The Silent Rimfire – by Bob Campbell
I recently jumped headlong into the world of sound suppressors (or sound moderators, but not silencers). They are not completely silent, but amazingly quiet. These devices were developed about the time that modern firearms with high velocity and smokeless powder came into use. Incidentally, the world was a much quieter place before about 1890. High-velocity rifles with their distinctive crack and internal combustion engines came into their own. Maxim’s sound mufflers made the world more bearable. We would not run our truck without a muffler! By the same token, sound suppressors are a great addition to any firearm, but especially .22 caliber rimfire firearms. .22s are great trainers, and if you are a shooter and love the game, there is nothing like burning up a few hundred .22s from a quality firearm.
What Is a Suppressor?
The sound-moderating device is a hollow tube that contains a number of sound-confining baffles. Sound is simply energy created by a sound wave. These baffles absorb this energy. Just as recoil springs absorb recoil energy, the suppressor absorbs sound energy. The projectile itself isn’t affected. In fact, a fractional amount of velocity may be gained with a suppressor.
Image Courtesy of Dead Air
The bullet exits the suppressor while the sound wave is limited. A good thing came to a halt in easily obtained and affordable suppressors with the National Firearms Act of 1934. Fully automatic weapons and short-barreled shotguns, not to mention some pistols firing shotgun shells, were restricted. It was possible to obtain these items, but pretty darned difficult.
Today, thanks to level-headed, freedom-loving, and intelligent folks in the government, suppressors are much more readily obtained. I did the fingerprints, photo, and application and got my first approval in three days, the second in ten days. The first firearm that received a suppressor was a .22 caliber firearm. Noise reduction and hearing protection are the primary goals for owning a suppressor. But there are other valid reasons.
Suppressors help with communication on the range or in a training environment. This is a big plus in everyone’s book. If you are training shooters, doing so without flash, blast, and recoil is a great thing. If you live in a rural environment, very few of us are so isolated that a gunshot cannot be heard. I hear one occasionally around the home, and while it isn’t very alarming, probably a coyote or groundhog met its demise. With a sound suppressor, livestock and pets are not alarmed, and neither are the neighbors.
An often misunderstood part of a novice’s hesitancy with firearms is muzzle blast. This blast causes flinching as surely as heavy recoil may. With a sound suppressor, not only is noise reduced, but flash is nearly eliminated. A suppressor adds a slight amount of weight to the firearm, but with a .22 this isn’t much of a disadvantage, as .22 rimfire recoil is negligible at best.
Practical accuracy is improved with a suppressor. You are able to concentrate more on accuracy with the firearm’s modest recoil, and you will find that you are a more accurate shot with a sound suppressor. I am eager to try a suppressed .22 for small-game hunting this year. Often enough, at the first shot, even with .22 Shorts, the squirrel population becomes, well, squirrely. With a sound suppressor, this excitement is limited.
Which Suppressor?
There are a number of very good suppressors on the market. I am happy with the Dead Air Mask. You become knowledgeable by leaning on the experience of the best in the business, and Dead Air is highly recommended by those in the know.
The Mask weighs in at 6.8 ounces. Diameter is 1.07 inches, and the Mask HD is 5.1 inches long. The Mask uses stainless steel baffles, and the tube is titanium, an upgrade from many .22-type suppressors. The Cerakote finish is evenly applied.
Since .22 rimfire ammunition is dirtier than centerfire ammunition, you need a suppressor that is easier to clean than a centerfire unit. The Dead Air’s enclosed baffles and simple design make for easy maintenance.
(BTW, if you want to have great performance, not just average, out of your suppressed Ruger 10/22, add Volquartsen’s Firefly bolt. Hiccups and short cycles disappear with this bolt when using low-velocity subsonic loads. If you really want to fly high, add a Volquartsen trigger.)
Hearing damage is possible at 140 dB or so, and the .22 pistol is always a little louder than the rifle. With the Dead Air Mask and CCI subsonic loads, the Ruger 10/22 Carbon Fiber barrel rifle was so quiet it was really just the noise of the bolt cycling.
I enjoyed firing suppressed handguns a great deal as well. The Taurus TX22 and the SIG P322 are among my favorites. Either is a great choice for suppressor use. I have recently been exploring the S&W M&P22X. This is quite a pistol, reliable, accurate, and ergonomic. The M&P22X seems a better performer than the P322, which may be finicky about ammunition.
In all cases, use CCI Quiet-22 or Quiet-22 Semi-Auto. Function is excellent. These handguns are among the best trainers available. It is easy enough to train a shooter using a suppressor without the need for yelling at each other while wearing hearing protection.
The world of rimfire suppressors is a wonderful one for shooters. Training, practice, hunting, and fun shooting are all part of the package. Don’t hesitate. Jump in. Suppressed .22s are a great pastime.
Ammunition Testing
| Load | dB Handgun | dB Rifle |
———————————————
| CCI Standard Velocity | 116 | 114 |
| CCI Quiet 45-grain Semi-Auto | 115 | 110 |
| CCI Suppressor | 111 | 114 |
| CCI Suppressor Hollow Point | 112 | 114 |
| CCI Mini Mag | —- | 118 |
Specifications – Dead Air Armament Mask HD
Caliber Rating: .17–.22 Rimfire, 5.7×28 mm
Diameter: 1.07 in.
Length: 5.1 in.
Weight: 6.8 oz.
Tube: Grade 9 Titanium, Matte Black Cerakote
Baffles: 17-4 PH Stainless Steel, Natural Finish
End Caps: 17-4 PH Stainless Steel, Black Nitride
Thread Size: 1/2×28 TPI
MSRP: $449
