Going back to the original picture in post #1 you can see everything that comes with the 22TCM/9mm except for the bullets and brass. Included is a promo DVD, one magazine, a 9mm barrel + 9mm spring, a spare extractor, 2 fired casings, sight adjustment tool, trigger over-travel adjustment allen wrench, manual, warranty card, and a 45acp speed-loader...
The speed loader is for a single-stack mag, the TCM uses a double-stack so this is utterly useless. Also of note, NOT included in the box was any type of gun lock, this was sad since I'm one cable lock away from being able to daisy chain my cable locks through my gun cases and to my radiator
Just kidding, I'd never do that to my babies.
First impressions.
While the pistol lacks a bit of fit and finish, all the standard 1911 features are there.
The grip angle is standard 1911. The beavertail grip safety feels really light, (I've used the warranty card to activate it) and has 1-2 mm of side to side play, not impressive. The thumb safety is very stiff, requiring me to tilt the gun and place my index and middle fingers on the right grip to give my thumb enough leverage to activate it, or use my other thumb. I can load a hi cap mag to the last round with these thumbs, what gives? Hopefully this will lighten up over time. Thankfully I can flip the safety OFF with no such issues.
The hammer and trigger have been skeletonized, the trigger has about 0.5 of up and down wiggle but feels solid. 1.5-2mm of slack on the trigger pull before meeting firm resistance. The trigger break is crisp and clean and in my opinion needs no lightening or adjustments, feels like quality work. Absolutely no issues here. There is also a over-travel adjustment screw that has apparently been dialed in pretty darn well on mine so no need for the allen wrench listed earlier.
Grips... There is a circle in the middle of each side for a medallion or crest. Obviously these grips are a cost cutting measure that were sourced from a line of similar double stack mag 1911 stock. Oh well, I'll replace them eventually. For the time being, they give me plenty of friction and purchase. I can live with it.
The mainspring housing is plastic, meh, so is my more expensive Kimber's. The chequering is of very decent quality so I wouldn't replace the mainspring housing unless I ruin the plastic pinhole trying to replace the mainspring in a few thousand rounds.
Magazine... Known issue. I was told that the gun jams on the last round for everyone. Well so did mine, thankfully it's not a true jam. The slidestop is activated prior to feeding the last round. I checked and double checked, the issue clear cut. If making a mag feed both 22tcm and 9mm has a down side, this is apparently it. I released the slide stop and it fed. Ok, so the gun is a 17 +2 shot (one in the chamber and a spare on demand if you want to hit the slide release. If you have a spare mag this will let you start off with another in the chamber I guess. One more strike against this pistol but I'm still keeping my hopes up.
Sights are rear target 2 dot sights, adjustable for windage and elevation. I have a little card showing it was sighted in. GOOD, I won't have to burn up my own ammo to do it, lets hope this "ML" guy wore his glasses that day.
Down side, the front sight is plain jane, black blade, no dot, well, going to have to replace that too, at least I knew this going in. The slide has a date with tritium-fiberoptic sight if this pistol can perform.
We shall see.
Performance:
I had in my possession some hard to find ARMSCOR proprietary 22TCM rounds and a gun range all to myself. It was 8:30pm on a Wednesday by the time I finished my paperwork and was finished being rung up by the sales lady. I asked if any of the staff wanted to help me take her for a spin around the block. I love the friendly attitude the staff have so I always make it a point to be nice back. One of the gun counter guys took me up on the offer and we headed downstairs to the range. The range counter guy said we are closed up so just a few, ok? I smiled and said of course. HEHE.
A quick field strip later and I had the factory oil cleaned off and made sure the barrel was clean and ready to roll. The field strip was easy as pie with no tools needed. Putting it back together was a little tricky but easy once I locked the slide with the thumb safety and got the bushing back in place.
I racked it back and attempted to pull the trigger, nothing. I looked closely. Failure to enter to battery on the first shot ever. I gave it a little nudge and it slid home. I'm about ready to call strike three and call this off. Well I've been waiting so long I decide to push on.
First shot 10 yards... BOOM. For an instant a giant fireball lights up the lane and a small hole appears in the center of the target. Shot two and three with similar results. This pistol is dead on accurate. The recoil is truly the same as a 22 rimfire in a 1911 style pistol. Pretty much the only real sensation I feel is the slide snapping forward ready for another round. On shot Four I hold perfectly but blink as the hammer falls, this might be a bad habit I need to keep an eye on (so to speak). The bright flash in a dark lane is really something I might have to acclimate myself to. I let the gun counter guy take a few shots, and notice that the brass is flying about 10 feet sideways, 4 feet backwards, bouncing off the back wall and going into lanes 5 and 6 (we were in lane 1). I'm really glad we have the lanes closed at this point. Next up is the Range Safety Officer who takes two shots and they both insist I shoot the rest of my ammo. I take a few more shots and can't stop smiling. This thing is AWESOME!
Reality kicks back in on the last round where the slide stop engages and fails to feed the final bullet. I am about to do a tap and rack when I notice the slide stop is in the up position just slightly but still enough to lock it back. I pop the slide and it returns to battery without further hangups. Okay, another issue. I'm surprised I'm still smiling.
After I finished up and they helped me police the rest of my brass, we started talking and we were all impressed.
This gun is not perfect. There are many areas for improvement, but despite all it's flaws, it is truly a joy to shoot. Accurate, easy to keep on target, a real attention grabber, good weight and balance, almost perfect trigger. I'm sold. At the $600 retail that I payed for it, I'm thinking it really beats a sharp stick in the eye.
On a side note look below at the picture of what the brass does as is flips out of the ejection port.
I'm guessing it takes a lot of spin and force to transfer that brass to the finish of the slide. I noticed it when I got home and will see what I can do to get it off tomorrow after work and report back.
Soon to come I will post on the 9mm barrel conversion and how it works out with the change in POA and POI, any issues sighting it in, and any new observations I have on this pistol.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
-Dennis