I just got my yearly bonus from 2010 and I think I'm finally really to seriously consider a suppressed handgun.  I'd like to hear some thoughts on what pistol and what suppressor you've personally used and would recommend.

* Note: I'm looking for a tactical pistol that will support a weaponlight.

* Note: If you think my AR needs a suppressor first, speak up and tell me why.

Out of the box, FNP Tactical .45 with an Osprey in FDE.

My PERSONAL fav is the Nighthawk AAC, but no rail for the light. I don't think you can ever nspecial order the AAC with a rail.

For a toy you could alway go with a MK23 with the proper suppressor...but there's a light issue again unless you run the adapter.
HK USPT in 9mm/40 or .45

My suppressor host(s) are:
HK USP-T in .45
Nighthawk AAC
Sig 220 Combat TB
Sig 220 Elite Dark TB

FNP-45T would be my first choice if I was going for a dedicated suppressor handgun. FNP-45T + Trijicon RMR + Surefire X300/400 + Ti-Rant or Osprey.

If I was looking for a general purpose/all around handgun that would work with a can, I would go with a G17, thread the barrel, mill the slide, mount the RMR and X300 and a can.

What's particularly good about the FN vs. say the HK?  I've never shot either.

I like my H&K USP .45 tactical with the knights on it, and I like my M&P 9mm with an AAC Evo 9

What is the intended purpose?

If you want a super quite plinking gun I recommend a SilencerCo Sparrow on your choice of .22 pistol.  I have a AAC Prodigy which is good as well.

If you want something for HD or in a real caliber I highly recommend a SilencerCo Osprey in .45.  You can get other threads so you are able to use it on a 9 or .40 gun as well.

I run my Osprey on a H&K HK45 and my Prodigy on a Walther P22 because it was cheap and the mag release is in the proper location.

It's aiming for the MK23 market but at half the price and every bit of the quality, and it has the slide pre-machined for a MRD and comes with tall night sights that help out when using the can.

Well, I own both so perhaps I qualify?

The FN costs several $100s less than the H&K & is only a hair less accurate but just as reliable. It also has 15rd mags instead of the USP 12rd mags.

Mag prices are pretty close on both with perhaps the FN being a small bit less.

OTOH, the H&K will bring more on resale should you ever sell it down the road. Mine seems to be a bit more accurate & the trigger on the H&K Tactical is a bit better as well.

Either way you get a supurb handgun that will last long after you're gone.

My can is a Yankee Hill Machine, FWIW. I prefer a can that comes apart for cleaning versus a sealed one you have to send back for cleaning.

My .o2

Had a FN45 Tactical.  Will take my Mark 23 anytime.

CSF

Something you may want to consider is that the S&W M&P 9 is available from the factory as a "kit" with a spare, threaded barrel.  This certainly saves time and may be pretty cost effective as well.  Below is mine with a crappy AWC can (I cannot recommend AWC products), but you get the idea.

M&P Kit Link

I suppose it depends on what you mean by “Tactical”.  For a first suppressor I’d lean towards 9mm and a good choice for that would the Beretta M9A1 (because you want the rail) and any one of several suppressors.  I prefer a smaller diameter (1.25” or less) for pistol cans and have both an AAC Evo9 and an AWC Abraxas.  They both function perfectly on my Berettas.  If you don’t mind a larger diameter then the SWR Trident, GemTech MultiMount or AAC TiRant are all good choices.

The 9mm is an economical round and offers very good suppressed performance with most any factory 147 grain bullet, while retaining effective terminal ballistics.  The Beretta is an outstandingly reliable pistol.  Not all pistols are going to work with all silencers but the Beretta is a very forgiving design and will work as good or better then most in this regard.  The Beretta offers relatively inexpensive and readily available magazines and spare parts (if you ever need one), both of which are consumables if you’re running the gun hard.  The factory barrel is easily threaded.

All service pistols tend to be on the larger side of things and hanging a large can off an already big pistol means the end result can be less then “handy”.  This is subjective, of course, and it’s just my opinion that the smaller cans make for a better overall package.  The Evo9 is a great general purpose can that will reliably run on the vast majority of available host pistols.  The Abraxas is more of a specialty can and honestly not something I’d recommend as a one and only suppressor.  It does offer the advantage of not blocking the factory sights but it’s a wet can and that’s something you might not want to deal with.

I wouldn’t buy a can for your AR until you’ve heard one.  They do a great job of mitigating the blast but the end result still isn’t particularly quiet.  Go out and shoot a .22 LR out of a rifle and you have a pretty good idea of what your suppressed AR is going to sound like.  Better then not suppressed but still unquestionably a gun shot.

How muh do these cost?

I havea G17 with a Trident9.  Love it, sounds like it would be good for your desires/

This is along the lines of what I am thinking.  HD/PD.

I have had a 92FS for quite a while although I don't shoot it much any more now that my CCW is a XD9sub.  I wouldn't mind trying to trade my 92 for a M9, but I'm not sure I want the two Berettas.

To the folks recommending the Glocks, I went to SA for the sub primarily because the Glocks never seemed to fit my hand well, nor feel "right".  I would reconsider if I found the right combo and it fit and worked well.


ETA: Thanks for all the comments.  This has been very good information to chew on.

Anyone try the Eco9 from AAC? That price looks to be fairly easy to swallow.

The Evo9 and Eco9 are different cans.

Apologies. I failed to notice the different spelling, and obviously don't know the difference.

You can also get a S&W M&P 45 with a threaded barrel kit, comes with the standard barrel too.

Add a Silencerco Osprey and you're good to go for around $1,600.

I'm talking about the $450 one. The price is tempting but I'm not sure about any of the details.

What's the legal paperwork requirements for the suppressors?

$200 tax stamp

a background check (for individual)

along with filing either a Form 1 or a Form 4 depending on whether you intend to build one or buy one.


Then just wait the time and pick up your can.

The waiting 4 to 6 months is by far the hardest part.

It's not that long if you go the trust route, something like 1-2 months that way.

And I have also heard from folks who have done multiple individual transfers that they get significantly quicker after the first time.

Neither of those were true in my case.

I have a P226 and Gemtech Multi Mount combo.  I've been very happy with it.

M&P 9 with the threaded barrel for $500 and an Evo 9 if you do light shooting. A Tirant 9 if you do heavy shooting since that is serviceable. The new core Evo 9 is one of the quietest 9mm cans on the market as well as being small diameter.

The "trust route"?.............Trust that a bureaucrat won't screw it up?

.....nevermind.

Everyone, it is good that suppressors are talked about in this forum so hopefully we can turn more people on to class 3 stuff, but for more detailed info on technical and legal stuff there  are like 5 differnt NFA forums on the armory section page including one for legal and one for suppressor technical info.  

A trust is a legal entity, similar to a corporation or a foundation. A trust or a corp can become the "owner" and registree of NFA items.

All in all, w/ the interwebs, navigating your way through the nfa world reallys isn't that hard anymore.  Go for it everyone.  The more the merrier.

I used to have a USP tac.  It was nice, but I  went the way of glocks and now have a Osprey on a G21.  

If you like a pistol w/ traditional lock work and a higher bore axis, than the FN or HK w/ factory threaded barrels are a good choice, but there are not lack of makers of aftermarket threaded barrels for 1911, glock, S&W M&P etc etc.  

Consider firedragon for affordability.

I don't know if subsequent approval come quicker, but wait times vary a good bit as there is more people than ever applying.  A lot of it may just come down to which beauraocrat happens to get your paperwork.

Everyone always talks about getting a threaded aftermarket barrel,  but why can't a person send the factory barrel off somewhere and have it threaded?

Sorry if this is a stupid question.

Most handguns barrels come flush to the end of the slide.  In order to attach a can you need a barrel that sticks out past the end of the slide and has external threads.  Simply put, factory barrels are not long enough.

You can however thread a factory barrel and add a short barrel extension, I remember someone did this with a HK P30.

ADCO can thread and extend handgun barrels, but it is not possible on .45 barrels because they are too thin.

I would imagine that if you took a handgun like the G19 or G17 (or comparable) and took the barrel from the one that was about an inch longer than stock, then sent that off and had it threaded you would be G2G. I would rather do that than an extension, that is if I couldn't find an aftermarket extended and threaded barrel.

I think I've got the green light to invest some in a few more pistols and "accessories".    Any recommended locations to shop/price the FM and HK (and possibly a M&P 9)?  Or should I just shop local gun shops?

I got my TRP online for about $250 cheaper than I could find locally.

I'd go for an HK P30 (9mm) or an HK45  with an AAC (I like supporting GA companies) can if you're against a Glock.
 

I am not a Glock fan. I'm leaning towards the FN, but it may come down to price if I find a good deal. I am a supporter of AAC as well.

I highly recommend the FNP-45 Tactical and Silencerco Osprey 45 suppressor, this is a sweet setup

I think this is my first pick.

^^^^^
both of these are false.

if looking at a pistol can, osprey or ti-rant. Muff said.

HK > FN

I wouldn't get a threaded extension put on a barrel, seen them break after extended use.  Go with something already threaded. Love my P30, but would rather have a m&p with a threaded barrel than a P30 with an extension.

Go to silencertalk.com

/thread

a Glock 17 barrel will not work in a Glock 19. if anyone is looking to suppress a 19, aftermarket is the only place to look right now - although, there has been rumor of Glock producing factory threaded barrels (similar to what S&W is doing in their M&P line); however, i have not been able to confirm this yet. a Glock 34 barrel will work in a 17, just like a 17L barrel will work in a 34 - both can be sent out to be threaded for suppressor use. i like to stick with factory barrels if at all possible.

get a beretta 92 and thread the barrel.

I like the P226 Combat for a host.  147gr are paintball gun quiet.