I just finished building my pistol and want a suppressor. Now what?

Twodogs · Dec 5, 2015

jbett98 said:
The lead fouling would ruin it unless you had a way to clean it properly.

Shooting .223 out of it would burn the lead out.

jbett98 · Dec 5, 2015

Have you ever tried to clean the built up lead out of a .22lr suppressor?
22lr is very dirty. There is a fine spray of molten lead that comes out of the barrel.
This deposits on the baffles of any suppressor mounted.
Since most centerfire cans are not made to be taken apart and cleaned you can not get this lead off of the baffles.
This can cause problems down the road. One is less noise reduction. The other, is that if you get enough lead buildup, pieces of this buildup can break loose when shooting centerfire.
This can cause the bullets to be knocked off of their flight path and can cause baffle strikes which can ruin the suppressor.

Iceman04503 · Dec 5, 2015

Only way to clean a Centerfield suppressor is to send it back to the manufacturer?

jbett98 · Dec 5, 2015

One way is to use chemicals, but the waste product afterward are very toxic and they're not something you just pour down the drain.

1 part hydrogen peroxide and 1 part vinegar is called 'The Dip' and used to clean suppressors.
The dip will destroy aluminum.

The dip really should be avoided as it produces lead acetate(toxic). This stuff is absorbed through the skin and is a huge health risk. It also has to be left in to soak for hours, dip changed and soaked for more hours then changed again…..

PDXSparky · Dec 7, 2015

Iceman04503 said:
Only way to clean a Centerfield suppressor is to send it back to the manufacturer?

I don't think all manufacturers will clean cans for people. I do know that Bowers will for $20 to send it back to you.

Alternately, some people send their cans to a company that will jailbreak them, making them user serviceable. http://www.stalkingrhino.com is just 1 company that can do that. Bowers also can do it for certain cans.

PDXSparky · Dec 7, 2015

clearconscience said:
Since you guys are talking about .22 cans I have a question.
Can you buy a .223 can and use it with a .22?
Would it work?
What issues would it present?

It would work, but as already discussed, you'd need to be able to disassemble it for cleaning.
The other issue I see is that of size and weight. A can for .223 would be kind of heavy for a .22 pistol. It could also be large enough to obscure the sites.

The reality is that for .22 shooting, you should get a can for .22