I use one in a .22 lr for control work. Urban shooting is fun!

Cons of suppressors:
1. Heavily regulated (and should not be)]
2. Some think that a bad guy wont know you have a gun. Maybe with a .22 suppressed weapon, with background noise and outside, this might in some situations be the case, but most suppressors are not that quiet.
3. Depending on gun and suppressor, added weight and length to the gun. This will likely affect shooting stance and handling.
4. Expense.
A. You don't just need to buy the suppressor and file for the tax stamp.
B. You'll also need to buy other stuff like a barrel and probably/possibly specialized ammunition (limits ammo options) that is rated for being used with a suppressor.
C. Should be gunsmith fitted, even if it came with a threaded barrel.
5. Taller sights (so you can actually hit your target) or a reconfiguration of sights or an entire new sighting system.
6. Makes gun dirty faster
7. Gas blows everywhere.


Pros of Suppressor:
1. Saves hearing (both the shooters and others). Fire a gun inside a car, bus or small room and you will see why they are worthwhile.
2. Makes it harder for the bad guys to know where you are by sound. May give you an edge in a fight or a second shot on game.
3. Makes it harder for the bad guys to know where you are by sight (muzzle flash). May give you an edge in a fight or a second shot on game.
4. Reduce felt recoil (some).
5. Shoots "nicer"...

MISC:
1. May or may not give slightly elevated velocity.
2. May or may not slightly improve accuracy.
3. You might get sick of the whole suppressor (which is a better word choice, but does it really matter?) vs. silencer wordplay crap. I know I have.

Silencercentral.com very popular with our callers here

I have a suppressor that I use my .22 lr ar upper, CZ bolt gun, and cricket pistol. I was in the squirrel woods last week and got into a mess of squirrels with my suppressed bolt gun it was really neat to hear the thud of the bullet and squirrels dropping with the others around having no idea what was going on. With the right ammo a suppressed 22 lr is pretty quiet. One caveat with 22 lr the suppressor gets dirty quick and it is best to have a suppressor that can be disassembled for cleaning.

A few cons

On gas operated guns it can drive more gas back into the gun increasing wear and tear (parts moving faster/higher velocity) or negatively effecting the feeding process. Also dumps more carbon fouling into the gun and in the case of direct impingement guns (ARs) putting all that gas into the shooters face. Most all these issues can be worked around with tuning of various parts such as springs, buffers and gas port size. But in some guns/chamberings you may have to choose between full time suppressed or not as the tuning may be to bothersome for quick changeover.

Closed bolt guns don't have most of these issues as the barrel is sealed and everything has to go out the front though increased carbon can still be deposited inside.

Suppressors MUST be properly aligned with the bore as your threading a bullet through it. Baffle strikes (bullet striking internal parts) are destructive to the suppressor. How suppressors mount to the barrel is important. You can have permanently mounted, integral to the barrel, quick detach and those designed for occasional use. Do your homework.

Of course quality of the suppressor is important and like all products there's the good bad and ugly out there.

To be truly quiet subsonic ammunition is required to eliminate the supersonic crack (mini sonic boom). Subsonics due their pistol velocity speeds are about as effective as pistol cartridges with pistol cartridge effective range. To improve on target effect and slow the velocity this often means heavy projectiles in specialty cartridges designed around the subsonic role.

Even then they are not truly perfectly silent as firing does make noises other than the loud boom and supersonic crack. We just don't hear them when firing normally. There will still be the contained gasses escaping after the bullet exits to be heard. 22 subs comes as close to being dead silent as possible.

The pros,

This is 'Merica and there's no reason you shouldn't own whatever you want to own.

A few others.

All repairs/parts replacement must be done by the manufacturer as AFT rules stipulate suppressors parts are suppressors so you can't just buy a replacement part and swap it out at home. Some cannot be repaired as they are built as a single unit. If it breaks you need a whole new one.

Some units require regular cleaning (22 rimfires are notoriously dirty) and may or may not require disassembly to do so. If so they need to go back together correctly.

Local laws vary. Some states may prohibit, some cities may prohibit within states where otherwise state legal, and if you violate one of the above while crossing state lines the feds could get involved.

Main thing know your stuff and always cya when dealing with the AFT. I don't trust those folks at all.

I have a question...

As I understand it, with a suppressor, you are basically under the ATF's thumb the same as with Class III weapons. They can show up unannounced and perform inspections, snoop, etc... without a warrant.

Is that correct?

Mike

^^^^
Yes

I thought so. Might be a little something to keep in mind.

Believe I'll pass.

Mike

This is a common rumor but simple legal possession of an NFA item does not forfeit your rights as enumerated in the 4th amendment of the Constitution. BATFE has inspection authority over FFL dealers place of business. A couple of the instances that I know of where people claimed the BATFE showed up and searched their basement because they had a suppressor was actually an inspection because they had an FFL and listed their residence as the "official place of business" on their FFL. But it isn't as dramatic to say they conducted a routine audit on my FFL business as to say they searched my house because I had a suppressor. Now don't get me wrong BATFE does plenty for people to be mad at them about but the whole they can search your house at anytime because you have a suppressor is an urban legend.

First round pop, just remembered that one. Some designs are more prone to the first round through igniting the oxygen within for an increase in sound called first round pop. Second and later shots the oxygen is displaced by barrel gasses.

I'm planning on building one or two this winter

Anyone ever use 1 on a 25-06? Anyone who has ever shot a 25-06 knows that high pitched crack didn't know how well it would help on that high pitch.

While it's legal to build your own keep in mind you still need to register it

Here is something you may find useful. https://www.uslawshield.com/atf-gun-recovery/