All-new Taurus 22TUC, the .22 micro compact tip-up barrel pistol

Taurus presents the all-new 22TUC, a pocket-sized pistol in .22 LR with double-action only trigger, 9+1 capacity, and with that tip-up barrel that gun enthusiasts learned to love in tiny and backup guns since Beretta introduced the 950 Jetfire back in the 1950s, followed by several popular models such as the Tomcat, the Bobcat, and the Model 86 Cheetah.

In case you never heard about a tip-up barrel, the barrel can be “swung up”, allowing a round to be inserted directly into the chamber and eliminating the need to rack the slide – which is great in particular for people who, for any reason, lack sufficient hand or arm strength. A tip-up barrel pistol can also be unloaded without even operating the slide, of course, and this is a plus in terms of safety too. 

The tip-up design implies that the pistol barrel is fixed, the firearm uses a straight blowback system, and there is no extractor (the gun relies on gas blowback to eject the round), as is in fact the case of the Taurus 22TUC.

Video: introducing the new Taurus 22TUC

Taurus 22TUC, two finishes available

Taurus actually already had a .22 tip-up barrel model in its catalog, the PT22, but the model has been discontinued for some years now. The all-new 22TUC is a very lightweight gun (just 283 g unloaded), very compact with an overall length of just 127 mm – as long as just the barrel of a common full-size pistol – featuring a hammer-fired action and a polymer frame with stainless steel insert. Barrel length is 2.5”, or about 63 mm.

Designed for concealed carry or as a backup firearm, “the 22TUC takes advantage of developments in .22LR terminal ballistics to deliver a compact CCW option that is user friendly, easy to shoot—and most importantly — a gun you can carry effortlessly,” according to Taurus claims. Thanks to its double action trigger, similar to a revolver, the TUC22 offers the option to quickly strike the cartridge again in case your rimfire ammo misfires.

The stainless slide is available with both a matte stainless or matte black finish. Prices are $333.99 for the matte black TUC22 and $348.99 for the two-tone matte stainless version. Sights include a fixed orange square front sight. Grip panels are replaceable. The 9-round capacity is enough for any realistic self-defense situation. Sure, it's still a .22 gun, but as Taurus reminds us, the .22 you carry beats the .45 you left at home.

Taurus 22TUC technical specifications and price