Let’s take a look at a military rifle that you can actually buy, and also afford to shoot repeatedly. Tippmann Arms has announced that its M4-22 Elite semi-automatic .22 LR rifle has been selected by the Royal Thai Army Territorial Defense Command for use in the Territorial Defense Student Program in Thailand. The rifle replaces the legacy Armi Jager .22 platform, which has been in service with the program's reserve training units for more than 40 years.
Royal Thai Army Selects Tippmann Arms M4-22 Elite Rifle For Training
The Territorial Defense Student Program is a national training initiative run by the Royal Thai Army, providing military education, leadership development, and marksmanship instruction to students across the country. According to Tippmann Arms, the program operates 35 live-fire training locations spread across 34 Provincial Military Student Training Centers plus a dedicated range in Bangkok, so this is not a small-scale contract by any measure.
Dennis Tippmann Jr., President of Tippmann Arms, said the company is proud that the Territorial Defense Command placed its confidence in the M4-22 Elite after four decades with the previous platform. Tippmann Arms states the selection reflects the company's growing international presence alongside its existing military, law enforcement, and commercial partnerships.
The M4-22 Elite is built around AR-15 pattern ergonomics and controls, chambered in .22 LR, and manufactured in the United States. TFB tried a very similar version, suppressed, of course.
That combination of familiar manual of arms with a low-recoil, low-cost cartridge is exactly the territory our long-running Rimfire Report series covers on a regular basis. Rimfire platforms let shooters, whether that's a civilian working on trigger control at the local range or a cadet going through a structured military marksmanship program, log significantly more repetitions per dollar and with less recoil than centerfire calibers allow.
The Royal Thai Army held its Rank Pinning Ceremony for 5th-year Territorial Defense Students at the Royal Thai Army Club in Bangkok on August 27, with General Chitsanupong Rodsiri, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army, presiding. The M4-22 Elite was featured in an exhibition following the ceremony.
Tippmann Arms M4-22 Elite Specs (Civilian):
- Caliber: .22 LR
- Action: Semi-automatic, blowback
- Barrel length: 16 inches, 4150 solid steel
- Twist rate: 1:16
- Overall length: 31.5 to 35 inches, adjustable stock
- Weight: 5 lbs 8 oz
- Capacity: 25-round magazine
- Handguard: 12-inch aluminum free-float M-LOK
- Receiver: Aluminum upper and lower
- Trigger pull: 4.5 pounds
- Sights: Adjustable flip-up
- Muzzle: 1/2x28 threaded, A2 birdcage
- Rail: Full-length top Picatinny
The MSRP is $649.95.
Do you think a rifle built specifically to mimic AR-15 controls offers a real training advantage over other rimfire designs?
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