Gun Review: Why The Taurus TX22 Competition SCR Just Won Our Editor’s Pick Award

Few firearms are as enjoyable as a good rimfire pistol. Not only are they fun to shoot but they’re also practical and can be quite versatile. Taurus’ new TX22 Competition SCR fits the description well, and it’s a big part of why it won the Editor’s Pick award in our 2022 Handgun Test. As the name—SCR—suggests, the TX22 is “Steel Challenge Ready.” This means it should satisfy any desires for competition you may have. But this pistol can also be used for small game hunting, recreational plinking, and training.

Taurus TX22 Competition SCR Specifications

• MSRP: $589.32
• Chambering: .22 Long Rifle
• Action: Semi-Auto, blowback, striker-fired
• Sights: Three-dot, fixed front, fully adjustable rear (T.O.R.O. Taurus Optics Ready Option)
• Barrel: 5.25-inches, Custom Bull, threaded
• Length: 9.37 inches
• Height: 5.44 inches
• Width: 1.25 inches
• Weight: 25.84 ounces
• Frame: Polymer (black)
• Slide: Aluminum alloy (hard anodized black)
• Safety: Ambidextrous manual thumb safety
• Capacity: 16+1 (Ships with 1, 16-, and 2, 10-round magazines)
• Accessories: TandemKross Game Changer Compensator, optics mounting plates, hard-sided case.

Built Like a Race Gun, But Ready For Anything

The TX22 Competition SCR is an evolution of the Taurus TX22 rimfire pistol, which was introduced in 2019. The simplest way to describe this new version might be to call it a race gun. But more specifically, there are some upgrades and enhancements that make it a better choice for just about anything you might want to do with a rimfire handgun.

To start with, the barrel on the SCR version of the TX22 is 5.25 inches long as opposed to 4.10 inches. However, the most obvious revision is the use of a cut-out or skeletonized slide. Similar to the slide on the Taurus 92, the slide on the TX22 SCR is open from just behind the muzzle to the rear of the chamber. This substantially increases the escape space for empty cases during ejection. And, if an empty case gets stuck in the chamber, it also allows for easier access to pull it out. However, what this open slide does best is allow for a reflex sight to be mounted directly to the barrel.

The most popular trend with pistols right now—both centerfire and rimfire—is optics-ready slide cuts. These cutouts in the top rear of pistol slides allow shooters to install a miniature reflex sight. Instead of cutting into the slide, Taurus made the TX22 SCR with a plate mounted to the top—flat chamber portion—of the barrel where you can attach a reflex sight. Unlike pistols where the sight is attached to the slide, the Taurus doesn’t need to have a consistent and precise slide lockup for repeatable accuracy because the barrel never moves. It also keeps the sight from cycling with the slide and being pounded by recoil every time the gun is fired. And finally, you’re not limited to reflex sights that only fit certain slide cutouts. The TX22 SCR comes with two adapter plates, giving you the ability to mount a wide selection of reflex sights right out of the box.

Taurus TX22 Competition SCP

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During our handgun test, we found the mounting plates on the TX22 SCR to work consistently. We started shooting the pistol with a Leupold Delta Point Pro. However, after about 200 rounds the battery died. We then installed a Sig Sauer Romeo1 Pro, zeroed it, and fired several hundred more rounds. At no point during testing did the point of impact shift with either reflex sight.

Of course, you may not want to use a reflex sight, and if that’s the case, you can either leave the mounting plate installed or remove it. Either way, the standard sights work just fine. The three-dot sights on our test gun were perfectly zeroed from the factory. The rear sight is also adjustable for windage and elevation, and the rear notch was ideally sized to leave enough light on either side of the front sight for fast and accurate alignment.

The TX22 SCR also comes standard with a threaded muzzle. This obviously allows for the attachment of a suppressor—or, alternatively, the TandemKross Game Changer PRO compensator that comes with the pistol. The compensator adds a radical look but the benefit it offered was really only noticeable when we shot high-velocity ammunition through it.

Aside from these enhancements, the TX22 SCR is very similar to the original TX22. It has the easy-to-manipulate and ambidextrous manual thumb safety, a nicely contoured and stippled grip, and an accessory rail on the frame. It’s a bit heavier than the earlier TX22—25.84 as opposed to 17.30 ounces—and it’s only available in black. And the trigger, unlike with many polymer-framed, striker-fired pistols, has a smooth face and is devoid of the uncomfortable and irritating, lever-like, passive safety.

Read Next: Why Every Outdoorsman Needs a .22 Pistol

How We Tested the Taurus TX22 Competition SCR

During testing, we shot this pistol a lot, with many different loads, and handed it off to a lot of different shooters. We enjoyed shooting it so much we even used it for some informal competitions. In all, we put more than 600 rounds through it. We had one misfire, which is not all that rare with rimfire ammunition and usually occurs at the rate of about one in a thousand. We also had two failures to feed. These occurred a few rounds apart and after firing about 300 rounds. We’d been having so much fun we’d neglected to clean or lube the gun. A few squirts of Ballistol and there was never another hiccup.

We tested for accuracy from the bench with CCI 22 Clean and Mini-Mag ammunition—firing three five-shot groups at 10 yards from a sandbag rest with both loads. The average group size for all groups fired was a respectable 0.95-inch. This pistol is more than precise enough for Steel Challenge competition, where the furthest targets are 18”x24” plates at 35 yards. It should even work well for small game hunting at that same distance. 

Read Next: The Best Handguns of 2022

The Taurus TX22 SCR ships with three—one 16-round and two 10-round—magazines. It also comes in a nice hard-sided case with cut foam for the pistol and enough room for a reflex sight all of the included accessories. If there’s a downside to this pistol it’s the $589.32 price. A  cheaper version without the compensator, custom bull barrel, aftermarket extractor, and custom polished feed ramp, is also available for $533.33. Admittedly, Taurus doesn’t have the reputation for producing best-in-class firearms. But the TX22 Competition SCR is a clear exception. It’s worth the entry fee whether you want to compete or just have fun in the backyard.