The Keefe Report: An Integrally Suppressed Ruger 10/22 Barrel—From the Factory

by
posted on April 27, 2017
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
isb_lede.png

A couple of years ago during a meeting with top Ruger product managers, I suggested that, as nice as the then new Silent-SR was, what about the millions of Ruger 10/22 and Mark series pistol owners already out there? What about them? Most .22s with “Sturm, Ruger & Co.” rollmarked on their barrels do not have threaded muzzles to accept suppressors. Well, Ruger has addressed at least a large subset of 10/22 owners.

I regard the Ruger 10/22 Takedown as one of man's more useful contrivances of the past 20 years. It just got better. Ruger has announced a factory integrally suppressed barrel for the Ruger 10/22 Takedown called the Silent-SR ISB (ISB stands for “Integrally Suppressed Barrel”). And Ruger's testing indicates that the Silent-SR ISB drops the report from standard velocity .22 Long Rifle down to 113.2 dB—well within an ear safe range. All while maintaining the handy overall length of a 10/22 with a 16” barrel.

Once legally acquired (this is an NFA item after all), all one has to do is remove the original barrel from your 10/22 Takedown and attach the 16.12” long barrel, suppressor and fore-end assembly. At present, for Byzantine internal accounting reasons, Ruger is not selling the gun and suppressor together, but at a retail price of $649, it’s not a huge spend for the ISB accessory barrel. The cold-hammer-forged barrel, according to Ruger, has an induction hardened breech.

While the ISB has an overall length of 16.12”, only 10.62” is actual barrelthe rest is suppressor and housing. When you look at it, the ISB appears to be a 10/22 with an oversize tubular magazine or perhaps even an over-under 10/22 paying homage to the, sniff, sniff, now-discontinued Red Label. The suppressor guts six “pushed-cone” baffles looking a bit like figure-eights that extend ahead of and below the barrel, too. Ruger materials say they are “frenched” into the fore-end. The 17–4 stainless baffles are inside a Cerakoted housing.

The whole thing is held together by a 5/32” hex screw (tool supplied) and disassembly is a snap. Simply take the barrel off in the conventional manner, turn out the retaining screw, and the whole thing comes apart, baffles, spacer, sleeve and front cap. One of the bugaboos of integrally suppressed .22 barrels has been difficulty of cleaning. That's obviously not an issue here.

And if you don’t think this is a big deal, I suggest you have not attempted to clean the inside of an integrally suppressed .22 barrel often. Typically, they are very hard to get out and get to, and when you do manage to get in there, you find something akin to runoff from the La Brea Tar Pits. At the bottom of an ultrasonic cleaner one time, I was pretty sure we were going to find the remains of a smilodon fatalis.

When we tested the 10/22 Takedown, we found the return to zero claims were spot on. Ruger says you can remove the Silent-SR ISB and not have a change in zero. Odds are there may be a different point of impact between suppressed and regular barrels, but we won't know that until we receive one for testing. As a majority block of the Rifleman staff owns 10/22 Takedowns, including Charger Takedown pistols, I imagine there will be a lot of rock-paper-scissors to determine who tests the Ruger Silent-SR IBS.

Latest

Star Model B Ihtog 1
Star Model B Ihtog 1

I Have This Old Gun: Star Model B

Of the many Spanish-made firearms to emerge throughout the 19th and 20th century, one of the most recognizable is the Star Model B, largely due to its similarity to the Colt Model 1911.

New For 2025: Kimber Next Generation 1911

For its latest M1911 offering, Kimber Mfg. borrowed design elements from its double-stack 2K11 pistol to create what it calls the Next Generation 1911.

Review: Charter Arms Double Dog

Charter Arms is an American gunmaker that has offered its own versions of compact, double-action revolvers at fair prices for more than 60 years.

Rifleman Q&A: Mysterious “Broomhandle” Bring-Back

"My favorite gun is inoperable, so I have not shot it. It is one of two weapons that my dad brought back from the Philippines after World War II, the other being a sword."

New Jersey Town Supports CCW With Fee Refund

The city of Englishtown, N.J., recently made a move to reduce that financial barrier, sparking widespread optimism that a statewide, even nationwide, trend may be on the horizon.

Review: Savage Arms Revel

Lever-action rifles have experienced a revival in recent years, and Savage Arms is getting in on the act with its Revel series rimfires. To understand it, you may have to read (backward) between the lines.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.