1) Good choice on .22 for a first suppressor (I assume). They are an absolute hoot and cheap to acquire and feed.
2) Before you pick a brand/model, there are a couple questions you need to answer. They are:
A) Do I want a can that can be disassembled by the user?
.22LR is basically THE dirtiest, nastiest round produced for modern weapons. Whatever silencer you choose, it will eventually fill up with lead and carbon deposits which are extremely hard. There are only two reliable ways of removing this accumulation: bead blasting the internal components, or soaking the components/entire can in a solution of 50/50 peroxide and white vinegar for several days. Bead blasting requires a can where you can remove the baffles for cleaning. Soaking is easier with a take-down can, but you can soak the whole silencer if you get a sealed unit. Don't believe the manufacturers who say you can "clean" their .22 silencers by soaking in kroil or whatever; they are lying.
B) Do I want stainless steel, titanium, or aluminum construction?
This is where things get tricky: aluminum silencers can't really be soaked in the peroxide/vinegar dip, because it will gradually dissolve the aluminum. Anodized aluminum components can be soaked, but eventually they acquire nicks and scratches through the ano, where the solution will start to pit the base metal. Thus, the safer thing to do with aluminum components is bead-blast them for cleaning, which can only be done with take-down silencers. Therefore, if you get an aluminum silencer, I strongly recommend a take-down can and buying a small bead blasting cabinet. Otherwise, if you buy a sealed aluminum unit, you have to send them back to the manufacturer every 10-15,000 rounds for a $75-100 cleaning. Stainless, on the other hand, is totally impervious to the Dip and can be soaked for weeks with abandon. Takedown vs. Sealed doesn't matter as much with stainless, since you can soak the whole can en bloc. It's easier with a takedown can though. Titanium is hard to find, only a few companies make all-Ti silencers. I group them with stainless since they are also impervious to the Dip.
Being that stainless is easier to clean, and takedown is easier to clean, I tend to recommend stainless takedown cans like the SWR Spectre and the AAC Element.
3) The only real advantage to aluminum is weight - if you have a light gun like a P22, a stainless can may feel front-heavy. However, the AAC Element was designed to conquer this, and is only 1oz heavier than an equivalent aluminum can. You should still consider aluminum cans if you want a light package. Also, titanium cans are very light.
4) Below are the five categories, I will try to list some good available silencers to consider in each category, in approximate order of quality/desireability:
Aluminum sealed - SWR Warlock, AAC Aviator, AAC Pilot, Gemtech Outback II, Tactical Solutions Cascade
Aluminum takedown - AAC Prodigy (New Core ONLY, old core is loud), Tactical Innovations Tac-65 and Stratus, YHM Mite
Stainless sealed - HTG Universal II
Stainless takedown - SWR Spectre, AAC Element, Tactical Innovations Quest, YHM Mite SS
Titanium - TBAC L or S model, Gemtech Seahunter
5) I would STRONGLY recommend hitting www.silencerresearch.com and signing up for a membership. It costs $30 but could save you from making a $500+ mistake. And, good timing - they are releasing their 2009 .22LR silencer shootout results this month, and they tested over 30 popular models for sound reduction.
6) Check out www.major-malfunction.com when you're ready to buy. He's pretty much the most popular NFA dealer in the country right now - for a good reason. He provides phenomenal customer service and bargain-basement pricing. I bought my 5.56 can from him and will be back.
2) Before you pick a brand/model, there are a couple questions you need to answer. They are:
A) Do I want a can that can be disassembled by the user?
.22LR is basically THE dirtiest, nastiest round produced for modern weapons. Whatever silencer you choose, it will eventually fill up with lead and carbon deposits which are extremely hard. There are only two reliable ways of removing this accumulation: bead blasting the internal components, or soaking the components/entire can in a solution of 50/50 peroxide and white vinegar for several days. Bead blasting requires a can where you can remove the baffles for cleaning. Soaking is easier with a take-down can, but you can soak the whole silencer if you get a sealed unit. Don't believe the manufacturers who say you can "clean" their .22 silencers by soaking in kroil or whatever; they are lying.
B) Do I want stainless steel, titanium, or aluminum construction?
This is where things get tricky: aluminum silencers can't really be soaked in the peroxide/vinegar dip, because it will gradually dissolve the aluminum. Anodized aluminum components can be soaked, but eventually they acquire nicks and scratches through the ano, where the solution will start to pit the base metal. Thus, the safer thing to do with aluminum components is bead-blast them for cleaning, which can only be done with take-down silencers. Therefore, if you get an aluminum silencer, I strongly recommend a take-down can and buying a small bead blasting cabinet. Otherwise, if you buy a sealed aluminum unit, you have to send them back to the manufacturer every 10-15,000 rounds for a $75-100 cleaning. Stainless, on the other hand, is totally impervious to the Dip and can be soaked for weeks with abandon. Takedown vs. Sealed doesn't matter as much with stainless, since you can soak the whole can en bloc. It's easier with a takedown can though. Titanium is hard to find, only a few companies make all-Ti silencers. I group them with stainless since they are also impervious to the Dip.
Being that stainless is easier to clean, and takedown is easier to clean, I tend to recommend stainless takedown cans like the SWR Spectre and the AAC Element.
3) The only real advantage to aluminum is weight - if you have a light gun like a P22, a stainless can may feel front-heavy. However, the AAC Element was designed to conquer this, and is only 1oz heavier than an equivalent aluminum can. You should still consider aluminum cans if you want a light package. Also, titanium cans are very light.
4) Below are the five categories, I will try to list some good available silencers to consider in each category, in approximate order of quality/desireability:
Aluminum sealed - SWR Warlock, AAC Aviator, AAC Pilot, Gemtech Outback II, Tactical Solutions Cascade
Aluminum takedown - AAC Prodigy (New Core ONLY, old core is loud), Tactical Innovations Tac-65 and Stratus, YHM Mite
Stainless sealed - HTG Universal II
Stainless takedown - SWR Spectre, AAC Element, Tactical Innovations Quest, YHM Mite SS
Titanium - TBAC L or S model, Gemtech Seahunter
5) I would STRONGLY recommend hitting www.silencerresearch.com and signing up for a membership. It costs $30 but could save you from making a $500+ mistake. And, good timing - they are releasing their 2009 .22LR silencer shootout results this month, and they tested over 30 popular models for sound reduction.
6) Check out www.major-malfunction.com when you're ready to buy. He's pretty much the most popular NFA dealer in the country right now - for a good reason. He provides phenomenal customer service and bargain-basement pricing. I bought my 5.56 can from him and will be back.
Last edited:
