Bartholomew Roberts
Moderator
Currently, a lot of the methods for cleaning the Silencerco Sparrow require either a tumbler or ultrasonic cleaner. As the Sparrow is a cheap, relatively affordable silencer that is easy to maintain, it occurs to me that some people may (like me) have a Sparrow; but not a tumbler or ultrasonic cleaner. Here is what I have been using for cleaning the Sparrow - and it works for me.
Here is what you will need:
Bronze or stainless steel toothbrush (20ga bore brush will also work)
Nylon toothbrush
Slip 2000 Carbon Killer (you can also substitute 725 Degreaser, Windex, or Simple Green but soak times will be much longer)
Empty .223/.300 BLK case
Jar for parts soaking big enough to hold solvent and suppressor (the Carbon Killer jar is perfect size). The Classico tomato sauce jars from the grocery store are also good sized (narrow so not a lot of solvent required but tall enough for the suppressor)
Protective gear (gloves/glasses - the material you are cleaning is carbon and lead layered together and the solvents you are using can end up in the eyes very easily if you are scrubbing with a brush)
OK, first note: Silencerco says the Sparrow can go 1,000 to 2,000 rounds without cleaning (depending on which model you own) and they are technically correct. However, cleaning by hand, you are setting yourself up for a LOT of work if you wait until you hit the maximum round count. My advice would be to clean at shorter intervals.
1) Disassemble the suppressor into its component parts. Set aside the endcap and the outer tube.
2) Drop the clamshells and core in the jar and cover with solvent. For Carbon Killer, you need at least 30 minutes. For 725 Degreaser, about 4-5 hours. For Simple Green I let it soak overnight 12 hours plus and the one time I did that, the core came out a little rust-ish colored but there did not appear to be any actual corrosion.
3) Scrub clamshells and core with the bronze/stainless brush. Re-soak, re-apply solvent occasionally to basically create a slurry.
4) Use the empty case as a scraper for the tough parts - the .223/.300 case is perfectly sized for the baffles in the core. Use the nylon brush after scraping.
5) Rinse everything with water. Do not lubricate the core or inside of the clamshells as it will make cleanup more difficult next time.
6) Lubricate the outside of the clamshell - this helps with disassembly if you push the envelope on rounds between cleaning.
7) Reassemble Sparrow
If anybody would like to share their own tips or tricks on cleaning .22 suppressors without tumblers or ultrasonic cleaners, I welcome the opportunity to learn.
I should note there is also a silicone treatment you can use that will help prevent carbon and lead from building up inside the suppressor. The downside is you have to apply it and bake it in after every cleaning and because the stuff does NOT adhere, it can create problems with loose crap inside the can (which will also happen if you continue to shoot the can without cleaning it). For those reasons, I don't use that treatment; but a lot of people seem very happy with it.
Here is what you will need:
Bronze or stainless steel toothbrush (20ga bore brush will also work)
Nylon toothbrush
Slip 2000 Carbon Killer (you can also substitute 725 Degreaser, Windex, or Simple Green but soak times will be much longer)
Empty .223/.300 BLK case
Jar for parts soaking big enough to hold solvent and suppressor (the Carbon Killer jar is perfect size). The Classico tomato sauce jars from the grocery store are also good sized (narrow so not a lot of solvent required but tall enough for the suppressor)
Protective gear (gloves/glasses - the material you are cleaning is carbon and lead layered together and the solvents you are using can end up in the eyes very easily if you are scrubbing with a brush)
OK, first note: Silencerco says the Sparrow can go 1,000 to 2,000 rounds without cleaning (depending on which model you own) and they are technically correct. However, cleaning by hand, you are setting yourself up for a LOT of work if you wait until you hit the maximum round count. My advice would be to clean at shorter intervals.
1) Disassemble the suppressor into its component parts. Set aside the endcap and the outer tube.
2) Drop the clamshells and core in the jar and cover with solvent. For Carbon Killer, you need at least 30 minutes. For 725 Degreaser, about 4-5 hours. For Simple Green I let it soak overnight 12 hours plus and the one time I did that, the core came out a little rust-ish colored but there did not appear to be any actual corrosion.
3) Scrub clamshells and core with the bronze/stainless brush. Re-soak, re-apply solvent occasionally to basically create a slurry.
4) Use the empty case as a scraper for the tough parts - the .223/.300 case is perfectly sized for the baffles in the core. Use the nylon brush after scraping.
5) Rinse everything with water. Do not lubricate the core or inside of the clamshells as it will make cleanup more difficult next time.
6) Lubricate the outside of the clamshell - this helps with disassembly if you push the envelope on rounds between cleaning.
7) Reassemble Sparrow
If anybody would like to share their own tips or tricks on cleaning .22 suppressors without tumblers or ultrasonic cleaners, I welcome the opportunity to learn.
I should note there is also a silicone treatment you can use that will help prevent carbon and lead from building up inside the suppressor. The downside is you have to apply it and bake it in after every cleaning and because the stuff does NOT adhere, it can create problems with loose crap inside the can (which will also happen if you continue to shoot the can without cleaning it). For those reasons, I don't use that treatment; but a lot of people seem very happy with it.