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Old August 26, 2018, 09:10 PM   #1
kymasabe
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Thompson T/CR22 -vs- Ruger 10/22 ??

I'm a long time Ruger 10/22 rifle owner, very happy with my 10/22 after some of the simple mods I made to make it a little more enjoyable to shoot (Wal-Mart carbine, yellow jacket bolt buffer, Power Custom hammer, extended mag release, Barska 3-12x40 AO scope).
I recently ran into an ad for the new Thompson Center Arms T/CR22 and was reading the specs and thought....if I was in the market for a new 10/22, I might not buy it and might buy the T/CR22 instead, MSRP is $399 so street price is probably...$300 to $350? Maybe?

I was wondering, does anyone have any trigger time on one of these guns yet and can you tell me how they compare to a 10/22 ?

Oh... and the T/CR uses a rotary mag too...are they interchangable ? Will a Ruger mag fit in the Thompson?
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Old August 27, 2018, 07:46 AM   #2
9x19
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The R55 had its share of issues, so the next time around, they simply borrowed a 10/22 and made "improvements", which seem to be mostly incorporating a few after-market 10/22 mods into their factory version.

From Shooting Illustrated on line:

Quote:
...A few clues lie in the design of the rifle. Rimfire aficionados might notice that the overall profile of the rifle looks similar to another popular semi-automatic rimfire on the market, and they'd be right. The receiver is built with the same footprint as the popular Ruger 10/22, enabling the all-new T/CR22 to fit into any aftermarket stock fit for Ruger's rimfire.

The similarities don't end there, though. All aftermarket barrels designed to fit the Ruger 10/22 will also slot right into the T/CR22's receiver. Additionally, all Ruger 10/22 magazines will also work in the Thompson/Center gun. However, one key difference in the T/CR22 is that the T/C gun ships with a factory 10-round mag with last-round bolt hold-open. The use of any Ruger magazines in the T/CR22 will disable this bolt-hold benefit...
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/...r-tcr22-rifle/
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Old August 27, 2018, 12:32 PM   #3
marine6680
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The question is... Does the other aftermarket parts work as well... Like triggers.

In the end, if you leave it stock, is it better than the 10/22? If you don't plan on adding aftermarket parts, then that is the question.

If you are replacing things like the barrel or trigger... Then the cheaper option is a way to go... A basic model 10/22 will accept all the aftermarket parts just the same as a more expensive version, and cost less up front.
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Old August 27, 2018, 08:31 PM   #4
pblanc
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The T/CR22 appears to have some nice features that many owners of basic Ruger 10/22 owners wind up incorporating into their rifles at additional expense. I have always felt that the weakest features of the stock 10/22 were the sights and the trigger.

I do not know if the quality of the T/CR22 trigger is better than that of the 10/22 from personal experience, but reviews suggest that it is. The sights appear to be markedly better than those of the 10/22 with a windage and elevation adjustable rear peep sight and a fiber-optic front sight post. I find the stock 10/22 sights all but unusable with a tiny front bead that my old eyes cannot focus on. The elevation adjustment of the rear sight slider notch is very awkward and quite hit or miss. And there is no practical windage adjustment.

Their are several other features of the T/CR22 that should appeal to many. These include a Magpul stock with M-LOK slots on the underside of the fore-end, an extended charging handle that somewhat resembles a Kidd extended charging handle, a Picatinny rail that is forged into the upper receiver (rather than the less flexible screw-on Weaver/3/8" dovetail Ruger accessory rail), and a threaded barrel for those who want to add a suppressor or a compensator.

Last edited by pblanc; August 28, 2018 at 02:13 PM.
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Old August 27, 2018, 08:39 PM   #5
marine6680
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Leaving the rifle stock... The Thomson seems like a good way to go. Some upgraded features for about the same as a nicer model 10/22.

If you are going to tinker, the cheap basic 10/22 is a good place to start. I turned my fiance's little 10/22 into a 50yd tack driver using moderate priced match 22lr (hers really like basic geko and Norma). It was the $175 plastic stock version. Added a Boyd's stock, a green mountain blued steel barrel and an upgraded sear and hammer... That was an additional $250 total... But man can it shoot. If I had started with a more expensive version of the rifle... I would have had more money in it for the same results.

My fiance has been eyeballing the new 10/22 with the hammer forged bull barrel, that leaves the hammer forging marks... It's a nice look, they have stainless and blued steel. I am partial to the blued look, I think she prefers the stainless.

I haven't had good luck with the stainless Ruger barrels, but that was a few years ago with the Mk and SR pistols. They had cut rifling and it wasn't the smoothest work, which caused them to lead up very quickly using plain lead bullets. Copper washed worked fine. The SR was so bad that starting with a clean bore, you would have keyholing about halfway through the second mag. So much lead in the barrel that you couldn't see any hint of rifling. The mk was better, you could get through several mags before the build up got noticable. Both smoothed out after a few thousand rounds of copper washed. The SR still would lead up pretty quickly though.

I would think that hammer forged barrels wouldn't have that issue due to process. I don't know if they have switched all of thier 10/22 barrels to hammer forged though.

Last edited by marine6680; August 27, 2018 at 08:49 PM.
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Old August 28, 2018, 04:35 AM   #6
LilHog
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I have one of the new T/CR22's and also several 10/22's and I like them all but if I had to pick one, The T/CR22 would be my pick. Everything is better and smoother right out of the box. The trigger is better and the accuracy is great, on mine anyway. The stock on this rifle I really like, it fits me well and looks good. The mag is a little tricky at first until it get broken in. You have to press a small lever on the mag just for the very first round, the rest get loaded the normal way. This gives it the last shot hold open feature and it works well. My rifle has just shy of 500 rounds through it without and problems at all. When you take it apart is where you can see the quality of workmanship this rifle has. The inside of the receiver is super smooth and the bolt fits and slides perfectly inside. Pretty much all aftermarket 10/22 accessories fit this rifle, but you don't need them as this rifle comes from the factory with everything you need right from the start, and functions better.
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Old August 28, 2018, 09:39 AM   #7
marine6680
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Is the Thomson safe to dry fire?

Last round hold open work with factory mags, but not with Ruger mags or aftermarket Ruger style mags.

That leaves the possibility of dry firing when the mag is empty.
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Old August 28, 2018, 07:25 PM   #8
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The manual says not ok to dry fire, but I have tried it and I see no marks on the breech or chamber area. It's something I just don't do with a rimefire anyway, but I see no damage with it. I only use the factory mags with LSHO so no worries. I tried the ruger mags and they work flawless, I always count my shots from shooting a 10/22 for years so I'm use to it. I'm not bashing the 10/22 in any way, I love all of mine and will never give them up. The new TC is just a breath of fresh air in the 10/22 department and I think it's rather unique and I'm very glad I bought it. Different strokes for different folks and I think it's going to be a very big seller. Maybe Ruger will take notice and upgrade their current 10/22 to be a little better?
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Old August 28, 2018, 08:00 PM   #9
marine6680
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The 10/22 is safe to dry fire. It uses a cross pin to limit forward travel of the firing pin.

Seems like more 22lr firarms would do something similar.
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Old August 29, 2018, 01:24 PM   #10
gshayd
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I think the TC 22 is a good rifle. I especially like the rear sights on them.
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Old September 3, 2018, 09:44 PM   #11
Warhawk
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I bought one last week, I think T/C and S&W have a winner. It’s like an upgraded 10/22 for a slight increase in price. Grabagun.com has them for $289 and there is a $50 rebate going on.

Upgrades over a 10/22
- Magpul stock
- Integral rail
- last round bolt hold open
- machined receiver
- cleaning hole in receiver
- fiber optic / ghost ring sights
- upgraded charging handle

It will accept Ruger magazines and the 10/22 trigger group. But using either one cancels th LRBHO feature. The trigger is typical 10/22 on mine, gritty and heavy. But I’ve gotten used to the Ruger BX trigger, which is much better. Brimstone will work on the T/C trigger. I am planning to use a BX or tune$ Ruger trigger in mine for a while, and see what the aftermarket comes up with for the T/C. Since I already have a shoebox full of Ruger magazines, I doubt I’ll be buying any spare T/C mags anyway.

I mounted a scope on it Saturday and am anxious to see just how accurate it is. I was disappointed that I had to remove the rear sight to mount the scope, even with high rings.

I hope it’s a success and more versions are coming soon. A stainless TCR22 would be added to my safe quickly.
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