I finally got an AR together in 22 TCM and it shoots really fantastic. The barrel is CM 16" medium weight 1:12 twist barrel with a pistol length gas system. I reload so I am using the Hornady 35gr NTX bullets but future rounds will include the 30gr Barnes Varmint Grenade. I've started with a lighter powder charge of 9.5gr of Lil Gun and went to 10.5gr of Lil Gun as starting loads and will work up hotter loads in the future. The carbine uses all standard carbine parts except for the Barrel and a magazine adapter for the M1 Carbine magazine.



The 22 TCM has a capacity close to the 22 Hornet and with hand loads should make a nice little varmint round. The 22 TCM cartridge with the 35gr NTX bullet is compared to a .223 round in the picture below.



I plan on getting some commercial 22 TCM ammo and trying it out for plinker ammo but right now I'm just playing with handloads. I have a carbine in 22 Reed Express which is close to the 22 TCM but I have to make all the cases for the 22RE and it can be a bit of a pain forming them from 7.62X25 Tok brass. I can buy the 22 TCM brass already formed pretty inexpensively. I can get 3200fps from the 22RE using the barnes 30gr Varmint Grenade and I hope to get close with the 22 TCM but at this point I looking more for accuracy. I hope to get to the range this weekend.

Very interesting, I like it!

Details on the mag well, what bolt are you using?

The magwell adapter is home made for now but there is a company that makes an M1 carbine magazine adapter which I will be getting (I hope) soon. The bolt and Carrier is a standard AR-15 with no mods necessary. The 22 TCM cartridge was originally made from shortened .223 cartridge cases so the AR bolt is a perfect fit. I've only loaded the M1 Magazine with 10 rounds at this point for test firing so I don't know exactly how many rounds will fit in mag since the 22 TCM is a bit larger in diameter than the M1 carbine round. I just got finished building this carbine and I have another rifle that I'm working on and is kind of using most of my time.

Wow, good job!!!!

I would build one if there was a more dedicated mag option. Do these fit inside a Colt SMG pattern mags?

tag

I have tried to fit the .22TCM round in a Metalform 9mm Colt pattern magazine and it seems to fit, but I think it would be difficult to chamber as it is slightly too long.  I understand that Armscor is supposed to be making a round called .22 TCM 9R which has the bullet set a bit further deeper into the case that will allow it to fit in a 9mm magazine.  To accommodate the higher pressure in this form, the velocity is specified as being a couple hundred fps slower than the standard .22 TCM round, so I think it is not charged as hot as the standard round.

Perhaps an Uzi .45" mag?

Just looking online I show max OAL of the 22 TCM of 1.265.  Discussion online is saying that with 45 ACP UZI mags the max OAL is 1.270.   Supposedly the 45 ACP mags are the same outside dimensions as the 9mm but thinner metal which makes me think you could do this with some feed lip tweaks on UZI mags and a 9mm block.

Very cool build.

I haven't seen one in the wild. But they(armscor) do make a replacement Glock 19 upper to run the shorter version of the cartridge. Glock mags would make this easy.

Nice rifle!

I wonder how the  22TCM  round would feed from a PPSH-43 mag?

Where did you get the barrel?

Where did you get your barrel?

I got the 1:12 twist CM barrel from this guy 22 TCM and other stuff

My hand loads are much longer that the commercial Rock Island ammo so I use the M1 Carbine magazine. The fellow at that web site also makes an AR adapter for the M1 carbine magazine and I plan on getting one.

You got me wondering about the PPS-43 mags so I made up some dummy rounds using Hornady 35gr V-max bullets and they cycle really smooth using the PPS magazine and adapter. The dummies I made have the bullets set so the overall length is 1.33" and I'm going to try other bullets that are longer than the 35gr V-max. I don't know how many rounds you can stuff in the mag since they are narrower than the 7.62X25 Tok round and there is a small side gap. I use a shortened PPS magazine so it's not a problem for me.

Edit to add: I did Barnes 30gr Varmint Grenades and Midway 36gr Dog Town bullets and they worked fine as long as the COL is 1.37" or less. I would imagine the commercial 22 TCM ammo would work in the PPS magazine and the only problem I can see is the kind of blunt nose on the bullets. I don't have any commercial ammo so I can't test it. I like the idea of using the PPS magazine with the exception that I also like the Hornady 35gr NTX bullet which is pretty much the same size and shape as the Hornady 40gr V-max. I can't stuff the bullet in far enough and still have it seated correctly at the ogive and allow it to fit in the PPS mag. I believe the COL with the 35gr NTX was 1.41" so just a hair too long. It works great in my M1 carbine mag setup.

I might order one of these and the adapter, if you dont mind can you pm me a general cost of what you paid?

I tested the carbine at the range today and had a ball. The carbine shot all the different types of bullets I used really good with the Barnes  30gr Varmint Grenades the best with the Hornady 35gr V-max and the Midway 36gr Dog Town bullets a very close second. I used the PPS-43 magazine since these rounds are all under 1.37" in length and the PPS magazine worked perfect. I also tried the M1 carbine magazine with these shorter bullets and they didn't like the mag and I think they kind of shifted forward with a third or forth round getting jammed in front of the bolt. Originally I was doing longer rounds using longer bullets like the Hornady 35gr NTX and the 40gr V-max and they worked fine in the M1 carbine magazine but I am kind of partial to the lighter shorter bullets in this cartridge so the PPS-43 mag seems to be the one to use. I'll be ordering some of the Armscor commercial ammo and will try that at the range the next time.

Wow, I didnt know this company existed or that someone had finally made a functional AR upper in this caliber. I am stoked. I have the armscor rifle and it is ok. Nothing awesome. I really want the 1911, now I really want that upper. I have a stripped lower just sitting on my dresser...

Ive got the 1911, need a lower or block to use its mags.

Neat.


What's the purpose of the 22TCM AR.?

It brings us closer to the confluence of effective rifle cartridge w/ the same cartridge chambered in a pistol that can share magazines with the rifle.  Much like the FN 5.7/P 90 combination, but using the same magazines.  W/ easily reloadable ammo, unlike the 5.7x28mm.

Take the Glock magazine AR in 9x19mm, for instance.  Nice, particularly suppressed, but only effective to 100 yds or so.  Now give it a cartridge effective to 300 yds, with a pistol using the same magazines....

Shoot 22 TCM in an AR. If you don't get the TCM then this really doesn't make any sense.

I just came in here to ask about that exact prospect; running one of these on a DDLES/QC10 small frame Glock AR lower along with a G17 seems like a PCC/pistol combo on steroids.

Except you don't get the full power of the .22" TCM in the small-frame Glock mag.  Better a mag block for the RIA 2011 .22" TCM doublestack mag that also fits their bolt action rifle.  Or perhaps a bbl for the Glock 20, run out of the 10mm mag, use the large frame QC10 lower?

but what mag would you use? Originally, the 22TCM was 45auto length but 9mm case diameter. How will it stack in a G20 mag?

Dunno, but I have heard tell during the AWB that 9x19mm fed from .40" S&W mags in a Glock just fine.  Before you order a bbl, I'd get a G20 mag & try it out.  The rounds will sit a little higher, but shouldn't fountain.  Glock really needs to release a 9x23mm, but that cartridge is all but dead, along w/ the .38" Super.

Finally got a box of the Armscor 22 TCM ammo and tried it in my carbine using the PPS-43 mags and it worked fine. Actually it worked darn good and I wish I knew what powder they used in those rounds. I started out using lil' Gun and it shot fine -- about the same as the fatory ammmo and then I tried a similar load of W296 and it kinda short stroked. now up to this point I had not been soaking the bolt and carrier down with CLP and the parts are all new so that might make a big difference. I also found the brass made from .223 cases were in need of trimming and the necks of a lot needed to be turned. I have not had a chance to check the factory ammo brass yet and I hope it's ok. If so I'll try to stay with factory ammo and factory brass when reloading. I still need to use the M1 carbine magazine when I load rounds using tipped bullets like the Hornady 40gr V-max -- they are just too long to use in the PPS mags.

Might as well recreate the 224 Boz if you're going the Glock 20 route.

BOZ NEVER supported the civilian market. You can order TCM online.