Any one reloadingvthe 22TCM?. I have the rifle and will be buying the pistol 22TCM/9mm.
I bought some once fired 22TCM brass and will be buying the dies here shirtly.
.32 WCF and .22 TCM. Have to be careful with the 32 thin brass, but no problems. The only problem I had with the .22 TCM was with cut down .223 brass due to case thickness so I switched to the new brass. No more problems. But with 1,000 cases, I might not ever shoot enough to have any splits. And if I do, I will anneal the necks. I have the handgun, full size with a 9 mm barrel. Should make a nice small game round.
I reload 22TCM quite successfully and enjoy shooting it! I have a 4.25" 9mm/22TCM that I take to the range regularly and I always get comments and questions when I shoot the 22TCM.
Here are my thoughts:
I use Armscor fired brass (mine) and occasionally new brass. Making my own brass from .223 was a bridge too far.
You should plan on getting a headspace gauge so you can accurately measure shoulder set back in order to set your sizing die correctly. Factory ammo has excessive headspace (probably to insure feeding/chambering) so you don't want to set your dies up based on factory ammo. I size my cases to .004" headspace and have encountered no chambering issues with regularly cleaning the chamber (cleaned every 150 rds or so). The factory ammo headspaces at approx. .010" so it would be more forgiving of dirty chambers, but would work the brass too much if reloading.
I did quite a bit of research before jumping in to 22TCM reloading and found some info sourced to Fred Craig (inventor of the cartridge). He recommends lubing the cartridges for firing to get best cycling. I use Hornady One-Shot spray case lube for sizing and simply do not clean it off. Works quite well. There is a difference if you don't leave the lube on the cases!
Craig also recommends flaring the case mouth slightly to aid in bullet seating. I use the Lee 22TCM dies so I got a Lee universal flare die which seems to work well. I don't put much flare on the case after sizing--just enough to allow the bullet to sit on top of the case securely.
One note on the dies... the Lee 22TCM dies work really well, but I did need to polish the decapping/expansion stem because it left the necks too loose for securing the bullets consistently. I simply chucked the stem in a drill press and polished with 1500 grit sandpaper and now the bullets are retained quite well, still seating easily. Beforehand, I would have random bullets falling out of the case (or into the case) when I opened up my ammo storage box. No more.
Craig also recommends W296/H110 which is the powder I use. His recommended load is 10gr with a REGULAR small pistol primer (non-magnum). I have never had a load fail to fire or squib with regular SP primers. Brand does not seem to matter, I have used S&B, CCI, & Winchester. All go bang.
W296 works well, but I found 10gr to be on the low side of what's needed to replicate factory performance. After I got a chronograph I worked up, starting at 9.5gr to 11gr. I found the best performance to be at close to 11gr of W296. You will need to find what works for you in your pistol. I get approximately 1900fps with the Armscor 40gr bullet out of my 4.25" barrel (and it is a hoot to shoot with the fireball and report--and NO appreciable recoil!).
Accurate Powders makes a "TCM" powder for this cartridge that I would like to try, but I'm in no rush-- have plenty of W296.
I got a custom case headspace gauge from:
https://www.ctstrimmer.com/case-trimmers/8-cts-trimmer.html
He will make a custom headspace gauge for you if you send 3-4 fired cartridges. His case trimmer for.22TCM is great (
and you will need a case trimmer). Cases seem to grow for the first 2-3 firings and then not so much. I just use the trimmer chucked in my drill press every time to make sure. Takes very little time to do.
I have experienced few case neck splits (maybe 2-3 in 1000 cases). One of those was with a brand new factory loaded case.
List of needs:
Lee .22TCM 3 die set (sizing, seating, crimping), includes shell holder
Lee small rifle charging die
Lee universal flaring die
CTS .22TCM case trimmer
CTS .22TCM case headspace gauge
Hornady One-Shot case lube spray
Lyman VLD chamfer hand tool
Lee deburring tool (I put mine in a nut driver socket in a drill)
I use the setup on a Lee classic turret press.
Tumble and apply case lube.
I size first, separate from the loading process.
Then trim, chamfer/deburr as needed (chamfer is the most important)
Loading takes place on the LCT: 1) flare & prime, 2) charge, 3) seat bullet, 4) crimp
Once case prep is done, I can load 22TCM almost at the rate of 9mm--but it's a little slower, because I'm extra careful setting and seating those tiny bullets.
There's a learning process, but it's not bad, and I was loading better-than-factory ammo in what seemed like no time at all.
I would be interested in hearing about the 22TCM rifle's performance and how you like it,
@Highland Lofts