22 tcm load data

[HATCH]

I will post the OAL when I get home and can measure.

These were done using factory new cases, factory bullets and Remington SPP
Unique loads were done as low velocity rounds (suppressed rifle)
All rounds were fired out of a bone stock 1911 TCM
Loaded on a Dillon 550. Powder measure was done with a Lyman Gen 5 automatic powder dispensor


Factory - 2001 fps 33.9 sd
2020,1960,2029,1981,1999,1984,2076,2008,1972,1984

2.5 unique - 1023 fps 27.3 sd
1049,1053,1017,1005,1042,1033,1013,995,971,1050

2.7 unique - 1067 fps 50.7 sd
1182,1050,1070,1024,1085,1051,986,1069,1091,1061

3.0 unique - 1157 fps 45.3 sd
1279,1155,1115,1160,1143,1167,1133,1147,1131,1143

10.0 h110 - 1905 fps 34.8 sd
1870,1896,1893,1924,1849,1888,1940,1943,1957,1888

10.2 h110 - 1875 fps 45.4 sd
1885,1918,1966,1883,1834,1862,1839,1915,1806,1846

10.4 h110 - 1910 fps 18.7 sd
1918,1910,1915,1880,1924,1924,1891,1883,1932,1924

10.6 h110 - 1947 fps 20.5 sd
1949,1943,1963,1955,1960,1926,1969,1904,1935,1966

I would like to check 10.8 and 11.0 H110 loads and also increase the unique loads to try and get them to cycle in the 1911 (the current 3 did not cycle the weapon)

Also would like to work up Lil Gun loads as well.

CHARLES

[Jupiter7]

Awesome work! Keep it up and us updated.

[NHPaul]

As a point of reference I made the presumption that 22 tcm and 22 hornet had some similarities , regardless of the fact that one is a rifle and one is a pistol. Silmilar case volumes and projectile weights, one referenced load of 11 grains of h110 with a 40 grain bullet on the hornet and 10.5 grains of h110 on th TCM , pretty close. So using 2400 and a reference load of 9 grains for the hornet I loaded a batch of tcm to 8.7 grains of 2400. This was a pretty full case volume wise just slightly less full than the 10.5 of h110. Disappointing to say the least. The gun would not cycle, accuracy was good, speed was between 950 and 1000, 989 fps average on 20 rounds.This load generated a LOT of heat!!! the gun got almost untouchable in 5 rounds. I let it coool between shooting the rest just because I am too lazy to disassemble the rounds. Back to 110 for more testing Though I am leaning towards trying a faster powder maybe #7?

[baker1425]

Did you source some TCM dies or cut down a 221 fireball die?

[NHPaul]

Cut down 221 fireball dies which are working great though somewhat short for use on the progressive press. I am able to get very nice precise rounds out of them with a lot of care and attention. They end up being a nice small base die set. I am waiting for some factory dies so I can pump out some quantities of ammo. good time to work up loads. THough I will say I am comfortable with a bit more h110 than is reccomended by Fred. Understanding he has to be somewhat conservative. and H110 is a bit touchy.

[NHPaul]

OK finally found a use for that 8lb jug of LilGun in my garage!! LilGun is the perfect powder IMHO for 22 tcm. Just a bit faster burning than H110. Huge fireball? gone. Still has a pretty good bark though. and I was getting 2300-2500 fps over the chrony. I shot some 11.0 grain lilgun with 47 grain cast GC bullets and 40 grain j-word bullets, cycled the gun fine and didnt get chronied. then I shot 11.5 grain of lilgun with the same bullets got errors shooting the 47 grain lead but the 40 grain Jacketed armscor bullets were all 2438-2502 fps no signs of over pressure, gun cycled flawlessly , No recoil of course. 11.5 grains is about all that will fit in a 22 tcm case.

[HATCH]

wonder what the load would be for 2050 FPS using lil gun?

[NHPaul]

I'll start rolling the loads back 11 was my low estimate for a starting load, does seem to handle 2500 FPS with no issue, Not even a flattened primer. but I am using small rifle primers.The H110 always did seem a bit too slow for this round , that is why we get the huge muzzle flash.

[golfhack]

Ammo Supply Warehouse just received a stock of Hornady dies for the 22 TCM (3-die set), in case anyone is interested. About $99 for the set. Looks like they received 250 of them, but down to about 100 in only 2 days!

How are you guys powder charging the cases? Are you modifying an existing powder-through die?

[NHPaul]

I made a special funnel to go in a lee powder through die which works great does the expansion and all then I use a .218 Bee lee FCD cut down to length
I have been weighing every charge not relying on the powder measure

[golfhack]

Received my Hornady die set last week from Ammo Supply Warehouse. Lee has a rifle charging die but it is too long - someone on another forum had a picture of the Lee TCM dies that showed the 45ACP powder through die. So, I ordered the rifle charging drop tube and stuck it in my 45 ACP powder die - and it works! Made some test cartridges using 9.8, 10.1, 10.3 and 10.4 grains of H110 and OAL 1.125-1.126" with the Armscor 40g bullets. Haven't had a chance to try them out yet - unfortunately do not have a chronograph yet.

I have some Longshot too, but not sure if I want to try it....

[nightal]

My TCM Hornady, dies are due tomorrow,UPS does not deliver on Sat. and today was a holiday.now I need to buy some more powder, bullets.

[golfhack]

Received my Hornady die set last week from Ammo Supply Warehouse. Lee has a rifle charging die but it is too long - someone on another forum had a picture of the Lee TCM dies that showed the 45ACP powder through die. So, I ordered the rifle charging drop tube and stuck it in my 45 ACP powder die - and it works! Made some test cartridges using 9.8, 10.1, 10.3 and 10.4 grains of H110 and OAL 1.125-1.126" with the Armscor 40g bullets. Haven't had a chance to try them out yet - unfortunately do not have a chronograph yet.

I have some Longshot too, but not sure if I want to try it....


My results are a bit different than what I've seen on the forums so far:

9.8 grains: Cycled reliably, brass ejected about 4-6 ft away - big fireball
10.1 grains: Cycled reliably, brass ejected about same length - big fireball
10.3 grains: Cycled reliably, brass ejected about 6-8 ft away - bigger fireball
10.4 grains: Experienced consistent Failure to Eject problems (ejector does not pull the case out of the barrel)

Unfortunately, I do not have a chronograph to measure FPS. After experiencing problems with the 10.4 grain loads, I switched back to 9mm (kept the same TCM ejector in place) and fired off 100 rounds with no issues. I've seen posts with folks going past 11 grains of H110, but based on my experience I'll keep it at 10 grains for now. Maybe the lot that my H110 came from was especially "hot"?

[kencha]

Old thread, but...

NHPaul: you said the 2400 caused the gun to heat up quickly. Then you talked about using LilGun.

I've heard that LilGun is supposed to be bad in that regard too, even to the point of rapid erosion. It was several years back, (from Freedom Arms, IIRC) that the claim made the rounds on the net, but I don't know if there's any truth to it.

I imagine the 22TCM is as bad of a barrel burner as you'll find in a pistol. Are you, or anyone else for that matter, still using LilGun, and have you noticed any problems with premature erosion, etc?

[NHPaul]

I am still using LilGun in all kinds of things 460 S&W 10 mm auto and 22 tcm , no heating or erosion issues. I have been using LilGun instead of h110 , the load data is different but it seems to work well in any caliber that uses H110. Getting better velocities and less heat than h110. I have not seen any erosion .

[rond]

wonder what the load would be for 2050 FPS using lil gun?

10 gr. with the factory 40 gr. jacketed gave me around 2050 + or - 15.

[Vettepilot]

Hi all,

Old thread I know, but I just got a RIA 5" barreled 1911 in 22 TCM and I'm busy researching load data. The article on 22 TCM in February 2015 "Shooting Times" is a good read. But the load data chart for the loads he custom developed does not appear on my digital copy of the article, and I can't locate it ANYWHERE online. (Possibly taken down for liability reasons.)

Can anyone provide me with that chart/data from that article??

Thanks!!
Vettepilot

[mattw]

I do not mind sharing the load I worked up. I am using that exact barrel in the stock RIA 22 TCM and I am using a cast powder coated 44 grain Lyman bullet with 9.8 grains of 2400.

My Loads Notes bullet weight high low average es sd ft-lbs
9.8 gr. 2400 1.2675 6 shots 45 1775 1689 1732 86 33 300 lyman 225

[Vettepilot]

Thank you! That's interesting as I read somewhere where they tried 2400 powder and it was a total flop.

Update: I wrote the Shooting Times editor, and they added the data/loading chart to that online article. VERY fast and efficient support from them!

Here's the chart:

https://content.osgnetworks.tv/shootingtimes/content/photos/22-TCM-Handload-Table.jpg

Here's the interesting article itself:

https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/handload-22-tcm/99523

Vettepilot

[Vettepilot]

And here's a good bit more interesting 22 TCM data:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1-pdFjYu12P4Kka3Fqb8NOpRPVVToWA0hfmCNzc9NsrA/htmlview

Vettepilot

[Vettepilot]

I wonder if I got this mold, and milled enough off the top to get it down to 40 grains, if it would feed in my RIA 1911?

https://leeprecision.com/mold-dc-c225-55-rf.html

Thoughts?

Vettepilot

[Handloader109]

I've used a couple of different cast for mine. both 37 gr. NOE is best, yes mold is more than a lee, but I bought a 6 cavity during a sale and I've cast more than I'll probably ever use. I use H110 and w296 (same powderbtw) with good results. started with about 10gr and I stopped at 12. I'll look up the mold, it is a gc base, and I've both lubed with gc and PCd them plain. PC is easier and works well. Be careful with factory ammo and cheap or thin steel plates, it will punch through them.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

[mattw]

I suspect that Lee will have to much nose forward to feed. These guns take a very short bullet. The Lyman 225438 at 44-45 grains works about perfectly. I PC and gascheck mine, 0 FTF and 0 leading. My daughter shoots the crap out of this pistol.

[Mozz]

22 TCM mmm. Unfortunalty we can't get pistols in the UK. Sooo I was thinking.

A straight pull AR chambered in 22 TCM - I have looked but can find mags to fit so would need to play around with getting it to feed.

What barrel length would you suggest? Also I've not seen any suppressed 22 TCM anybody got one?

In the UK we shoot a lot of T&P and 1500 type events using pistol cartridges, mainly 38 & 44 underlevers, so the max competition distance would be 50 meters. I think that a 16 inch barrel is the shortest we are allowed (but need to check that out)

[Vettepilot]

Hmmm... well, I know this will be blasphemous to post in this forum, but... I am a huge fan of cast bullets, and have more molds and casting equipment than I can count. But in this case, with factory original projectiles available for only 6 cents each, I just can't justify casting them.

https://www.ammosupplywarehouse.com/west/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=292&products_id=20074

Vettepilot

[Gunslinger1911]

I bought a 5" TCM 3-4 years ago. Got an NOE 40 flat point mould. 10.8g 296 gives about 2200 f/s, nice big fireball !
Such a hoot to bring to the range !
Just got the MiHec Hornet mould - 35g hp. Looking forward to working up a load with that. Guessing 11-11.5g 296
Side note, my newly minted cop son took the TCM to range day, SWAT LT asked "what possible purpose does that serve?". Then he shot it, .........."OK, I get it ". Shot a whole box of ammo blowing up water bottles ! lol

[worker]

Folks, have 3 questions on TCM (for 5 inch barrel)

1) is there a recent hand loading manual (book), that I could buy that includes .22 TCM data? ( I checked Nolser Guide 8, Lee 2017, Lyman 50th) and non of them have .22 TCM.
I know there are bunch of add on to manualls and other reference, I just want to see if there is a book where .22 TCM is a 'first class citizen' so to speak

2) What is the lowest speed load (preferably Unique or Lil'Gun) + bullet weight that would still cycle the standard 5-inch RIA 1911, standard factory spring

I saw in OP


2.5 unique - 1023 fps 27.3 sd
1049,1053,1017,1005,1042,1033,1013,995,971,1050

But not clear if it will cycle

3)
If I am to get 2 molds .22 TCM (not .22 R Tcm) that would cover widest variety of applications (eg from target practice to light varmint control)
What molds should I be looking it? Do they need to be gas check or plain

[Warhawk]

OK finally found a use for that 8lb jug of LilGun in my garage!! LilGun is the perfect powder IMHO for 22 tcm. Just a bit faster burning than H110. Huge fireball? gone. Still has a pretty good bark though. and I was getting 2300-2500 fps over the chrony. I shot some 11.0 grain lilgun with 47 grain cast GC bullets and 40 grain j-word bullets, cycled the gun fine and didnt get chronied. then I shot 11.5 grain of lilgun with the same bullets got errors shooting the 47 grain lead but the 40 grain Jacketed armscor bullets were all 2438-2502 fps no signs of over pressure, gun cycled flawlessly , No recoil of course. 11.5 grains is about all that will fit in a 22 tcm case.

Lil Gun puts up some impressive numbers in 357 Magnum too. Be careful with rapid fire, Lil Gun burns HOT!!!