RIA TM22 Review

[motorcycle_dan]

Down and dirty review.
Trigger acceptable two stage ~6lb (just measured it)
Locks open after last round, however pulling mag drops the bolt.
Can move the bolt op-handle either side easily.
Iron sights hokie at best, they do work. Meaningful adjustment on the line unlikely. 1.5mm hex key for elevation front, 2mm hex key for windage in the rear.  Sight picture busy as you are looking down the middle of a picitinny rail.  Has a hole for front sling ring and ther rear is a slot you capture with the butt pad screw. I added an inexpensive 4x scope  Much better. Rifle will hold 4 MOA at 25yd with Aguila 38gr HV.  All told even adding the scope, rings only $140.  Rifle $99 sale, Scope & rings $40 I purchased 2 extra magazines $15ea.  Not a bad low budget option. Good enough to do the job  Difficulty to clean, about the same as a Ruger, need allen keys and a small punch.

My recommended new gun is the Winchester Wildcat.  They go on sale for <$180 and typically have a rebate.  Better stock sights, same pic rail reciever.  And hands down the easiest to clean .22 semi-auto I've ever seen.  Use the Wildcat magazines not Ruger, They are cheaper than and work better

[Maximum Ordinate]

Thank you for the review.   

I handled the Wildcat at the NRA Annual Meeting the year it was released, but not since.  At the time, it felt flimsy and unimpressive.  I'll keep my eye open for a current production rifle.

I hope scope placement can be managed for a shooter to get an effective turkey neck, cheek weld with full weight of the head on the stock, AND good eye relief.  Getting all three at once would make it an effective LTR option.

[motorcycle_dan]

This scoped wildcat has a inexpensive scope with proper eye relief, Installed a Winchester accessory cheek riser.  They also make a buttstock extender adding about 3/4" LOP.  The cheek riser is a must for optics.  The stock peep sights work well but need to be adjusted almost all way down.  I tell people 10 lines down.  (any further down and they will fall off)  Not as nice as tech sights but more than adequate to pick off Cheez-it crackers pinned to the target backer at 25yards.  Cheap yes, light weight and easy to handle like a Nylon 66 and stone reliable.  Cleaning one makes you want to slap Bill Ruger for not figuring it out. (and I like Rugers)

[Charles McKinley]

Thank you for the reviews.

What is your round count on the Wildcat?  There were early reports of them breaking during Appleseeds. 

Thanks,

Chuck

[motorcycle_dan]

I have several but I'd say possibly 1000 at most.  There were some fail to fire using certain rimfire ammo.  Switching to CCI or Aguila and no further fail to fire.  For the ones with feeding problems, let me ask if they were using winchester magazines or Ruger magazines.

Sometimes a Ruger magazine will work.  Sometimes not.  You wouldn't use a Beretta magazine in a Sig and blame the Sig for fail to feed properly.

I have not seen a Wildcat malfunction unless the magazine was inserted incorrectly.  Very easy to do with a Ruger magazine, harder to do with a Winchester magazine but when you are rushed it can happen. Smooth is fast. 

[Charles McKinley]

Thanks Dan

[Traveling man]

I wondered how they worked.  I was thinking about it for a cheap option for the Jeep or in the tractor basket when fire wood cutting.

[AdmiralKirk]

I have two Wildcat's, the original and a the Suppressor Ready.  Both have well over 1000 rounds.  If you are going to be putting some kind of optic on it great.  If not, the rear sights fall off within 300 rounds even with blue loctite.  (see also the review from the late Paul Harrell.).

The other thing I've run into with Wildcats is that sometimes the barrels will have tooling marks that cripples accuracy and browning's support is pretty much "sucks to be you" and won't cover it under warranty. 

I like them, light weight, easy to shoot, work well with wildcat magazines and even shoots well suppressed with either my CMMG Defcan's or Sparrow suppressors.