Taurus PT-22 Good or Bad?

[walter in florida]

I looked up 22LR on gun auctions and notice that about half of the Taurus simi-autos are 22s, and many are NIB. I wanted something cheap that would fire 22Lr. H&R, IJ are more now than Taurus that are NIB and just a little more than Jennings and Lorcin, What is the Good, Bad and Ugly about PT-22s?

 

[Mikeyboy]

Well the big picture is pocket size .22 can be a little ammo sensitive, and sometime can be a crapshoot. The PT-22 owners guide mention not to use Hi or hyper velocity round, however some people use them without a problem (could be a CYA move to prevent litigations). The Taurus and the Beretta 21A are almost clones of one another with the Taurus being a DOA trigger and the Beretta being DA/SA. Beretta is of course a little more expensive and berretta quality has dropped slightly (replacing metal part with plastic, etc) and Taurus quality has improved. Do a search, some had problems, but most people like them and they seem to last a while. Stay away from the rosewood grips, they look pretty but can be fragile. I had a used one briefly (traded it becuse I have 3 other .22 handguns) and liked it, and I'm considering buying a new one myself. It's accurate for its size, the trigger has a revolver like pull, and it never gave me problems, but it was used and worn in when I bought it. I like the fact that its the only .22 pocket pistol I'm aware of the is currently being used by the US military. Search and rescue teams carry it as a last ditch and survival weapon.

 

[walter in florida]

Thanks Mike for the info. I should of done a search before I posted Thanks again.

 

[essexcounty]

I don't want to cool your entheusim, but I purchased one new from a local dealer a couple of years ago. Everything seemed right, size,features etc. It broke big time on it's first outing. I sent it back to Tarus and it was repaired promptly and the sent a list of numerous list of parts that were replaced. It functioned fine, but I had lost confidence in it and went back to my . 25's. Your results may be very diferent...Good Shooting, Essex

 

[Mikeyboy]

Walter...I ask before I look all the time too. I just don't want to steer you wrong. I like the PT-22, but apparently a few people have had problems like essexx. Honestly it the nature of the beast with pocket pistols. For every post I see singing the praises of Kel-tec small pistols I see a post saying the are POJ or that they need to back to the factory before they are 100%. Either way I would still buy a Kel-Tec or another PT-22. If your buying NIB, Taurus does have a lifetime warranty like Kel-Tec (Kel-Tec customer service is apparently more friendly), so if you have a problem you can always get it fixed.

 

[281 Quad Cam]

So why are you getting one? Carry? Fun? At the range they are fun to shoot. Obviously not very accurate, and you have to count the rounds because there is no slide-lock, and it is NOT ok to dryfire. It has been impossible for me to get mine to be reliable using various ammunitions. Fails to cycle alot and many light primer strikes. It's grip is as wide as a Glock, and between that and its heavy weight, and diminutive calibre - it has no recoil. It just "moves" when fired. None of that sounds very fun does it? It's not so bad...

It's heavy weight, serious width, and small calibre, coupled with it's lackluster reliability led me to check into another pocket gun, the Kel-Tec P32 which has been a great experience so far.

All that said, I don't hate it... It's a neat little gun.

 

[michael t]

I bought a PT-22 and a Kel tec P-32 same time The Taurus has already been back to factory lite strikes and broken grip. This was in first 30 rounds. 5 weeks came back new grips and polished ramp. I fired a box thru it no missfires . Horrible trigger and I can't keep on a paper plate at 15'.
Kel Tec has been trucking right along 300+ rounds and not a bit of trouble.Nice trigger accurate. In fact have a 2nd P-32 This my 2nd Taurus I have a PT-92 AR stainless I just can't like the autos .

 

[Logs]

I had a PT22 and didn't like the long trigger, I bought a Beretta in .25 and like it much better. It comes down to personal preference. There are many people who love the PT22.

 

[pt92]

I have the PT-25 and it shoots great for a pocket pistol.

-Cheers

 

[walter in florida]

Pt 22

What I want it for, is just for target shooting. Accuracy is important, but not vital. I have a H&R 622 which is not fun to shoot because the the last time I shot it, only 1 of 12 went off. I have a new cylinder but cost of fitting is cost is too high, so I am thinking about a simi-auto. Thank you all for your input. Walter in Florida

 

[Mikeyboy]

You know the only thing that gets me about the Kel-tec .32 vs the PT-22 is .32 ammo is more expensive that 9mm and a lot more expensive that a .22ammo. Also its short pistol grip is going to make it a pain for me to shoot because it so, so small and I got big paws. Still other than a NAA mini revolver you can't get any smaller and lighter with deep concealment, and the .32 is a good compromise with size vs stopping power .

The thing I like about the PT-22 is first...its a .22. The ammo is so cheap and light to carry. Out of all my weapons I own a lot of .22's (Two rifles, one MKII semi, and a H&R and Taurus revolvers). For me the Pt-22 was accurate for a pocket pistol.

Walter sorry to hear about the H&R, I got a 922 and it fun to shot but it is old (almost 50 yr old) and I'm laying off of it for a while. Once an H&R goes, its gone, so I feel for you.

 

[281 Quad Cam]

For accuracy this may not be your gun... I would just hate to see somebody spend an amount of money on a gun, when $50 more might have gotten them the one they wanted. The Taurus won't help you become a better shooter... But it is fun nonetheless. It's wiiiiide grip makes it alot easier to shoot than a true pocket-pistol.

I know I had bought the Taurus, than in a way needed to back-track and pony up the money for a true target pistol. Recently I back-tracked again and got a true pocket pistol. Luckily for me... My gun budget allowed me to absorb the PT-22 very easily. Your buyers remorse may vary.

I still have the PT-22 though... Unexplainable.

The ammo is so cheap and light to carry.

While .22lr is lighter than .32ACP, the Kel-Tec is half the weight of the Taurus.

 

[marano]

I like mine.

I have only had it about a week and have shot about 400 rounds through it but I am completely satisfied with it. It depends on what you intend to do with it I guess, but for a plinker and occassional last ditch gun it is good to go in my opinion. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Northslope Nimrod]

Mine was suprisingly accurate. It was quite reliable.....as it would go bang.
Here are the negatives:
1. Long trigger pull that would end up pinching my finger fat if I didn't position finger just right.
2. My grip broke right next to the safety.
3. The firing pin broke after I sold it to my brother-in-law. This is a common flaw.
4. My finger would often engage the safety during recoil.
5. Very loud.

The negatives outway the positives.

I have heard better things about the Beretta. In fact I almost bought one the other day. I needed a lightweight .22lr. I ended up buying the Walther P22. It was been great.

 

[freebird4906]

Question about PT-22 feeding problem

I just bought another new Taurus PT-22 today as a supplement to my older one. I took it out and shot @ 150 rounds through it. It shot well except for the last round in the clip jammed. This happened almost every clip load. My other PT-22 does not have this problem. I tried switching clips but when I do the newer clip takes its problem to the other gun. Any suggestions?

 

[Superhouse 15]

PT22

We quit stocking the pearl and pink pearl grips at the gunshop because they all break too easy. The triggers pinch some folks. Other than that I think they're a great little gun.

 

[aebusta]

problem gun?

Yesterday I purchased a Taurus PT22 at a gun show and got it home and started to play with it a little bit. Well, we found out that the only way that this particular gun will fire, is if we push the mag in at a certain angle while firing. The mag goes in all the way and clicks into place, but will not fire unless you add pressure at a certain angle. Has anyone else experienced this problem and is there a way to fix it? Also we noticed that the slide does not like to pull back, what's going on with this gun?

 

[MythBuster]

I have seen at least 4 of these with broken slides. One was mine.

 

[ronto]

Send it back to Taurus. The gun, regardless of the number of owners, has a lifetime warranty.
Mine is on it's way back for a broken firing pin.

Good or bad?... let me put it this way, I wouldn't buy another one.

 

[buckeyedave]

I had a PT22 and put around 500 rounds thru it w/o any trouble. All CCI MiniMags. My wife and I did find the long trigger pull not to be much fun at the range. So I sold it.

If you want a strictly fun cheap .22 gun and don't laugh buy a Phoenix Arms HP22A. I said don't laugh! I have over 600 flawless rounds thru it of standard velocity and it is really accurate. For $138 OTD I shoot it and don't regret ever buying it.

Dave