"Oh, good", I thought, someone is shooting a .44 Magnum caliber firearm. So I turn around to look. That's when I found something strange - The shooter was using a 1911 pistol, and as far as I know, the .44 Magnum has not been chambered for a 1911 pistol. Various confusing thoughts crossed my mind, like, could it possibly be some sort of new version of a Wildey I don't know about yet? Or a Coonan?
Then I looked at the target paper, and there were small holes in it, and from that I figured, large fireball, concussive sound, but small caliber, "Ah, the (in)famous .22 TCM" round.
'The Concussion'
What struck me most about the caliber was the CONCUSSION. You have to be there to experience it. It is like standing in front of a large speaker, with the BASS turned to full volume. Everyone, and I mean everyone, could feel that thumping in their chest everytime the gun was fired. It is the best thing I will remember about this caliber, and could, in effect be a weapon in itself.
Imagine this round being shot at you, and even if it misses, you will still be able to feel that heavy concussion on your chest. It is has a huge psychological effect, like you start asking yourself, "What the hell is he using to try to kill me with?" Your instinct would be to FLEE from that concussion. It is intimidating, and admittedly, even downright SCARY.
What struck me most about the caliber was the CONCUSSION. You have to be there to experience it. It is like standing in front of a large speaker, with the BASS turned to full volume. Everyone, and I mean everyone, could feel that thumping in their chest everytime the gun was fired. It is the best thing I will remember about this caliber, and could, in effect be a weapon in itself.
Imagine this round being shot at you, and even if it misses, you will still be able to feel that heavy concussion on your chest. It is has a huge psychological effect, like you start asking yourself, "What the hell is he using to try to kill me with?" Your instinct would be to FLEE from that concussion. It is intimidating, and admittedly, even downright SCARY.
I wanted to take a closer look, but I could not stand for long standing in the adjoining bay beside the shooter. The concussion was just too strong to stand to for any amount of time. I wonder if the shooter feels the concussion also? Likely not, as he is standing behind the blast. It is the people around him that are affected the most.
I have experienced the blast of a true .44 Magnum. A couple of months ago somebody was shooting his .44 Magnum Revolver at the same local range, and the experience was very much the same: The large and bright flash, and the concussions in the chest.
'Other Observations'
The sound was not too loud, you can hear it as sort of a "boom" thru your earpiece. But you will clearly notice is the large fireballs coming out of the muzzle. It seemed liked a foot in diameter, and a foot and a half long. They last only momentarily, much like a firecracker, or a strong camera flash, and very impressive to watch.
The shooter was not really shooting that well. The Target Paper was only about 7 yards away, and at that range I was expecting him to be one-holing the target, but that wasn't so. The grouping was about an inch apart, you could see relatively large gaps between the holes. I don't know if its the shooter, the gun, the concussion, or a combination of all of those things, but I wasn't impressed with the grouping. Muzzle rise was very slight, its main difference with the .44 Magnum Revolver, where muzzle rise is considerable.
I got hold of one of the empty shells that was ejected out (but forgot to take it home as souvenir), and it looks basically like a necked down 9mm shell. It looks cute, whether empty or as a live round, aesthetically very pleasing. Another plus point for the round in terms of "style".
'Caliber Practicality and Parting Shot'
From a self-defense point of view, I am not really convinced the .22 TCM is a good option. It does travel fast at around 2,000 feet per second (fps), but this is below the 2,700 fps fragmentation velocity of the 5.56 x 45 mm round. I don't think the round was also designed to fragment at below 2,000 fps. And neither does it have the yawing tendencies of the Russian 5.45 x 39 mm round, which would've helped improve its stopping power.
I suspect the main attraction of this round is basically as a Plinking round, people use and fire it mainly due to the EXPERIENCE itself of that large fireball and strong concussion. In that regard, it is the same as firing a .44 Magnum round, but with much less recoil, and less cost per round. And in the Philippines, it has better availability than the .44 Magnum round.
My first encounter of the .22 TCM round has been memorable, I suggest everyone to try to experience it by either firing samples, or if you're lucky like me find somebody else shooting it. It is definitely a unique and fun experience to have.
SOURCES:
- 5.45×39mm Wikipedia Entry
- Falken Industries 5.56x45mm NATO Cartridge Information
I have experienced the blast of a true .44 Magnum. A couple of months ago somebody was shooting his .44 Magnum Revolver at the same local range, and the experience was very much the same: The large and bright flash, and the concussions in the chest.
'Other Observations'
The sound was not too loud, you can hear it as sort of a "boom" thru your earpiece. But you will clearly notice is the large fireballs coming out of the muzzle. It seemed liked a foot in diameter, and a foot and a half long. They last only momentarily, much like a firecracker, or a strong camera flash, and very impressive to watch.
The shooter was not really shooting that well. The Target Paper was only about 7 yards away, and at that range I was expecting him to be one-holing the target, but that wasn't so. The grouping was about an inch apart, you could see relatively large gaps between the holes. I don't know if its the shooter, the gun, the concussion, or a combination of all of those things, but I wasn't impressed with the grouping. Muzzle rise was very slight, its main difference with the .44 Magnum Revolver, where muzzle rise is considerable.
I got hold of one of the empty shells that was ejected out (but forgot to take it home as souvenir), and it looks basically like a necked down 9mm shell. It looks cute, whether empty or as a live round, aesthetically very pleasing. Another plus point for the round in terms of "style".
'Caliber Practicality and Parting Shot'
From a self-defense point of view, I am not really convinced the .22 TCM is a good option. It does travel fast at around 2,000 feet per second (fps), but this is below the 2,700 fps fragmentation velocity of the 5.56 x 45 mm round. I don't think the round was also designed to fragment at below 2,000 fps. And neither does it have the yawing tendencies of the Russian 5.45 x 39 mm round, which would've helped improve its stopping power.
I suspect the main attraction of this round is basically as a Plinking round, people use and fire it mainly due to the EXPERIENCE itself of that large fireball and strong concussion. In that regard, it is the same as firing a .44 Magnum round, but with much less recoil, and less cost per round. And in the Philippines, it has better availability than the .44 Magnum round.
My first encounter of the .22 TCM round has been memorable, I suggest everyone to try to experience it by either firing samples, or if you're lucky like me find somebody else shooting it. It is definitely a unique and fun experience to have.
SOURCES:
- 5.45×39mm Wikipedia Entry
- Falken Industries 5.56x45mm NATO Cartridge Information
The .22TCM is a necked down .223, from the horses mouth, Fred Craig.
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