22 TCM

[450BM]

My buddy has one. First I’d ever heard of one and of course, first one I ever saw. Developed and made by Rock Island Armory. A cute little cartridge with ballistics I’d like to have. 40gr bullet about 2600 fps would be handy for a lot of things and a lot of fun to develop a load for. Unfortunately it’s a 3-4 moa gun, his is and the reviews I’ve read the others are too. His best group was about 1.25” at 50 yards and the majority were 3-5 inches, at 50 yards! This was factory and reloads.

Cartridge was developed from a 223 case so I think it‘d be pretty easy to build a rifle for it. Not that I know what I’m doing, I don’t, but for those of you that build rifles…

LINK: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.22_TCM

He wanted to send it home with me to develop a load but I didn’t take him up on it. I guess I would have if we had better weather to shoot but it will be a couple of months before we get “nice” shooting weather. Maybe when I pick my daughter up from school in March I’ll stop in and get it…

What I’d rather do is work on it with him as he’s a new reloader. He’s 2.5 hours away from me so I need to have him come for a weekend and we could do nothing but load and shoot…. Maybe we can make that work.

Anybody have any experience with the 22 TCM?

 

[NorCalMikie]

A different bullet ,(40 gr, V Max) and powder adjustment might bring it around.

 

[450BM]

He’s tried the 40gr vmax and it didn’t shoot any better. Different powder, Accurate “something (3 letters I don’t remember) and Lilgun, 2 different bullets and factory stuff. He’s using pistol primers and is going to try rifle p’s. It has a 22 dovetail milled in so it’s not a great scope connection but there’s little to no recoil and the scope seemed solid.

Maybe we could get it to shoot cast…. Never know!

Thanks to the Mod for the pictures on my op!

 

[rayh]

The factory Armscor rifle is a pretty weak action so be careful working up loads. I did mine on a 527 with a Lilja 12 tw barrel hoping for a good cast bullet too . I think it has bedding issues, just wasn't a solid performer. When they came out with the TCU case I was building my 17 and 20 Boomers form LC 223 brass. I managed to talk them into selling me 2000 cases, these were from the "very first lot made". When I got them, I went thru the brass and 2 didn't feel right. They were slightly bigger but head stamped the same as all the others. Those 2 cases were 7.62 x 25, I had a 100 of the W-W 7.62 x25 brass, I played around with making some "what if" cases. They were 100% same dimensions. I questioned Armscor but they never admitted to it. The 223 was totally the right way to go for TCU. The 7.62 x 25 and 9mm Win Mag I played with made some great looking cases but required a slightly larger bolt face.

 

[1raggedhole]

There’s a reason you don’t see many around. I have a 1911 22TCM, and can shoot smaller groups with my blow gun. Far better off to go with a 221 Fireball.

 

[hoz53]

My buddy has one. First I’d ever heard of one and of course, first one I ever saw. Developed and made by Rock Island Armory. A cute little cartridge with ballistics I’d like to have. 40gr bullet about 2600 fps would be handy for a lot of things and a lot of fun to develop a load for. Unfortunately it’s a 3-4 moa gun, his is and the reviews I’ve read the others are too. His best group was about 1.25” at 50 yards and the majority were 3-5 inches, at 50 yards! This was factory and reloads.

Cartridge was developed from a 223 case so I think it‘d be pretty easy to build a rifle for it. Not that I know what I’m doing, I don’t, but for those of you that build rifles…

LINK: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.22_TCM

He wanted to send it home with me to develop a load but I didn’t take him up on it. I guess I would have if we had better weather to shoot but it will be a couple of months before we get “nice” shooting weather. Maybe when I pick my daughter up from school in March I’ll stop in and get it…

What I’d rather do is work on it with him as he’s a new reloader. He’s 2.5 hours away from me so I need to have him come for a weekend and we could do nothing but load and shoot…. Maybe we can make that work.

Anybody have any experience with the 22 TCM?

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View attachment 1633406

i found some of the brass at the range last year so i looked into it and thought about messing with it a little. i decided a plain 223 that i allready have would take care of everything the tcm could do and more

 

[NorCalMikie]

I built a Wildcat based on the 22 TCM. Still in the R&D process but it's built. 22 TCM necked down to 20. No other changes. (20 MGM)
Built a dummy round, shipped it off and had a reamer cut to those specs.
Got custom Whidden dies. Sold the reamer but not sure how far they got with their build. One guy built a shooter but think he ran into medical issues so not sure how much further he got.
Popped a few rounds to show it worked. Built on a Savage Model 12 lefty repeater action set up as a single shot. LOTS of work trying to get it to feed.
I do know that it feeds as smooth as silk in a Remington XP 100 action like it was MADE for it!! That's why that "Special" Remington action that we've all been drooling over caught my eye.
Heard that the 22TCM Factory rigs were kinda crude? Anything can be tuned but getting it to group might be a chore. First thing I saw the ammo needed was a different bullet.
Couple of guys wanted my reamer or specs. They have built rigs but not sure how far they got on it. Further than I have.

 

[450BM]

I’m sure the cartridge could be made to shoot but I’m having my doubts about the rifle.

Maybe he could send it to AP2020 Outdoors (youtuber that did the 21 sharps vid) to evaluate. I bet he’d like it out of the box, with factory ammo, at 25 yards…

 

[Tommie]

I read a writeup on that rifle (pretty sure in Rifle magazine). Accuracy was pathetic. Do all the load work you want but trying to make a silk purse from a sow’s ear is a fool’s errand.

 

[450BM]

I read a writeup on that rifle (pretty sure in Rifle magazine). Accuracy was pathetic. Do all the load work you want but trying to make a silk purse from a sow’s ear is a fool’s errand.

I think I read the same article. Ended by saying how much he liked the rifle…

 

[rayh]

As for the Armscor rifle, I felt it was nothing more than a beefed up rimfire action. I believe the base of the bolt handle is part of the lock up lugs. The rifling was very rough in the one I looked at. I loaned a retired rancher friend my reamer and he rebarrel one with a take off Rem barrel he had. He's still trying to get it to shoot. The TCU should do well. If I remember right the case volume is between the 22 Hornet and 22 K Hornet. The case is very strong. When I was working on the 20 Boomer I needed a couple more cases to send to Whidden for a die. I threw, from memory, what I thought was correct and went out back to touch them off. Well I screwed up, I put 12 gr of 296 and what should have been 10 gr fire forming load. Doc Ed did the chambering and used a cone nose Kiff bolt, so it was done right. I didn't have to beat it open but when I got it out I had a mini belt above the extractor groove. A lesser case could have let go. The TCU case deserves a good look, it's the modern Hornet.