The Taurus TX-22 is one of the best handguns ever made chambered for the .22 LR. You can hold it as if it’s a full-size self-defense pistol that feels really good in the hands. For a budget piece, it has an amazing trigger, adjustable rear and front sights, and a lot of other cool features. But the best thing about it which gun snobs don't even bother to look at is the included magazines and the number of rounds each one can hold: 16.
Granted, the TX-22 is not the only .22 LR-chambered pistol with a magazine that holds these many rounds -- KelTec released their new P17 just last year and it has a magazine capacity of 16 rounds as well. But if I'm being honest, it's nowhere near as aesthetically pleasing and its barrel is a little shorter. I would choose the Taurus TX-22 over it any day of the week.
A big problem when it comes to designing a double-stack magazine for any handgun chambered in a rimmed cartridge is, well, the rim of the cartridge. Typically, rimmed cartridges cannot just be stacked straight up vertically over each other like rimless cartridges. The rims just butt up to one another, pushing each other so that all of them rest in the magazine at an angle. Taurus was able to design a beautiful working magazine despite this.
The TX-22’s magazine has a strong spring that pushes the follower upward from the front while several guides within the walls ensure the cartridges are pushed upward. There's a pair of circular round tabs on the magazine, one on each side. These tabs can be used to move the follower downward.
You can just pinch them together and pull them down and the follower will move along with them. However, I would advise against using those tabs that way because the spring makes it impossible to hold on to those tabs once you have the magazine loaded with 13 or 14 rounds. I would recommend to just use the tool that comes with the TX-22 to load the magazines faster.
If you only have the two magazines that came with your TX-22 and you want more of them, check out the best prices GunCritic could find below:
Tactical style. Features low profile three-dot polymer sights, loaded chamber indicator, front and rear slide serrations. External slide stop, three safeties, paddle-style ambidextrous magazine release lever. Double/single action trigger with 11 pound pull for double action and 4 pound pull for single action. Ergonomic Walther grip, checkered trigger guard. Interchangeable backstraps. Picatinny accessory rail on top and bottom.
