Survivalist Silencers: The .22 LR

A standard piece of equipment mentioned for bug out bag supplies is a take down 10/22. The 10/22 is a versatile gun which doesn’t add much for weight and works very well in many applications. It’s already a fairly quiet firearm which sits right around 140 decibels- OSHA’s limit for hearing safe for impulse noises. However, one small tool can take your 10/22 from a small blast to practically noiseless.
Silencers were invented in the very early 1900s but dropped off in popularity after the National Firearms Act of 1934 was created which restricted their ownership. In more recent years, silencers have regained popularity with full force. They’re still a part of the National Firearms Act (NFA), so to obtain a silencer one must apply for it. There is also a $200 transfer tax which must be paid to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) for each NFA item that is transferred.
There are a large number of silencers available on the market which means choosing the correct one could be difficult. For the sake of keeping things easy, we’ll discuss three different models which all have different attributes that make them excellent choices as an addition to your bug out bag. All three models will not only work on .22 lr, but also .22 mag, .17 HMR, and .17 Mach 2.
The first silencer is the Mack Brothers Lima. This silencer is manufactured in Sturgis, SD and is available here. The Lima is all stainless steel and features a stacked baffle design. Stacked baffles (meaning each baffle is an individual piece of metal, and they are stacked together in succession) result in the greatest decibel reduction. It’s the heaviest of the three silencers, weighing in at 7.1 ounces. It is 5.5 inches long and one inch in diameter. The biggest advantage to the Lima is that it is going to be one of the quietest silencers you can put on your gun. The disadvantage is that the stacked baffles make for more pieces and parts that you need to keep track of and clean, and you will need to clean your silencer. Bulk .22 ammo is not jacketed, so lead tends to build up in the silencer over time, requiring it to be cleaned. You also need a tool to take the Lima apart, so there is one more item that will need to be added to your bag.
The second silencer to look at is the Silencerco Sparrow. The Sparrow is manufactured in Utah and information on it can be found at Silencerco’s website. The Sparrow is also made completely of stainless steel and has a monolithic core, meaning that it’s one complete piece of metal. It’s just over five inches long and just over an inch in diameter. It weighs 6.5 ounces. There are a couple of great advantages to the Sparrow when it comes to being your bug out silencer. The Sparrow does not require any tools to get it apart. You simply need to unscrew a cap on the end. It also has unique “clam shells” which fit around the core, preventing the core from getting stuck to the tube with lead build up. The only real disadvantage to the Sparrow is that it has a notoriously loud first round pop, meaning the first shot fired through the silencer is going to be louder than the subsequent shots. First round pop tends to be worse in monolithic silencers than in stacked baffle silencers.
The final silencer is the Liberty Essence. The Essence is manufactured in Georgia and information about it can be found at Liberty’s website. The Essence is the lightest of the three at 4.2 ounces. It is constructed almost entirely of titanium, with just the blast baffle being stainless steel. The Essence follows typical rimfire silencer design with a one inch diameter, but it is 6.5 inches long which makes it the longest of the three silencers. That might be considered a disadvantage, but the length also works to make it quiet. The Essence has a monolithic core, so it will experience a little bit of the first round pop similar to the Sparrow. The big advantages to the Essence are its lightweight design and the fact that a monolithic core is easier to clean than a pile of stacked baffles. The downside to the Essence is that it requires a pusher tool to get the core out which is made entirely of stainless steel, so that tool will add some weight to your bag.
No matter what you choose to outfit our bug out bag with, a silencer should be among your array of tools. It will make your gun quieter while also increasing your accuracy. When making your selection, consider what your priorities for a silencer are- price, weight, length, design- and take those into consideration. Finally, talk to a Class 3 dealer in your area to get started on your silencer purchase.

Written by: Natalie Bailey