.22 suppressor

Recently bought a .22 lr target rifle and I'm thinking about putting a can on it. Would be my first such purchase. Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

I never thought of a 22 being loud enough to need a suppressor. It will be interesting to see what you find out.

 

I would purchase a .30 caliber suppressor. It won't work as well as a dedicated .22 model and will cost more but it is much more flexible and could be used on many guns. And, it still works very well on smaller calibers. I regularly use my .30 cans with smaller calibers like: .17hmr, .17wsm, .223 up through 7mm and .30 calibers. The only caveat is that your .22's barrel needs to be thick enough at the end to accept the larger threading for a .30 size can.

If you want to keep the cost down then you can't go wrong with a .22 suppressor. It will dramatically lower the noise level. Even the .30 size, which is less efficient, lowers it so you don't really hear the bang of the gunpowder and instead mainly just hear the crack of the supersonic bullet which you can't do anything about. And since your ears aren't overwhelmed by the bang it is much easier to hear hits on metallic targets. It's quite fun to be able to hear the "ting" sound of hits. It also makes shooting even more enjoyable and is great when teaching new people as there is no loud bang that can cause a flinch.

 

Make sure you check on your state & local laws. I'm not positive but I think some places they are illegal.

 

Dixie - Eight states ban them but I'm in one of the 42 which do not. I appreciate the concern, though.

Dane: Cost isn't a horrible concern, though I'm looking at $500 devices and not ones which are twice that or more but I really want quiet so I'm going to stick to a .22 scope. Also, I've heard they need more cleaning and some of the larger ones aren't quite as easy to clean since they are meant for cleaner burning calibers.

One thing which has come up since I posted which was new to me was FRP - First Round Pop. I did not realize some cans are not as good with the first shot as subsequent and I would want each shot to be quiet. Is that anything with which anyone has experience?

 

If you want quiet I think the ammunition will have the biggest affect. Even with a less effective .30 size suppressor a supersonic bullet is the loudest part. If you want truly quiet then keeping the bullet subsonic is most important though the ammunition can be hard to find. The suppressor can get rid of the bang but a slow bullet is the only way to avoid the loud shockwave crack.

I've never noticed first shot pop with my rifles or .22 pistols though I'll have to pay more attention next time. I often shoot rifle very slow and open the bolt and let the rifle stand vertically to stovepipe and cool faster. This sort of makes every shot a first shot since cool, oxygen rich air can reenter the can.