Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns suppressor for rimfire pistol

I have been kicking around the idea of a suppressor for a few years and am likely to purchase one in the next couple weeks. It will be used most often on a Buckmark with Tacsol barrel, I will probably have my Ruger 77/22 threaded at some point as well.

I have been researching the Rugged Mustang or Oculus vs a Q Erector vs a Dead Air Mask. I have shot a suppressed 22 a little bit and recall the first round pop being an annoyance (don't recall the brand of suppressor) and would like to purchase a suppressor that minimizes that. Longevity and ease of use/cleaning are my other priorities.

Looking for advice based any experience with those products or others that should be considered.

Thank you.

My only experience concerns the Dead Air Mask, which I purchased mainly due to the reviews stating that FRP was minimal. It does indeed seem to keep FRP pretty low and I'm pleased with the can overall. I'd likely buy it again. Bulk Automatch ammo from WalMart is subsonic in my S&W Victor. My 10/22 and Anschutz get CCI Standard Vel or the CCI HP Suppressor loads. Very pleasant.

+1 on the DA Mask. I also have the AAC Element 2 which is an early design but still works great.

Baby bottle nipples always worked good for me…..though only good for about 2 or 3 shoots, and long range accuracy is severely hindered! Cheaper by the dozen on Amazon! 😉 memtb

Another vote for the Mask

I ordered a Tbac takedown .22 a couple weeks ago from Mile High Shooting.

When it gets to my range/ffl, I’ll post first impressions……

Tbac takedown is a solid option. Works great for both rifle and pistol. Tradeoff is that it weighs a little more but it will last.

I have three rimfire suppressors: Dead Air Mask, TBAC Takedown 22, and Surefire Ryder 22A. The Mask and 22 Takedown are pretty evenly matched in weight, performance, and minimal first-round pop. The Thunder Beast seems a little quieter on a pistol, but I don't have any scientific data to back it up. It just seems that way to me and my ears.

My Surefire Ryder is an older model with aluminum baffles. It's super lightweight, which is nice, but the aluminum baffles are an absolute PIA to clean. I would avoid the Rugged Mustang for this reason - it has aluminums baffles. I would stick to the rimfire suppressor models with stainless and titanium construction.

I have a dead air mask and thinking about a second. It is Hollywood silent and a blast to shoot. I have shot others but nothing seems to meet it. I shoot it on a 502 tactical and ar15 dedicated pistol and rifle. All do amazing! I would go with that.

I was told that the old school baffle type suppressors have the least first round pop vs the newer mono core types.

That said, the blast baffle cracked in my GemTech and sent it off for repair. Evidently they no longer use the aluminum baffles and are replacing mine with the mono core. At the cost of $269, I'm gonna find out if there is a difference if they ever get it back to me. How long does it take to dump the old baffles out and screw in the new system? I do not recommend GemTech after this mess.

I have a 22 takedown and its been a great little can.

The Outback IID is the one I have. I’m not sure what caused the blast baffle to crack but they didn’t even price me a new blast baffle.

Owned by S&W and on par with the service I’ve had with them too.

The TBAC will ride on a T1X. It’s the 20”. If I feel the need, I may get it chopped/rethreaded.

I’m gonna trip my MKIII target and grab a .22/45 Lite, put my Holosun and the TBAC on it as well. Can’t imagine that combo not being an absolute ball…..

Thanks for all the replies. FWIW I choose a Griffin Armament Checkmate HD. Griffin has been excellent in terms of customer service by phone and I looked at one in person and the quality appeared excellent.

I held both the Silencerco Sparrow and Dead Air Mask in my hand before purchasing. I ended up going with the Sparrow due to familiarity with Silencerco products. The sparrow has been good but in hindsight, I should have taken the Mask. From what I understand, it is easier to maintain. Not that the Sparrow is difficult but the Mask is just a more user friendly item. I will get a Mask at some point for what
It’s worth.

As far as sound performance of the Optimus Micro, it's extremely good. You will find a LOT of rimfire cans that are extremely quiet so 'other features' come into play when making a decision.

Again, I don't like aluminum baffles or whatnot. All of mine have SS baffles. When it's time to clean this makes life a whole lot easier.

I have a Rugged Occulus and I really like that one too. Between the two, the Griffin is quieter on rifles and the Rugged is marginally quieter on pistols. It's not anything insanely 'more or less loud' but you can tell a slight difference.
With subsonic ammo you could shoot those raccoons and they wouldn't even know their buddy next to them just got smoked.

I have been pretty happy with the SilencerCo Sparrow but would like to add another 22 can. Agreed about staying away from anything that uses aluminum construction though. FWIW I found a shot of canned air sprayed into the opening reduces FRP.

Sparrow, about to add another rimfire can, was thinking about a mask, but the sparrow has given me zero issues with a pile of rds through it. FRP is pretty noticeable with it, so will likely try a mask.
350rds through it on my 22-45 today



Little under 20yds with American Eagle. Shoots a lot tighter with Norma Tac.

I had my options narrowed down to the Mask and Sparrow SS. The mask was $100 more from the start. Caught a sale at a local shop and got the Sparrow for almost 200 less then the Mask. It has been good to me and I have no regrets, esp for the cost. Doesn't have first round pop on either my rifles or pistols. Buddy had a gen 1 Sparrow and the pop was noticeable.

Wouldn't mind adding another .22 can eventually. But others are ahead of it in priority. Gotta say, they are a game changer.