Shooting a pistol with a suppressor makes a lot of sense and there are several suppressors tailor-made for the pistol market. However, be aware of the steps that may be needed to get the best pistol suppressor performance. Here are some expert tips to get the best performance with a pistol suppressor.
Basic tips
There are a few tricks that can help get better performance from your pistol when adding a suppressor. One of the easiest and most important is to start off with a properly broken-in pistol. New pistols with new springs often need to get several hundred rounds of ammo shot down range so the metal components can wear together and smooth out. A brand-new pistol needs to get shot a bunch so it functions properly, anyway, and when a suppressor is added to the mix, it can make it a bit touchy.
It is also important to keep the pistol clean. Excessive fouling can impede the action and cause your pistol to not operate correctly. The issue can be exacerbated by adding a suppressor.
Properly thread the suppressor. All threads should be clean, and the suppressor needs to be threaded tightly in place.
The BANISH 9 uses a MicroBooster that will need to be cleaned during regular use. Photo by Derrek Sigler
Many, but not all pistol suppressors use a piston and booster assembly, known as a Nielsen device. These boosters help the pistol cycle by nullifying the added weight of the suppressor on the barrel. Booster-equipped suppressors tend to cycle regularly. If this isn’t the case, the piston is a good place to start if the pistol is not reliably cycling
It's not unusual for a suppressed pistol to start experience reliability issues as the round counts climb. While cleaning the pistol and even the suppressor are obvious remedies, its important not to neglect the booster. Dirt and buildup can cause the piston to stick.
It's good practice to disassemble and clean the entire booster assembly regularly. This includes the piston, spring, and retainer following the manufacturer’s guidelines.
After cleaning, or before using a new suppressor, it’s also important to lubricate the piston. Dry pistons are a common cause of cycling failures. Use whatever lubrication solution is specified by the manufacturer to lube the piston assembly. If you’re not sure what to use, consult the owner’s manual which may have come with the suppressor or, often, can be found online.
Full-sized pistol suppressors, like the BANISH 45 or Dead Air Mojave 9, have boosters for reliable performance. The BANISH 9 uses a Micro Booster for the same effect in a more compact package.
The BANISH 9K is a terrific and light 9mm suppressor. You just may need to modify your recoil spring, or tweak your ammo choice for best performance. Photo by Ryan Grant.
Changing the recoil spring can compensate for the weight of the suppressor on select pistols. Non-booster suppressors, like the BANISH 9K, can call for this modification. Even though these suppressors don’t add significant weight, the addition of one to the end of the barrel can impede the cycling of the pistol.
You may need to install a lighter recoil spring. Adding a suppressor to the pistol can effectively increase the weight on the barrel. With the need to manage the limited energy of a pistol cartridge to send the slide rearward and tilt the barrel (on many popular semiautos), the latter task consumes more energy because of the added weight of the suppressor. Thus, there is less energy remaining to compress the recoil spring and fully retract the slide, so a lighter spring may rebalance this cycle.
Try several spring weights to get the best performance. There are recoil spring kits with various weights on the market. Experiment until you find the lightest spring that still allows the slide to return to battery reliably.
As an example, many popular 9mm popular pistols, like Glocks and SIG Sauers, many stock springs are in the 17-pound range. For these pistols, the heavier spring can cause feed issues with stovepipes and other battery issues.
Swapping to a 15-pound spring often solves a lot of this issue with a suppressor. Swapping recoil springs is a fairly simple task but requires familiarity with the firearm and an understanding of assembly, disassembly, and maintenance procedures. If you have any questions, consult a qualified gunsmith.
Additionally, be careful not to go too light as that can lead to new issues. While a very light spring may make things seemingly run smooth, it can cause additional wear on your pistol, or cause battery issues that lead to bad results. The key is finding the right balance for your pistol, ammo, and suppressor choice.
Light ammo
Sometimes the easiest fix is to switch to a heavier bullet choice, such as this 9mm load using a 147-grain HST bullet from Federal.
“Light” or soft-shooting ammo by virtue of the bullet weight or powder charge can also cause unreliable cycling. For example, 9mm range or target ammo often uses a 115-grain bullet over a modest payload of powder. The intent is to punch holes and offer shooters a lighter recoil than, say, personal defense ammunition.
These lighter loads can compound the energy balancing issues when shot through suppressed semiautos. Even with lightened springs, they may not offer the energy required to cycle the slide given the added weight of the suppressor. It is suggested to avoid light-recoiling target loads when shooting suppressed pistols.
What works? Depending upon the pistol, the use of 124-grain, or 147-grain standard or +P ammunition will often give much better results. Light target loads often give the worst performance, so consider using a hotter/heavier defensive load. Subsonic ammo, which is often a heavier, slower bullet, can work well, too.
Some guns are also just particular when it comes to ammo brands and weights. Try several different rounds from several manufacturers to find what the firearm cycles reliably.
Some of the more common causes for a jam when using a pistol suppressor are ammunition that is too light, a pistol that isn't properly broken in yet, or a dirty suppressor. All of which are easily fixed.
Glocks are notorious for being tricky to use with a suppressor. Try using heavier bullet weights and then consider swapping recoil springs for better performance.
As with most pistol platforms when shooting suppressed, make sure your SIG is clean, broken in, and is running a heavier bullet weight. You can also try swapping recoil springs to get better performance from your SIG.
You will need to replace the barrel with a threaded one to be able to use a suppressor. Luckily, there are several options, including our own accessory Threaded Barrels.
What about pistol-caliber carbines (PCCs)?
It’s worth noting that, despite sharing ammunition selections and suppressor options with semiautomatic handguns, PCCs generally do not suffer from the same reliability issues as pistols. Their operating margins are more robust, and they lack some of the engineering eccentricities of semiauto pistols, including the tilt-barrel design and reciprocating slide.
Generally, pistol suppressors work flawlessly and with less limitations when mounted on PCCs. And, because the barrels are not expected to tilt, no boosters or pistons are required, simple use a direct thread mount. In fact, the added flexibility afforded by Nielsen devices may cause the bore of the suppressor to come out of alignment with the bore of the PCC, resulting in unintended damage such as baffle strikes.
Do not use Nielsen devices with fixed-barrel PCCs.
Results may vary...
As with anything, results will vary depending upon the pistol, ammo, and suppressor combination. Try different things until you get the setup that works best and then run it.
While many suppressors can be used on several different caliber firearms, we have some specific models that can make your shooting more enjoyable. Pick the caliber that you have in mind. If you don’t see your caliber, pick one close to it to see our recommendations.
