Hey guys, I've been recently reading up on some suppressors that I may consider for a Ruger Mk2 I have. Anyway, I've been seeing that a lot of people are anal with cleaning their .22 suppressors. I was looking at the Gemtech Outback II, and its a non-breakdown type. Gemtech says that you don't need to clean it. But reading elsewhere, it seems that a lot of people do. Can someone give me the lowdown on cleaning .22 suppressors, and perhaps recommend me a good can for my first one?

There are many more experts than I in this forum put I will put in my 2 cents anyway.  Before you think about servicable vs. non-servicable you have to decide if you are really committed to this.  Do you have the time, patience and money to do this?  Time= anywhere from 3 to 6 months wait plus the time spent getting all your stuff together if you go individual vs. a trust.  I recomend going the trust route.  You have to run around a lot in the begining to get all your stuff together.  Money= ($200 tax stamp) I have learned my lesson do not go cheap!  If you are looking at top of the line and say, "This no name suppressor is $75 less" don't do it!  The guys on here know their s@*t they will tell you the best.  

Non-servicable more cost more money down the road to pay to get it cleaned though they tend to be quieter than the servicable suppressors.  How quiet do you want it?  If you have never used one they are nothing like the movies where they sound like lazer guns.  There is no such thing as a silencer; suppresors only suppress the sound.  You may have to test out different ammo to see what works best with your suppressor and the host weapon you use.  You can also run the can "wet' which does keep it quiet.  I just don't want you to think that you can shoot that rabid raccon in your yard from your bedroom window and no one in the house or a neighbor willt hear it.  

I hope this helps you on your way.

It's not that you need to be anal, it's that 22's are filthy.
I would only look at cans that can be taken apart.

I have a Zephyr XL and like it.
http://www.thompsonmachine.net/?page_id=14

I know the time and effort to be put into this. And if it comes down to a no-name or pretty popular one thats $75 more, I'll pony up the cash.
I'm just getting kinda turned around for the fact that there is a lot of info out there and I don't know what to believe. Just from a gun maintenance standpoint, and experience shoot .22s I think a serviceable can would be best. I'm taking any and all recommendations for a suppressor.

My game plan is to buy a Pac Lite barrel for my Ruger Mk2 and go from there.

Oh wow, sounds like you are looking for the YHM MITE

It comes with a little hex nut so you can unscrew the tip, and the spiraled baffeling just pulles right out, you can drop it in some solvent and forget about it. Its super easy to clean and maintain. I have one on my P22 and Rem 597.
I also have one integrally installed on a 10/22. F*ing SWEET!!!!!

You can get it with an adapter (1/5*28) or you can do a direct thread. I use an adapter on the P22, direct thread on the 597

This thing is crazy quiet, It's a dream. You shoot subsonics through it and all you hear is the clicking of the action. Its quieter than a bb gun! Plus, its really affordable, They run around $260!!!!

I definitely think a .22 can needs to be able to be taken apart and cleaned and I wouldn't buy one that couldn't be.  The Gemteck Outback 2 is a good can and like you said, many people take them apart to clean them, including me.  There have been numerous threads on here about how to make it a take apart can.

The SilencerCo Sparrow (the new all stainless one) is my next .22 can. I have a Tactical Innovations Stratus, which is a servicable all aluinum can, and it works great on my rifles, but is a little loud on my pistols, so I'm aimimg to get the Sparrow as soon as I recover financially from my Osprey .45 & Christmas.

I really won't consider a .22 suppressor I can't clean out.

I agree with the above the main issue is that the .22 is very dirty and some .22 suppressors are sealed and some allow you to break them down for cleaning.

Info on buying a sealed can

This gets my vote as well.



So, how do you like it???

We'll find out along about Feb. or so, when the ATF pulls thier collective thumb out and issues the tax stamp I've already paid for, again.

I just love paying for something, then paying for the stupid tax, and then having to wait three or four months for bureaucratic BS before I can take possesion of my property. I guess if you want to play, you gotta pay, in more ways than one.

The Gemtech Alpine is user serviceable. Im still waiting on my damn stamp for mine!





http://www.gem-tech.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=55&idcategory=13







 

22's are very dirty.  Ive got 4 22 suppressors and all are cleanable......and i recommend cleaning them often.  There is lots of nasty carbon and lead along the inside of the tube.  The carbon is easy enough, but the lead is a PITA.  A homemade soda blaster is the best way to get it all.  All this being said, a suppressed 22 is as fun as it gets.  Very quiet and cheap to shoot.  BTW, my first was a sparrow for my MKIII.  great little platform.

I went with a Thompson Machine Zephyr, with the host being a P22 for my first.  Mainly because of the price, and I hadn't read any bad things about them during my search.  They also make a Zephyr XL which is a little bit bigger and you can put it on a rifle.  They are take down cans so they are easy to clean also.  I've not had a single problem with mine yet and it seems to be a good product.

In my opinion:



Best: Stainless/Ti monocore serviceable - Kodiak, Sparrow

Second: Stainless K baffle serviceable - Element, Elite Iron, Spectre

Third: Aluminum monocore serviceable - Prodigy, old sparrow, Zephr

Fourth: Aluminum K baffle serviceable - Passport



Not to be considered: unserviceable cans.

Thanks guys, for all the replies.
I've learned quite a bit from y'all. That being said, I'm highly interested in the YHM Mite, and the Thompson Machine Zephyr/Zephyr XL.

On average, how many rounds do you shoot and then clean it? Is it rapid fire strings or slow shooting?

There is only one serviceable can to avoid, and that's the Mite. You can clean it however often you want. But to keep most of them from seizing up you want to do it at least every 500 rounds.

I have read (often) that the Mite is louder than other .22 suppressors.

I have the Zephyr XL as it's full auto rated.  Just wish it had a stainless core.

Gemtech is a great company, but telling you that you will never have to clean it is BS. Be sure to get a can that can be disassembled by the user. If you have the extra money, be sure to get a can that can be cleaned with a chemical bath (a stainless steel model). I have a tac-65 and it works extremely well. If I wanted to spend more money, I would have gotten the Silencerco Sparrow SS.

I have a Gemtech Outback II.  I think it is the best value in a .22 can.  I only came to that conclusion after shooting mine next to a bunch of other .22 suppressors.  I converted mine to a takedown can.  They get DIRTY!!!  The SWR Specter is real nice, but heavy.  The Silencer Co Sparrow would have been my choice, but now that they came out with the new SS Sparrow that would be my choice.  Great size, quiet, decent price, and is stainless steel.  In my opinion the new stainless Sparrow is the perfect .22 suppressor avaliable right now.

Jk

Alright, thanks for more info guys.
I've been doing a bit of reading it it seems that everyone likes stainless steel cans for ease of cleaning. That being said, it looks like a lot of guys here have aluminum cans.
How do you clean your can? And what if any cleaning supplies do you use?

I'm still looking at suppressors. (This endeavor for me is about a year off right now, so I'm in no rush. Just trying to see what I can get for the best bang for my money.)
I'm interested in the Zephyr still and the TAC 65.

I clean my aluminum can with a wire brush and scrub the baffles with 1000 grit sandpaper. I have also heard that an ultrasonic cleaner and detergent will do wonders. YMMV.

I have 3 .22 cans.  A sealed AWC archangel, SWR Spectre and AAC Element.
I will never buy another sealed .22 can and I will not buy an aluminum can.
I could not get an ultrasonic cleaner to make a significant dent in the crud that builds up on the internals.
If I was in the market today for another .22 suppressor I would get the SS Silencerco Sparrow and I am very happy
with my Element and Spectre.  I would hazard a guess that either of these three will be quieter than the ones you are looking at.

For Gemtec to tell you that a .22 can doesn't need cleaning is enough to make me never buy one of their suppressors.
This is the same thing AWC told me when I bought my archangel.  Buyer beware.

BUT––the initial crud that builds up in a can helps suppress it––at least, to a point. After that (thousands of rounds), the crud decreases the effectiveness of the can by decreasing the volume and cooling ability of the can. And a little water––a few cc's (maybe 1/2 a teaspoon) will work––but trust me––it's messy and not really worth it.

Yes––.22LRs are dirty––but you don't have to be obsessive about cleaning, unless the can you buy is impossible to clean when it gets dirty. BUT––even with anti-seize on the components––if you shoot enough ammo, the lead vapor & vaporized crud gets into every nook & cranny & locks up the components.

Most sealed cans supposedly have an effective life of about 10,000 rounds, at least I've read that in a couple articles in Small Arms Review. So, in theory, a weekend shooter may not need to clean the can for their lifetime––it depends on how much you shoot.

All this said––I have 2 sealed .22 LR cans and an integral MkII pistol (2 are SRT & 1 is Gemtech)––the next .22LR can I get will most likely be a Spectre––once you start shooting a suppressed .22––you & everyone else you know––will want to try it, so it's easy to get to 10,000 rounds pretty quick. Or maybe a Tactical Innovations Quest––stainless-Mmmmmm––stainless. If I had it to do over––one of my cans would be servicable.

Just my $0.02––but hey––you asked

32ACP I want to start off by saying that I am not trying to poke you in the eye with the following comments.
These are my observations.

I disagree with those first two statements except for the water.
I read a recent article which compared factory clean versus dirty and they factory can was quieter.
I think it was on John Titsworth's site and like him or not he does a thorough job in his
reviews.  If I am remembering wrong then someone call me out, I won't take it personal.

On the second statement if you want your suppressor to work as efficiently as possible then I have found that it needs cleaning at least every 1000
rounds and if I am shooting rapid fire/full auto then every 500.  Especially on a short barrel or pistol.
Anything that builds up will decrease volume and make the can louder and heavier.

That 10,000 round life nonsense is absolutely crazy in a reasonably sized .22 can.   You may still be able to shoot a bullet through it
but it will be loud and heavy.
Used to be that you could send in your leaded up can and the manufacturer would throw it in
a scrap heap and make you a new one with the same serial number.  
Since Gemtech cut off everyone's nuts with that Gemtax fiasco that practice has sadly ended and that to me
was the death knell of the sealed .22lr can.
I do not know of anyone who has sent in a .22 can for servicing since.
If someone has please post as to what the cost was and if there was any hesitation from the manufacturer.

I personally sent in my AWC archangel for servicing/cleaning and they sent it back and said "it wasn't necessary".
This can is 7 years old and has many thousands of rounds through it.  Weighs significantly more than it did new and is loud.
They wouldn't open it up even though when I bought it they said it could be sent in at any time to be cleaned.
GemTax at work.

The sonic washer thing has not worked so well for me.  I have found if you lightly coat the baffles and tube in the anti-sieze goo it makes cleaning a snap.  The buildup just wipes right off the baffles with no extra cleaning.  I use a 12 ga. mop brush for the tube; about 10 swipes and it is as clean as the day I bought it.

Never mind - bogging down the thread.  In short blah blah blah Gemtax.

Back to the original question -I think highly of the SilencerCo Sparrow & SS Sparrow depending on your application.  Super easy to clean & great performance.  I really like the SS Sparrow - in that it's rated for 5.7.

How much did that cost and who did you have to give a BJ?

same thing -mpallett

What do you mean converted?



 

It means he unscrewed the end cap and pulled the baffles out. You need to boil the threads to loosen the loctite first.

I did not boil it.  I used a toaster oven, and I put some grooves on the end cap so I can grip it better to disassemble.

Jk