[FFLTrader]

I have heard that suppressors wear out - that is, the hot gasses eventually eat them. True?

[trip286]

Huh. Never heard of this. I know a home made suppressor with sound dampening material can be shot out, but never heard of a commercially made one doing this. They are mostly all metal parts, but I suppose some of the ports can be eroded enough tocause some loss in effectiveness.

[JonM]

Originally Posted by FFLTrader

I have heard that suppressors wear out - that is, the hot gasses eventually eat them. True?

a decent quality supressor, no. what DOES happen is they fill with bits of molten copper, lead, gunpowder. most suppressors have a half life of around 10,000 rounds or more at which they lose half their effectiveness. at that point you can send the sealed cans back to the manufacturer and they can clean it for you.

for 22LR supressors most are user servicable as they need cleaning about every 1000 rounds.

if you run a 308 16" barrel rifle you greatly accelerate the debris collection and may introduce gas cutting effects. same is true for other rifle rounds out of very short barrels.

if you want to get the most out of a 308 a 22"+ is a good length and for 556 20"+ maximizes life before cleaning.

just depends on your application. rule of thumb is the more muzzle flash the more dirt the supressor will collect.

[BTKFirearms]

.22 is the dirtiest round to fire through a can, especially if you are running large, subsonic lead rounds. Some cans say they should be cleaned every 500 rounds - read the manual or website for your can to know for sure. Personally, I clean mine after every trip to the range.

A good way to extend the life of your can is to buy an inexpensive ultrasonic cleaner. They can be found for $100 or less online - many are listed for jewelry, so you can buy your wife a gift and then use it For your guns and cans - it's the Win, Win method!