Suppressor Use & Care for Alpha Silencer

At Alpha Silencer, we’re all about providing top-quality products for people who love to shoot. Whether you’re an enthusiast, a professional, or in law enforcement or the military, we’ve got some seriously awesome suppressors that are designed to make your shooting experience even better. 

Using your suppressor the right way while giving it some TLC on occasion will maximize the fun. You’ll get the best possible performance, and it’ll last a lifetime. 

Proper Installation

  1. Torque Front Cap to 15 ft-lbs and Rear Direct Thread Adapter to 30 ft-lbs (25 ft-lbs for magnum rifles). The front cap is a left-handed thread (reverse threads), so turn it ‘backwards’ or lefty tighty! 
  2. Align the assembled silencer straight with the barrel and screw it on. Tighten it with a strong hand or at least 15 ft-lbs. 
  3. Shoot one round and re-torque all three joints if you’re using a gun more powerful than .308 Win/7.62 NATO. Shoot 5-10 rounds and re-torque again for all guns. 

WARNING: A loose silencer could cause a baffle strike, ruining your silencer and possibly causing injury or death. Firmly tighten with a very strong hand or wrench force. ALWAYS use gloves when handling a hot suppressor.

Ammunition Selection

If your goal is to keep your shooting as quiet as possible,  consider your ammo.  Remember that silencers work best with subsonic ammo. Aim for muzzle speeds under 1,100 FPS. When your bullet travels through the air faster than 1,130 FPS (the speed of sound), it creates a sonic boom. So, keep it slow if you don’t want noise. In cold air, the speed of sound is slightly slower.

Maintenance and Inspection

Here’s a simple guide for disassembling and cleaning your Alpha silencer:

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you’re planning to disassemble, clean, and reassemble your A22, make sure you read the owner’s manual thoroughly. The process is a bit different compared to other models, so it’s important to know the right way to do it to avoid any mishaps.

1) Make sure the gun is unloaded and safe before beginning.

2) Use a wrench to unscrew the silencer from the gun.

3) Generally, silencers don’t need to be disassembled for cleaning if you’re using calibers as powerful as .223 Rem. But if you feel like cleaning it every few thousand rounds, go ahead. However, if you’re using lower-powered rounds like 9mm or 45ACP handguns, you should clean the silencer every thousand rounds or so.

4) If you’re going to disassemble the silencer, remember that the front cap is a left-handed thread. So, you need to turn it ‘backwards’ or lefty tighty and righty loosey.

5) Remove all parts from the front by unscrewing the front cap.

6) Use brushes and cleaners, or even an ultrasonic cleaner, to clean all parts thoroughly. The most important area to clean is the central hole where the bullet passes through.

7) Always ensure that all threads are clean, especially when reassembling. Only disassemble the silencer in a clean and dust-free place.

8) When reassembling, make sure that all parts are in the proper order and pointed in the proper direction. The spiral Blast Chamber Sleeve is closest to the shooter, with the internal ‘lip’ away from the shooter. The heavy Stainless Blast Baffle with the long belly button goes in with the ‘belly button’ toward the shooter. Next, all the lightweight Titanium baffles go in, with their ‘belly buttons’ pointed toward the shooter. The Front Cap compresses the internal stack into place and holds everything very tightly. So, if there is any looseness or rattling, you’ve missed a part! Remember, the FRONT CAP IS A LEFT HANDED THREAD, SO TURN ‘BACKWARDS’ – LEFTY TIGHTY, RIGHTY LOOSEY!!!

9) Lastly, torque the Front Cap and rear Direct Thread Adapter to 20 ft-lbs or 25 ft-lbs if shooting the most powerful magnum rifles.

Shooting and Pro Tips

Here are some really important things to keep in mind when using your Alpha silencer:

  1. Make sure your silencer is screwed on tightly. The most common ‘death’ of silencers is a baffle strike, which usually happens because something wasn’t tight or came loose. Therefore, it is necessary to tighten all three joints before the first shot, retighten them after the first shot, then after 5-10 shots, and periodically through your first trip to the range. The three joints that must be tightened include the front cap, mount/adapter, and mount to the gun. It’s particularly important for more powerful guns.
  2. Don’t use a silencer on a gun of a larger caliber. It should be pretty obvious, but it’s important to remember that bullets of 35 caliber won’t fit through 30 caliber holes, and so on.
  3. Don’t use a silencer on a gun with questionable muzzle threads. Cheap, old, or foreign guns may have threads that are aligned well enough for a flash hider but aren’t aligned with the bore well enough to trust with your silencer. If you’re not sure, have your gunsmith check the alignment before you take the first shot.
  4. Clean your muzzle threads and silencer threads before attaching your silencer to your gun. This usually requires wiping off all dust and fibers with a cloth.
  5. Never shoot a damaged silencer or one that you suspect may have had a baffle strike – even one shot. Stop immediately, unload the gun and make sure it’s safe, remove the silencer from the gun, and thoroughly inspect it.
  6. Don’t lend your silencer to anyone who’s not the owner. That’s illegal and is a federal felony.
  7. While not required, it is recommended that when you are traveling with your silencer, you keep a copy of your approved tax stamp in your gun case or on your person.