The Intratec TEC-22 is a semi-automatic handgun chambered in

.22 Long Rifle The .22 Long Rifle or simply .22 LR or 22 (metric designation: 5.6×15mmR) is a long-established variety of .22 caliber rimfire ammunition originating from the United States. It is used in a wide range of rifles, pistols, revolvers, smo ...

. It was also marketed as the Scorpion and Sport-22. The TEC-22 operates using a straight blow-back action. The TEC-22 is constructed largely from molded plastic and stamped metal parts. The materials used, along with its extremely simple design allowed the gun to be made and marketed inexpensively. The TEC-22 is designed to use magazines and

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

made for the popular Ruger 10/22 rifle.

Design

The single-piece frame/receiver is molded from

ABS plastic Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) (chemical formula (C8H8)''x''·(C4H6)''y''·(C3H3N)''z'' is a common thermoplastic polymer. Its glass transition temperature is approximately . ABS is amorphous and therefore has no true melting point. AB ...

and largely unmachined with the exception of the bolt guides which the bottom of the bolt rides on. A stamped steel receiver cover rests over the top of the bolt, sandwiching it in place. The receiver cover hinges at the front of the frame and latches onto the rear of the bolt assembly. The bolt assembly consists of a cast steel bolt that rides on a spring and follower; a thin firing pin channel runs down the center of the bolt, allowing the stamped firing pin to be struck by the hammer and impact the cartridge at the front of the bolt. Although the Tec-22 is compatible with 10/22 magazines, Intratec manufactured and sold their own brand of 15- and 30-round double stack magazines for the pistol. A small, ambidextrous switch on the frame actuates a trigger block safety. A hinged door at the bottom of the grip provides a small storage compartment. Over its production run, the TEC-22 suffered from various quality control issues. For example, some were recalled because they were firing automatic bursts.

Variants

Original

The original TEC-22 variant featured a threaded barrel and a 30-round magazine. The barrel threading is –20 and allows a barrel extension or suppressor to be attached. A small,

knurled Knurling is a manufacturing process, typically conducted on a lathe, whereby a pattern of straight, angled or crossed lines is rolled into the material. Etymology The terms ''knurl'' and ''knurled'' are from an earlier ''knur'' ‘knot in wo ...

nut threads onto the barrel to protect the threading.

TEC-22TK

A small number of pistols were made with the Tec-Kote rust-resistant finish in 1988. Other than the finish, there is no difference between models.

TEC-25

In 1986 a small number of the TEC-25 variant were made. The pistol was similar to the standard TEC-22, but was chambered in

.25 ACP The .25 ACP ( Automatic Colt Pistol) (6.35×16mmSR) is a semi-rimmed, straight-walled centerfire pistol cartridge introduced by John Browning John Moses Browning (January 23, 1855 – November 26, 1926) was an American firearm designe ...

. The TEC-25 is completely unrelated to the Intratec Protec-25 pistol.

Sport-22

The Sport-22 featured a non-threaded barrel and a 10-round

rotary magazine A magazine is an ammunition storage and feeding device for a repeating firearm, either integral within the gun (internal/fixed magazine) or externally attached (detachable magazine). The magazine functions by holding several cartridges withi ...

to comply with the now expired 1994 U.S. firearms legislation which forbade the sale of the original TEC-22 model.

References

{{Reflist .22 LR pistols .25 ACP semi-automatic pistols Semi-automatic pistols of the United States