Firearms Hunting Silencers 101 Suppressor Care
Why buy a .22 suppressor?
Since .22-caliber firearms are, quite honestly, the most-popular guns in existence, the question some of you may have is, why should I buy a .22 suppressor? After all, one of the main reasons to buy, own, and shoot a .22 is the fact that they are pretty inexpensive all the way around. Why add to that cost with a .22-caliber suppressor? The reasons are quite numerous, though. Don’t worry, I’m going to go through some actual reasons that you should logically consider a .22 can as an important purchase, but let’s just start off by stating the obvious. Why buy a .22 suppressor? Because you can.
The Mighty 22!
The vast majority of us started our shooting experience with a .22lr rifle of some kind. Yeah, I know I could say some form of air rifle, but when it comes to gunpowder-propelled firearms, a .22 is where most of us started off from. I know my first real rifle was a Marlin Model 60. I can’t tell you how many boxes of .22lr ammo I fed into that tube magazine-fed gun, or the number of targets, cans, and squirrels that found their way in front of the business end of it. I’d still have it if some person hadn’t decided then needed it more than I did and so it was “donated” from the trunk of my car. I’m still not bitter about it some 25 years later. Nope, not at all.
A .22 is the perfect firearm. It has little to no recoil, and ammo is usually cheap and abundant – Usually! They are perfect for beginning shooters of any age, and are great for plinking, target shooting, hunting, or just getting some good, old-fashioned trigger time. And let’s not forget that a .22 can be fairly inexpensive to buy in the first place, although they can get pretty pricey when you look at the amazing things some manufacturers are doing with the platform.
Why suppress your .22?
This is where we get into the really grit of why you should seriously consider a .22 suppressor. Don’t worry, this isn’t going to be a hardcore sales pitch, either. I’ll share some links if you want to buy one, but this is more about extolling the benefits of the can.
A .22 averages between 130 and 150 decibels at the ear when you shoot it. It is closer to the 140 mark for most of them, but there are a few variations where it can be quieter than that. If you can find one of the old .22 shorts, that would do it, but then we’re getting away from the cheap and plentiful side of things. The levels of most .22 firearms sit right at that hearing damage threshold, and anytime we can get a firearm below that level is important.
Think of it this way. You need to protect your hearing. You also need to protect the hearing of those around you, like your hunting buddies and especially your kids if you’re teaching them to shoot and hunt.
If you’re hunting the type of game you’d use a .22 for, and use a dog, you should also consider protecting their hearing, too. My old retriever would have certainly appreciated it if I had had a suppressor back when she was still around. Did you know dogs can suffer hearing damage from shooting? It is called Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) and is a real problem for dogs because they can't tell us it is happening, and it is a scary thing for a dog. I think my next bird dog may be a Clumber Spaniel and I will not hunt over any dog without a suppressor again. That means I'll also need a shotgun suppressor... I know a place to get one, too. Might even be something new coming along soon, too.
Hollywood magic
This is not necessarily a major selling point, but if you’ve ever seen a suppressor being used in a TV show or movie, they love to make it seem like the can cuts down all the noise, making it impossible to hear the gun going off. As with most of what you see in movies, that depiction is about as accurate as the answers I wrote down on my last college math test. There’s a reason I’m a writer and not an engineer, people!
The caveat here is that a quality .22 suppressor is about as close as you can get to that mythical “Hollywood quiet” with a firearm. For example, a BANISH 22 suppressor cuts the sound of a Ruger 10/22 down about 23 decibels at the ear. That’s not as silent as a movie gun, but it’ll be closer than you think.
Because you can
Ask any mountain climber why they climb mountains – Because it’s there! I know that’s a little cliche. I know one avid mountain climber and trust me, he says that all the time without being asked. His wife is vegan, too, so yeah, we don’t hang out as much anymore. But in all seriousness, one of the reasons you should buy a .22 suppressor is because you can.
With bigger caliber firearms, and the appropriate suppressor to match, you usually expect three basic notions to be true. One, the suppressor will make the firearm quiet enough to not damage your hearing. Two, that a suppressor will reduce recoil to some extent. Finally, there will be a noticeable increase in accuracy. These same things apply to .22 suppressors, although I’m not sure anyone could notice the difference in felt recoil of a .22 suppressed versus unsuppressed.
Let’s talk .22 accuracy
There are two basic ways a suppressor helps with accuracy, and yes, these even apply to a .22. The added weight, even as slight as it is, tends to stabilize your muzzle and reduce the vibrations that affect bullet flight. It isn’t much with a rimfire, but it is a thing. At .22 distances, you may not notice it much on a typical shot, but if you’re into competition shooting, where accuracy is king, you’ll see it. If you’re like me, you want every bit of accuracy from your firearm as possible.
Then there’s the flinch. This is where a suppressed .22 is magical for new shooters. I grew up a country boy, on a farm with tractors, guns, dirt bikes, and chainsaws. Add in my musical tastes and I have always been accustomed to loud noises. When I started shooting, I knew what to expect and this helped me avoid the flinch from the start, although I will admit I did flinch some when I first shot my uncle’s .375 H&H. I had the notion that it was a cannon going off that would rip my shoulder apart, etc. Yeah, I was way off and now enjoy shooting a .375 H&H whenever I can.
A lot of new shooters expect that the sound the gun makes when it goes off – even a .22 - will result in a bunch of felt recoil to the shoulder. It simply isn’t the case, though, as a .22 will not have much recoil at all. It is all psychological with relation to the noise. This is where a .22 suppressor is worth its weight in gold. It helps train a new shooter to focus on where the bullet goes versus expecting to hear a loud sound, which could mean a bunch of recoil. This helps train your body to manage recoil from the start.
Which .22 suppressor do you want?
Now that you’ve come to the logical conclusion that you simply need to have a .22 suppressor – you did come to that right? - which one do you get? We can help with that. I’d start by looking at this guide, The Best .22 Suppressors -
It will give you some head-to-head comparisons of the best .22 cans on the market right now. As with most things, you can spend a little, or a lot, depending upon what you want. It’s kind of like looking at buying a standard .22 rifle, like a Ruger 10/22, or something quite specialized, like a Volquartsen.
.22 Pistol suppressors
The nice thing about .22 suppressors is – they will usually work just fine for .22 pistols as well as rifles. This means if you take the most successful .22 rifle – the Ruger 10/22, and put a suppressor on it, like a BANISH 22, you can also use it on the most popular .22 pistol on the market, the Ruger Mark IV. Kinda crazy that Ruger has the .22 market cornered, huh? It’s almost as if they knew what makes for a stellar rimfire firearm.
Getting the best .22 suppressor for your money
One of the questions I get asked is, “Do I really want to spend my money on a .22 suppressor?” Hopefully you’ve already got your answer to that and are ready to buy one. But the next question is about getting the best .22 suppressor for your money. There are some areas of consideration you should ponder.
Materials
You can get a .22 can made from materials like stainless steel, aluminum, and titanium. Usually the steel and aluminum cans are a combination of the two. These are often a little more budget friendly, but you’ll add some weight. Titanium is going to add a little to the overall cost, but you same a lot of weight, and the can is often a little more durable for a long-term investment.
Caliber rating
Any .22 suppressor worth buying will handle any rimfire cartridge. This includes .22lr, as well as .17HMR, .17WSM, .22Mag, and any of the other rimfire offerings that are out there as long as they meet the .22 caliber limit. Some cans, like the BANISH 22, can also handle 5.7x28mm, the crazy-fast cartridge developed by FN. There is a growing number of pistols and carbines chambered in 5.7x28mm and they are pretty sweet.
Cost
Getting the best .22 suppressor for your money means spending some money, right? Set your budget and know what you can spend comfortably. On average, .22 suppressors can run from $350 up past $1,000. Getting the best can for you doesn’t always mean spending the most money.
Longevity
I have two friends, each of whom bought a .22 suppressor. The one just wanted to have one and spent the least amount of money he could on a brand I had never heard of. Silencer Central doesn’t sell it, and they sell everything. The other friend spent a little more and bought a titanium can from a repudiable brand. OK, it was a BANISH 22.
The three of us got together and compared them head-to-head. There were two major things that stood out. The BANISH was quieter and it was easier to clean. The cheap one had already had quite a few rounds through it, and the performance was starting to show it. It needed to be cleaned but was not very user serviceable. I tell you this not to try to sell you the BANISH can but to tell you to make sure you can clean the can you buy so you get the longest life and best performance from your suppressor investment.
Que the music
Go ahead and throw on some patriotic music while I wrap this up. Why buy a .22 suppressor? What could be more American than buying one? Everyone has a .22 or should have one. If you don’t, I’m betting you want one, and therefore, you should want a .22 suppressor. Across Europe and much of the rest of the world, suppressors are in common use and considered polite. While we, as a country, might not be as keen to follow what other countries are doing, there is no denying the value of a suppressor. It makes the shooting and hunting experience more enjoyable and just better. You don’t need any more reason than that!
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