Best .22LR suppressor for pistol, rifle, and subgun?

MatthewVanitas · Apr 13, 2009

I've finally secured employment as a foreign policy advisor for a consulting firm in DC, so it's time to start lining up some celebratory purchases. I've really been digging the intergrally-suppressed Ruger MkII I got a few years back, and would like to expand my suppressor-age.

The downside of the integral, which I knew at the time, is it can't be switched to another gun. Accordingly, I'd like to get the most versatile, good quality .22 can possible (within reason). At this point I'd hope to use it on:

-S&W 422 auto. Neat little gun that's easy to suppress because the barrel nut is easily swapped for a threaded one, and the bore axis is so low many cans won't interfere with the sights.

-Browning .22 auto: don't have one yet, but seems a really classy design, and that bottom-eject is neat. Plus I like tube mags, and this is one of the few buttloading tube-mags out there, so I can put a can on it without having to unscrew it for each reload.

-.22 Lage upper for a MAC: I have the MAC, hoping to get the Lage .22 upper once they finally make it onto the market.

So the trick is, will a suppressor sturdy enough to hold up to full-auto subgun be too heavy for a light pistol like the 422? Will a heavy can add too much weight to the rather slender and long barrel of the Browning Auto?

TRGRHPY · Apr 13, 2009

I am looking for one as well. I think that I've narrowed it down to the Tac65. Can be disassembled for cleaning and has a reasonable price $249.

Prince Yamato · Apr 13, 2009

I purchased an AAC Pilot a month ago... obviously I don't have it yet...

Anyway, from what the fellow at Sportsman's Finest in Austin told me, disassembly of the .22 suppressors isn't easy when they are caked in dirt and you're more likely to damage the baffles by pulling the suppressor apart. Ultrasonic cleaning offers the best method of cleaning gunk out of the suppressor. AAC suppressors also have a lifetime warranty. Plus you get to buy into that uber-cool AAC culture. I believe the Pilot is full-auto rated as well.

Hostile Amish · Apr 13, 2009

AAC or Gemtech.

rdhood · Apr 13, 2009

I think I have narrowed it down to a stainless take-apart model like the SWR Spectre or the TAC Quest on a threaded Browning Buck Mark.

crushbup · Apr 13, 2009

The TAC-65 is good for its price, but there are better cans that will last longer, especially against full auto. Aluminum baffles can only last so long, especially when you are trying to scrape all the caked up lead off them.

I suggest an SWR Spectre; it's all stainless steel, a good price, and can withstand "the Dip" if you have way too much lead in it to disassemble it.

Major-Malfunction is one of the best distributors out there, and they offer some of the lowest prices. I suggest you go through him: Major-Malfunction

waterhouse · Apr 13, 2009

I agree with crushbup.

I own the Tac65 and I really like it, but I wouldn't want it for full auto. If I were going full auto I'd get the Spectre.

It seems that .22 cans have gotten more and more popular in the past couple years and there are a lot of new ones on the market, so there may be something better/cheaper out there that I haven't even heard about yet.

IndianaBoy · Apr 13, 2009

I would advise against ever using "The Dip".

Lead Acetate is extremely dangerous to handle, not to mention dispose of safely. You really do not want to be around that stuff.

lcambre · Apr 13, 2009

Since you are planning to go full auto I would suggest a take apart can. Either the SWR Spectre or the AAC Element. The Spectre is heavier but also $100 dollars less and will handle up to 5.7x28.

Zak Smith · Apr 13, 2009

Our 22S and 22L can handle FA .22LR no problem, and are rated for .22 WMR and .17 HMR also. They are ti so the chemicals which can attack al are not a problem.

TRGRHPY · Apr 14, 2009

Oops, forgot that the tac65 wasn't fa rated.

So whats the cost of the others mentioned? Any upsides/downsides to any of the others?

waterhouse · Apr 14, 2009

Any upsides/downsides to any of the others?

Typically the variables will be:

sound suppression

cost

materials used for construction

length

weight

removable endcaps for cleaning

baffle design

Many of these are related. All else being equal, a longer suppressor should be quieter than a shorter one, but it will weigh more and will likely cost more.

Materials used will effect the weight, full auto rating, cost, as well as the solvents you can use to clean the suppressor.

You sort of have to decide what is important to you. Zak's company, for example, offers a short and long version of their .22 suppressor. One will weight slightly more and be slightly quieter.

Kharn · Apr 14, 2009

SWR Spectre, 22lr full-auto rated, plus 22Mag, 17HMR and 5.7 semiauto rated. 100% stainless steel, user can disassemble it.

It also has an optional pusher tool that helps remove the baffle stack so that you only have to clean it every 1k rounds instead of every ~200.

Since it is 100% steel you can use "the dip" (if you let the leftover fluid evaporate the lead acetate crystals are not nearly as hazardous as the aqueous solution), and I assume you can use an ultrasonic cleaner (A no-go for a can containing any amount of aluminum). The manual also says you can use light bead-blasting to remove heavy fouling from the baffles instead of having to scrape it for days on end.

The only downsides are cost ($495 MSRP) and weight (8oz). I'm eagerly awaiting the call from my FFL stating that mine has arrived on Form 3 so I can go play with it and start the Form 4.

I never once considered AAC due to their lawsuit shenanigans.

Kharn

KINGMAX · Apr 14, 2009

????? Question ?????

What does it take to have a suppressor as far as being legal. Any permits or Class III paper work/permits ??? What do I need to know to avoid any issues?

I have a three Walther P22's I would like to suppress one.

Zak Smith · Apr 14, 2009

You just need an approved Form 4 (or Form 1 if you manufactured it) to possess it, provided your state does not prohibit them. As far as I know, NC does not.

KINGMAX · Apr 14, 2009

Where do you get this form 4 from/at

ZAK - where do you obtain this form 4 at or who from ??

Zak Smith · Apr 14, 2009

The dealer partially fills it out, you finish filling it out, then submit it to the ATF for approval of the transfer. When it comes back you can take possession of the NFA item. Do a search on NFA transfers and all will be revealed.

KINGMAX · Apr 14, 2009

THANK you much ZAK

Big thanks zak !!

searcher451 · Apr 14, 2009

This topic is debated frequently on the Walther Forums, especially as it relates to the P22 (and sometimes the P99). Here are some links to those discussions, if anyone is interested in getting some first-hand information on what folks over there think works best:

http://www.waltherforums.com/showthread.php?t=8126&highlight=silencer+suppressor

http://www.waltherforums.com/showthread.php?t=3559&highlight=silencer+suppressor

http://www.waltherforums.com/showthread.php?t=8831&highlight=silencer+suppressor

Some decent photos of outstanding hardware are included in these links.

Upriver · Apr 14, 2009

Tac makes both the Quest and the Diamond (both stainless / take-apart) although they don't show the quest as F/A rated.

The Browning bottom-ejectors are sweet. I grew up shooting a Belgian take-down model, and I only lost the skin on my left palm once. I think you might have to have the barrel cut back and threaded, and the front sight removed in order to accomodate a can. Maybe the new production guns are set up differently.

Regards,

U

Best .22LR suppressor for pistol, rifle, and subgun?

Member

Member

Member

member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Similar threads