Recommendations for .22lr, 32acp or 380 semi auto suppressor host.

[brycewise]

I was wondering if anyone can recommend a .22lr, 32 or 380 semi auto pistol that is reliable to serve as a suppressor host. I am really leaning toward the .22lr because it is both cheap to shoot and the quietest but if the .380 isn't much louder in your opinion then could buy a 9mm suppressor and it would work on more then one firearm..

Your thoughts and how big of a difference is there in muzzle report between the 3?

 

[carguychris]

...if the .380 isn't much louder [than .22] in your opinion then could buy a 9mm suppressor and it would work on more then one firearm..

Suggest using a 9mm and using 147gr subsonic loads.

The problem with .380 in this instance is that almost all recent .380 pistol designs are geared primarily towards deep concealment, with target/field work taking the back burner. Very few people are interesting in suppressing them, so off-the-shelf barrels and adapters simply don't exist, and there's no way to make the sights clear the can.

That said, perhaps the easiest .32/.380 platform to adapt to suppressor use is an FN Browning 1910 with a barrel from a 1922, which will project from the slide, making it easy to thread. The pistols are fairly plentiful, and perhaps more importantly, so are spare magazines, which is unusual for most older Euro blowback automatics. The downside is that you wind up with essentially no sights, and importation of the 1910 ended in 1968.

Perhaps a new Browning 1911-380 could be adapted; it has dovetailed sights, so it would be possible to have sights that clear the suppressor, although they would presumably need to be custom-made.

 

[weblance]

For a .22 host, the Ruger 22/45 is excellent. I have both the steel threaded, and the aluminum LITE. For your first host, I wouldn't look at anything else.

 

[carguychris]

I didn't really address the .22 aspect in my prior post.

The Buckmark has a reputation for being suppressor-friendly because the barreled action or "upper" is NOT the serial-numbered part; consequently, Buckmark uppers may be sold over-the-counter or delivered to your door via mail order, whereas Ruger uppers carry the pistol's serial number, and therefore require a FFL transfer. (NOTE: If you're not in the USA, pardon me for making assumptions. )

The S&W 422/622/2206/2213/2214 series is known as a gold standard for suppressor-friendliness due to a factory-threaded barrel and a high sight plane that clears almost all .22-caliber cans, but these pistols have been discontinued for some time.

The S&W SW22 Victory shows great promise due to the easily interchangeable barrel. Strong interest in this new design will probably result in numerous aftermarket threaded barrels becoming available soon.

 

[weblance]

Then Buckmark is noisy, the bolt is open on both sides, resulting in a strange metallic clank every time it cycles, plus it blows debris back in your face. The Ruger does neither. Ruger offers several easily available threaded models, the Browning only comes in one factory threaded model, and I have never seen one available anywhere. If you decide to buy the Buckmark, unless you get lucky and find a unicorn factory threaded model, you are looking at $300ish for a Tac-Sol threaded barrel.

The S$W 422/622/2213/14 IS a good host, but is difficult to find. The factory adjustable sight models didn't have enough adjustment in the rear sight to truly zero them, so you are better off with the fixed sight model, as long as it shoots to POA. The 2213silver, and 2214black are cool little pistols, but very hard to find, have fixed sights, and are expensive. Figure on $500 for either, IF you get lucky.

Surprisingly, after my recommendation for the Ruger, my next two favorites are both generally regarded as inferior pistols because of the Zinc alloy construction, but they both offer very low action noise. They are the Sig Mosquito, and the Walther/Umarex PPK/S replica. Both come threaded, or as a threaded model, are inexpensive, accurate, and fun to shoot.

 

[brycewise]

"Suggest using a 9mm and using 147gr subsonic loads.

The problem with .380 in this instance is that almost all recent .380 pistol designs are geared primarily towards deep concealment, with target/field work taking the back burner. Very few people are interesting in suppressing them, so off-the-shelf barrels and adapters simply don't exist, and there's no way to make the sights clear the can."

That's a good point, I just thought that maybe since most .380 loads are typically subsonic, getting a .380 to serve as either a backup gun or a carry gun when I cant carry my typical carry gun, which is a glock .45.

I would buy a 9mm can and use it on a .22 except I think the baffles meant to work with a .38/9mm bore would limit its effectiveness with a .22 projectile.

liberty has a suppressor for "multiple" calibers... Does that mean it only accommodates multiple calibers or can it be reconfigured to be meant for multiple calibers and work as intend with them?

 

[Theohazard]

liberty has a suppressor for "multiple" calibers... Does that mean it only accommodates multiple calibers or can it be reconfigured to be meant for multiple calibers and work as intend with them?

Pretty much every silencer on the market can shoot multiple calibers. The limiting factors are the silencer's bore diameter, its strength, and its mounting options. However, the silencer will be most efficient with the caliber it was originally designed for.

The Liberty Mystic and Cosmic are pistol silencers (9mm and .45, respectively) that are built strong enough to handle some lower-powered rifle rounds (which isn't common among pistol silencers), and Liberty also makes a few more mounting options than many other companies do.

For comparison, the SilencerCo Octane .45 isn't marketed as a "multiple caliber" silencer, but it can shoot virtually every pistol caliber out there that's smaller than .45 (including full-power 10mm), and it's also rated for 300 Blackout subsonics. It also has pretty much all the same mounting options as the Liberty silencers do. But the main difference is that the Octane isn't rated for any supersonic rifle rounds, whereas the Mystic and Cosmic are.

 

[Theohazard]

I would buy a 9mm can and use it on a .22 except I think the baffles meant to work with a .38/9mm bore would limit its effectiveness with a .22 projectile.

My Octane 9 is just as quiet with .22 as my Mask .22 is. In fact, the Octane has a slightly deeper tone that makes it sound quieter.

Yes, usually an over-bored silencer is less efficient when smaller calibers are shot through it: A .45 silencer is usually louder with 9mm than a 9mm silencer is, and a 7.62 silencer is usually louder with 5.56 than a 5.56 silencer is. But in this case, the much larger size of my 9mm silencer makes up for the larger bore size. That said, most 9mm silencers aren't designed to take the huge amount of lead buildup that accumulates in a .22 silencer; they can be a pain to clean. That's why I wouldn't recommend shooting too much .22 though a silencer that's not designed for it.

 

[Ibmikey]

Everyone has their personal preferences in a pistol but through experience of shooting trapped hogs in Texas I found my S&W M&P .22 Compact with low velocity ammo and a suppressor is a real winner. I have shot dozens of pigs and it works like a charm if shots are placed properly. The pistol un suppressed is fun to shoot, fits the hand like a pistol should and is totally reliable (not counting some of the "duds" found in today's bulk package ammo) oh and also accurate--- not match accurate but fits the needs of most shooters.

 

[lockedcj7]

I have the Browning Buckmark camper with the threaded barrel and could not be more pleased with it. I don't find anything objectionable about the sound of the action and it does not blow debris back in my face. I use it with a YHM suppressor and subsonic ammo.

My son is extremely recoil and blast averse and it makes a great training setup.

YMMV.

 

[Theohazard]

I have the Browning Buckmark camper with the threaded barrel and could not be more pleased with it. I don't find anything objectionable about the sound of the action and it does not blow debris back in my face. I use it with a YHM suppressor and subsonic ammo.

With a .22 pistol, you don't need to use subsonic ammo if you want the rounds to be subsonic. Virtually all .22 ammo -- even most high-velocity stuff -- will be subsonic out of a pistol.

 

[Handloader109]

I just got my Octane 45 out of jail and have tried it on my Walther ppq 22 along with my g17and my Walther ppx. The 22 is quiet even with this being a 45 suppressor. More noise hitting the plywood backstop than the round going off. The subsonic 9mm rounds are really quiet too. Some of my 95 to 115 gr reloads are high enough velocity to have a good Crack still, but still a way less than unsuppressed. The Walther 22 works fine for me.

 

[lockedcj7]

Virtually all .22 ammo -- even most high-velocity stuff -- will be subsonic out of a pistol.

I've read that on the internet many times but that has not been my experience. I get distinctly more "crack" from standard and high velocity ammo, even with the pistol. I have even had subsonic ammo that sounds more like supersonic when fired from a rifle.

I don't have a chronograph or a way to accurately determine speed of sound, I only know what it sounds like. Subsonic definitely seems quieter to me, regardless of what I shoot it in, and that's what I'm going for.

 

[Theohazard]

I've read that on the internet many times but that has not been my experience. I get distinctly more "crack" from standard and high velocity ammo, even with the pistol. I have even had subsonic ammo that sounds more like supersonic when fired from a rifle.

I don't have a chronograph or a way to accurately determine speed of sound, I only know what it sounds like. Subsonic definitely seems quieter to me, regardless of what I shoot it in, and that's what I'm going for.

Standard or high velocity ammo will be a little bit louder out of a suppressed pistol than dedicated subsonic ammo, but it's still subsonic almost all the time. I shoot .22 Mini Mag out of a 4" suppressed pistol all the time and it's always subsonic. And it's barely louder than CCI subsonic ammo.