’s the ideal action for this type of gun. It keeps the controls simple. You have a barrel release, mag release, and trigger. That’s it. With a gun this small, every manipulation becomes more difficult to perform reliably under pressure. There’s no manual safety to worry about here. No decocking the hammer. It’s a long DA trigger with a good margin for safety, which is important because you know people are going to toss these in a pocket or purse or backpack with no holster or anything covering the trigger. In terms of safety and usability, this is basically a flat revolver.

Trigger and Ergos

As a fan of revolvers and double actions, I think the trigger is pretty good. It’s very smooth and not too heavy. I measured it at about 8 pounds. The trigger reach really helps. A lot of small pistols have a very short trigger reach, and depending on your hand dimensions, that can make the gun difficult to shoot well.

What often happens is that you run out of range of motion in your trigger finger before the trigger actually breaks. So you have to modify your grip or trigger press to compensate. I don’t have to do that with the 22TUC. It feels closer to the grip of a normal-sized pistol.

There’s a trade-off here. It’s not the thinnest or shortest pocket pistol, and that might make a difference, especially if you want to actually carry in a pocket. But the larger grip makes the trigger reach closer to ideal for most people, and it also tends to point more naturally. When I bring the gun to eye level, the sights are right there.

Usable Sights… On a Pocket Pistol?

And speaking of the sights, they are fantastic for this kind of gun. Easily the best factory sights I’ve seen on a pocket pistol (though I realize that’s a pretty low bar). They are non-adjustable and machined into the slide and barrel. The back of the rear sight is cut at an angle so it won’t snag on anything when you draw the gun. It’s got a deep notch so you can see the entire front sight.

And check out this day-glow orange on the front sight. This is what it looks like outside in dim lighting right at sunset. It really catches your eye. I’m going to talk more about this in the pocket pistol roundup video when we look at the speed test results. A bright front sight really does make a noticeable difference.

Reliability

Okay, but the big question here is reliability. This is intended to be, first and foremost, a tool for personal protection so reliability is paramount. The old PT-22 Poly was kind of notorious for poor reliability. Taurus is under new leadership now, and quality control has generally improved on their other products. Have they fixed the little .22?

I’m running every gun in this series through a very simple reliability test. After a 200 round break-in period, I will thoroughly clean each gun and then fire 100 rounds of CCI Mini Mags. Then I’ll clean it again and fire 100 rounds of CCI Standard Velocity.

The 22TUC had three stoppages with the Mini Mags and two with the Standard Velocity. Three of those five stoppages were failures to fire and all three did fire with a second trigger pull. But we’re still looking at a 3% failure rate, which is not what we want for a defensive pistol.

The owner’s manual lists six specific recommended loads for the 22TUC. The CCI Standard Velocity load is on that list but Mini Mags are not. So I cleaned the gun again and ran 100 rounds of another load from the list – CCI Stingers. I got a failure to eject and three failures to fire.

Just like we saw with the Beretta 20X last time, this gun gets dirty really quickly. There’s a lot of build up of debris on the feed ramp and the face of the slide. That could be the cause for some of the failures.

I like this gun and I really wanted it to be a viable carry option. So I did one more reliability test. I fired another 100 rounds of the CCI Standard Velocity, but I gave the pistol a quick cleaning after every 10 rounds. I scrubbed the face of the slide and the feed ramp with a brush and I ran a bore snake through the barrel. Two failures to fire and two failures to feed.

Looking around at other feedback from 22TUC owners, these results are not unusual, but also not universal. Some of them seem to run just fine. My friend Rhett Neumayer of Demonstrated Concepts did an early review of the 22TUC and his ran well enough for him to be comfortable carrying it.

There is a lot of variability with all of the .22 pocket pistols. Regardless of make or model, some work and some don’t and you just never know what you’re going to get. This gun is on loan from Taurus. If it was my personal gun, I would try a couple of the other loads on their recommended list. If I still had more than a 1% failure rate, I’d send it back and ask them to fix it under warranty. They might be able to swap out some springs or something and get it running better. But maybe not. It’s always going to be a gamble with rimfire pocket pistols.

22TUC as a Double Action Trainer

The upside is that these are really inexpensive. The current MSRP is $357, or a few bucks more for the version with the stainless slide. The actual price is under $300 from most retailers.

With that price, I can think of another use this gun has besides concealed carry. It would make a really great double action trainer pistol. If you want to get more confident with shooting DA/SAs or revolvers, this is a really cheap way to get some extra trigger time. Shooting a couple hundred rounds through a 22TUC at every range session is a lot more exciting than doing dry practice in your garage. That short sight radius will really force you to press the trigger straight back without steering the sights off target.

Overall, I think this gun has a great set of features. There are a few thoughtful touches here that make it a lot more user-friendly than most pocket pistols. If I had one that ran a little better, I wouldn’t hesitate to carry it.

Okay, that’s all I’ve got on the Taurus 22TUC until the .22 pocket pistol roundup video. That’s coming up very soon. Stay tuned for more Project Rimfire from Lucky Gunner.