When the Taurus 22TUC tip-up .22 landed in 2024, our only real gripe was the lack of a threaded barrel. Taurus just fixed that — the suppressor-host mouse gun is now real.
Taurus just announced a threaded-barrel version of the 22TUC — the 10-ounce, tip-up .22 LR pocket pistol that brought back the spirit of the old PT-22 when it launched in 2024. For the subset of us who’ve been carrying a can-ready rimfire in a pocket since forever, this is the variant the platform always should have shipped with.
It’s also the one TTAG specifically asked for. In our first-look coverage of the 22TUC, we wrote that “I do wish they came with a threaded barrel, as the sights look high enough to clear most suppressors. It would have made a great companion piece for my tiny Bowers Bitty suppressor if they did. Maybe a later variant will?”
Two years later, here it is.
What’s new, and what isn’t
Everything that makes the 22TUC work is carried over intact. You still get:
- The tip-up barrel, which lets you drop a round straight into the chamber — no slide-racking required. That’s the whole reason this platform exists. Anyone with arthritis, grip-strength issues, or just small hands knows why that matters.
- 10 ounces unloaded. This is pocketable in the literal sense.
- 9+1 capacity in .22 LR, which is a lot of pills for a gun this size.
- Double-action trigger with double-strike capability, handy on rimfire ammo where occasional light strikes are just a fact of life.
- Polymer frame with stainless steel inserts, made in Bainbridge, Georgia.
The only substantive change is the threaded muzzle, which opens the door to running a suppressor. And on a .22 LR pocket gun, that’s actually a bigger deal than it sounds.
Why a threaded micro-.22 matters more than you’d think
Subsonic .22 LR out of a suppressed 2.5-inch barrel is about as close to Hollywood-quiet as civilian shooting gets. For backyard plinking where the neighbors exist, for new shooters who flinch at muzzle report, or for anyone who doesn’t want tinnitus to be a hobby, a threaded rimfire is genuinely useful.
The 22TUC’s closest competition here is the Beretta 21A Bobcat Covert — also a tip-up .22, also threaded, but significantly heavier (all-metal frame) and significantly more expensive. Lucky Gunner’s Chris Baker noted the trade-off directly in his 22TUC review: the Taurus is lighter and cheaper, the Bobcat is the more refined gun. With the threaded barrel option, Taurus just narrowed the feature gap considerably while keeping the price advantage.
The honest caveat
We’d be derelict not to mention it: rimfire reliability in guns this small is always a dice roll, and 22TUC owners have reported a range of experiences. Chris Baker’s Lucky Gunner testing ran into some failures to fire and failures to feed even after regular cleaning — which is not unusual for the category, but worth knowing before you commit. Other reviewers, including Guns.com and NRA Family, have had better luck. Your mileage will depend heavily on ammo selection. Plan on burning through a few brands before you find the one your specific pistol likes.
None of that changes with a threaded barrel. But if you’re planning to carry this as a primary or backup defensive piece, run it hard and pick your ammo accordingly before you trust it.
Price and availability
Taurus hasn’t published MSRP for the threaded version yet, but the standard 22TUC sits around $333–$349 MSRP, with street prices often in the $230s. Expect the threaded variant to run a bit higher. Taurus says it’s shipping to dealers now.
For arthritic shooters, suppressor owners looking for a tiny host, pocket-pistol devotees, and anyone who’s ever wanted a seriously concealable can-ready mouse gun without spending Beretta money — this one’s worth a hard look.
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