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Old May 2, 2013, 11:40 PM   #1
Hiker 1
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First suppressor - .22

Hi folks,

I plan on purchasing (and going through the lengthy paperwork ordeal) of a .22 pistol with an integral suppressor.

I've only fired 3 suppressed firearms, so my experience in this area is limited.

I like the Ruger Amphibian and Badland. Any others I should consider? Custom jobs maybe?
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Old May 3, 2013, 10:21 AM   #2
Theohazard
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Are you set on an integral suppressor over a removable one? Often integral suppressors either can't be dissasembled or are simply a pain to do so. You're going to want to disassemble it; there's a lot of lead and carbon fouling that stays in a .22 can and is very hard (or even impossible) to completely remove without disassembly. Also, integrally suppressed .22s often have ported barrels that shorten the overall length of the pistol, but give you an effective barrel length of only a few inches whch will reduce velocity compared to a standard .22 barrel.

I'd go with a top-of-the-line serviceable .22 can like the Spectre II and use a threaded-barrel Mark III as a host. It will still be ridiculously quiet, you'll have a little more velocity due to a longer effective barrel length (but the barrel will still be short enough that most regular .22 ammo will be subsonic), the can will be completely serviceable, and you can take it off and use it to suppress anything up to a 5.7mm.
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Old May 3, 2013, 10:42 PM   #3
Hiker 1
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I'm not set on an integral. I'm certainly open to something else.

Thanks for the tip!
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Old May 4, 2013, 11:05 AM   #4
tmorone
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Another +1 for the SWR Spectre II- I've got one and LOVE it!

You definitely wouldn't be disappointed going that route. Plus, .22lr cans are relatively cheap compared to others and a number of places sell the Spectre II for under well $400.

Plus plus, you can use it on anything else you have in .22 or 5.7 which gives you a lot more options than the integral.
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Old May 4, 2013, 12:22 PM   #5
444
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I own an integrally suppressed Ruger MkII. I would say that it is a fantastic gun if you don't intend to do a lot of shooting with it. As was mentioned, MINE cannot be disassembled for cleaning. I don't keep up anymore with what is out there in the suppressor world: I am sure people are now making integral .22 suppressors that can be taken apart.

Again, as was previously mentioned, .22 suppressors get VERY dirty. I am not a big gun cleaning guy. I mostly clean my guns when they show some obvious sign that they need cleaning (like malfunctions). However, suppressors for .22s won't tolerate that kind of treatment. The more you shoot one, the more stuff that builds up inside of it. It makes it very hard to get apart again, and it makes a huge mess when you finally get it apart. The last time I cleaned my TAC 65, it was like thick mud inside of it.

Which brings up another key piece of information: before you ever fire your first shot out of a .22 suppressor, take it apart and coat the threads with Never Seize. You will thank me later. One other tip: if you can't easily get the suppressor apart and before you do something drastic that might mar the external tube: use an impact wrench.

Another thing that may or may not mean anything to you. At one time I spent a lot of time reading the various on-line information about suppressors. They list all kinds of metered sound levels and all that. I spent the money to buy what was considered the state of the art suppressors that metered the quietest. Then I started shooting along side other suppressor owners. Many of the guys I was shooting with bought their suppressors more based on price than I did. In other words they weren't using these highly rated, much discussed cans. And much to my dismay, I couldn't tell the difference between my cans and their cans in actual shooing. Yeah, I believe that high tech electronics could tell the difference, but I couldn't. So, from a practical standpoint, I could have saved a lot of money by buying much cheaper suppressors (which again, sounded just as good as mine to my naked ears).

Based on this, I ended up buying two .22 muzzle cans from Tactical Innovations. The TAC 65 and the Quest. I am completely 100% satisfied with their performance. I shoot them all the time and have no complaints at all.

As far as threading the Ruger MKII, there are at least two ways to go about this (and I have done both). Obviously you have your barrel threaded by a gun smith. I had two of mine done and they turned out fantastic. Another option is to buy a new top end for the gun that is already threaded. I bought a Tactical Solutions Pac-Lite. Again, I have no complaints with it at all.

One last comment that may or may not apply to .22 suppressors. Don't buy anything rated for full-auto fire unless you are really going to use it on a full-auto gun. If you are anything like me, you read that it is rated for full auto fire and say to yourself: if this thing can take that kind of abuse, it should last forever with me using it, since I am not shooting full auto. However the suppressor will be needlessly heavy and bulky. I have made this mistake twice and now regret it.

One other point is that with a muzzle can, you can use the can on other guns. I am not talking about guns chambered for other cartridges, but other .22s. You can use them on that Ruger as well as any other .22s you had threaded. I love .22s and own a bunch of them. Rifles and pistols. And more than half of them are threaded.
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Old May 4, 2013, 06:04 PM   #6
Hiker 1
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444,

That is great info! Do you know if I bought two at the same time, would that make more sense from an NFA-paperwork standpoint?
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Old May 4, 2013, 06:36 PM   #7
444
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Let me start off by saying that this whole paperwork thing is WAY over-blown on these internet gun forums.

But, yes. If you are planning on buying several NFA items, it would make matters easier and quicker to do them all at once. Simply because you are getting it all done at once, and you only have to endure the waiting process once.

This brings up another thing I learned along the way. If you have a local dealer who stocks inventory of suppressors, you should seriously consider buying one that he has in stock. Even if it is more expensive than one you could order. Even if it isn't exactly the one you had your heart set on. If you have to order a suppressor from the manufacturer, the wait times are very long. And there is more paperwork that has a good chance (based on my experience) of getting screwed up. Ordering a suppressor increases the steps involved, the paperwork involved, the wait times involved, and greatly increases the chance of some foul up in the process. When I bought my NFA stuff, the wait time with the ATF was the easy part. Waiting to actually get the stuff to my dealer was far longer. And in EVERY SINGLE CASE, something got screwed up in the process. Paperwork got lost, in one case they sent the item to the wrong dealer in a completely different state and that dealer didn't know what it was so he just put it in his safe and didn't tell anyone about it, in one case the actual owner (FFL holder) was out of the country on vacation for a long time........................ By far, the easiest transactions I ever did were when I bought something that was sitting in the dealers display case. Unfortunately not many dealers stock very many NFA items.

Not to discourage you, but a couple of my NFA purchases took over a YEAR to complete. And it wasn't because of the ATF, it was because of the dealers and the manufactures.

Basically, no body cares about this but you, so nobody is in a hurry, they leave paperwork sitting for weeks that could have been taken care of, but wasn't. Losing paperwork. Not calling you to tell you the stuff came in.............................. When you start this process, you need to be on top of it at all times. Again, the sign-off isn't a big issue. The ATF isn't a big issue. The dealers and manufacturers involved ARE a big issue and you have to keep on them and keep them moving. You lose a week here, you lose a week there. They don't care, but you do.
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You know the rest. In the books you have read
How the British Regulars fired and fled,
How the farmers gave them ball for ball,
From behind each fence and farmyard wall,
Chasing the redcoats down the lane,
Then crossing the fields to emerge again
Under the trees at the turn of the road,
And only pausing to fire and load.
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Old May 4, 2013, 06:53 PM   #8
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If you bought two then you are still going to pay for two, I would get one first and see how you like it. I also have the Quest and love it, it is user servicible and is SS so I think it will last forever. I can take it apart myself and clean it as needed and can use it on numerous guns. I have used it on a Ruger 10/22,MK 22/45 threaded and a Marlin bolt gun I had threaded. I am more than happy with my purchase and would do it all over again with out a dought.
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Old May 4, 2013, 10:34 PM   #9
Hiker 1
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Great info! There is a Class 3 dealer in my area who I have dealt with several times and they are good guys. They have a good selection of various suppressors.
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Old May 5, 2013, 09:47 AM   #10
Willie Lowman
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Liberty Suppressors makes a integral that can be taken apart.

http://www.libertycans.net/legend.html
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Old May 5, 2013, 05:52 PM   #11
Rob62
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As a first purchase without question I will recommend a screw on .22 suppressor. Equal to this recommendation is get one that you as the user can take apart to clean. Nothing in my opinion is worse that a suppressor that is sealed and has to go back to the factory for service / cleaning.

At least take a look at Tactical Innovations Quest model. I believe that this is one of the most underrated suppressors out there. I own at least one and have been very impressed by its performance.

http://www.tacticalinc.com/omega-sta...sor-p-552.html

$399 retail. A 100% stainless steel product that a user may take apart for cleaning.

Here's a pic of mine on a Ruger MK II pistol.



Also I don't know if you will do the purchase as an "Individual" or if you are going to create a "Revocable Living Trust" to purchase the suppressor through. I recommend the RLT route. If you are not familiar with purchasing NFA items this way, I would do it while its still possible to do so. I know that BATFE has been looking at this supposed "loophole" in the law to allow Trustee's to purchase this kind of stuff.

If you want to know more about Trusts and how they work look here:


http://www.guntrustlawyer.com/

Regards,
Rob
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Old May 5, 2013, 06:14 PM   #12
BillM
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If you are open to suggestions on a serviceable can:

Liberty Kodiak TL. Titanium mono-baffle. Not sure why,
but it does not crud up the action nearly as much as some cans.
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