Taurus has been making small semi-auto 22 Long Rifle and 25 ACP pocket pistols for many years now. They are and have always been handy little small-caliber pistols suited for close range defense and plinking. No one, myself included, would recommend a 22 or 25 caliber pocket pistol as the ideal defensive fighting weapon. I would not recommend any handgun at all as the ideal fighting weapon. However, we carry pistols because most of us cannot carry a fighting shotgun or rifle as we go about our daily lives. We carry handguns because they are relatively lightweight, easy to conceal, and have a reasonable amount of power. We compromise. The fighting handgun is a compromise of power, size, weight, portability, and accuracy. We carry a handgun when we are not really expecting to get into a gunfight, but want to be prepared should a fight come upon us anyway.

Every day, I get several emails asking about the advantages and disadvantages of one gun compared to another. Folks ask me to help them choose a defensive handgun, and I try to help as best as I can. I always stress the point that no matter the caliber or anything else, it has to be a handgun that will ALWAYS be within reach. If you can’t put your hand around the grip of your weapon immediately when needed, it is of no use to you. If you can comfortably carry a Desert Eagle 44 magnum, and can shoot it well under stress, then have at it. I personally cannot, and choose to carry a smaller weapon. It is a compromise.

I also get a lot of email from readers who cannot tolerate much recoil for whatever reason. Some folks have weak hands from arthritis or other conditions, and these folks are generally the ones who are most likely to need a defensive weapon. Human predators, just like other predators of the world, target those whom they perceive to be weak, and therefore the weak are more likely to suffer an attack. There is also the matter of hand strength required to cycle the slide on an auto, and to pull the trigger. Many times, lacking sufficient strength to operate the slide, a revolver is the best choice. Again, we sometimes have to compromise. The main thing is to have a handgun with which you can practice and become proficient. It is better to hit your opponent with a 22 than to miss with a 357 or 45. I often recommend a good 22 target pistol as a bedside gun for those who cannot tolerate recoil, and sending a quick barrage of 22 hollowpoints into an attacker can be very effective. For concealment, a target pistol is usually a bit large, but there are a couple of good small-frame 22 pistols on the market, one of which is the subject of this piece.

The Taurus PT22 Poly is very similar to the PT22 pistols that Taurus has been making for decades, except for a couple of changes. The frame on the new pistol is made of reinforced polymer, and comes in almost two ounces lighter than the aluminum-framed PT22 pistols. The barrel on the Poly is also a bit shorter, making the PT22 Poly a bit easier to conceal. The PT22 pistols have in common a blowback-operated action, along with a tip-up barrel. The tip-up barrel is the feature that makes this pistol particularly useful for folks who lack the ability to manually cycle the slide. While a round can be chambered from the magazine manually as with any other semi-auto pistol, the PT22 has a barrel that, when activated by pressing the lever, tips up to expose the breech for the insertion of a cartridge. In practice, one loads and inserts the magazine, then tips up the barrel to insert a round into the chamber. With the eight-shot magazine capacity, this gives the PT22 pistols a loaded capacity of nine rounds. The PT22 has a manual thumb safety, made for right-handed shooters only, but with its double-action trigger pull, I just ignore the thumb safety. The PT22 also has the Taurus Security System key lock, which blocks the hammer from movement, should you choose to use it to securely store the pistol. There is also a magazine safety that prevents the weapon from firing with the magazine removed.

The Taurus PT22 disassembles easily for cleaning, and when putting the slide back onto the frame, there is no recoil spring to fight to keep in place. It is a very simple and reliable design.

Critical specifications for the Taurus PT22 are listed in the chart below. The weights are listed in ounces, and linear measurements are listed in inches. The grip and frame widths were measured at their widest parts. The maximum width is measured across the slight ambidextrous thumb rests. The height includes the sights and magazine base. The trigger pull on the sample Taurus PT22 was smooth in double-action mode, stacking before the release. The trigger pull is the same double-action pull for every shot, and the pistol does have multiple-strike capability. That is, the trigger does not have to be pre-set by the cycling of the slide. If a cartridge fails to fire, the trigger can be pulled again to give it a second chance to fire, if desired. The trigger pull is listed as pounds of resistance. The weight was measured on my scale, with an empty magazine installed.