.22TCM

[FJ540]

I was actually wondering how these would work using .38 Super mags and rifle bullets. You'd gain another .125 of room over the 9mm mags. We already know 9mm works fine out of the roomier mags - it's what I run on the gamer gun.

[Rodentman]

My understanding is that the TCM cannot use 40g bullets made for 223 as they are too long and either can't be seated deep enough due to reducing the powder capacity or being too long to chamber. So what if I need to buy a different bullet, I have to buy them anyway. But I see it as a limiting factor and I'm not bright enough or dumb enough to experiment with ballistics at that level.

[FJ540]

Bob, they're using 9mm magazines for them. You can gain another .125" by going up to a .38 super mag - that might be enough to flirt with the rifle bullets.

[Rodentman]

Ah, too much "wildcatting" for this beady-eyed, stinky, nefarious pest. I'd probably blow my turd-encrusted tail all over OGC

[Rodentman]

I went to Arnzen's today and that sucker is gone. Wonder where it's off to.

[FJ540]

It wasn't me. Spent too long yapping at lunch to go anywhere afterwards.

[Rodentman]

Well, you know what happened...At 3 AM I am sleeping and I hear this deep voice from Eden Prairie saying Roooooooodentman.....
Rooooooodentman.....something was calling me. I checked my GPS (Gun Parts Store) finder and it was Arnzens.

[Rodentman]

Range trip tomorrow AM:







And the round compared to a 223:





I have the Hornady dies on order. Reading the manual with the Hornady 5.7x28 dieset it says that the seating/crimping dies are bullet diameter specific, not caliber specific, so I read this to mean that the 22 tcm seating die may be the same as the 5.7x28. The OAL of the 5.7 is 1.57 and the 22 tcm is 1.255. We'll see.

FWIW fit and finish is not bad for the price, but it affords the opportunity to appreciate Nighthawk and GI products among others.

[northernbird]

That is one wild cartridge! I'll be interested in hearing the range report. Congratulations on purchase!!

[Metal Bird]

You would be more interested in Hearing IT at the range . It puts in a good show of breathing fireballs and sonic thunder claps with little recoil ... It's fun. I recently got a TCM and shot a few in the back yard and the wife really likes it. I can't wait for it to warm up and get out to the range. I'll be watching got your report as well.

[Rodentman]

Report to follow! I don't usually buy factory ammo but I did buy 3 boxes as a point of reference for reloading and test firing. I doubt that I'll use the 9mm bbl much. The kit comes with a second distractor for 9mm since the angle between the base of the cartridge and the body is different, 25º for the tcm vs 35º for the 9mm. Supposedly the second distractor may need fitting. I'll see how it fits when I disassemble the gun for cleaning.

My research shows that H110 is the rectumended powder, 9.5-10.2g with SRP or SPP. Some people don't use magnum primers. I probably will with H110. I need to research the use of my .223 rifle bullets too.

[FJ540]

There goes the neighborhood...

[Rodentman]

Yep, a beady eyed rodent trolling the nayborhood...

The tcm was fun at the range. I had 1 FTE and a couple of times the last round in the mag would not strip off into the chamber. I read that other people had the same issue. I banged the FTE out with a rod and it only happened once. The recoil is minimal, but there is quite a nice blast and flash. Not as much as some of the other stuff I have, like the Coonan, or the big bores but for it's size it feels like a more powerful round and it feels like it has more balls than the 5.7x28. Pretty accurate but I need to adjust the sight.

[Metal Bird]

I had the "Not feeding the last round issue". Dug around to find a post I made out on another forum ...

I just had this same issue with a new gun and it did it with both of the included mags, where the last round would not feed proper but rather nose dive and jamb in the bottom of the barrel or feed ramp.
The problem is, or was for me anyway, that when the last round was up to be chambered the follower in the mag would connect with the slide release lever (what holds the slide open after the last round) hitting that too soon and that lever was holding the follower down slightly, thus not pushing the round high enough to hit the ramp and chamber properly.
The solution was taking a file and working down that notch in the follower that connects with that slide lock lever. I filed gradually checking the feeding often and stopped once it was consistent in feeding the last round. I would assume that being to aggressive in filing would start to effect the ability of the lever to engage and lock the slide open so be aware of that.
I did that to both mags and they have both functioned flawless since.
Consider giving that a try before bending the lips.

[OldmanFCSA]

I have a cast 52 grain bullet I used in 22HORNET rifles and pistols.
Would be interested if this would work in this cartridge. It uses a gas check on its base.
Cast hard and leading should not be an issue. Perfect for punching paper or steel plates.
And much less expensive.