5.56 suppressor on a .22?

[Tango down]

Question - I am thinking about buying a suppressor for the AR in 5.56mm. I have also heard that it could be used on a .22LR as long as the gun has the same thread pattern. Can anyone give me some positives and negatives of using a 5.56 suppressor on a .22? I assume it won't be as efficient. Has anyone done this before?

Thanks

Edited March 1, 2010 by Tango down

[BimmerFreak]

The only downside is size and weight.

You wont see much (if any)performance loss when shooting .22LR through a .223 suppressor.

Most .223 and .22LR suppressors are threaded 1/2 x 28 TPI, so mounting should be no problem.

[Guest redbarron06]

I know several folks that use the cans on thier ARs with 22 conversions. They say the only problem they have is that .22 seems to be dirtier than most 223/556.

[Tango down]

Any suggestions on a can? I am looking at three now. Tactical Solutions (Karma 5), AAC (M4-2000), and AWC (Raider).

[Guest redbarron06]

SAS out of Evansville IN. Great can and you can get them with either QD or thread them directly on to the barrel.

[56FordGuy]

Check out C3 Defense. I saw their .22 can at the Guns and Gear expo, it looked nice. Good price, too.

[~48_South~]

Any suggestions on a can? I am looking at three now. Tactical Solutions (Karma 5), AAC (M4-2000), and AWC (Raider).

Ive seen some good reviews on the AAC M4 2000

[Tango down]

Yeap, it is a nice one. Anyone have experience with the quick attach/detach device? It appears it is designed to save your threads and make attachment quicker. Does the birdcage attach to the thing when the suppressor is not in use?

[molonlabetn]

I've got a 5.56 can on my AR, and have a bolt-swap .22lr conversion I use sometimes that works just fine with it... I think it works just as well as a dedicated .22 can, it's larger than necessary, so the slightly larger 'exhaust' hole doesn't make a noticable difference. Like Joe said though, it's larger and heavier than necessary.

Use plated bullet .22lr ammo and it won't foul the gas port and suppressor as much.

[Tango down]

What manufacturer?

That brings up another thing...some cans are able to be cleaned and some aren't. I would think one would have to be cleaned over time to maintain efficiency.

[Capbyrd]

What manufacturer?

That brings up another thing...some cans are able to be cleaned and some aren't. I would think one would have to be cleaned over time to maintain efficiency.

All of them can be cleaned. Just some can be disassembled for cleaning and some can't.

[Tango down]

That's what I was referring to, the disassembly. I would think that would be a big advantage.

[Guest thorn]

I can't remember where I read it but pretty sure it was from AAC that you should alternately run some 5.56 through it to blow some of the .22 junk out.

[Guest VolDaddy]

I have the AWC Raider and it works great on a .22. One down side is when I run it on my Walther P-22, is is large enough to cover up the front sight. It is also heavy enough to make any .22 pistol front end heavy. But when used on an AR with a .22 conversion kit it works great. Threaded a 22 bolt action romanian trainer, lots of fun and stupid quiet.

[Guest RangeMstr]

YHM Phantom SS 556 with their QD. the QD mount is actually effective as a flash hider when you shoot unsuppressed. One piece construction so if you do get it funky shooting .22 (and you will), just soak it overnight in a coffee can filled with SLIP Carbon Cutter.

[Guest Halkon005]

My AR technician at Palmetto State Armory assures me it wil work, and has tested it.

He recommends Innovative Arms suppressors from Elgin SC

PSA, ridiculously low ammo prices and fine rifles

http://palmettostatearmory.com/

[Guest 556or762]

I have the YHM Mite .22 can and now the YHM 7.62 QD and have tried the YHM5.56 QD actually I am waiting on one to come in so I can buy it. I have tried all 3 on an AR with .22 they are so close you cant tell a difference in sound, the 7.62 makes the 5.56 a little quieter than the actual 5.56 can but as far as .22 goes they all work great, go with Dolomites Wire Pulling Lube suggestion and it will amaze you how quiet it can be with subsonic CCI 40gn

[Climber]

I have the AAC M4-2000 with the QD blackout muzzle brake. It is super easy to take on/off and it locks up very tight. Sound reduction is impressive.

[Dolomite_supafly]

I almost posted a topic on suppressor cleaning but decided against it for some reason.

Here is my take on it. I have spent a lot of time and yes money researching the exact same question you posed.

If you are going to be shooting any amount of .22, I suspect you will more than 5.56, you need a suppresson that can be cleaned of the lead. The reason is firing a 22 will deposit vaporized lead on the inside of the suppressor and over time this can and does affect performance. This is the reason why nearly every .22 suppressor can be disassembled or is made out of stainless.

As far as cleaning there are a few ways to get the lead out so to speak.

First is to disassemble the can and manually remove it by media blasting or just some plain old elbow grease. This is relatively safe for you as long as you take the normal precautions for lead. With media blasting you have to be careful to match the media with the material being cleaned. You don't want to use a super aggressive media if your can is anodized or even bare aluminum. The disadvantage if you can call it that is that the suppressor must be disassembled to clean it. Another disadvantge is it can be a bear to get the suppressor apart once there is a significant amount of lead build up.

The second way is to use a chemical dip to remove the lead. About the only and definitely the easiest way is to dip the entire suppressor in a solution of hydrogen peroxide. This will not work with aluminum suppressors because the hydrogen peroxide eats aluminum almost as readily as it does lead. A huge disadvantage to using a hydrogen peroxide dip is the by product it produces, lead acetate. Lead acetate is a very cancer causing. It is readily absorbed through the skin, by inhaling the fumes or accidentally ingesting it. It also seeps very quickly into the ground water and can contaminate it so dumping the solution isn't good. Lead acetate is one of only a handful of substances than can easily cross the blood-brain barrier. It isn't all bad though, if you take the proper precautions is very effective at removing lead in non-aluminum suppressors. Also, most major cities will accept small amounts of lead acetate in their household hazardous waste program.

These methods aren't needed for a dedicated centerfire suppressor that will never see rimfire use. You can use the normal chemicals used to clean carbon out to clean centerfire supprssors but in most cases they should last a lifetime without any significant amount of cleaning. The biggest threat to centerfire suppressors is the wearing down of internal parts by the blast of hot gases. That is why most use Iconel or 17-4 stainless for the blast baffles.

If it were me and I was spending the $200 for a stamp I would figure out what is going to be getting shot the most. For me it was a 22 so that is what I built, a 22 can. For you it may be 223 mostly with only the occasional 22 being fired and if that is the case I would get a sealed 223 can. I can say this, once you fire a subsonic 22 round through a decent suppressor, be it a 223 or a 22 suppressor, a 223 fails in comparison even through a top of the line 223 suppressor because of the sonic crack.

Dolomite

[dlm37015]

i slean mine in my sonic cleaner with simple green and lemons works great

[Dolomite_supafly]

i slean mine in my sonic cleaner with simple green and lemons works great

Rimfire or centerfire cans?

I clean mine by taking it apart about every 500 rounds or so. I media blast it so for me it is pretty easy to clean, mine is all SS.

Dolomite

[dlm37015]

mine is for 223 but i use it on 22 long rifle quite a bit

[Dolomite_supafly]

Sonic cleaners are good for most but there are concerns over using them on aluminum parts. Some say they will cause cracks.

I have spoke to a few manufacturers about different questions I had. Something that came up with sevreral was that with some aluminum cans that the baffles will work harden and crack over time. This may be why there has been a trend over the last 3-4 years for manufacturers to start making rimfire stainless suppressors.

I know stainless suppressors weigh more than their aluminum counterparts but they also last a lot longer and are easier to clean.

Dolomite

[Tango down]

Some months back I decided to go with the new Silencerco Sparrow. I was impressed with the design and disassembly. I agree with one of the previous posts that the major factor is what will be shot the most, not to mention the weight and sight issues with shooting a 556 can on a 22. I should get the paperwork back next month and will give you all an update on the Sparrow.