TX22 FRT Installation Guide: How to Install a Forced Reset Trigger in a Taurus TX22

This guide shows how to install a forced reset trigger (FRT) in a Taurus TX22, TX22 Compact, TX22 Competition or T.O.R.O. pistol. The job takes most owners 15 to 30 minutes and needs no permanent modification: the FRT simply takes the place of the factory disconnector. Read it through once before you start. If you still need the part, our TX22 FRT forced reset trigger ships to your door without an FFL to eligible states.

Tools you need

• 1/16" straight pin punch
• Small hammer (brass or nylon face is kindest to pins)
• Safety glasses — there are small parts and springs under tension
• A parts tray or magnetic bowl, and a clean, non-marring surface such as a bench mat

Part 1: Strip the pistol and remove the fire control housing

1. Confirm the pistol is unloaded. Check again, even though you checked at the start.
2. Field strip the pistol. Remove the slide from the frame following your TX22 owner’s manual.
3. Drive out the three frame roll pins. Use the 1/16" punch and light taps to push out the three roll pins that hold the fire control housing in the frame. Keep them together in the tray.
4. Work the fire control housing up out of the frame. Lift slowly. Tilting the central block slightly helps it clear the trigger bar and slide stop lever. It is a tight fit; patient rocking beats force.
5. Remove the manual safety levers (if equipped). They are held on with a little factory adhesive, so pull or carefully pry them off.
6. Free the housing completely from the trigger bar and slide stop lever.

Part 2: Swap the disconnector for the FRT

7. Push the disconnector pin halfway out. Drive it only far enough to release the disconnector. Leaving it partly seated keeps the other side of the housing aligned.
8. Remove the factory disconnector and fit the FRT. Keep the original part — you can reinstall it any time.
9. Align and reinstall the pin. Use the punch as a feeler to line up the hole in the FRT with the housing, then tap the pin back in from the left side until flush.

Go easy on the disconnector pin. It is thin and bends or shears if struck hard or driven while misaligned. If it will not start, stop and re-check alignment.

Part 3: Reassemble

10. Seat the housing back in the frame with the trigger bar sitting in front of the lower end of the FRT. This is the step most often done wrong, so confirm it. Refit the manual safety levers if your model has them.
11. Push the housing and central block fully home and check that each roll pin hole lines up with the frame.
12. Reinstall the three roll pins until flush, then reinstall the slide.

Part 4: Function check (unloaded)

13. Safety check (models with a manual safety): with the safety on, pull the trigger. The pistol must not fire.
14. Trigger check: safety off, rack the slide and pull the trigger. You should hear and feel the striker release.
15. Reset check: hold the trigger fully rearward and rack the slide. You should feel the trigger pushed forward to reset. Pull again and the striker should release again.

First time at the range

• Start with two rounds, then five, before loading a full magazine.
• Use high-velocity ammunition. The TX22 is a blowback .22 LR with little slide energy to spare. Weak bulk or subsonic loads are the most common cause of short-stroking and failures to reset.
• Keep it lightly lubricated on the slide rails and FRT contact surfaces.
• Suppressors change the timing. If it runs well unsuppressed but not suppressed, try different ammunition first.
• Let the trigger go forward. Keep steady rearward pressure and allow the reset rather than fighting it.
• Expect a break-in over the first few hundred rounds.

Troubleshooting a TX22 FRT

Trigger will not reset: almost always ammunition or a dry slide. Switch to high-velocity rounds and oil the rails. If it persists, confirm the trigger bar is in front of the FRT.

Housing will not drop back into the frame: the central block is not pivoted into place or the trigger bar is caught. Lift it out and re-seat it slowly rather than pressing harder.

Roll pin holes will not line up: the housing is not fully home. Press the housing and central block down together until the holes are clear before driving any pin.

Bent disconnector pin: do not straighten and reuse it. Replace the pin before firing.

Is a TX22 FRT legal?

At the federal level, forced reset triggers are not currently treated as machineguns following the Department of Justice’s May 2025 settlement with Rare Breed Triggers. State and local laws vary and change. We do not ship FRTs to CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, HI, IL, IA, MD, MA, MN, NV, NJ, NY, OR, RI, VA or WA, or to U.S. territories or outside the United States. Confirm the law where you live before installing. More detail, including Texas, is in Are FRT triggers legal? This is not legal advice.

New to forced reset triggers? Read how forced reset triggers work.

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Installation is performed at your own risk. If you are not comfortable working on a firearm, have a qualified gunsmith install this part. Taurus and TX22 are used only to describe compatibility; this guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by Taurus.