http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck9FWqhekJk

I just got word through a friend in the know that AAC is cancelling all of their 10/22-SD orders effective immediately. The stated reason for the cancellation is that AAC is too backlogged with their “standard” silencer orders for already established lines of cans (of which I just added one more order to their pile today, actually), but I think something else might be going on behind the scenes as well…

When I went down to AAC last year and interviewed Kevin Brittingham, I got the inside scoop on their (then) upcoming 1022-SD. Apparently Ruger wasn’t playing ball with creating an NFA item fresh from the factory floor, so AAC took the “screw it, we’ll do it live” approach. They decided to buy 10/22s from Ruger (or a distributor), modify the rifles themselves and sell them rather than going through Ruger’s chain of command and offering them through Ruger’s catalog.

The original concept was fantastic. And no doubt driven by Kevin’s own experiences teaching his son how to shoot (and the beneficial role silencers played in that experience). There’s no question that these things would have been in high demand. But since their purchase by Freedom Group, the parent company has been slowly bringing them into the fold of the other portfolio companies like Remington and Marlin. I get the feeling that this might be Freedom Group trying to play nice with Ruger.

That’s not to say their stated excuse isn’t valid — AAC does indeed have a massive backlog of silencer orders since the industry boom began and the decreasing NFA wait times will definitely keep demand high. I know one distributor who has 113 silencers currently backordered with the company. They’re waiting for orders to be filled before even starting the NFA paperwork for the customers.

There’s no doubt that they need to focus on filling existing orders before creating demand for a whole new manufacturing-intensive product, but I feel like that’s something Freedom Group could have thrown manpower at and fixed.

Or I could be completely wrong. Politics was never my strong suit. But I calls it like I sees it.

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9 COMMENTS

  1. Maybe the “politics” is that AAC has been told they should (will) be bundling their silencer with a Freedom Group .22 lr rifle instead of a competitor’s???

    • Sounds like a good solution. My Remington 597 is more accurate stock than my friend’s stock 10/22.

  2. I’m not an expert on the subject, but a friend/acquaintance of mine who makes silencers told me that making a reliable integrally-suppressed 10/22 is fairly difficult. Many years ago, I fired one that was made by a major manufacturer, and it was finicky to say the least. So it would not surprise me if AAC simply felt like the product was not up to standard.

  5. “I get the feeling that this might be Freedom Group trying to play nice with Ruger.”

    Ruger is my favorite gun maker. If the b-st-rds from the FG ever acquire Ruger it will be as if the world has had an ice age descend upon it.

  6. Yankee Hill Machine makes their own suppressed 10/22 barrels. They sell a 10/22 rifle with integrally suppressed barrel as well as a Ruger Mk III with a integral suppressor. I hope they will make one for the Takedown rifle soon.

  7. Adding to the options mentioned above, Thompson Machine offers integrally suppressed Ruger 10/22s, 10/22 barrels, Ruger chargers, and even an integrally suppressed 10/22 take-down. The suppressed barrels are .920″ just like the standard 10/22 bull barrel. All user serviceable and Thompson Machine’s work has a good reputation. They do compelling handgun suppressors (their Poseidon is a terrific carry-size suppressor), but the company is particularly strong in .22LR suppression offerings. Very cool stuff.

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