First outing with a new .22 can on Friday afternoon.  My daughter and I put about 100 rounds through it.  When we got home, I had a really hard time getting the end cap off the muzzle end.  The end cap at the base came off without much fuss.  Anyway, this is what I found.  It doesn't look healthy and I was wondering if someone with more experience could confirm that it's the result of a bullet striking the end cap:



I've sent an email to the manufacturer, but I don't expect to hear anything from them until Monday.  (I'm not going to name them here.  This is a general information request and they deserve every opportunity to make this right if it's on them, and I hope they will provide guidance if a quality control/manufacturing issue is not the cause.)  What are the possible culprits?

I was shooting a Walther P22 with a factory thread adapter and Remington Golden Bullets.  As far as weapon-caused problems, I'm guessing concentricity of the barrel and thread adapter are suspects.  I expect the suppressor and its components are also susceptible to concentricity errors, and that the manufacturer will identify them as the problem, or rule them out.  And then a problem with the ammo would need to be considered.  Are there other possibilities?

I'm new to the suppressor scene and was wondering what the typical procedure and timeline to have a can repaired is?  If the problem is not with the suppressor, do gun or ammo manufacturers typically step up and cover repair or replacement costs if their products are implicated?

Looks like it got shot to me.

Don't use junk ammo through your cans. Although as junk as golden bullets are, they probably aren't the direct cause. They probably showed the issue worse than premium ammo would have.

I'd go with concentricity problems at face value.

If the mfg determines it to be repairable, they should do it without issue. However, if your gun/mount is the problem, expect to pay. If the can was faulty, they probably won't even have you pay shipping.

They may ask you to send the barrel (if removable) to check it out themselves. If they don't, I'd recommend a qualified machinist/gunsmith inspect the threads anyway. If it's an aftermarket barrel like e.g. a silencerco drop in for a glock, I'm sure their CS will take care of you in the event the barrel is wonky.

Well of course that is a bullet strike. Surely you didn’t purchase the can with an oblong hole already in it. You left out the can unscrewing during firing as a possible cause for the impact. This would be the most likely cause on a rimfire can on a pistol, followed by improper threading of the barrel or barrel adapter.

The warranty of the can is solely based on the manufacturer’s published warranty. Some are like SilencerCo, they cover pretty much anything for free. Some will charge you for repairs if it is not their fault.

The P22 has a factory barrel and the thread adapter is a factory Walther part as well.  I do know the can was on tight and did not get loose during firing.  It took a bit or effort to take it off and also to separate it from the thread adapter.

How does one ship a suppressor?

ETA: the BATF website says there's an exception to the Form 5 requirement as explained in Appendix B of the NFA Handbook, but when I looked at Appendix B, I didn't find any mention of shipping suppressors for repair.

Just as input, I shoot gold bullets through my p22 with a thread adapter from eBay suppressed all the time with no issues other than gold dust everywhere inside of the gun.

bullet strike

Your can probably came loose.  I have had scuffs with improper threading, but never anything that harsh.  Even when it comes loose it doesn't hit my end cap.

What does the other side look like?

Nonsense.
A lead bullet doesn't give a shit whether a "junk ammo" brand or a "premium ammo" brand pushed it down the barrel.

I shipped my can back 2 day Fedex because I am not patient. Other than that nothing special, put a copy of your stamp in the box.

Outside of the end cap looks like new.

Strange.

It's a good practice to tighten your can to the barrel every time you reload the host firearm. Before inserting a new magazine, tighten the silencer on the barrel, then reload. A glove can help when the can becomes hot after a few magazines of use. It only takes a second and can pay dividends down the road.

Mike Smith/AAC
SilentMike

I hope that I never need to call in on my tacsol axiom for this.
But my host 10/22 takedown has a tacsol barrel as does my buckmark.

Actually an Ascent, which is now back home and good as new, so thumbs up to TacSol for taking care of this (and quickly, too).  It was pretty much painless, except for not knowing how bad the damage might be.

The barrel and thread adapter checked out as far as concentricity by a gunsmith, so the cause is still undetermined.  I got a threaded barrel and a Magpul stock for a 10/22 in which I intend to be it's permanent host, so as soon as the new receiver arrives my daughter and I will give it a workout.