Help Me Choose a Suppressed .22 Handgun

The current thread on suppressors/silencers got me thinking about them again, as I have, off and on now, for several years. And I've noticed that the ATF wait times seem down to weeks now as opposed to a year or so in the past.

One of the questions raised was why would you want one. My answer is simply because I think I would enjoy it. In other words, for fun. Entertainment.

I am thinking either rimfire or 9mm, and a handgun.

I am thinking it probably makes the most sense to buy a handgun with a pre-threaded bbl, but if you've got a better idea, buy a handgun and have the bbl threaded, etc., let's hear it.

I currently own a Sig P365 and a P320. I am guessing one can buy drop-in threaded bbls for either of those, although I don't know this for a fact. (Also own an S&W M41 with 5" HB, 7" and field bbls.)

I dunno, tho. Maybe best to buy a dedicated suppressed handgun...

Budget, within reason, is not an issue.

For the suppressor, sound suppression would be important, but I don't want something that looks ungainly either. Looks matter to me. The cool factor matters to me.

So, your advice and guidance, please. Handguns in .22LR and 9mm — thoughts on my P365 and P320 threaded bbl idea as well, and appropriate suppressors for them to be paired with.

If you own a combination per above, please post pix and tell us about them, what you like and maybe what you don't or should have gotten instead, in retrospect.

Looking forward to your comments.

I use my AAC illusion on a Glock 17, Sig P365, some .22 rifles and a Ruger 22/45. The standard 9mm and .22 thread is the same. .22 is dirtier so I went with something you could disassemble and clean. A dedicated .22 is supposedly better but a 9mm can makes a pretty good drop in the noise.

Mk IV 22/45 with a Sparrow SS. Not very expensive, works great , accurate and a blast to shoot. Sorry - can't post pics here. I've got several 45's I shoot suppressed also, but this little 22 set up makes me smile.
Ed

hdfinder47 said:

Mk IV 22/45 with a Sparrow SS. Not very expensive, works great, accurate and a blast to shoot. Sorry - can't post pics here. I've got several 45's I shoot suppressed also, but this little 22 set up makes me smile.
Ed

Click to expand...

Thanks. I looked this, the MKIV 22/45, up to understand better, and watched a couple of YouTube videos. Looks like a fun little gun. It seems the Sparrow has "First Round Pop," while some other suppressors don't. Given a choicee, I guess I'd prever to avoid "FRP."

Checking out the MKIV 22/45 led me to Silencershop.com, which sells a 3" bbl and a buncha silencers...

Intriguing...

Huntsman, you — somehow, I just know this I guess due to my superior ESP — have a lot of experience with suppressors. Which do you like best and why?

I prefer the Otter Creek Ti22. I have pair of them. Next up is the TBAC Takedown 22, the PWS BDE 22, then the Huxwrx Flow (on the VQ), Then a pair of Dead Air Masks, Banish22 and a SiCo Sparrow. Muchly like the lightweight of the Ti models. The sound is close on most any good rimfire can, but give me Ti....

ono, Also, if you stick with a 22 barrel less than 4", most all HV ammo is subsonic thru them. You can then shoot cheap HV bulk and keep it quiet....

Thank you, Huntsman, I appreciate that advice.

The Hux is a sealed can, so you're kinda stuck using their 'sauce' to clean it. The Sparrow and Mask are great, but heavier than the TD22 or the Ti models. The BDE is a monocore design similar to the Sparrow, but no FRP on a pistol.FRP is kinda overblown, as it's not that big of a deal to me, but I'm shooting(mostly hunting) on a ranch where it don't matter anyway.....

Arlo, I have a SIG P322 with a Rugged Oculus. No FRP, and being modular can be taken apart to reduce length with imperceptible, imo, loss of function, and makes it quite easy to clean.

I don’t shoot larger cal handguns suppressed, only rifles.

To add, the 322 comes threaded.

Take one of your handguns and put

a dummy round or snap-cap in it. Now pull the trigger. It is impossible to do away with those noises!

Now drop a spent case on the floor. Same problem with that noise. Sometimes you can use a brass catcher, but they increase the likelihood of a malfunction.

I had a MAC-10 select fire 9mm with a matching suppressor. In summer with sub-sonic 147 grain ammo and no hearing protection, You would hear the rattling of the action, the rustling of the brass in the dry grass, and the impact of the bullets on the target or backstop. (Steel plates sound like school bells ringing, waterlogged stumps sound like a series of fast face slaps and car doors sound like someone driving nails with a hammer)

Nothing sounds like TV and Movie special effects!

22 RF subsonic sounds higher pitched almost as loud. WWII Commandos were trained to shoot silenced weapons in time with local noises, passing cars and trains or even lightning.

If the ammo used is not subsonic, there is a high pitched crack (a mini sonic boom), This sound will the reflect off hard objects like trees, lamp posts, and buildings. That will continue as long as the bullet is flying OR drops below the speed of sound. (A well suppressed 223 sounds like a 22 mini-Mag being fired.)

When I lived in the countryside, a number of my neighbors had Thompson sub machine guns and one had a BAR, you could hear those for over a mile on a calm day. The Thompson action noises were only audible for a few hundred yards or less when suppressed. (45 ACP Ball ammo is subsonic from short barrels.) Windy days cut those noises a great deal shorter.

ON THE OTHER HAND: A silenced T/C Contender with subsonic ammo is about like a snapping twig. The firing of the old DeLise Carbines were just as quiet, until you cycled the bolt. These were Enfield rifle actions reworked, Barreled with Thompson 1928 45ACP barrels and suppressed with a 2" diameter, 14" long can. Used from Mid WWII into the 1980's (at least 5 saw action in the Falkland War!!) About 800 made and 5 known with folding stocks. There are a few pre-1968/transferable ones in the US.

The Air Force had S&W 39-1 steel frame guns with a slide lock to make them very, very quiet! (I don't know what ever happened to them!) This was in the early 1950's.

The few M-3 grease Guns that were suppressed, were so noisy they sounded like junk cars on a pothole infested road! Sten Guns were almost as bad. The Aussies made suppressed Sterling sub-machine guns that were extremely silent! They saw quite a bit of use in Vietnam, by the US and Aussies. Modified Browning Hi Powers with screw on "Hush Puppy" silencers were a common SOG arm.

Ivan

I would definitely recommend starting with a rimfire suppressor. I have two Mask HD cans, which in my experience are excellent rimfire cans. I run them on a variety of handguns and rifles, including my M&P Compact .22 (my favorite) and my wife's 22/45 Lite.

M&P Compact .22


Suppressors on centerfire handguns can be pretty effective, but are also quite bulky and cumbersome. My Rugged Obsidian is near 'hollywood quiet' on my M&P with 147s, but in the short configuration on my P365 it wasn't at all quiet, and significantly increased recoil (my theory is the extra mass kept the slide locked longer resulting in more felt recoil). The Obsidian also works great on .357mag and 9mm carbines and is rated for .300BLK subs.

Mike, that P322 is a neat looking little pistol, and the 20 round capacity sounds fun. Just read up on it here: Handgun Review: The Sig Sauer P322 | Field & Stream

4" bbl, though, so I guess lose the ability of a 3" to send SV down range subsonic per Huntsman's comments.

Also, what do you think about stainless steel vs Ti for weight for the suppressor?

Ivan, thanks for all the background info.

Rodan, I think you are convincing me to stick with rimfire. After all, my application is entertainment. Just wanna have a good time!

CZ SP-01 with a threaded barrel from CZ Custom. Dead Air Odessa allows standard height sites and with the sections you decide OAL vs amount of suppression. I’ve been very happy with it.

Walther P-22

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I think that they are fun!

I could consider one on a hunting rifle, too. I understand that in Europe hunting with an unsuppressed rifle is considered to be rude.

Using one on a .22 caliber pistol is just purely entertaining!

Fnx 45 tactical

45 is subsonic and therefore very quiet when using a silencer. Most 9mm ammo is supersonic so you still get the crack. I reload my own 147grn subsonic 9mm. You don’t need any hearing protection when using subsonic ammo. I have the osprey 45 which I use on my 9mms, 45 acp, and 300 blk guns

Would seriously consider buying a pistol with factory threaded barrel as aftermarket can be hit or miss. If wanting a larger caliber, might consider a larger hand gun than the 365 which can get picky about what size silencer will reliably function. (actual experience)

With 22's am in for a heavier pistol than the plastic framed lightweights, although have a variety. While ultra lights certainly fulfill some purposes, for me heavier pistols are easier to shoot accurately. But am not carrying them around holstered. Have several Mark IV's, and the "tacticool" version makes an excellent suppressor host. However both the Mark IV's owned came with really ****** triggers that were just plain annoying and not conducive to getting the accuracy desired. Voltz trigger kits used with the oem springs suited the purpose desired.

If in the future you desire too add on to the fun, would considier a 45 bore silencer for both 9mm and 45, and a .30 bore for up to 30 caliber.

I agree with Huntsman - FRP is NBD (no big deal). Still plenty hearing safe with any 22 ammo. And I don't see where a few ounces of weight (can or host) is much of an issue for a nice toy - one way or the other. The higher capacity guns may have a fun factor advantage but extra 22 mags are fairly cheap and plentiful. So, I don't think you can go wrong with any can/host combo that is of good quality and has good ratings. You are in for a good time. Happy (quiet) shooting!
Ed