Suppressor? Share between .223 / .22LR

[fhenry]

I started out shopping for a .22LR suppressor for my ST-22 but know I'm wondering if it's possible to buy a .223 suppressor and be able to share-use it between my M4geries and the ST-22 AR.

Doable, not doable, doable but not advisable?

[vegassmg]

Number three.. doable but not advisable. I'm fairly certain every 5.56 suppressor manufacturer states that shooting .22LT through their can will void the warranty.

Their reason? Lead build up.

I've used my CAC-9 subgun can for shooting copious amounts of .22LR in both an Uzi and M-16 with their corresponding conversion kits. When I was finially unable to disassemble the can for inspection and cleaning, I was forced to send it back to Tom Bowers for repair. He told me it was the most leaded up can he'd ever seen.

Another reason is the weight factor. When holding a 5.56 can, it doesn't seem all that heavy. After you mount it, you'll notice the extra weight... especially in semi auto when it takes longer to dump a magazine. Personally, I wouldn't want that kind of weight on a dedicated .22 upper.

While we're on the subject, I wouldn't buy a rimfire can that I can't take down for cleaning. You'll be amazed at the amount of vaporized lead on the blast baffle. .22LR is copper washed or plated, it's not a jacket bullet. I couldn't believe the amount of lead that was deposited on my Phantom flash hider on the Bushmaster 14 1/2" barrel I was using for my M-16 Ciener conversion.

I recently shared my opinions on this very subject on the Nevada Shooters board. You may find those photos and descriptions interesting. HTH

nevadashooters.com/showthread.php?t=4193&page=2

[fhenry]

Thanks for the comments and the link. Are you guys basing your position primarily on the fact you're shooting 22LR through F/A weapons? I'd just be using mine in semi autos.

So far, besides your opinion, I've had the maker of my .22LR basically say they wouldn't recommend it because of fouling (they said most cans aren't serviceable now), had a can maker say not a problem, and had a local (and respected) shop here in the valley say they do it.

Nothing is easy with this stuff huh ;D Just like whether to go CLEO signature or Trust, this sharing or not sharing a can deal is not clean either.

[vegassmg]

Gathering information is a great thing but carefully consider the source.

Just like the trust issue that's troubling you, answers from people who've been in and around the NFA game for more than a year or two will probably yield better answers. I saw your post on Subguns, and that is the board I consider to be the last word in the NFA world. IMHO, you'd do well to listen to those voices of experience. Toad was one of them and he's a friend of mine as well as a very well respected of the NFA community. His advise is sound.

I've found that many people entering the NFA world for their first purchase seem to instantly gravitate to the trust route. After a single purchase, they proclaim it to be the only way they'd ever conduct a transfer and insist it's the only path to NFA happiness. Their experience is limited, so beware what knowledge you draw on. Not bagging on anyone, just saying.

A couple of final thoughts.

.22LR will lead up a suppressor whether it's used in full auto or not. It's the nature of the beast.

Check with at least three quality suppressor manufacturers and ask if they warranty their 5.56 cans if used with .22LR. They actually build them. I'll go out on a limb here and say they must know something about using .22LR and their cans for the vast majority of manufacturers to void the warranty for rimfire use.

Don't listen to me or others, go straight to the guys that make the cans for expert answers. I suggest reviewing Silencer Talk or asking Dr. Phil Dater of Gem Tech your questions on Subguns or over at the Uzi Talk board. I know what I know from my own experience, but I've only owned NFA for ten years.
Best of luck.

Regards,
Tom

[fhenry]

Tom,

I hope you're not misreading what I'm saying/doing. I tremendously value you guys' opinion are. ESPECIALLY because of your vast experience. I put more stock in what you guys with all the experience have to say than I do with the folks that are making money off of making and/or selling the product.

That said, here's what gets me scratching my head:

I sent Gemtech and email about sharing and they replied "Yes, absolutely. A lot of our customers do this."

DC had HDI told me no problem, he does it, but just to clean it regularly.

Glen at BP basically said what you said i.e. doable but not the best way.

The way I learn is to ask a lot of questions and pull in comments from all sides of whatever it is I'm trying to get educated on. NFA stuff is very virgin ground for me. It's a little confusing but I'm starting to get a clearer picture the more I dig/read and the more you guys share your vast experience.

Thanks so much for your time, I know it's probably getting tedious and time consuming trying to educate a newbie/dumb-butt like me but hopefully more folks than me are wondering (or will be in the future) and they'll be able to pony off of these threads.

[Mike C (Perro)]

Gathering information is a great thing but carefully consider the source.

Just like the trust issue that's troubling you, answers from people who've been in and around the NFA game for more than a year or two will probably yield better answers. I saw your post on Subguns, and that is the board I consider to be the last word in the NFA world. IMHO, you'd do well to listen to those voices of experience. Toad was one of them and he's a friend of mine as well as a very well respected of the NFA community. His advise is sound.

I've found that many people entering the NFA world for their first purchase seem to instantly gravitate to the trust route. After a single purchase, they proclaim it to be the only way they'd ever conduct a transfer and insist it's the only path to NFA happiness. Their experience is limited, so beware what knowledge you draw on. Not bagging on anyone, just saying.

i have to add a huge plus 10 to this advice

i would also like to add the sturmgewehr NFA forum, and the gunboards.com machine gun board (but most of the people that visit there that seem to know what they are talking about are the same ones on subguns.com NFA discussion forum)

there is nothing quite like actual experiance to draw on

i have found that it goes far beyond people who have 1 transfer under there belt. i have found that on certain forums, there will be alot of people who give advice even though they have never been through the process, its just what they have heard.

i have no experiance with maintaining a suppresor, but i can tell you that in my 1919 converted to .22lr, it leads the cylinder up to the point that i have to clean everything in one 250 round belt.
Tom stated "its the nature of the beast" and i have to agree - nothing leads up worse than .22lr