Hey All,
I've been considering a .22 LR and suppressor combo for about 12-13 years. The amount of information I've digested and consideration I've given this is pretty funny. But, honestly it's about a $1,000+ investment for something that I saw as cool but wasn't necessarily worth it over $1,000 (Suppressor, Transfer tax, and Host) on other items. I shot a .22 LR suppressed with a friend the same day I fired an AR-15 for the first time. I went AR-15 and haven't looked back for over a decade until now. My mind is pretty made up (perhaps this is biased asking for confirmation of my buying ambitions?), but I like you guys and there's tons of smart folks here so I figured submit my thoughts for review who knows it may be educational for some/all.
Host
I'm heavily leaning towards a Ruger MKIV Tactical (https://ruger.com/products/markIV224...al/models.html). I have a Browning Buckmark (https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-...iant/p/1236811) that I bought as a trainer for my 1911 in .45 ACP. A Dan Wesson 1911 was my first handgun and original carry gun - .45 ACP wasn't cheap so I bought a .22LR that felt similar and looked similar. I still have that Browning, but there's about 3-4 solid reasons that I'm looking to go to the Ruger Mark IV Tactical. I'm interested in your thoughts and/or affirmation.
1.) Barrel Length - At the 2009 AAC Silencer Shoot I talked with Matt Pallet (at the time of SWR MFG who was acquired after by Silencerco, etc.) about the SWR Spectre - that was the jam back then and still is a very formidable suppressor. I was talking to him about barrel lengths, etc. and I mentioned my interest in the Spectre and my .22 LR browning I was going to have threaded. He advocated a 4.5'' .22 LR barrel as that'd more than likely remain subsonic with non-subsonic rounds. I was talking about getting my barrel threaded and it seemed like a wash. Back then a Trail-Lite barrel from Tac Sol was about $200 and the cost of mailing off a barrel to get threaded was about $200 and it'd still be supersonic out of a 5.5'' Barrel. So my decision then was leaning towards the Trail-Lite. That Factory Ruger comes with a 4.4'' barrel. (https://tacticalsol.com/Detail.aspx?...6853&CAT=13329 - looks like those barrels are $300 now...). Anyone able to validate super/subsonic out of a 4.5'' barrel .22 LR while we're talking about it?
2.) Cleaning - .22 LR is a dirty caliber (rimfire and cheap ammo) and add a suppressor to it and backpressure, etc. and it just exacerbates this. Back in 2009-2010 it was a toss up of which gun was more of a PITB to clean. There weren't many clear distinguishers. Two of the high quality .22 LR's at the time were the Ruger .22 series and Browning Buckmarks. Rugers MKIII were/are notoriously difficult to clean and Browning Buckmarks were a little bit easier. The MKIV changes that with basically a one piece barrel/upper. Alot of things have changed and there may be a better host for cleaning than these two, but Ruger really caught something with this disassembly in the MKIV changes.
3.) Ejection Port - So, I wasn't thinking about suppressing a pistol when I bought my Browning Buckmark (I hadn't handled a 22/45 at the time) - I was thinking it was a little bit easier to clean and it felt the most like to me like my 1911 but having a traditionally located ejection port is nice versus hot gas blowing out both sides of the slide as it reciprocates. I can tell you I've burned my thumb, etc. of my shooting / non-shooting hand with that buckmark just with powder and it's normal to have carbon on your hands after shooting it. I quit shooting .22 LR really after Obama was elected as .22 LR was no longer easy to locate and 9mm was cheap enough and I had made the move to Glock by then.
4.) Mounting a Red Dot - Wasn't a thing back in 2009-2010. I want to get this honestly as a trainer / plinking gun, but also to introducing new shooters (including my kids / wife), etc. When people just want to blast at a range, handing them a .22LR and/or practicing fundamentals (as recommended by SLG in a pistol-training post) over a month ago re-kindled this. Ammo prices are high and it appears .22 LR is no longer the de-facto hoard into oblivion caliber. This comes as a factory option on the MKIV, but there may be something else.
I'm open to suggestions here. Doing some silencer metering back in 2010-2012 with the guys at NFATalk.org I got to fire a Ruger 22/45 and SWR combo owned by the site owner / operator and I was extremely impressed. I feel there are enough product improvements that trading the Buckmark into like Budguns and going with that Ruger MKIV is what I'm thinking.
Suppressors
Lord the journey this has been. I've followed the Silencer industry since well 2008-2009. Probably before that on Silencer talk (maybe 2006?). The days of Robert Silvers and John Titsworth going back and forth. Kevin Brittingham and AAC. The spinning off of nfatalk for independent non-subscription based DB numbers (John Titsworth). Pew Science offers that now... anyway. Anyway.
I liked the SWR Spectre (I shot one in person out of the back of an FFL/SOT's machine shop) and was impressed by the sound. Eventually as I understood more and more I really liked the can and had largely settled on it, but cost. Then when I went to the AAC Silencer shoot way back when Silencerco introduced the Sparrow (Aluminum at the time). Which seemed to be a game changer with the clamshells. I was there when Mike Pappas and Josh Waldron unveiled that thing and demo'd it, etc. I actually got to meet Mike Pappas (I saw Trey Knight, Kevin Brittingham. You know those things were really cool). My big concern with the Spectre was Matt was recommending to get a wooden dowel to push the omega style baffles out of the suppressor can. It was difficult to take apart when dirty.
Silencerco's Sparrow didn't meter as well (it seems monocores typically don't have great FRP reduction) as the SWR Spectre but it was super easy to clean which is a big deal with rimfire. But the shortcoming of that design beyond the FRP was it was aluminum (which it appears via LL's testing isn't as big of a deal) and couldn't be cleaned with ultrasonic cleaner or "the dip" (back when that was a thing). So I was contemplating that and then Silencerco released the 22 Sparrow (Sparrow re-done in Stainless Steel versus aluminum). Which seemed to be nice, but still had higher FRP.
I was still doing AR's and handguns, Gemtech had an interesting design that honestly is kind of similar to what the Dead Air Mask became called the Alpine, and that Alpine had traditional baffles over a monocore, but it was Aluminum. But what the Alpine offered over the Spectre was the baffles were machined in such a way to interlock and "snap together". Kel Whelan did a one-off run of stainless steel Alpines for the guys over at Silencertalk probably... 7-10 years ago? I don't know Kel hasn't been with Gemtech in years... Anyway. Stainless Steel does seem to meter slightly quieter than aluminum from what I recall or at least that was the trend in rimfire suppressors at the time.
Eventually Dead Air came on the scene (with Mike Pappas) and introduced the Mask HD which honestly is highly regarded still. It seems to be the best blend of baffle design (no FRP with monocore), appropriate material for performance and ruggedized for cleaning (Steel versus aluminum), and it's not too bad for the weight. Some have criticized the weight, but honestly it's 6 ounces, and all of the hosts it would go on for .22 LR are fixed barrel so easy enough.
I've kind of thought pretty much the Mask HD is a product improved version of the SWR Spectre and for .22 LR getting lots and lots of rounds (100's in single settings) it probably makes to get it as ruggedized as possible.
But, that being said - perhaps this would be a interesting conversation or it'd get a few likes and go nowhere. Either way, I figured I'd throw it out there. Any gaps or alternatives you guys would recommend?