The now discontinued Taurus PT22 and Taurus PT22 Poly are twin variations of a compelling subcompact firearm optimized for plinking and concealed carry. This single-stack double-action only (DAO) 8+1 capacity gun can fire .22 LR or the heavier but slower .25 ACP.

The slide is stainless steel and the frame has both stainless steel and polymer options. The steel frame version can be had in matte black or matte stainless finishes, wooden grips, etc. The polymer has matte black and various color frame options and polymer grips. Atop the barrel is a fixed front sight while in back is a fixed rear notch sight. Interestingly, the gun has rear-leaning (instead of the more common forward-leaning) grip serrations along the slide.

The barrel has a tip up architecture. The gun has a little beavertail in back. And the PT22’s contours are nothing but non-grabby snag-evading curves. Perhaps the most outstanding one is the trigger guard. It ends in an undercut below the magazine release. And the space the grip surrounds makes an upturned oval that’s semi-bisected by the J-curve trigger. Even the bottom of the backstrap is curved, and this curve rolls down to the magazine extension. The front of the polymer version’s grip has finger recesses that continue to the front of the magazine extension while the all-metal gun’s grip is straight along the front.

The gun has a 2.8” long barrel, 1.1” width, 4.3” height and 5.0” length. Unloaded weight is only 13.0 ounces. The polymer version is even lighter at 10.8 ounces.

The PT22 has both a manual safety and a magazine disconnector, both of which are good safety features. The latter means the gun can only be fired when there is a magazine properly inserted in the grip.

But perhaps best of all, the gun comes standard with the Taurus Security System (TSS). It’s a great little locking mechanism. And it’s easy to use. Empty the magazine, put the empty magazine in the magwell, insert the dedicated TSS key in the keyhole in the lower palmswell and turn clockwise to lock the gun.