TP22

[turbocat]

hi fellas. i need some info on an Iver Johnson TP22 i saw in a gunshop today. it looks good with no pits or rust. it may have been re-blued at one time. bottom price 108.00 OTD. tell me the pro's and con's. quality, accuracy, fair price, etc. thanx

[LEE3370]

Howdy turbocat,
Look it over for wear and all that to make sure it is not worn out. Take it apart it the dealer will let you. Make sure it is unloaded AFTER you take the mag out of it. Pull down on the front of the trigger guard and pull the slide all the way to the rear (holding the trigger guard down), lift the rear of the slide up off the frame and let it slide forward off the barrel.
Look over all the wear areas on the slide and the frame.
This little pistol may not have been shot very much, just carried in a pocket. The outside appearance will not affect the function of it.
For that price, if the insides look good, is alright.
I have owned two of them, one in 22 and one in 25, for years and shot them a lot. The 22 more than the 25 due to the price of ammo.
How straight do they shoot? Only as straight as the person shooting them. You can't buy it, load it, lay it up for a year and expect to grab it and shoot eggs at 25 yards. Practice, practice, practice at what distance you are going to be shooting. These by what they are, are not target type handguns. Don't buy it if you are wanting something to shoot bullseyes at 25 or even 15 yards. These are made for 8-10 feet max.
I bought the 22 first and after bricks of 22s, I got to where I could bring it out fairly fast and hit a 5" eye high circle. I don't shoot either at targets at ranges where I don't think they will be used. Now I shoot at least one box of 22s a month. Just at the eye high target to keep my reflexes correct.
The recoil of the 25 is a little more than the 22 but near enough the same not to make a difference.
Of all the shooting I have done with both, the extractor on the 25 had to be replaced. Other than that, just shoot and clean.
A 22 in the brain will stop an attack faster than a 357 in the foot. If you can't hit what you want to with a handgun, don't carry it. Especally if it could kill someone three blocks away, through two walls, watching TV.
Sorry I got carried away, but you mentioned my favorite carry pistol and so many people who know nothing about them, bad mouth them because they are not a high powdered handgun. I helped my father butcher a lot in my youth and we killed a lot of 1000 pound steers with a 22 long rifle in the brain. We didn't gut shoot them with a 30-06.
Lee

[Uncle Howie]

I'm not getting down on the Iver Johnson, especially since I don't know much about it.

BUT, I like the Beretta 21A Bobcat. I paid about $205 plus tax for mine.

Yep, that's obviously considerably higher cost (about double) than the IJ, but it was worth it to me. Maybe you can't/don't want to spend that much.

Consider these Bobcat benefits:
-brand new
-U.S.-made (I suppose the IJ is, too)
-current production, with factory service/parts/magazines readily available
-tip-up barrel is sort of a neat concept, makes for easy loading and/or chamber inspection

IJ benefits:
-no longer made
-may be some sentimental or nostalgic value
-not everyone else has one
-probably doesn't have a tip-up barrel (in case you don't like them )

Taurus also makes a model very similar to the Beretta. It's generally only a few dollars cheaper, so I went with the Beretta.

Like LEE3370 said, NOT a target gun. I bought mine just for kicks, it's not a carry piece for me. The occaisional pop can does fall victim, however.

Hey, keep looking for info, and buy what you like.

Happy shopping!

[LEE3370]

I agree, Uncle Howie,
Buy what you like. If everyone liked the same gun, there would be only one revolver, one pistol, one rifle, and one shotgun. What would shooting be then?
Lee

[Win 73]

I once had a TP22.  It was my CCW gun for a while.  Actually I still have the pieces.  Pieces?  Yes, the receiver broke into two pieces.

It was .22 caliber.  I shot it a moderate amount, not heavy, but enough to become somewhat proficient with it.

[LEE3370]

I got mine in the last of the 80s and still put a box of shells through it every month. No problems - yet.

[turbocat]

thanks for the info fellas

[slink]

It's got steel where it matters. I'd dump the trigger safety, tho. It's worthless and increases the trigger pull wt by a lot.  I put many hundreds thru one. They used a rifling that was barely adequate to stabilize the bullet, so dont expect better than 2" at 50 ft accuracy, and you may have a lot of trouble doing 3" at that range. I added decent sights to get that much accuracy. However, thinking that it's incapable of better than 10 ft accurcy is baloney.  What degrades accuracy in combat is not the gun's potential, it's the lack of mental toughness by the shooter.

The M21 Beretta badly needs better sights, and it also needs an extractor. Adding the former is tough, and adding the latter is a PITA. When done, however, it's by far the best pocket .22 available.  Its safety lever can be extended forward, for cocked and locked practice-carry, if you wish.