One of the biggest objections a lot of gun owners have to buying a suppressor — aside from the paperwork and paying for that ludicrous $200 tax stamp — is the cost of the suppressor itself. A .22 can is a great way to get into the suppressed shooting game as they’re usually less expensive and shooting a suppressed rifle or pistol is an ideal way to get new shooters started.
Dan Z for TTAG
SilencerCo’s just made buying your first suppressor easier. They’ve dropped the MSRP on their popular Sparrow 22 can to a very affordable $375. As for retail, Silencer Shop here in Austin is selling the Sparrow 22 for $360.
Here’s SilencerCo’s press release announcing the price drop . . .
The Sparrow 22 is now available at a lower MSRP of $375. The Sparrow was designed with simplicity, durability and user-serviceability as its core objectives.
The Sparrow 22’s Multi-Part Containment (MPC) technology facilitates ease of disassembly and reassembly – an essential function of rimfire suppressors. The internal MPC construction uses two half tubes that pull away from a monolithic core which ensures that the Sparrow will remain easy to clean after extended periods of use.
Courtesy SilencerCo
The Sparrow 22 is .22 LR, 5.7×28 full-auto rated and supports .22 Mag and .17 HMR.
The Sparrow 22 ships with a black sleeve and threaded rifle spacer. For unbeatable versatility, you can purchase the following accessories separately; rimfire o-ring pack, and/or rimfire adapters. For further information on this product click here.
Yup. I had one (bought it back in the early ’90s). Very fun, until CADOJ came to my home over a decade later and confiscated it after declaring it an assault weapon. True story. I’ve only ever purchased two guns in CA from FFLs, and the Calico was the second one. It’s my proof that you should never, never, never register anything if you can legally avoid it. CA allowed the sale, took my sales tax money, then later declared it illegal and sent three LEOs to my house to take it. I’ll never purchase anything in CA again.
Shhh…
My first can was a Sparrow, and I paid $375.00 plus tax’s for it. Still use it today. Easy to clean in my pin tumbler. I also have a White Sparrow on my stainless custom built 10/22 with a 18″ Kidd barrel
What kind of accuracy do you get from the Kidd barrel? Which barrel is it?
the 10-month wait is the worst thing. by far.
Two days after a friend of mine got his can out of ATF prison, his LGS went out of business.
Serious question: what would have happened had the business closed its doors while the can was still in limbo?
This usually means you hit the lottery. The ATF usually expedites these, they get sent to the top of the stack.
Only if the store chooses to go that way. Mine chose to transfer to another dealership which took the ATF 3 months to figure out and ok.
My preferred LGS closed shop back in 2017. For their last several weeks they were working with customers to transfer their NFA items to another local gun shop.
I had one take 22 months. God did that suck.
Why? I never found out.
!!
Did you call the ATF at any point to check on the status?
Yup. One of their inspectors just didn’t like my trust for some unknown reason.
I did a Form1 and made my last one. Got approval within 30 days.
I’m at 15 months on 2 form 4s now.
From their site: Caliber Compatibility 22LR, 17 WSM, 17 HMR, 22 MAG, 22 WMR, 22 HORNET, 5.7 X 28 MM”
Interesting that 22 TCM isn’t on the list.
The Rookie,
Interesting that 22 TCM isn’t on the list.
Probably nothing more than an oversight. As far as I know, .22 TCM and 5.7 x 28mm are ballistically identical for all intents and purposes. (If I am wrong on that count, someone please correct me.)
22 TCM has a Chamber pressure of 40,000 psi and 5.7 has a chamber pressure of about 51,000 PSI. If a suppressor can handle 5.7 it would be a logical guess it could handle both. If I had a suppressor with a warranty I would double check with the manufacturer.
Not really commenting on this suppressor but…
A lot of firearm accessories seem awfully expensive for what they are. I bet quality .22 suppressors would run sub $100 if we didn’t have the NFA nonsense and economy of scale kicked in.
Rossi can sell a decent complete .22 rifle (RS22) for under $100. A can can’t be more complicated.
I’m not criticizing the SilencerCo. I think the NFA is the problem.
Keep in mind that I don’t know much about suppressors. 😄
You’re undoubtedly correct about the economics.
With the NFA the market is heavily distorted in multiple ways and it greatly raises the price.
Just consider how much of a PITA a pistol suppressor based on wipes is. Wipes are cheap and effective but nearly non-existent in commercial cans because, being “suppressor parts” they’re such a pain to replace legally.
You aren’t wrong. It’s really just an overengineered pipe with some spacers, a few hole drilled and a threaded end. People make their own out of hardware store parts all the time, both on Form 1’s and illicitly, and usually for a fraction of the cost. You’re really paying for the space age material cost and RnD, and all the paperwork an SOT has to maintain. If the NFA went away, the market would flood with simple, cheap, and disposable suppressors, and the price of more legit offerings would tank.
I’ve though about this. I bet if NFA was gone there would be lots of disposable suppressors available. The could be constructed just like oil filters, pressed together sheet metal with consumable wipes inside. They could probably be sold profitably for $10 each and good for a range session or two.
There would still be a market for durable precision cans, but I bet a lot of people would like a cheap disposable option.
I wouldn’t be for “disposable” suppressors. Think of all that lead trapped within it. Recyclable is the way to go. Some of us do care about the environment.
Art out West,
I am totally on the same page with you. I am of the opinion that a company could make very nice profits on a rimfire suppressor priced at $50 and would sell a LOT of them.
Then we have to remember something very important that a friend once shared with me: assuming the same net profit, would I rather sell 2 million suppressors at $50 or 200,000 suppressors for $500? The obvious answer is that I would rather sell a much smaller number at a much higher profit margin if I am going to end up with the same overall net profit.
It’s not just that though.
Modern NFA compliant cans are high-end materials and engineering because they need to last. Nearly no one is going to jump through the NFA hoops for something that’s disposable (see my comment on wipes, above). So, you pay top dollar because working with the materials these things are made from isn’t cheap to do.
When cans contain a lot of stainless and Titanium they cost a lot to make because the tooling to deal with such metals isn’t cheap and neither is the skilled workmanship. I used to do this kind of work, it’s insanely expensive in ways that people don’t recognize.
Can you build a cheap-o can that’s fairly safe? Sure but it’s gonna have a lot of mass. Can you do it at the weight of the ones a company like SiCo sells? No, not cheaply. If you want to keep it light and long-lasting that costs a lot of money to do safely because if something on this thing fails, like a weld, especially on a rifle suppressor, you could very well have a small fragmentation bomb on the end of someone’s gun.
People don’t think about it but a good weld on Titanium or stainless for something that contains the kind of pressure we’re talking about… the first weld that comes off the line costs literally a million dollars or more to put on that silencer.
At $375 I’d happily buy one (or more!), and I applaud this company for making them affordable on their end.
However, I cannot bring myself to pay, what is essentially on this piece, a 53% tax (!) AND wait nearly a year to get it AND put my name on a gov’t list!
Suppressors have GOT to be taken off the NFA, there’s absolutely no reason they should even be on there in the first place.
Better yet, the NFA should be abolished entirely as it serves absolutely no purpose, for ‘public safety’ or otherwise. However, baby steps and all that; suppressors should be the first thing removed.
VicRattlehead,
I can make an even stronger argument to remove “short-barreled shotguns” and “short-barreled-rifles” from the NFA. (Multiple firearms of the same overall length and “firepower” are legal without any tax stamps.)
While I vehemently disagree with the NFA in its intirety, I can at least empathize with arguments to keep full-auto on the NFA. There is absolutely no argument whatsoever for everything else on the NFA and fedzilla should gut it post-haste.
Yeah the short barrel restrictions are even more inane than the silencer ones. The restrictions on silencers does something- not something useful, but something. The ban on short barreled rifles is literally useless given the proliferation of “pistols” that work just like rifles.
The NFA is working as designed, the tax gets some revenue for the government, but the expense in processing, manpower, and general waste probably keeps it from being profitable, so the whole point then is to serve as a hurdle to prevent ownership of these devices. And prosecute anyone who doesn’t pay the tax and follow the process.
While I don’t like the process and want it to go away, I don’t know that a boycott you lay out helps. I see it on basically every silencer announcement, don’t want to be on the list, too expensive, too complicated, silencers should be cheaper, takes to long. Can’t do much about the being on the list.
However, the tax stamp, I frequently see offers buy this can, we pay your stamp, buy one get a rebate or gift card, etc… While it doesn’t take the stamp away, you can offset the price, get some mounts, stamp for the next can or money off the price of the next. I have done that.
Time, well it goes up and down. Just picked two up that I sent November 1, the dealer and I were both surprised. This I know, if we all wait for the nfa to be abolished, that will far exceed the form 4/1 wait.
Again, I understand people don’t want to be “registered”, but I am glad a lot of us are taking the risk, paying the cost, and going through the process anyway. Silencers are fun, and protecting your hearing and those around you is good. Supporting the industry is good, and I think both the fact that inflation has made $200 less of an issue (do you have a $200 cell phone) and the mystery and legality around the process is less of an issue thanks to the companies, dealers, and distributers, internet reviews, etc working to make it more mainstream.
I think it is good to have them, and take your buddies at the range to see them, so they can go from “wait, you have what, is that legal” to “what do I do to get one?” I don’t think so many states would have allowed ownership, and allowed for hunting, if people weren’t buying them, using them responsibly, and pushing for them. And I think that will add fuel to the fight if States like Virginia want to ban them again.
So if you can’t see yourself registering, maybe I can’t change your mind, but maybe tell your Congress critter, “hey, I want to buy a silencer, you need to change this process.” Then go rent some cans or shoot some with a friend.
TheUnspoken,
All excellent points. I tip my hat to you fine sir or ma’am.
Isn’t it odd that the Europeans can buy these easily?
And NZ used to be easy, too. Encouraged.
meh just buy a titanium diversified machine ST and form 1 it for $240.
Form 1 for .22 all day, everyday.
I’ve been in love with the Sparrow since I found out about it. However, my cheapness has come to prevent me from buying anything NFA related.
It’s the 9-12 month wait…grueling…
It’s a rimfire suppressor, it costs $8 to make.
What he said.
That Calico is FUGLY. I want one.
If someone is in a state they can legally buy one, is willing to go through NFA nonsense and pay the tax stamp, I doubt small differences in a silencer price is the issue.
“Rimfire gun mufflers are commonly available for under $20. Consider that a New Zealand dollar is current valued a .65 U.S. dollars.”
From a previous article the real cost of a suppressor is about $20 for a consumer. The only reason to regulate them is to make them cost more money. Government makes things cost more ON PURPOSE. That is the real goal. Sometimes the government forces a company to hire more people using regulations. Other times regulations are used to limit how many people can afford a product.
The rich. Criminal or law abiding will always have machine guns. And the poor will almost never have a suppressor. That is the goal of government. Movie prop companies are “allowed by California” to have as many NFA items as they can afford. But not for the ordinary person.
Is that a 22lr calico what is that thingamuhjig?
Yup. I had one (bought it back in the early ’90s). Very fun, until CADOJ came to my home over a decade later and confiscated it after declaring it an assault weapon. True story. I’ve only ever purchased two guns in CA from FFLs, and the Calico was the second one. It’s my proof that you should never, never, never register anything if you can legally avoid it. CA allowed the sale, took my sales tax money, then later declared it illegal and sent three LEOs to my house to take it. I’ll never purchase anything in CA again.
Shhh…
My first can was a Sparrow, and I paid $375.00 plus tax’s for it. Still use it today. Easy to clean in my pin tumbler. I also have a White Sparrow on my stainless custom built 10/22 with a 18″ Kidd barrel
What kind of accuracy do you get from the Kidd barrel? Which barrel is it?
the 10-month wait is the worst thing. by far.
Two days after a friend of mine got his can out of ATF prison, his LGS went out of business.
Serious question: what would have happened had the business closed its doors while the can was still in limbo?
This usually means you hit the lottery. The ATF usually expedites these, they get sent to the top of the stack.
Only if the store chooses to go that way. Mine chose to transfer to another dealership which took the ATF 3 months to figure out and ok.
My preferred LGS closed shop back in 2017. For their last several weeks they were working with customers to transfer their NFA items to another local gun shop.
I had one take 22 months. God did that suck.
Why? I never found out.
!!
Did you call the ATF at any point to check on the status?
Yup. One of their inspectors just didn’t like my trust for some unknown reason.
My last can came in 2 months.
Something about a new ATF office opening or something.
You can see here some people are getting really lucky:
https://www.nfatracker.com/nfa-transfer-time-tracking/
I did a Form1 and made my last one. Got approval within 30 days.
I’m at 15 months on 2 form 4s now.
From their site: Caliber Compatibility 22LR, 17 WSM, 17 HMR, 22 MAG, 22 WMR, 22 HORNET, 5.7 X 28 MM”
Interesting that 22 TCM isn’t on the list.
The Rookie,
Probably nothing more than an oversight. As far as I know, .22 TCM and 5.7 x 28mm are ballistically identical for all intents and purposes. (If I am wrong on that count, someone please correct me.)
22 TCM has a Chamber pressure of 40,000 psi and 5.7 has a chamber pressure of about 51,000 PSI. If a suppressor can handle 5.7 it would be a logical guess it could handle both. If I had a suppressor with a warranty I would double check with the manufacturer.
Not really commenting on this suppressor but…
A lot of firearm accessories seem awfully expensive for what they are. I bet quality .22 suppressors would run sub $100 if we didn’t have the NFA nonsense and economy of scale kicked in.
Rossi can sell a decent complete .22 rifle (RS22) for under $100. A can can’t be more complicated.
I’m not criticizing the SilencerCo. I think the NFA is the problem.
Keep in mind that I don’t know much about suppressors. 😄
You’re undoubtedly correct about the economics.
With the NFA the market is heavily distorted in multiple ways and it greatly raises the price.
Just consider how much of a PITA a pistol suppressor based on wipes is. Wipes are cheap and effective but nearly non-existent in commercial cans because, being “suppressor parts” they’re such a pain to replace legally.
You aren’t wrong. It’s really just an overengineered pipe with some spacers, a few hole drilled and a threaded end. People make their own out of hardware store parts all the time, both on Form 1’s and illicitly, and usually for a fraction of the cost. You’re really paying for the space age material cost and RnD, and all the paperwork an SOT has to maintain. If the NFA went away, the market would flood with simple, cheap, and disposable suppressors, and the price of more legit offerings would tank.
I’ve though about this. I bet if NFA was gone there would be lots of disposable suppressors available. The could be constructed just like oil filters, pressed together sheet metal with consumable wipes inside. They could probably be sold profitably for $10 each and good for a range session or two.
There would still be a market for durable precision cans, but I bet a lot of people would like a cheap disposable option.
I wouldn’t be for “disposable” suppressors. Think of all that lead trapped within it. Recyclable is the way to go. Some of us do care about the environment.
Art out West,
I am totally on the same page with you. I am of the opinion that a company could make very nice profits on a rimfire suppressor priced at $50 and would sell a LOT of them.
Then we have to remember something very important that a friend once shared with me: assuming the same net profit, would I rather sell 2 million suppressors at $50 or 200,000 suppressors for $500? The obvious answer is that I would rather sell a much smaller number at a much higher profit margin if I am going to end up with the same overall net profit.
It’s not just that though.
Modern NFA compliant cans are high-end materials and engineering because they need to last. Nearly no one is going to jump through the NFA hoops for something that’s disposable (see my comment on wipes, above). So, you pay top dollar because working with the materials these things are made from isn’t cheap to do.
When cans contain a lot of stainless and Titanium they cost a lot to make because the tooling to deal with such metals isn’t cheap and neither is the skilled workmanship. I used to do this kind of work, it’s insanely expensive in ways that people don’t recognize.
Can you build a cheap-o can that’s fairly safe? Sure but it’s gonna have a lot of mass. Can you do it at the weight of the ones a company like SiCo sells? No, not cheaply. If you want to keep it light and long-lasting that costs a lot of money to do safely because if something on this thing fails, like a weld, especially on a rifle suppressor, you could very well have a small fragmentation bomb on the end of someone’s gun.
People don’t think about it but a good weld on Titanium or stainless for something that contains the kind of pressure we’re talking about… the first weld that comes off the line costs literally a million dollars or more to put on that silencer.
At $375 I’d happily buy one (or more!), and I applaud this company for making them affordable on their end.
However, I cannot bring myself to pay, what is essentially on this piece, a 53% tax (!) AND wait nearly a year to get it AND put my name on a gov’t list!
Suppressors have GOT to be taken off the NFA, there’s absolutely no reason they should even be on there in the first place.
Better yet, the NFA should be abolished entirely as it serves absolutely no purpose, for ‘public safety’ or otherwise. However, baby steps and all that; suppressors should be the first thing removed.
VicRattlehead,
I can make an even stronger argument to remove “short-barreled shotguns” and “short-barreled-rifles” from the NFA. (Multiple firearms of the same overall length and “firepower” are legal without any tax stamps.)
While I vehemently disagree with the NFA in its intirety, I can at least empathize with arguments to keep full-auto on the NFA. There is absolutely no argument whatsoever for everything else on the NFA and fedzilla should gut it post-haste.
Yeah the short barrel restrictions are even more inane than the silencer ones. The restrictions on silencers does something- not something useful, but something. The ban on short barreled rifles is literally useless given the proliferation of “pistols” that work just like rifles.
The NFA is working as designed, the tax gets some revenue for the government, but the expense in processing, manpower, and general waste probably keeps it from being profitable, so the whole point then is to serve as a hurdle to prevent ownership of these devices. And prosecute anyone who doesn’t pay the tax and follow the process.
While I don’t like the process and want it to go away, I don’t know that a boycott you lay out helps. I see it on basically every silencer announcement, don’t want to be on the list, too expensive, too complicated, silencers should be cheaper, takes to long. Can’t do much about the being on the list.
However, the tax stamp, I frequently see offers buy this can, we pay your stamp, buy one get a rebate or gift card, etc… While it doesn’t take the stamp away, you can offset the price, get some mounts, stamp for the next can or money off the price of the next. I have done that.
Time, well it goes up and down. Just picked two up that I sent November 1, the dealer and I were both surprised. This I know, if we all wait for the nfa to be abolished, that will far exceed the form 4/1 wait.
Again, I understand people don’t want to be “registered”, but I am glad a lot of us are taking the risk, paying the cost, and going through the process anyway. Silencers are fun, and protecting your hearing and those around you is good. Supporting the industry is good, and I think both the fact that inflation has made $200 less of an issue (do you have a $200 cell phone) and the mystery and legality around the process is less of an issue thanks to the companies, dealers, and distributers, internet reviews, etc working to make it more mainstream.
I think it is good to have them, and take your buddies at the range to see them, so they can go from “wait, you have what, is that legal” to “what do I do to get one?” I don’t think so many states would have allowed ownership, and allowed for hunting, if people weren’t buying them, using them responsibly, and pushing for them. And I think that will add fuel to the fight if States like Virginia want to ban them again.
So if you can’t see yourself registering, maybe I can’t change your mind, but maybe tell your Congress critter, “hey, I want to buy a silencer, you need to change this process.” Then go rent some cans or shoot some with a friend.
TheUnspoken,
All excellent points. I tip my hat to you fine sir or ma’am.
Isn’t it odd that the Europeans can buy these easily?
And NZ used to be easy, too. Encouraged.
meh just buy a titanium diversified machine ST and form 1 it for $240.
Form 1 for .22 all day, everyday.
I’ve been in love with the Sparrow since I found out about it. However, my cheapness has come to prevent me from buying anything NFA related.
It’s the 9-12 month wait…grueling…
It’s a rimfire suppressor, it costs $8 to make.
What he said.
That Calico is FUGLY. I want one.
If someone is in a state they can legally buy one, is willing to go through NFA nonsense and pay the tax stamp, I doubt small differences in a silencer price is the issue.
“Rimfire gun mufflers are commonly available for under $20. Consider that a New Zealand dollar is current valued a .65 U.S. dollars.”
From a previous article the real cost of a suppressor is about $20 for a consumer. The only reason to regulate them is to make them cost more money. Government makes things cost more ON PURPOSE. That is the real goal. Sometimes the government forces a company to hire more people using regulations. Other times regulations are used to limit how many people can afford a product.
The rich. Criminal or law abiding will always have machine guns. And the poor will almost never have a suppressor. That is the goal of government. Movie prop companies are “allowed by California” to have as many NFA items as they can afford. But not for the ordinary person.
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/new-zealand-silencers-cheap-and-unregulated/
What would happen if you used a sparrow on an AR-15? Is diameter or pressure an issue?! I realize it may not make it “hearing safe”.
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