.22 TCM
22TCM | ||||||||
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Type | Pistol/Rifle | |||||||
Production history | ||||||||
Designer | Fred Craig | |||||||
Specifications | ||||||||
Parent case | 5.56×45mm NATO | |||||||
Case type | Rimless bottleneck | |||||||
Bullet diameter | .223 in (5.7 mm) | |||||||
Base diameter | 0.376 in (9.6 mm) | |||||||
Rim diameter | 0.378 in (9.6 mm) | |||||||
Rim thickness | 0.045 in (1.1 mm) | |||||||
Case length | 1.022 in (26.0 mm) | |||||||
Overall length | 1.265 in (32.1 mm) | |||||||
Ballistic performance | ||||||||
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The 22TCM (.22 Tuason Craig Micromagnum) is a proprietary bottle-necked cartridge developed by Fred Craig and Rock Island Armory. Before the cartridge was commercialized, it was called the 22 Micro-Mag. Standard factory loads are 40-grain jacketed soft hollow point. Armscor has announced a new round the 22TCM9R which will be the same case as the 22TCM but have an overall length of the 9×19mm round. The company plans to release this round in summer of 2015 with a Glock 22TCM9R conversion slide to allow the 22TCM to fit in a 9mm length magazine, hence the "9R" designation. The 22TCM9R will in fact still be a 39 grain bullet but will be a fully jacketed hollow point instead.
The 22TCM is based on the 5.56×45mm NATO case, shortened so that the shoulder is at approximately the same length as a .38 Super cartridge. The cartridge is designed to feed from a Para-Ordnance-style double-column .38 Super magazine. Currently only Rock Island Armory catalogs firearms chambered in 22TCM: a 1911 style semi-auto pistol (also available with optional additional 9mm barrel and recoil spring), and a bolt-action rifle (which reportedly can use the same magazines as the pistols); and only Armscor (the parent company of Rock Island Armory) manufactures ammunition.
At Shot Show 2015 in Las Vegas a new company, Modern Weapon Systems introduced the first PDW, pistol, short-race-style carbine and SMG chambered in 22TCM named "ION", which will release early 2016. The gun will fire both 22TCM and the new 22TCM9R and will use a proprietary magazine with 35-round capacity. They have also announced an AR-15 conversion kit that will work with their 35-round magazine to be released early 2016 and a dedicated AR-15 lower for those who wish to build a 22TCM AR-15, also in development is a Boberg Conversion kit for the 22TCM9R 39gr bullet to be fired from the Boberg XR9-S 9mm frame pistols.
See also
- FN 5.7×28mm
- 5mm RRM (5.2x26mm)
- 7.62×25mm Tokarev
- 7.65×25mm Borchardt
- 7.63×25mm Mauser
- 7.65×21mm Parabellum