A Cheaper Way To Compete
I’ve been shooting Steel Challenge sporadically for the past couple of years. It’s a great gateway for folks interested in dipping their toe into the waters of competition shooting. Steel Challenge gear requirements are minimal, and you will do fine as long as you have a pistol (like the Taurus TX22 Compact) or pistol-caliber carbine and a handful of magazines.
It’s a great, affordable way for the casual hobbyist to spend half a Saturday. However, if you get the bug to compete more regularly, the costs can add up:
Match Fee: ~$30
Ammo: $60 (~200 rounds of 9mm at an average cost of $15/box of 50)
So once you factor in gas for the ~30-90 minute drive, depending on your proximity to the local match, you’re looking at $100 per match.
For the enthusiast who might shoot a couple of matches per year, I can’t make a good argument for setting up a dedicated competition rig. But once you start shooting more regularly, then all of a sudden it starts making sense.
Switching from 9mm to 22LR cuts the ammo costs down by almost ⅓. So if I’m saving $40(ish) per match, then in 8 months I will have offset the cost of the Taurus TX22 Compact that has become my new match pistol.
There’s also the secondary benefit of no longer cannibalizing my stash of training ammo that I keep on hand for when I take defensive pistol classes.
Why the TX22 Compact?
So why did I pick the TX22 Compact specifically? Firstly, Taurus has made a concerted effort to improve its quality and performance over the last several years. And the TX22 series has been one of the strongest-performing 22LR pistols currently available.
It’s also priced exceptionally well. The TX22 TORO (optics ready) is listed on Academy’s website for a meager $299. I opted for the Compact specifically because it’s right smack dab in between the sizes of my 2 EDCs: Sig P365X and Glock 19.
Continuity In Training:
Another side benefit is the profile of the TX22 closely mirrors the profile of the Boresight frames I have on my carry pistols. So, I still get continuity of grip & presentation to the target.
While it doesn’t mimic the recoil of 9mm, it’s close enough to get a ton of benefit.
Performance:
Since my order arrived, I haven’t had the chance to shoot a match with it yet, just due to a series of schedule conflicts.
My hope is to get a match or two in December so I can compare my scores from earlier in the year. I should obviously perform better with the 22. It will be interesting to see the delta.
One of the biggest benefits of Steel Challenge is since it’s a set course of fire that doesn’t change, it makes experimentation a bit easier.
Limitations:
One consideration is that the lesser recoil of the 22 LR can allow an inattentive shooter to get lazy about their grip. But the same thing can be said of dry practice. So, in my mind it’s not that big of a drawback.
The TX22 series also has a manual 1911-style thumb safety, unlike any of my EDC pistols. There are people that would suggest the potential for a “training scar”, that “in the moment” I’ll be trying to deactivate a safety that isn’t there.
I’m not overly concerned for 3 main reasons:
- I still have dramatically more “flight time” with my various striker guns, so that’s a much more habituated action
- Frame-mounted safeties are (in my limited experience) pretty consistently deactivated when building my firing grip and
- The idea of “trying to deactivate a safety that isn’t there” in a real world situation seems way less problematic to me than the reverse of carrying a safety-equipped pistol and training with one that isn’t.
I’m looking forward to logging way more time with this pistol, and will be posting match results as they come. Happy shooting!
For more information, please visit TaurusUSA.com.
