Hope I don't jinx it by posting this but the suppressor bill cleared the GOP controlled house by a wide margin with bi-partisan support and is headed to the DFL controled senate here in MN. If this gets signed into law, a .22 can will jump to #1 on my to do list. Am thinking of a fast twist .218 Bee on the Contender platform and a 22/45 for starters.

What's the skinny?

Having shot JD Jones's personal .22 pistol equipped with a can made by SSK, and asking a lot of questions plus reading about their use, I can tell you that if you use subsonic rounds (slower than the speed of sound which varies according to altitude and other factors) in them, they are very quiet; sometimes all you hear is the action cycling. Depends on the model/manufacturer of can and the gun and the caliber, etc.

When you use supersonic rounds (faster than the speed of sound) the noise of the escaping gases (the "blast" we hear) is quieted but the bullet breaking the sound barrier makes a "boom."

What a lot of shooters like is when using high velocity hunting rounds with a can, they usually do not need hearing protection.

Rod,

First, a warning...are you sure you want to go down this path? She's slippery...one will certainly lead to more, plus you'll start looking for additional "hosts" for your suppressor(s).

Now that we have that out of the way, the Bee will need a beefed-up rimfire can to tolerate the pressures of the cartridge. Many rimfire designs are "user-serviceable", in order to regularly purge the buildup the accumulates with rimfire shooting - I would suggest one of these models.

You'll like shooting suppressed. Promise.

Any other questions?

Plain ol' .22LR is just fine. JD will put an intergral suppressor on a MkIII frame. Looks like a bull barrel .22. Price is not crazy, either. Ammo is reasonable, Rem. and Aguila subsonics shoot and kill great.
I've done over 100 squirrels, 100 groundhogs (out to 90+yds), bunches of skunks, raccoons, feral cats, and feral larger animals, with mine. The sound of the bullet hitting the animal is louder than the gun going off. JD says screw on cans are not as quiet.
I never was a fan of .22 handguns for hunting. This gun has opened my eyes to a whole new, exciting form of hunting.

I was thinking of trying a subsonic load for the Bee with heavier than normal bullets. Can get a 7 twist from MGM. My hopes are that I can get one can that will work with both the 'Tender and Ruger pistol.

Looks like it is a moot point anyway as our less than distinguished DFL governor has threatened to veto any legislation concering suppressors. I gotta get outa here....

I have a hunter town arms on my 22/45 ruger. I had more fun squirrel hunting with it this year the few times I went deer hunting. Shot a bunch of squirrels. A small group of does were feeding 40 yards from my stand and weren't bothered by me shooting at squirrels in the opposite direction. Like SChunter said its a slippery slope. The hunter town arms are all serviceable and come apart very easily to clean the internals. And their relatively inexpensive compared to others.

GAME ON!



Now the fun begins ;-)

Congrats! Seems as though common sense prevailed. Can't wait to see pictures of your new projects.

Sure wish we could use them in FL for hunting.