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Taurus TX22 bad barrel

56K views 97 replies 38 participants last post by  RUT 
#1 ·
After reading a couple of posts of complaints of bad barrels being found on the TX22 I checked mine.

The chamber on mine is not concentric with the bore and has bad chattering near the muzzle.

I'll be contacting Taurus Monday morning to get the problem resolved.



 
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#42 ·
Wow. Glad I ran across the thread before purchase!


Academy put these on sale this past Sunday so I zipped down to my local store Sunday evening with bore light in hand. I inspected the bore of the one in the counter and it appeared fine so I decided to take it home. Then, they went and got another one out of the back to sell me... :rolleyes: So, I checked it over too. Seemed just fine as well. Granted, neither bore was a finely honed mirror polished target grade sort of thing, but neither were rough enough to be of concern to me. And NOTHING like the photos in this thread. So far I've only put a little over 400 rounds through the gun. All suppressed so the gun gets a bit grungy. Cleaned the gunk out of the action once after a bit more than 300 rounds, but haven't touched the bore yet. Checked it a couple of times though, and see no signs of fouling or leading at all.

This isn't a bullseye pistol but for my intended purpose the gun is as accurate as I can shoot it for my style of shooting and using inexpensive ammo.

Trigger is excellent! Out of the box average of five pulls with my Wheeler digital gauge measured 3 lbs 8.9 oz. And so far the gun runs like a top!

I never thought I'd even buy a Taurus, let alone that it would quickly rise to being one of my favorite .22 pistols to shoot!

I'm curious if there's a SN range in which this issue seems to be more common...

Is it just luck of the draw? Or was this an early production issue that Taurus has gotten a handle on? I've only looked at two so that's a small sample even if they both did appear to be fine...

Either way, I passed this info on to a friend that wants one now, and advised that he only purchase one after inspecting the bore condition. With Taurus' history of questionable QC, I think that's prudent.

Thanks for posting. :bthumb:
 
#43 ·
Interesting call from Taurus today...they have a barrel manufacturer that will have new "in spec" barrels available to replace the defective barrels found on the TX22 in about 6 to 8 weeks. They offered me a choice to let them hold onto my gun till the new barrels are available and then ship it out or they would install another of their in stock barrels, ship the gun back to me now and when the newly manufactured "in spec" barrels become available they'd ship it to me. I'm taking the second option and glad they are remedying the problem.
 
#44 ·
Glad to hear it. Hopefully you get a good one this time.

I'm going to stick with what I've got. I really enjoy shooting the TX22. The mild chattering doesn't seem to be a problem.

I've ordered a Grand Power K22S. They seem to be well respected. But I've heard that Eagle imports is no longer bring them in due to low sales. I'll see how it runs next week. I'm really getting into .22s now.
 
#50 ·
Wow. I hate that this gun is giving you trouble. That's some impressive leading.

I have only done that once on a 22... We shot nearly 3,000 rounds in one weekend through one pistol and had it leaded up BAD!!! Cleaned it good and never had another problem... BUT - it never had a problem prior to that either... This barrel is giving you fits right out of the gate... Something is not right and I am glad Taurus is dealing with it.
 
#51 ·
I just picked up a TX22 today that my FFL dealer ordered 2 days ago. I had my fingers crossed on the barrel issue. Got it home, and ran a bore snake through it. Held it up to the light and the barrel looks good. That was a relief. Going to shoot it this Friday and see how it runs.


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#52 ·
$209 after rebate- Palmetto State Armory $259! $50 rebate

Well, I saw some great reviews on YouTube and so I purchased one from Palmetto State Armory as they had a great sale for $259.99, and there's now a $50 rebate starting July 1 through Sept 30th I believe... then I remembered I should have checked on Rimfire Central, and DARN your reported issue had me instantly concerned, right AFTER I placed my order :oops:
It came in to the FFL today, and the overall gun looks great, nice trigger, good feel in the hand. So checking the bore, it is nicely centered, grooves look smooth and lands are a bit chirpy on tops. Haven't shot it yet, so I'll let you guys know. Boy, it's a challenge to get a photograph of the inside of a barrel with a cell phone, but her's mine. Sorry it's not any clearer.
 
#53 · (Edited)
Well, I saw some great reviews on YouTube and so I purchased one from Palmetto State Armory as they had a great sale for $259.99, and there's now a $50 rebate starting July 1 through Sept 30th I believe... then I remembered I should have checked on Rimfire Central, and DARN your reported issue had me instantly concerned, right AFTER I placed my order :oops:
It came in to the FFL today, and the overall gun looks great, nice trigger, good feel in the hand. So checking the bore, it is nicely centered, grooves look smooth and lands are a bit chirpy on tops. Haven't shot it yet, so I'll let you guys know. Boy, it's a challenge to get a photograph of the inside of a barrel with a cell phone, but her's mine. Sorry it's not any clearer.
I'm guessing they want to help dealers clear out all old stock guns by offering the $50 rebate and start a new run of TX22's when the new high quality barrels become available.

If you want a new barrel I'd get in contact with Customer Service to get in line for one.

Here's the latest about the new barrels being manufactured. Taurus CS contacted me 2 weeks ago and I opted to have them send my gun back with a new old stock barrel and then ship me the newly manufactured high quality barrel when it became available. Well 2 weeks went by and I didn't get my gun back or any communication as to what was happening...so I contacted them yesterday on their Chat line to see what's up. See transcript below.

(08:17:10 PM) rws53: regarding service order #XXXXXXX
I was contacted by Customer Service 2 weeks ago stating they are waiting for new barrels to be manufactured for this gun. They offered me the option of waiting till the new barrels are available and then the gun would be sent back to me or they said they would install a new "old stock" barrel and ship the gun back to me immediately and when the new barrels became available they would ship out the barrel. I opted for the second offer 2 weeks ago and have not got my gun back yet. What's up?
(08:17:16 PM) *** Lauren joined the chat ***
(08:19:03 PM) Lauren : Hello rws53. If this is for the TX22, we are replacing the barrels with a new permanent barrel and also sending a free magazine with the firearm once it is repaired. One moment and I will look into this service order.
(08:20:14 PM) Lauren : Can you please verify the address on file?
(08:20:59 PM) rws53: xxx xxx xxx x xxxxxxxxxx xx xxxxx
(08:23:17 PM) Lauren : Thank you for this information. At the time you were contacted it was decided we would offer a temp barrel and send a permanent barrel to you. However, we have now decided on a permanent, high quality barrel and these firearms are in the process of having these barrels installed, rather than placing a temp barrel and then having the customer put the new barrel on themselves. We are replacing it for you, and sending the firearms back, fully repaired and with a new 16 round magazine as well.
(08:24:45 PM) Lauren : I apologize for any confusion. This process should be completed within 8-12 weeks.

.
 
#54 ·
A friend that I shoot with bought one after the first of the year. It shot ok but after looking at the barrel it had the chatter marks out towards the end of the barrel.

He contacted CS and they told him to send it in and they would look at it. He did and it has been over two months now and he still has not gotten it back. The turn time on defective guns from Taurus alone would make me never buy a Taurus gun.

To have a turn time that long they must have more coming back than going out the door.
 
#55 ·
Well, I guess I'm glad they are going to replace the barrel, eventually! From what I read they will and honor their warranty for FREE for just 90 days, then charge a blanket $50 after that. Not what I call a lifetime warranty if it costs $50 to get them to do work on the gun. I'll likely just shoot it and see how it does, and if I feel it's needed will get in touch with them before the 90 day cutoff day, and get in line with the rest of the people wanting a better barrel.
 
#56 ·
The warranty is free for lifetime and Taurus will provide you with a free shipping label for the first 90 day. The $50 is the cost carriers charge to get the pistol to Taurus after the 90 day period and that price is controlled by the carriers.
 
#57 · (Edited)
About 100% of factory 22 barrels have chatter and tool marks inside them. It's normal and you have to expect it.

In the vast majority of cases - it doesn't cause any trouble with anything. The guns shoot as planned.

Usually - leading in semi-autos comes from high volume rapid fire. The solution is supplemental bullet lube. Next is an ammo problem with cheap undersized ammo. When it's a barrel problem - it's usually a burr that sticks up or a badly misaligned chamber - this is FAR less common.

Remember - these are by no means a match/target gun. They are probably designed for soda can accuracy at 15-20 yards... Rifling chatter is normal. They all have it.
 
#58 ·
Well, I took mine out Friday (2 days ago) and shot if for the first time. First 2 magazines of Federal 38 Gr HP bulk ammo went through without a hitch. The group was a little off windage wise, but I adjusted for that, and it was shooting okay groups after that.
THEN... I switched to a box of American Eagle 40 Gr round nose, and it stovepiped almost every round! Eh Gad! :eek: I though I had a turd of a pistol on my hands. The whole box ran almost with an issue with every round. I left the shooting session very frustrated. Cleaned and lubed it after, and today I shot it again. Today it ran flawlessly! I shot Rem Golden Bullet HP, and that same Federal field box 38 Gr HP, and CCI Small Game with flat points, and Fed Champion, all ran without a hick-up.
Then to push my luck I tried Remington SubSonic, the bane of many a semi-auto 22. and that ran without any issue!!! So, I must have had a bad box of ammo last Friday, causing all kinds of mental havoc until today.
My review so far, that gun is nice, accurate, runs smooth. One thing I did run into, and it caused a failure to feed, you have to load the round in with the bullets angling up in front. If you push the follower down on the sides and the rounds fall in with the bullets facing down angle you're gonna have issues, they just get jammed straight forward into the front part of the magazine interior and the noses get munched, and they won't feed. If you use the provided "quick loader" (which is NOT quick at all) it will push the rear of the rounds down in back, and the bullets end up facing up in front, feed fine.:bthumb:
 
#59 ·
2 TX22 Barrels Completely Fouled

I wish I would have read this earlier. I have 2 and a 3rd one at the dealer to pick up when I get back. I never noticed the fouling before last week and I shoot CCI Mini mags, Winchester high velocity and Rem green box. Both weapons shoot well no jams or misfires. However 2 weeks ago my first one purchased about May is totally fouled and no amount of cleaning removes any of it looks like a smooth bore. Way worse that what was posted above. OK I know it isn't dangerous but it is ridiculous. This weekend the 2nd one is now completely fouled. By fouled no cleaning rod with any cleaner removes much lead. There are no land and grooves that can be seen. Again a smooth bore look.
I emailed with attachments the weapons and it looks like calling them makes the only sense to me as nothing so far in days. I am out of town for a week and this being outside 90 days and you pay 50 bucks is also very ridiculous. Lifetime yeah right. i should know better. I tried them again and now I feel burned that it will cost me a 100 bucks to correct a defect in their weapons. This will be my last interest in Taurus if they handle this situation as what has been reported above.
I have a 3rd one at the dealer and I got it because I help friends learn to shoot and this is an easy weapon to shoot. Really ticks me off that the weapons functions and shoots well but the barrel is very flawed. I have a number of nice Ruger Marks of which one goes back to 1974 with zero leading or issues. 2019 and you would think this manufacturer would have its act together.
Had I known this ahead of time I would have never purchased these weapons.
Really like teaching and shooting them but this leaves a very sour taste in my mouth.
 
#60 ·
Update: 2 TX22 Barrels Completely Fouled

I just got off the phone with Jessica at Taurus Customer Support tonight. She took my information and told me the new barrels will not be in for a while as they are on back order. I assume these are the new barrels.
Good news was that she said Taurus would mail the barrels to me when they arrive once others are filled of course.

That sounds like a much better way to handle the situation now that they know that this is a problem. I don't care if the chamber is concentric or not as long as it doesn't foul the barrel the accuracy for my applications is just fine.

I hope this helps.
TCS number is 800-327-3776 and they are open as late as 10 pm EDT.
 
#61 · (Edited)
I’m the guy in post #27 who said that they should outsource the ballet production in March. I had a pistol purchase that was expiring (I know I should move to a free state).

I bought a TX22 and the barrel had issues. After reading the last post, I called today and they are sending me a new barrel when they are available. It sounds like they have a good design and good customer service. This may be a good sign for Taurus.
 
#64 ·
Good luck, have patience......

I'm the guy in post #27 who said that they should outsource the ballet production in March. I had a pistol purchase that was expiring (I know I should move to a free state).

I bought a TX22 and the barrel had issues. After reading the last post, I called today and they are sending me a new barrel when they are available. It sounds like they have a good design and good customer service. This may be a good sign for Taurus.
.

The customer service ? Not top tier.......slow......but I got a new firearm. It took a total of 7 months. I was told 12 weeks when I sent it in. The timing was not the greatest, as they were moving some of their work to another state. My first experience was much better.....Service time was only 5 weeks on it, and it was a slick, easy process. Many people are getting much better times on service requests
now. Since their move, I think service will improve. I personally think the people losing their jobs during the transition were most of the problem for slow and sloppy repair work for a short while. I'm looking at getting one of these American designed and well thought out pistols. I should have bought one during the great "Black Friday " deals. Good luck and happy shooting !
 
#63 ·
I have a brand new Taurus TX22 the bore looks horrible. I borescoped it before shooting it and it was just a dumpster fire. I called Taurus today they said it's a known problem and offered me a replacement barrel be sent out to me. Let's see how the new barrel looks and works, report will follow.
 
#65 ·
I have a brand new Taurus TX22 the bore looks horrible. I borescoped it before shooting it and it was just a dumpster fire. I called Taurus today they said it's a known problem and offered me a replacement barrel be sent out to me. Let's see how the new barrel looks and works, report will follow.
This video was posted by Guns and Accessories on another forum -



Not real encouraging...
 
#66 ·
It doesn't help the situation that the current state of much of society is a dumpster fire of moral decay and polarization.

A company is made up of people, so if its values go to crap, so will the product and then also the company go to crap eventually. (Speaking in general, not just Taurus)
 
#68 ·
I received my new Taurus TX22 last week and have taken it out to the range several times with very good results in both accuracy and reliability with several different types of ammo .I have not seen any bad reviews as well .Some speculation as to whether the plastic mags would hold up which I don't see them being a problem as Magpul has made a career on plastic mags .Then I came across this thread with all the problems and bad barrels which prompt me to look at mine .The rifling is very weak and I also see some chattering marks as well. Before seeing all these problems I was extremely happy with my pistol .The chattering and light rifle marks in the barrel do not seem to be affecting the performance so for now I am quite happy with this purchase. I sure hope the barrel does not become an issue as I love the way this pistol feels in hand and performs.
 
#70 ·
I read this thread BEFORE I got my TX22 about 3 weeks ago. Before I plunked down the money, I checked the bore as best as I could with a bore light, and saw no issues.

I LOVE this pistol. I am amazed that is so accurate for a 4.16" barrel. Fits my hand better than anything else.

I bought it primarily just to carry around the homestead. It is so light I hardly know it is on my belt (MUCH lighter than the .38 I had been carrying.)

With 17 rounds on board and another 16 in a spare mag, 33 rounds should suffice for most any scenario!
 
#72 ·
New TX 22 Arrived with upgraded barrel

Hello All. I just received a new TX 22 yesterday here in Durango, CO.
I inspected the barrel prior to purchase & noticed it was the upgraded version with the new font & the "l" stamped on the left side. With a bore light the barrel appeared to be bright with no chatter marks & the chamber was concentric as far as I could tell.
I noted the serial number to be 1PT309XXX which is different than the number range reporting faulty barrels.
I cleaned the bore & went to the range. I fired a couple of boxes of CCI Mini Mag and the function was 100% with tight grouping at 10-12 yards.
It appears that maybe Tarus is now supplying these pistols from the factory with upgraded barrels.
 
#73 ·
Update - pleasant surprise

After calling Taurus customer service on Wednesday afternoon, I received my new barrel today, Saturday, less than 3 whole days. It must have shipped the same day I called even though I was told it could take 2 weeks. The barrel looks good and the best part is Taurus is making a good effort to make things right.
 
#75 ·
Updated Barrel...

Afternoon... have any of you with a barrel replacement notice a l or ll stamped on the left hand side of the barrel chamber? My original had the ll but the replacement has a l on it. Just curious on that, have not shot it yet to determine it corrects the concerns I had with original. Thanks for any info...
 
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