Threaded 22LR suppressor host pistols

[User 1234]

I'm curious how the recent production threaded 22 LR pistols are performing. I would prefer a metal framed gun but am not conclusively rejecting polymer frame designs. My goal is to keep the pistol and can weight and balance suitable for my wife's smaller hands and weaker wrists. This probably means a 4" barrel and a can less than 6" long. Advice appreciated.

Read More

 

[ConcernedCitizen]

It's real hard to go wrong with a Ruger MkIV. The 22/45 Lite & 22/45 Tactical versions have a polymer frame, but the MkIV Tactical version has a steel frame. I personally have the Ruger MkIV 22/45 Lite and absolutely love it!

Ruger® Mark IV™ 22/45™ Lite Rimfire Pistol Models

Ruger® Mark IV™ Tactical Rimfire Pistol Model 40150

The M&P-22C is another popular choice for a suppressor host, though I believe it has a polymer frame.

M&P®22 COMPACT Threaded Barrel | Smith & Wesson

The Browning Buckmark series also has a loyal following, with quite a few options to choose from.

Current Production

The S&W Victory is also available with a threaded barrel.

SW22 Victory® Threaded Barrel | Smith & Wesson

You might also look at the Beretta M9-22LR, but I'm not sure if the frame is polymer or not, and you'll have to see if the full size fits your wife's hands comfortably.

M9_22LR

I hope this helps!

 

[ConcernedCitizen]

It sounds like you're also looking for suppressor recommendations, so I thought I'd cover that separately.

My first recommendation is to focus on something with stainless steel or titanium baffles, for ease of cleaning. Aluminum will be less expensive and will save on weight, but you are limited to hand scraping or soda blasting the baffles. With stainless steel or titanium, you have the option to use ultrasonic cleaners, stainless steel pin tumbling, or "the dip".

My personal favorite balance of weight, length, and performance is the AAC Element 2. It has stainless steel baffles and a titanium tube, weighs 4.1 oz, and is 5.25" long. It also has one of the lowest first round pops in the industry! It's an older design, but still a great suppressor. The only drawback is the lack of shielded baffles, which can make disassembly a little more difficult when dirty, but they include a pusher tool to help with removing the baffles.

ELEMENT2™

Sound-wise, my favorite suppressor is the Dead Air Mask. It's a bit heavier, being mostly stainless steel, but it sounds amazing! It weighs 6.6 oz, but is a bit shorter than most competitors at 5.1" long.

Mask – DeadAirSilencers

I also have a SilencerCo Spectre II that performs well, but it's both long and heavy at 6.8 oz and 6" long.

Spectre 22 Rimfire Silencer | Suppressor - SilencerCo

Another suppressor that gets rave reviews is the Rugged Oculus, which is 4.3 oz and 3.25" in short configuration and 6.9 oz and 5.25" in long configuration.

NO First Round Pop! The Oculus 22

If weight is a serious concern, you could go with an all titanium option such as the Energetic Armament NYX, which is 3.6 oz and 5.6" long, or the modular NYX Mod2 which is 2.45 oz and 3.7" in short configuration and 4.15 oz and 6.5" in long configuration.

NYX™ Titanium Rimfire Silencer Ultra Lightweight Engineered for Performance

NYX™ Mod2 Modular Titanium Rimfire Silencer Reconfigurable Design

A couple of other options that get good reviews are the Q El Camino (4.3 oz, 5.95") and the TBAC 22 Take Down (5.9 oz, 5.6").

El Camino™ by Q

Thunder Beast Arms Corporation [TBAC] | Products | 22-TAKE-DOWN

There are plenty of options to choose from and most of them offer similar performance, but I still highly recommend choosing something with stainless steel or titanium baffles. You'll thank me later...

 

[User 1234]

Thanks!

 

[erslll]

I just recently got my Thunder Beast 22 Take Down out of NFA jail. Picked up the Ruger SR22 while I was waiting. Very happy with both. The Take Down is ridiculously quiet with standard velocity ammo. Quiet enough that when my wife shot it for the first time, she turned around to me and asked what happened. "It didn't shoot." Yes, it did.

The SR22 has performed fine and makes for a pretty cool little suppressor host. I have no doubt that a MK IV would probably be a little better overall but a bit bigger. I have a MK IV but it is not threaded.... yet.

 

[ConcernedCitizen]

I forgot all about the SR22...

Ruger® SR22® * Rimfire Pistol Model 3604

I love the design, but the grip was just a hair too small for me and the corner of the frame dug into my thumb just enough to be annoying. I definitely recommend looking at one, along with the Ruger MkIV and M&P-22C.

Suppressed .22s are a lot of fun!

 

[RaceFan]

It sounds like you're also looking for suppressor recommendations, so I thought I'd cover that separately.

Great information! THANK YOU!!!

I have a couple of Ruger Mark IVs and am interested in fitting them with cans. May I ask which suppressors you have tried on the Mark IV? Which ones have good suppression and feed/eject ease using standard velocity ammo? I understand there could be issues (sometimes) with subsonic ammo...

Thanks!

 

[ConcernedCitizen]

Great information! THANK YOU!!!

Just in case it wasn't painfully obvious, I spend way too much time on the internet looking at suppressors...

 

[RaceFan]

Just in case it wasn't painfully obvious, I spend way too much time on the internet looking at suppressors...

I should buy you a cup of coffee and pick your brain . I have yet to step into the pool, but am seriously thinking about it.

 

[ConcernedCitizen]

If you ever make it down to Tri-County, you're welcome to try a couple in person!

I have the AAC Element 2 and Dead Air Mask that you can try on my Ruger MkIV Lite, and a Spectre II that's dedicated to my .22LR AR15 Pistol. That thing is a blast!

It's pretty much an open invitation to anyone in the PDX area that wants to try them out. Just send me a PM and we can schedule something.

 

[ConcernedCitizen]

If you want to get a bit more exotic than your standard .22 pistol host, here's one of my favorite toys ever:



How's that for a suppressed .22 pistol?

 

[RaceFan]

I have the AAC Element 2 and Dead Air Mask

With 22LR prices at a low, what brand do you use? Thanks!

 

[ConcernedCitizen]

With 22LR prices at a low, what brand do you use? Thanks!

For ammo, I run cheap bulk packs through the pistols, as the short barrel keeps everything subsonic. I also have some CCI Standard Velocity for the rifles, but have been lazy and haven't tried them with the suppressors yet.

I should try some of the SV ammo through the pistols to see if it makes a difference.

 

[RaceFan]

I should try some of the SV ammo through the pistols to see if it makes a difference.

I'd be happy to donate any/all of the follow for the experiment:

• Remington Golden Bullets 36GR Brass Plated Hollow Point; 1,280 FPS
• Aguila Standard Velocity 40GR Lead; 1,130 FPS
• Aguila High Velocity 40GR Copper Plated; 1,255 FPS
• Federal 40GR Lead; 1,200 FPS

This is what I "have in stock"...

 

[spookshack]

If you ever make it down to Tri-County, you're welcome to try a couple in person!

I have the AAC Element 2 and Dead Air Mask that you can try on my Ruger MkIV Lite, and a Spectre II that's dedicated to my .22LR AR15 Pistol. That thing is a blast!

It's pretty much an open invitation to anyone in the PDX area that wants to try them out. Just send me a PM and we can schedule something.

Do you happen to be action range certified?

 

[ConcernedCitizen]

Do you happen to be action range certified?

You bet! That's one of my favorite places at the range!

 

[Member 5605]

Even the MKIII 22/45 Threaded (heavy barrel) version has a polymer frame but a solid slab of an upper. I'm not concerned with the longevity of the frame, they aren't the serialized portion on these pistols and the full metal ones are heavy.. then add a heavy upper and a can... yeah that's a heavy pistol right there.

PNW Reloading on Instagram: "Shot #9 I hit the 200y gong"
I can plink away with mine out to 200y, not saying it's accurate out there but it's fun.

 

[spookshack]

You bet! That's one of my favorite places at the range!

Mine too!

 

[erslll]

I have been using CCI standard velocity for both my pistol and my 10/22 almost exclusively. It is subsonic in both guns and extremely quiet. I have tried a little high velocity in both. In the rifle it is much louder as you hear the bullet crack the sound barrier. The pistol isn't much louder but a little and has a noticeable increase in recoil.

We have 3/16" polly/plastic that we staple our targets to at our range. With the SV ammo you hear the bullet "click" as it hits the plastic. Most that have heard my guns with the TB Take Down say all they hear is the action.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

I'm curious how the recent production threaded 22 LR pistols are performing. I would prefer a metal framed gun but am not conclusively rejecting polymer frame designs. My goal is to keep the pistol and can weight and balance suitable for my wife's smaller hands and weaker wrists. This probably means a 4" barrel and a can less than 6" long. Advice appreciated.

Fyi Here is some info on the walther p22 qd. Fun lightweight plinker avail in 3.5 or 5" barrel, both threaded. You can also modify the 2 included 10 round mags to 15 tounds (reliably) for about $26. What might be of particular interest for your situation is that the slide is incredibly easy to rack.

Walther p22 qd first impressions

Here is what it looks like with the magazine extension (sirry for crappy phone pic).



Also I agree 100% with concerned citizen that the tactical 22 pistols are an absolute blast to shoot. One example is the hk 416 pistol (rifle version is also availble as a used gun only). It is made in germany by walther and is all metal except the sights. The build quality is very, very high. $350 at cddn right now. Threaded 9" barrel. Here is a pic of mine but i have a red dot on it now. Uses 20 or 30 rd mags.



Finally if sound levels are a big deal keep jn mind that barrel length is a huge factor. Longer is quieter. Here is a thread with some sound levels of 7 different cci 22 rounds. The last post discusses rifle vs pistol sound (rifle was 4 times quieter for that specific round).

CCI .22 sound levels non-scientific test results

The other huge factor as others mentioned above is using subsonic ammo. There are two separate sounds, the muzzle blast and the mini sonic boom when the bullet breaks the sound barrier. Muzzle blast is stronger with shorter barrels and of course the supersonic crack (if present) can negate most of the sound benefits from the surpressor. Similar to the others above, i also use cci standard velocity (subsonic) almost all the time now in 22 rifles and use the lower sound rounds such as "quiet 22" and "suppressor" when needed in the shorter barrel pistols. The cci "suppressor" rounds have almost the same kinetic energy as cci standard velocity. They really do work well in shorter barrel guns with a supressor but they are spendy. Most of the time the standard velocity rounds give wonderfully quiet performance and only cost 4.5-5 cents per round when on sale.