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How to Select the Best Suppressor for the FN 502 Tactical: a Buyer’s Guide

December 4, 2024 Posted by Derrek Sigler

Rimfire guns are just fun, especially .22 pistols. The FN 502 Tactical is a favorite among many shooters looking for a great training pistol, a capable target pistol, and a fun rimfire option. And you just knew we’d want to suppress it, right? Of course we do, and it is a terrific platform to suppress, too. That begs the question - which suppressor do you get? Luckily for you, there are some truly amazing choices out there for use as a .22-caliber rimfire suppressor. Want to know how to select the best suppressor for the FN 502 tactical? Read on, friends!

Get to Know the FN 502 Tactical

The FN 502 Tactical is FN's first .22-caliber pistol as well as the industry’s first slide-mounted, optics-ready rimfire handgun. That’s a pretty big deal, as it makes this a unique platform both as a rimfire pistol and as a training aid when you want as many trigger pulls as possible for your money. 9mm ammo isn’t too expensive, but it isn’t as cheap as .22lr.

The gun's ergonomics, balance, and ambidextrous controls are all based on the FN 502’s bigger brother: the FN 509. This makes it the perfect training gun for someone who trusts their life to the 509 or even competes with it. Since the 502 Tactical is a rimfire gun, you can train more economically while still developing and maintaining all of the necessary muscle memory for when you're carrying the bigger FN 509.

Benefits of Suppressing the FN 502 Tactical

Some people may think that running a suppressor on a pistol chambered for .22 LR is silly. They're wrong. Since the round is small and quiet (relatively speaking) when shot unsuppressed, that makes it the perfect candidate for shooting suppressed. You can bring the decibel level of the FN 502 Tactical down to darn-near "Hollywood-quiet" levels when you put a suppressor on the end of it.

The gun comes from the factory with a threaded barrel and suppressor height sights. FN wouldn't bother adding those features if they didn't know that people would absolutely want to run this gun suppressed.

You get to shoot quieter, incur less ammo costs, and do so more comfortably with a rimfire pistol than with a centerfire pistol, so it makes no sense why you wouldn't want to run one on the FN 502 Tactical.

Things to Keep in Mind When Choosing a Suppressor

Suppressors are a significant investment in both time and money. You want to choose wisely and make sure that you've considered all of the most important factors.

Generally speaking, rimfire guns are smaller and lighter than their centerfire counterparts. As a result, the weight and length of the suppressor you put on a rimfire gun is of utmost importance so that you don't throw off the gun's balance or make it unwieldy. Beyond that, things like build materials and quality as well as price come into play.

Top Suppressor Models for the FN 502 Tactical in 2024

FN Catch 22 Ti	BANISH 22	SoLo 22	Dead Air Mask 22	Rugged Oculus 22	YHM Phantom	Model
5 oz.	4.4 oz	3.2 oz.	6.6 oz.	12.8 oz.	4 oz.	Weight
5.25 in.	5.375 in.	6 in.	5.1 in.	5.25 in.	5.5 in.	Length
.22	.22	.22	.22	.22	.22	Caliber
$499	$549	$345	$469	$515	$419.95	Price

We picked the suppressors for this list based off of the criteria mentioned above: weight, length, build quality, and price. Those are all things that consumers are going to be considering, but we also added in another factor that consumers aren't privvy to. We also used our knowledge as the nation's largest silencer dealer to see what rimfire suppressors most people are buying. So, here's our list of the top suppressors for the FN 502 Tactical.

Editor's Pick - FN Catch 22 TI

The obvious top pick is the FN can simply because the Catch 22 Ti was basically designed for the FN 502 pistol.

The Catch 22 Ti is a lightweight, tough and quiet rimfire suppressor, reducing muzzle blast from all 22 LR firearms. With reliable feed and extraction across most ammunition types as the new standard, maintaining exceptional accuracy, cycling reliability and high durability standards FN owners demand.

Mounting is fast and repeatable with the direct-thread ½” x 28 mount. The user-serviceable blast baffle and baffle stack delivers an exceptionally quiet and smooth shooting experience on 22 LR, 22 MAG, 22 WMR and 17 HMR firearms, in case you want to use this can on other guns besides your 502.

At just 1.1-in diameter, the Catch 22 Ti clears suppressor height sights as well as RMRs. With the titanium tube holding strong at 5 oz, the light, easy-to-maintain design breaks down quickly with the included tool and holds a limited lifetime warranty.

Advantages:

Designed for the 502
Did we mention it was designed for the 502?!

Drawback:

For the 502, there isn’t one

FN Catch 22 Ti Specs:

Caliber: .22
Weight: 5 oz
Diameter: 1.12"
Length: 5.25"
Mount Type: 1/2x28
Material: Titanium

Price: $499

Buy an FN Catch 22 Ti

BANISH Pick - BANISH 22

If you’re looking for the perfect first-time silencer purchase, the BANISH 22 is a great option.

The BANISH 22 suppressor is designed for use with rimfire pistols and rifles chambered in .22 caliber and smaller. This includes .22 Hornet, .17HMR, and even 5.7×28. It’s even rated for full-auto!

Using 1/2×28 threads for direct attachment, the BANISH 22 is made of lightweight titanium, weighs just 4.1oz, is 1” in diameter, and only 5.375” long. This means you’ll barely even notice that the BANISH 22 is on the end of your FN 502 Tactical pistol – except when it comes to sound reduction.

Tests measured the BANISH 22 bringing down the report of a .22LR cartridge to about 120 decibels, which is just 10 decibels more than a BB-gun. That's incredibly quiet.

Rimfire ammo is notoriously dirty, which means you'll need to clean a rimfire suppressor more often. Thankfully, the BANISH 22 was designed specifically to maximize your time shooting and minimize your time cleaning. The internal baffles are engineered for a precise fit to keep lead debris and carbon buildup at an absolute minimum. This prevents the debris and buildup from reaching the outer tube, which causes components to fuse together and makes cleaning a pain. You won't have that happen with the BANISH 22.

Advantages:

Titanium construction is durable and lightweight
Baffles designed to minimize fowling
Excellent reduction of first-round pop

Drawback:

Fixed length (not modular)

BANISH 22 Specs:

Caliber: .22
Weight: 4.4 oz
Diameter: 1"
Length: 5.375"
Mount Type: Direct Thread
Material: Titanium
User-Serviceable: Yes
Full-Auto Rated: Yes

Price: $549

Buy the BANISH 22

Budget Pick - SoLo 22

A .22-caliber suppressor is the perfect entry point to the world of suppressors because they are generally less expensive than their bigger brothers. If budget is your biggest concern when picking out a suppressor, then look no further than the SoLo 22.

The SoLo 22 is a high quality rimfire suppressor constructed entirely of aircraft grade aluminum. This allows it to be very light; in fact, it's the lightest one on this list! The SoLo 22 can be shot wet or dry and can be disassembled for cleaning with a standard 7mm hex key wrench.

Advantages:

Most affordable option on the list
Can be shot wet for extra decibel reduction
Easy disassembly with standard hex wrench

Drawback:

Aluminum is not as durable as other materials

SoLo 22 Specs:

Caliber: .22
Weight: 3.2 oz
Diameter: 1"
Length: 6"
Mount Type: Direct Thread
Material: Aluminum
User-Serviceable: Yes
Full-Auto Rated: No

Price: $345

Buy a SOLO 22

Dead Air Mask 22

Dead Air's Mask 22 offers great performance, solid build quality, and user-friendly features packed into a compact and versatile package. Constructed with a titanium tube and stainless steel baffles, it’s designed to handle a wide spectrum of calibers - without barrel restrictions - from .22LR to 5.7×28. It's even rated for full-auto fire.

Measuring just 5.1" in length, the Dead Air Mask 22 offers excellent sound suppression that even does a great job at eliminating the notorious first-round pop. Since rimfire rounds are dirtier than centerfire rounds, the Mask 22 is user-serviceable allowing shooters to clean it with ease and quickly get back to shooting.

Advantages:

Rated for full auto
Titanium and stainless steel are very durable
Keyed and indexed baffles for easy reassembly

Drawback:

Weighs 2.2 ounces more than the next heaviest suppressor on the list

Dead Air Mask 22 Specs:

Caliber: .22
Weight: 6.6 oz
Diameter: 1.07"
Length: 5.1"
Mount Type: Direct Thread
Material: Titanium and Stainless Steel
User-Serviceable: Yes
Full-Auto Rated: Yes

Price: $469

Buy a Dead Air Mask 22

Rugged Oculus22

The Oculus22 by Rugged is constructed from 100% 17-4 stainless steel. This makes for a suppressor that is extremely durable and capable of being cleaned by almost any cleaning method without worry of damage. Equipped with Rugged’s ADAPT™ modular technology, you don’t have to choose between a long suppressor or a short one - you get both. It is just 5.25" long in the full configuration and a downright tiny 3.25" in the short configuration.

Rugged's Oculus 22 features baffles with indexing tabs for a repeatable return to zero after cleaning. The keyed baffles create a gas seal to prevent carbon build-up, which is a huge plus when shooting rimfire ammo.

The Oculus22 is even belt-fed rated for .22LR and is full-auto rated for 5.7x28mm to 22WRM. If the opportunity ever comes up to have some serious suppressed fun with one of those calibers, you'll be ready!

Advantages:

Modular design gives you two suppressors in one
Rated for belt-fed and full-auto fire
Stainless steel construction is very durable

Drawback:

Heaviest suppressor on the list by far

Rugged Oculus22 Specs:

Caliber: .22
Weight: 10.7 oz or 12.8 oz
Diameter: 1.06"
Length: 3.25" or 5.25"
Mount Type: Direct Thread
Material: Stainless Steel
User-Serviceable: Yes
Full-Auto Rated: Yes

Price: $542

Buy a Rugged Oculus 22

Yankee Hill Machine Phantom

The Phantom by Yankee Hill Machine was designed from the ground up to exceed expectations. It combines an optimized, interlocked baffle system for exceptional sound reduction, all while still being durable, light, quiet, easy to maintain, and budget-friendly.

Even though it weighs just four ounces, the Phantom can confidently handle rounds up to 5.7x28mm. YHM cleverly designed the Phantom 22 so that the rear of the blast chamber doubles as a convenient takedown tool for the muzzle cap. You'll never find yourself stuck and unable to take this suppressor apart for cleaning.

The Phantom's baffle stack is made from heat-treated 17-4 stainless steel and the external components consist of a 7075-T6 aluminum blast chamber and a 6061-T6 tube housing the baffle stack.

Advantages:

Muzzle cap doubles as takedown tool
Stainless steel and aluminum provide a balance of strength and weight
Rated for full-auto

Drawback:

Second longest suppressor on the list

Yankee Hill Machine Phantom Specs:

Caliber: .22
Weight: 4 oz
Diameter: 1.1"
Length: 5.5"
Mount Type: Direct Thread
Material: Stainless Steel and Aluminum
User-Serviceable: Yes
Full-Auto Rated: Yes

Price: $419.95

Buy a YHM Phantom

Buying an FN 502 Tactical Suppressor: What You Need to Know

The first step to buying a suppressor is to pick the right one for the job. By this point in your reading, you should have a pretty good idea of what your wants and needs are in a suppressor for the FN 502 Tactical. Now we'll get into all of the other aspects of buying a suppressor.

Purchasing a Tax Stamp

All suppressors are regulated by the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934. Because of this, you must purchase a $200 tax stamp for each and every suppressor you want to own. Yes, it's a bummer, but it's the law. Thankfully, Silencer Central makes buying a tax stamp something that you can do just as easily as buying the suppressor. We handle the entire purchase for you.

Filing Your Paperwork

Buying a suppressor is similar to buying a gun in that it involves government paperwork. You'll need to fill out a Form 4473, but you'll also fill out a Form 4, submit photos, complete fingerprint cards, and a few other things.

This is also the part of the process where you decide if you're going to do the paperwork as an individual or as a trust. Our staff can talk through the pros and cons of each and even set you up with a free NFA gun trust if you decide to go that route. From there, we'll handle filing all of the paperwork for you.

Silencer Central’s Buying Process: Let Us Do the Hard Work for You

The silencer buying process can be complicated and frustrating thanks to NFA regulations and ATF wait times. Luckily, Silencer Central helps with navigating the filing and cuts out the middleman. We'll help you pick out a suppressor, fill out all of the paperwork with you, submit everything electronically, set you up with a free NFA gun trust and an interest-free payment plan, and then ship your new suppressor right to your front door upon approval. It doesn't get any easier than that.

Simplify the Silencer Buying Process with Silencer Central

If you're ready to suppress your FN 502 Tactical, then you've come to the right place. Silencer Central has made the process as easy as possible. We've been in business for almost 20 years and this is all we do - all day, every day. We're the nation's largest silencer dealer and we're the only one that's licensed to sell in all 42 states where suppressors are legal.

Get started today!