Best Method for Cleaning a Suppressor - How to Clean a 22 Suppressor

[@shelbythomas5007]

This was the best silencer cleaning video that I've seen. Thanks

[@SilencerShop]

Thanks for the support!

[@RickHunter811]

I have been using a great hack that has saved a lot of hours of cleaning. Lightly coat the baffles with a Q-Tip with a ceramic brake grease. Silaramic makes one that withstands 3,000 degree heat. Been doing this for 3 months and it is a game changer. After shooting a few hundred rounds the carbon just sticks to the greese and you can simply wipe the baffles clean. After that you can put the baffles in a sonic cleaner for 10 minutes with water and Simple Green to get the leftover grease off and they look shinny new.

[@MarkLeeHorvath]

I've gone with the Harbor Freight Rock Tumbler. I use the small stainless steel rods in it. I vary with solvents but last night I used some Balistol, Citric acid powder, liquid dish detergent and water. I ran the baffles for 24 hours and they came out almost completely clean. I did have to scrap some lead caked on a few using a small knife and/or a brass bristle tooth brush. Another thing I did last time, and I believe which made cleaning a breeze this time was to, once completely clean, I baked the baffles and tube in an oven at 250 degrees for about 30 minutes. From the oven and still hot I immersed all the peaces in a jar of silicone oil (which I purchase on Amazon for this purpose). After the pieces cooled (I actually left mine in the bath overnight) I let the silicone oil drip off the pieces but re-assembled the suppressor with the pieces still coated in oil. The oil does two things... I think it acts to make the suppressor essentially a "wet" suppressor and I really believe the heat treatment and soaking allowed me to wipe off most of the carbon. The Rock Tumbler and steel rods removed most of the lead. The biggest issue for me now is the lead. It is not as excessive as it was before the silicone oil treatment but is still occurs. I'm wondering, since the melting point of lead is much lower than stainless steel I wonder if I can "spot" melt the lead using a blowtorch??

[@ALovelyBunchOfDragonballz]

I cleaned my Silent-SR after ~3,500 rounds*, the baffles slid right out of the tube and after a chemical bath I was able to scrape the baffles clean. I cant say I'd recommend waiting that long, Ruger certainly doesnt, but it still worked. *I tranfered it through a shop with an indoor range. I shot a lot of rounds each time and went almost once a month.

[@SilencerShop]

Wow, that's a long time to go without cleaning, but I'm glad disassembly was still easy! Thanks for sharing your experience. - Chase

[@cleetismcdougall5425]

I’ve noticed that if you shoot a 500 round brick of 22lr in one session it’s not as dirty as 50 rounds at a time. Pretty sure it has to do with the heat and cooling cycles that bake lead inside the baffles. Ammunition choice too. CCI clean is by far the cleanest I’ve ever used. Norma is #2. If Norma coated their bullets like CCI or if CCI used Norma powder and primers that would make excellent ammo.

[@bodinian]

Pro tip: after cleaning your baffles coat them in a high temperature resistant grease, such as white lithium grease, to help make taking them apart and cleaning them easier next time.

[@SilencerShop]

Top tip!

[@RickHunter811]

Agree. Coating the baffles with a grease like Silaramic brake system grease is a game changer. The carbon just wipes off and you have everything shinny new.

[@YdoIneedahandle869]

Excellent video

[@SilencerShop]

Thanks so much, JC, glad you enjoyed it! - Chase

[@user-eo4ps7re5e]

Will a brass scraper work in lieu of copper?

[@SilencerShop]

Brass is a little harder, so more likely to cause scratches. Be careful.

[@SavageTactical]

Do you guys recommend putting steel baffles through a wet tumbling cleaner with or without SS pins?

[@SilencerShop]

Steel baffles are fine to use with steel pins, Savage! - Chase

[@whereswaldo5740]

CLR Calcium Lime Rust CLR remover works great. Soak an hour wipe clean. Makes a soft sludge. Wear gloves. Doesn’t all come off soak another hour. And so on.

[@randyscott990]

I soak my aluminum baffles in KG Carbon Remover overnight. Mostly brushes off with M16 cleaning toothbrush. Might be some tough deposits on first baffle that I use non-brush side of M16 brush to push them off the baffle surface. Rinse all residue with brake cleaner. When dry, spray with dry silicon aerosol then a light thorough coating of Sil-Glyde. Do not soak overnight with Hoppe’s, it will turn hardcoat anodize silver, not that it matters, it will still be super hard, it just fades the black color. The silicone spray and sil-glyde make future cleaning very very easy.

[@mikequinn8780]

Will rotating blast baffles change zero or accuracy at all since the silencer won't be exactly the same as it was?

[@SilencerShop]

Having baffles in different orientations can cause POI shifts. - Chase

[@Desertpunk1986]

I was wondering too. Seems I’ll be do a zero check after silencer cleaning.

[@DennisRoach-jr1cn]

Would appreciate more detailed information about types of solvents to use and what NOT to use. Is CLR alright? What about Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide mix? Yes, they require special handling and disposal. Also, which ones are safe to allow the parts to soak in overnight, etc, etc.

[@SilencerShop]

We urge you to follow manufacturers instructions, a lot of solvents can damage coatings. CLR is normally good to go, but with modern suppressors specific cleaners coming out we would recommend those.

[@robertzimmerman9194]

Can a brass brush be used vise brass carbon scraper?

[@SilencerShop]

Brass is normally fine for most materials, but non-marring brushes (like stiff nylons) can be safer on finishes. - Chase

[@EDP_every_day_pyro]

So the rugged mustang cannot be used in a ultra sonic cleaner?

[@SilencerShop]

we to the material, we wouldnt recommend it.

[@dvskane1808]

Invest in an ultrasonic cleaner. So much easier and I get my baffles looking like new. I just use Hornady one shot cleaner. A lot less work.

[@SilencerShop]

Thanks for the tips!

[@seanuh60]

Simple green can also remove blueing.

[@SilencerShop]

Good call out, thank you!

[@seanuh60]

@@SilencerShop I ruined a used Ruger old army not thinking about it and let it soak overnight.

[@Gawl88]

FYI, purple Simple Green Pro won't hurt aluminium.

[@SilencerShop]

Thanks for the tip!

[@cleetismcdougall5425]

My 22 suppressor is much quieter when it is clean. I wouldn’t go much over the 500 round cleaning most manufacturers recommend.

[@SilencerShop]

Good observation! That is because the lead and carbon actually reduce the effective volume of the suppressor, cleaning is very important! - Chase

[@vicgarb2288]

The “best” method for steel baffles is sonicator with 1/3 purple power degreaser for 45 min

[@SilencerShop]

Thanks for sharing that tip, Vic! - Chase

[@ske1eter]

It''d have been better to show how you get the lead off. It's danged near impossible especially with aluminum alloy baffles.

[@SilencerShop]

A mild solvent and a non-marring scrapper will help with that! - Chase

[@inahurrytooften3121]

I’ve got a Ryder 22A, removing lead about impossible without damaging the baffles.

[@jbazan11]

Agreed! My baffles look like mud gunk when when I take apart my sig sauer suppressor. I use pro7 and hoppes bore cleaner in a mini spray bottle. Let it set, then start scrubbing away for about 1-1.5 hrs to clean my suppressor and even then it’s not 100% clean. This was after shooting aguila sub sonic for the first time. I don’t know if it could have been the ammo

[@billstevens5277]

Seems like a lot less work to just throw everything into an ultrasonic.

[@SilencerShop]

Ultrasonic is good, but not recommended for all part and materials we actually did a separate video featuring an ultrasonic cleaner ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5m3mWWim7B7j9E ) - Chase

[@biglemms]

Cheapo amateur tip...grab some extra chopsticks next time you're out for Chinese food...best handy and "free" gun cleaning tools ever.

[@SilencerShop]

Good call! They can help get into the nooks and crannies!

[@RockeyDAproductions]

i guess i never thoght of it. i mean i never clean my guns unless theirs water/mud/salt or corrosive ammo.

[@SilencerShop]

It can be very important, especially for rimfire systems. - Chase

[@trappedsol]

Anybody try injector cleaner? I mean its literally for carbon build up. I wonder…..

[@1stidvet553]

50/50 hydrogen peroxide and vinegar makes them almost like new clean. It is a very hazardous mixture though. Google “the dip” suppressor cleaning method

[@SilencerShop]

( kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5m3mWWim7B7j9E ) We did a video featuring the dip Vet! We do not endorse that method as it can be very harmful. -Chase