Is the Sparrow still the best?

[Joker31D]

I'm a big fan of Silencerco or at least the one Mike Pappas helped build as much as any other guy but on making my next buy decision, I cant help but wonder if the tech has changed enough to make me look elsewhere now that he has left? Guys like him are the reason why this industry is so helpful, I say him because his energy, his customer oriented approach and the way he explains things is a breath of fresh air after dealing with the mainstream gun industry for so long. I have always dealt with the defense side of things and the consumer side of things and it made me kinda hate gun companies because of Remington and Colt were my biggest engagements, both could care less if you bought their products most of my life, a colt rep once told me (in the 90's) that Colt literally does not want to sell to retail customers, he told me that Colt corporate was talking about closing their entire retail division because they didnt like dealing with customers... Then I see the NFA industry and it made the wait worth buying more products after seeing the care that the NFA industry put into their product and customer service. now the real question:

Is there better stuff out there for rimfire? I want a good CS company who stands behind things like Sco has but is their product the best still? I see stuff like the Ryder 22, the sandman, the newer designs and wonder is it still the best? I know that question is fluid in other calibers like 9mm/multi and changes everyday, or at least it seems to. I am wanting to concentrate on buying a rimfire can or 2 now and then hopefully the 9mm industry will calm down. I want 5.7 capability, size is not the most important issue but is up there, I own a 22 can now but wouldn't recommend it for shooting a bunch because its a wet only can and the company that made it sucks when CS is considered (still waiting 2 years later for them to answer a question I emailed them) I have tried at least 25 times to call them, no answer. So Customer Service is something I value.

[jimbo45]

I have ss sparrow and from what I've seen it still compares favorably to other newer 22 cans like the ryder. I personally think the differences are small enough sound wise among the top 22 cans that unless they were side by side, and even then you might need a db meter, you might not be able to tell a difference.

[AlabamaPaul]

Why not try the Mask made by Pappas' new company Dead Air Armament? It is getting very positive reviews.

[rimshaker]

The Sparrow is still the easiest to disassemble and clean. It breaks down into only 5 pieces with no tools required. Even after 2000+ rounds for me.

But... if i were to choose my very first rimfire can today, it would probably be the new Mask by Dead Air.

[ericdraven]

liberty regulator . is my quietest , it rocks


sparrow as a loud first round pop i did not like, i shot my budhies . its quieter on rifle then pistol

check out firemans review on regulator . bet you order one after hearing it lol

also i have Spectre 2 . quiet easy to clean


dead air one i hear is nice as well.

[JeffWard]

I'm in "any day now" status on my new Tactical Solutions Axiom Suppressor.

It's supposed to be fantastic. TacSol is a very well established company for aftermarket 22LR stuff, but not suppressors. That said, at all titanium and stainless, and a very simple easy-clean design. And LIGHT.

Reviews say less FRP than the Sparrow... and less weight. Silencer Shop loves them.

I'll have a review with video up within the week, both on my Ruger 22/45 LITE, and my Dedictaed 4.5" 22LR SBR.

JeffWard

[ericdraven]

I'm in "any day now" status on my new Tactical Solutions Axiom Suppressor.

It's supposed to be fantastic. TacSol is a very well established company for aftermarket 22LR stuff, but not suppressors. That said, at all titanium and stainless, and a very simple easy-clean design. And LIGHT.

Reviews say less FRP than the Sparrow... and less weight. Silencer Shop loves them.

I'll have a review with video up within the week, both on my Ruger 22/45 LITE, and my Dedictaed 4.5" 22LR SBR.

JeffWard

cool i wanna see it , that suppressor has my interest

[HotGuns]

The Sparrow isnt even close to the best.


I have several customers that own Sparrows. When they shot my XCaliber ECO, it was quieter and it has NO first round POP.

Guess what? They all got off of that SilencerCO bandwagon and purchased the XCaliber for 200 bucks. That tells me more than any speculation as to what is the best.

Outback? The same.
Guardian? 9 decibels quieter.

[whiterussian1974]

The Sparrow isnt even close to the best.
Guardian? 9 decibels quieter.

Yet nearly all here say that Huntertown Arms has deplorable Customer Service. No response to requests.
Not sure if the -9dB is worth funding such a horrible company.

[rimshaker]

The Sparrow isnt even close to the best.


I have several customers that own Sparrows. When they shot my XCaliber ECO, it was quieter and it has NO first round POP.

Guess what? They all got off of that SilencerCO bandwagon and purchased the XCaliber for 200 bucks. That tells me more than any speculation as to what is the best.

Outback? The same.
Guardian? 9 decibels quieter.

I think the NFA community is tiny enough (fraction of a fraction % of shooters, much less the general population) that we can dispel with the typical fanboy/bandwagon mentality.

Silco is hardly a bandwagon. There's good reason why some cans cost twice as much or half as much as others. And not surprisingly, the dB numbers alone aren't the reason.

[doubloon]

The Sparrow isnt even close to the best.

I have several customers that own Sparrows. When they shot my XCaliber ECO, it was quieter and it has NO first round POP.

Guess what? They all got off of that SilencerCO bandwagon and purchased the XCaliber for 200 bucks. That tells me more than any speculation as to what is the best.

Outback? The same.
Guardian? 9 decibels quieter.

First, I don't own a Sparrow or any Silencerco products so I'm not speaking as a Sparrow fanboi.

Where are you getting your 9dB number? I'm always interested in having another source of published test data.

Are you talking about one of the Guardian 22 family (5.25") or the Guardian 22 XL (6.5") and are you talking about a recent SS Sparrow (5") or the 1st Gen aluminum Sparrow and on what host? All the things matter.

Independent testing @nfatalk shows ~2dB difference between the SS Sparrow and the Guardian 22 XL in favor of the Guardian 22 XL on the same host. However, the Guardian was tested with CCI SV 40gr and the SS Sparrow was tested with Rem Bulk 36gr and the unsuppressed metering for this host/ammo combination was 151dB and 154.6dB giving the Guardian 22 XL nearly a 5dB advantage at the starting block. So, actually, in these tests the SS Sparrow demonstrated close to a 2dB greater attenuation than the Guardian 22 XL. Again, all the things matter.

The same independent testing shows a 0.08dB difference between the SS Sparrow and the Guardian 22 on the same host with the same ammo with the same unsuppressed reference metering on the same day. If we want to say 0.08dB matters then the Guardian 22 won that day. But on a different day with the same ammo on the same host with a different unsuppressed reference metering the Guardian lost to the SS Sparrow by >2dB raw or >5dB attenuation ... whichever way you want to slice it.

In this testing there is evidence that the Guardian 22 XL has the capability to outperform the 1st gen aluminum Sparrow by ~9dB but that same testing shows the potential for the Guardian 22 XL to beat the Guardian by ~9dB as well.

Again, all the things matter.

What host/ammo combination was used to produce this 9dB difference in favor of the Guardian you mention in your post? Link?

@rimshaker - I seem to recall a short lived AAC bandwagon, fanboi groundswell that generated a tattooed entourage, some of who have since become disgruntled.

[Capt. Link.]

Why not try the Mask made by Pappas' new company Dead Air Armament? It is getting very positive reviews.

New technology from a old pro the HD version is 5.7 rated.

[whiterussian1974]

The Sparrow isnt even close to the best.
Guardian? 9 decibels quieter.

Are you talking about one of the Guardian 22 family (5.25") or the Guardian 22 XL (6.5") and are you talking about a recent SS Sparrow (5") or the 1st Gen aluminum Sparrow and on what host? All the things matter.

Based on 5" v. 6.5" assuming same ID, the 6.5" has the advantage in volume. So the 5" Sparrow outperforming the 5.25" means better design.
Just keeping pace let alone outperforming the 6.5" would be high praise for Sparrow.

[Philrozzi]

The Sparrow isnt even close to the best.
Guardian? 9 decibels quieter.

Yet nearly all here say that Huntertown Arms has deplorable Customer Service. No response to requests.
Not sure if the -9dB is worth funding such a horrible company.

Very crappy customer service. I've emailed them twice with questions regarding upgrades and they haven't responded. I also waited 6 months for them to ship the guardian 22 to my dealer because they are so backed up.

With that said the silencer is very quiet though and no first round pop. I'm glad I bought it but I just hope I never need their customer service.

[mars]

The Sparrow isnt even close to the best.


I have several customers that own Sparrows. When they shot my XCaliber ECO, it was quieter and it has NO first round POP.

Guess what? They all got off of that SilencerCO bandwagon and purchased the XCaliber for 200 bucks. That tells me more than any speculation as to what is the best.

Outback? The same.
Guardian? 9 decibels quieter.

would like to see titsworth do a side by side comparision showing the DBs since he has the equipment. his sales would increase if he did (if the results for his cans were better). I will say that I have a sparrow and am not a fan of the FRP.

[doubloon]

...
would like to see titsworth do a side by side comparision showing the DBs since he has the equipment. his sales would increase if he did (if the results for his cans were better). I will say that I have a sparrow and am not a fan of the FRP.

Data is available @nfatalk which shows the Genesis registering a better NSR number @1m with the same host than any Huntertown 22LR product but with different ammo on a different day. Even so Genesis kicked the closest Huntertown competitor's (Guardian 22 XL) ass in FRP by ~5dB in these tests on these days with this ammo.

All the things matter.

The Guardian 22 XL registered ~2dB quieter @1m than the Genesis but from a unsuppressed 1m baseline that was already ~3dB quieter than the unsuppressed 1m baseline of the Genesis.

Someone could extrapolate from this that the Genesis is a ~1dB quieter can overall but there is no straight line to this conclusion since the day and the ammo varied.

[whiterussian1974]

All the things matter.

Someone could extrapolate from this that the Genesis is a ~1dB quieter can overall but there is no straight line to this conclusion since the day and the ammo varied.

Agreed.

The air temp shouldn't be that big of factor for 10-20*F. But the cartridge storage conditions would EASILY contribute. Storage in warm v. cool conditions like against body v. ambiant air...would increase pressure/SPL.

Something hunters have known for generations. Keep your ammo in an interior coat pocket until ready for use. This minimizes pressure variation.

[mars]

...
would like to see titsworth do a side by side comparision showing the DBs since he has the equipment. his sales would increase if he did (if the results for his cans were better). I will say that I have a sparrow and am not a fan of the FRP.

Data is available @nfatalk which shows the Genesis registering a better NSR number @1m with the same host than any Huntertown 22LR product but with different ammo on a different day. Even so Genesis kicked the closest Huntertown competitor's (Guardian 22 XL) ass in FRP by ~5dB in these tests on these days with this ammo.

All the things matter.

The Guardian 22 XL registered ~2dB quieter @1m than the Genesis but from a unsuppressed 1m baseline that was already ~3dB quieter than the unsuppressed 1m baseline of the Genesis.

Someone could extrapolate from this that the Genesis is a ~1dB quieter can overall but there is no straight line to this conclusion since the day and the ammo varied.

If you see the quote that i quoted, it was about the sparrow and the eco. i could care less about hta products.

[doubloon]

...
If you see the quote that i quoted, it was about the sparrow and the eco. i could care less about hta products.

The Genesis is not a hta product, the eco is listed under the Xcaliber Genesis tab at Titsworth's site.

Titsworth already has a video on his site comparing the eco to the guardian 22.

All the data is available for you to make any comparsion you want @nfatalk.

[IrieRider]

liberty regulator . is my quietest , it rocks


sparrow as a loud first round pop i did not like, i shot my budhies . its quieter on rifle then pistol

check out firemans review on regulator . bet you order one after hearing it lol

also i have Spectre 2 . quiet easy to clean


dead air one i hear is nice as well.

This is my plan to get for a dedicated. Glad to hear it does as well as advertised!

[HotGuns]

Misinterpreted post, upon reading again, let me elaborate.


The Guardian certainly is not quieter than the Eco.

The Eco is 9 db quieter than the Guardian.

As already stated, you can see the video's on Titsworth's web-site

The lack of a first round pop in a can that is user serviceable for 200 bucks makes it hard to beat.

[O2HeN2]

If your goal is the absolute quietest suppressor out there, the Sparrow probably drops off the list.

But if quietest isn't an absolute, once you factor cleaning and maintenance into the equation, the Sparrow comes out on top IMHO.

Since nothing on my job resume requires the absolute quietest suppressor, I went for a Sparrow and I'm a happy camper.

O2

[bani]

we did a side by side test of various suppressors at a range a while back.

sparrow had _significant_ FRP and louder than all other cans overall.

the best was aac element 2. zero FRP and very quiet overall.

[Kramer]

we did a side by side test of various suppressors at a range a while back.

sparrow had _significant_ FRP and louder than all other cans overall.

the best was aac element 2. zero FRP and very quiet overall.

Well no s--t, just go back to basics.

The sparrow is a monocore which by design usually give a FRP and can be louder.

The element is a K baffle can, which if designed properly are always quieter than a monocore.


I do have a sparrow for my 22 mag and 10-22 SBR and the Pilot and Alpine are for the pistols and bolt rifles.

[Loki_stormbringer]

Sparrow is popular because of ease of cleaning. At least for me anyway.