I already have a couple of rifles built with TandemKross’s lightweight barrel setup, so I knew what to expect from the TandemKross TKX22 Light Rifle. Even so, the first time I picked up their official 3 pound, 6 ounce version, I was reminded just how absurdly light these rifles feel. It’s not just lighter than a typical 10/22-style build. This rifle is light enough that it almost feels like a toy, or like something is missing. Except nothing is missing. It is a complete rifle, ready to fire. And once you start shooting it, that lack of weight stops feeling strange and starts feeling like the whole point.
I got to spend a full day behind several different TKX22 Light Rifle builds during a recent Gunsite event hosted by TandemKross with support from Davidson’s. This was no slow-fire product demo. The event brought together experienced rimfire shooters and firearms journalists who test a lot of gear. It gave us a chance to run the rifles hard and see what they could do. That setting made one thing clear very quickly: the TKX22 is not just light. It is fast, fun, and much more capable than its minimalist feel might suggest.
First Impressions of the TKX22 Light Rifle
Obviously, the weight is the first thing everyone will notice, and it is impossible to ignore. It’s deceptively light and simple, but simple in a good way. We spend a lot of time obsessing over chassis builds, laminate stocks, oversized optics, and every possible accessory. The TKX22 strips that away and reminds you that a rifle can still be fun without being bulky or overbuilt.
That light weight is not just a gimmick. It changes the shooting experience in a very real way. Swinging from target to target feels effortless. It was easy to settle into a rhythm on steel, moving from one target to the next with almost no sense of weight. Over a full day of shooting, I never once felt like the rifle was a burden. I do not think I would tire of shooting it all afternoon. And I definitely would not dread carrying it in the field for small game hunting.
Most importantly, it is not boring. TandemKross did not just build a lightweight rifle for the sake of a low number on a spec sheet. They built something that is genuinely enjoyable to pick up and shoot.
TKX22 Light Rifle Specifications
- Caliber: .22 LR
- Barrel Length: 16.5 inches
- Barrel: Spitfire Lightweight Barrel with M-LOK-compatible aluminum shroud
- Muzzle Threads: 1/2×28
- Trigger: Manticore LITE, adjustable for pull weight and post-travel
- Trigger Pull: Approximately 3 to 3.5 pounds as delivered, adjustable from about 2 to 2.5 pounds up to 5+ pounds
- Bolt: KrossFire Bolt with Fire Starter titanium firing pin and Eagle’s Talon extractor
- Charging Handle: Spartan Skeletonized Charging Handle
- Sights: Eagle Eye fiber optic sights for M-LOK
- Stock: Magpul MOE X-22
- Magazine: DoubleKross magazine
- Weight: 3 pounds, 6 ounces unloaded
- MSRP: $1,449
Fit and Finish
As a long-time TandemKross customer, nothing about the fit and finish surprised me. Everything is nicely machined, cleanly executed, and free of sharp edges. Nothing felt unfinished or experimental.
The Magpul stock is the only non-TandemKross part in the package. It held the action snugly and inspired confidence. Which you would expect from a company with extensive experience in firearm polymers. That matters, because one of the easiest ways for a lightweight rifle to feel cheap is through poor fitment or sloppy assembly. That is not the case here.
More broadly, this rifle benefits from being a complete package built around matching in-house parts. Most custom 10/22-style rifles are a mix of parts from different manufacturers. Sometimes that works perfectly. Sometimes it does not. Tolerance stacking can create fitment issues, or worse, reliability problems that send you swapping parts until the rifle finally behaves. I have owned more expensive rifles that still needed parts changed to run the way they should have from day one. The TKX22 offers the kind of sole-source fit and reliability that a lot of pieced-together customs simply do not.
Barrel, Sights, and Modularity of the TKX22 Light Rifle
A big part of what makes the TKX22 interesting is that the lightweight feel is not coming from some stripped-down compromise. It comes from a deliberate set of parts working together.
The Spitfire Lightweight Barrel uses a thin stainless barrel inside an aluminum tensioned shroud. That keeps weight down to 11.5 ounces while maintaining rigidity. The shroud is cut for direct M-LOK mounting. So the rifle can wear TandemKross’s Eagle Eye fiber optic sights, a hand stop, or even a small light depending on how the owner wants to set it up.
As mentioned, I already have a couple of rifles with this barrel setup, so it was not new to me. But it still gets my attention every time I pick one up. It is very light, it looks cool, and it gives the rifle a lot of flexibility without making it feel overbuilt. That is a big part of the TKX22’s appeal.
The sight set itself fits the rifle’s intended role extremely well. The bright fiber optic front and rear arrangement gives a very fast, easy sight picture, and it makes a lot of sense on a rifle that could be used for speed shooting, field carry, or introducing younger shooters to rimfire. And like any good 10/22-style platform, the TKX22 Light Rifle still gives owners flexibility. Red dots, low-power optics, slings, and small accessories all make sense here. While I suspect most owners will be adding to the rifle rather than replacing major components, that is still a meaningful advantage.
Trigger Performance
The Manticore LITE trigger assembly is the one TandemKross trigger I did not already own, so I was especially curious to try it. After spending time with it, I can say it absolutely lived up to expectations.
As delivered, the trigger breaks at about 3 to 3.5 pounds – a smart middle ground between speed and safety. Even in that factory configuration, it worked very well. The design is a bit different from what I am used to, but the break is light and crisp, and feels optimized for quick follow-up shots. One of the other shooters at the event had a much faster trigger finger than I do, and he was able to run the rifle impressively fast. Just as importantly, the rifle kept up.
The adjustability should not be overlooked either. The Manticore LITE allows adjustment of both post-travel and pull weight. The range is roughly 2 to 2.5 pounds up to more than 5 pounds. The fact that it can be adjusted so easily, with the turn of a single screw, only adds to its appeal. It can be set a little heavier to satisfy match requirements or parental preferences, or lighter when speed and precision matter more. That kind of flexibility fits the rest of the rifle perfectly.
Controls
Controls are another area where the TKX22 feels familiar in the best possible way. Anyone with time on the 10/22 platform will settle in immediately, but TandemKross has clearly refined the parts that matter.
The Manticore LITE trigger housing includes a skeletonized magazine release, Guardian Bolt Release, and an OEM-style cross-bolt safety. So none of the manual of arms feels foreign or awkward. The safety is where you expect it to be, the magazine release is easy to reach, too. And the bolt release keeps things simple when locking the action open or sending the bolt forward again.
The Spartan Skeletonized Charging Handle is another nice touch. Its longer, curved shape makes it easier to grab, especially if you are moving quickly or wearing gloves. That may sound like a small detail, but it contributes to the overall impression that this rifle was designed by people who actually shoot these guns hard.
The DoubleKross magazine deserves mention here too. It encouraged fast shooting all day. Shoot ten rounds, flip the magazine with one hand, and shoot ten more. There was no fumbling and no interruption to the fun. I have been using this platform for more than 30 years, so familiarity certainly helps. But the design worked exactly as intended.
Reliability and the Advantage of a Complete Rifle
One of the biggest advantages here is that the TKX22 Light Rifle is not just a pile of premium parts thrown together. The rifle uses TandemKross’s own KrossFire Bolt, complete with their Fire Starter titanium firing pin and Eagle’s Talon extractor, along with the Manticore LITE trigger assembly, Spartan charging handle, and Spitfire barrel. That matters because it reduces the guesswork that often comes with piecing together a custom 10/22 from different manufacturers. Instead of hoping everything plays nicely together, you are getting a rifle designed as a system from the start.
To the rifle’s credit, it never choked while being shot hard. We did take a break during the event to give the rifles a quick wipe and maybe a drop or two of oil. Given the volume of ammo, the pace of fire, and the added blowback from running suppressed, I think they held up just fine.
That reliability matters even more on a rifle like this because it is clearly meant to be fun. When a rifle is this fast, this light, and this enjoyable to shoot, the last thing you want is a bunch of fiddly custom-build nonsense getting in the way. The TKX22 avoided that completely.
Optics, Suppressors, and Balance
Despite the rifle’s extremely low weight, optics did not upset the balance at all. That makes sense, because on a 10/22-style rifle, the optic sits close to the center of mass. A small reflex sight felt right at home, and even the scoped version with 1-6x magnification was still plenty light and easy to handle.
The same held true with a suppressor. The added weight at the muzzle barely changed the handling, but it added a lot to the overall enjoyment. Light rifles and suppressors just seem made for each other. The combination makes for a soft, comfortable, easy-shooting setup that adults and kids could enjoy for hours.
After shooting the different configurations, I could not honestly pick a favorite. My own builds with this style of barrel use the fiber optic sights. So having a red dot was a nice change. The scoped version was really nice too. If I were setting one up for myself, I would probably stick with either the fiber optics or a small reflex sight.
TKX22 Light Rifle Accuracy and Real-World Shooting
For a rifle that feels this light and minimalist, the TKX22 Light Rifle was more capable at distance than some people might expect.
We were shooting a mix of CCI Standard Velocity, CCI Mini Mags, and some Aguila. The silhouette targets were set at 100 and 200 yards. Most of the closer plates and spinners were at 50 yards or less.
Hitting the small silhouette at 200 yards surprised me a little. Once we adjusted for bullet drop and called the wind, it was easy enough to land hits. At 50 yards and in, shooting offhand, it was pretty much a laser on steel. A fast laser. The weight never fought you as you moved from target to target, and that made it extremely easy to stay engaged and keep shooting.
Who the TKX22 Light Rifle Is For
I see this rifle making sense for several different kinds of buyers.
Given TandemKross’s Steel Challenge background, it is obvious they had speed-oriented competition in mind. That said, this is not a one-note competition rifle. If you are shopping for a semi-auto rifle for your kids, the low weight is a huge advantage. Hikers, backpackers, and anyone planning to carry a .22 for extended periods in the field will appreciate both the lack of weight and the simplicity of the fiber optic sights. Add a sling and it becomes even more practical for field carry. It also makes perfect sense for the shooter who wants a full custom rifle but has no interest in piecing one together part by part.
That may be the TKX22’s biggest strength. It can make sense for very different users without feeling compromised.
Price and Value
At an MSRP of $1,449, the TKX22 Light Rifle is not an inexpensive rifle. That is going to be the sticking point for some buyers, and that is fair. But context matters.
If you look at what a true custom 10/22-style rifle costs, whether you build it yourself or buy one complete, that number starts to look a lot more reasonable. There has already been some comparison to another company’s light rifle, and the TKX22 stacks up well. It is roughly two pounds lighter, more than $200 less, includes a DoubleKross magazine, and gives the user an adjustable trigger. That does not make it cheap, but it does make it look like a rifle offering more for less money.
For me, the bigger value proposition is that this is a turn-key custom from a trusted name, and TandemKross has clearly done its homework. Instead of spending time and money chasing the right parts combination, you are getting a complete rifle that already feels sorted out.
Options
The TKX22 Light Rifle will be offered in several color combinations, including:
- OD Green with black accents and a black barrel
- FDE with black accents and a black barrel
- Black with black accents and a stainless barrel
- Stealth Grey with black accents and a stainless barrel
Final Thoughts
The biggest takeaway for me is that the TandemKross TKX22 Light Rifle offers much more than a low number on a spec sheet. It is fast, comfortable, reliable, and flexible enough to fit several different roles.
More importantly, it is fun. You will probably grin the first time you pick it up, and there is a good chance you will still be grinning, at least internally, once you start running it on steel. That is when the appeal becomes obvious.
By the end of the day, the case for the TKX22 Light Rifle felt pretty clear. It is not inexpensive, but it is well-made, thoughtfully designed, and a strong value when compared to the closest comparable options.
If you want the experience of a custom rimfire without the hassle of building one, the TKX22 makes a compelling case for itself. It is light without being boring, refined without being fussy, and flexible enough to serve everything from speed games to small game hunting to a very long afternoon of grinning your way through a pile of ammo.
The TKX22 Light Rifle will be available through dealers via Davidson’s, the distributor, and through the Gallery of Guns website.
Thanks again to TandemKross, Davidson’s, and Gunsite for making the event possible and for giving a group of dedicated rimfire shooters the chance to spend the day doing what rimfire shooters do best.