ARES Defense FightLite Industries STEP-22 Silenced Pistol (courtesy ammoland.com)

Press release [via ammoland.com]

FightLite Industries, a special products division of ARES Defense Systems, Inc. announces their new patent-pending STEP-22LS (Strategic Target Engagement Pistol, Low Signature). The STEP-22LS is an accurate, rugged, lightweight and reliable monolithic pistol receiver chambered in .22LR and features a tensioned target barrel with integral silencer and MIL-STD-1913 Rails at the 6 and 12 o’clock positions for mounting lights, lasers, optics and other accessories. Designed for . . .

military, law enforcement and civilian shooters; the STEP-22LS is optimized with features ideally suited for the modern warfighter, law enforcement professional and avid civilian shooter who demands cutting edge performance from their weapon. Boasting an incredibly short overall length of only 11” and weighing a mere 24.3 oz; the STEP-22LS provides excellent sound pressure level reduction (up to 40 db) from a silencer that is integral to its patent-pending monolithic receiver body delivering extreme performance in a compact and lightweight package!

The tensioned target barrel dampens accuracy degrading harmonics typically associated with lightweight barrels for excellent and repetitive shot placement. And the patent-pending STEP-22LS monolithic receiver ensures that there are no sight rails or tubes to loosen during firing. Military, law enforcement and civilian shooters alike will appreciate the ability to place well-aimed, undetected shots in low light and no light conditions.

Avid shooting enthusiasts in 42 states can enjoy target practice and general plinking with the STEP-22LS™ without the need for additional hearing protection.

ARES Defense FightLite Industries STEP-22 Silenced Pistol
ARES Defense FightLite Industries STEP-22 Silenced Pistol

Ranchers will welcome the ability to place accurate shots with the STEP-22LS™ for dispatching rodents or injured animals without spooking their livestock. Additionally, certain high-threat law enforcement scenarios require the dispatching of guard animals, disabling street and porch lights or cameras to maintain the element of surprise with a well-placed and undetected shot prior to executing an arrest warrant.

“The historical use of integrally suppressed rimfire weapons by members of the US government and elite special operations forces is well documented. Law enforcement authorities have also used silenced rimfires in their duties and for decades, civilian shooters such as myself and countless others have really enjoyed shooting silenced firearms” said Geoffrey Herring, President & CEO of ARES Defense Systems, Inc.

“But the construction and design logic of the FightLite® STEP-22LS is light years ahead of the way integrally suppressed RUGER pistols have traditionally been done by Class II manufacturers. In the prior art, manufacturers of integrally suppressed RUGER® rimfire pistols typically modify a factory gun and in the process, introduce inaccuracies and component mis-alignment that has detrimental consequences to accuracy and product performance.

These old-style integrally suppressed pistols are usually very heavy due to their all-steel construction, they’re 13” or more in length and are frequently limited to iron sights or optic mounts that are fastened to the receiver with screws that can shoot loose during use. In creating the STEP-22LS, the experienced design team at FightLite® Industries did what they usually do to achieve product excellence; they removed the entire RUGER upper receiver from the design equation to eliminate all possible design compromises and re-engineered everything essential to meet our product objectives.”

“The STEP-22LS design specifics and manufacturing approach are detailed at fightlite.com and we encourage interested parties to review them and compare the STEP-22 series to any other integrally suppressed rimfire available. The STEP-22LS is another one of our exceptional products that will appeal to a very broad range of customers.”

All ARES Defense FightLite Industries STEP-22 Silenced Pistol models are designed to readily interchange with the standard pistol receiver on popular RUGER® Mk-I®, Mk-II®, Mk-III® and 22/45® pistols without any tools or gunsmithing required, providing users with a lightweight pistol capable of accommodating lasers, lights, optics and accessories on monolithic rails that won’t loosen during use.

ARES Defense FightLite Industries STEP-22 Silenced Pistol with Aimpoint

Installation of any FightLite STEP-22 monolithic receiver on a RUGER Mk-I, Mk-II, Mk-III or 22/45 pistol is easy and straightforward. Simply follow the unloading and disassembly instructions specified in the RUGER manual for your pistol. Once disassembled, set your RUGER® upper receiver aside and reassemble your pistol with the FightLite STEP-22 monolithic receiver assembly using the original RUGER® bolt and trigger housing from your pistol. It’s that simple!

MSRP is $699 and FightLite® Industries is accepting orders for immediate Form 3 transfer to FFL/SOT dealers and distributors. Product will be available to ship to customers as early as July 1, 2016 pending ATF transfer approvals.

To handle the STEP-22™ and other ARES Defense and FightLite Industries products, please visit the ARES Defense/FightLite® Industries booth #4808 at the NRA Annual Meetings May 20-22, 2016 in Louisville, Kentucky or at booth 748 of the SOFIC Convention May 24-26.

ARES Defense Distributors:

  • Ellett Brothers
  • Amchar Wholesale
  • RSR Group
  • Brownell’s

ARES Defense FightLite Industries STEP-22 Silenced Pistol Specifications

  • Receiver : Patent Pending Monolithic Design
  • Caliber : .22LR
  • Magazine Capacity : Standard Ruger® 10 Round
  • Weight : 24.3 oz (When mounted on Ruger® 22/45® Frame)
  • Overall Length : 11”
  • Barrel Length : 2.5”
  • Barrel Type : Bentz Match Chamber, Tensioned & Unported, 1/16” RH Twist
  • Muzzle Velocity : 985 feet per second (CCI Mini-Mag Hollow Point)
  • Baffle Construction : “Modified” K-Baffle (User Serviceable)
  • Sound Reduction : Up to 40db
  • Accessory Interface : Integral MIL-STD 1913 Rails at 12 & 6 o’clock positions
  • Finish : MIL-A-8625F Type III, Class 2 Hardcoat, Black anodized finish
  • Origin : 100% Made in the U.S.A.

About FightLite® Industries

FightLite® Industries is a special products division of ARES Defense Systems, Inc. Since its founding in 1997, ARES Defense Systems has focused on the development of military small arms and accessories of unique versatility, innovation and exceptional quality for military, law enforcement and commercial customers. Engineered and manufactured with the highest quality American-made materials, ARES products are produced on state-of-the-art CNC machining centers in an ultra modern facility by a highly skilled workforce.

Headquartered on the USA’s Space Coast, ARES’ intense dedication to mission critical innovation has resulted in numerous patented advancements resulting in lighter, stronger, better performing weapons and accessories for the operator. To learn more about FightLite® Industries visit www.FightLite.com. Follow FightLite® Industries on Facebook at facebook.com/FightLite and on Twitter @FightLite. To learn more about ARES Defense Systems visit www.aresdefense.com. Follow ARES Defense on Facebook at facebook.com/aresdefense and on Twitter @ARESDefense.

Notice: FightLite® is a registered trademark of ARES Defense Systems, Inc. RUGER®, Mk-I®, Mk-II®, Mk-III® and 22/45® are registered trademarks of Sturm, Ruger & Co. Accessories shown such as 22/45® grip frame and parts, optics and laser light are not included with product purchase.

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21 COMMENTS

  1. “Additionally, certain high-threat law enforcement scenarios require the dispatching of guard animals, disabling street and porch lights or cameras to maintain the element of surprise with a well-placed and undetected shot prior to executing an arrest warrant.”

    Ok yeah law enforcement is now Super Special Solid Snake Operators now. What scenarios pray tell? Confiscating illegal wood from guitar factories? Department of Education visits? Super violent terrorists holed up in an empty shack out somewhere in Oregon? I’m sorry, that paragraph there just crapped over everything else for me. Otherwise, pretty cool gun there.

    • I suppose it could happen; dealers are sitting around, suddenly the light bulbs start popping. Cops show up pretending to be the electric company.

    • More accurately:

      “Additionally, certain high-comedy law enforcement scenarios require the ability to deny negligently shooting fellow officers, dispatch non-threatening family pets, or fire a shot without causing every officer in a three-block radius to mag-dump in random directions.”

    • I felt the same way. Even if a SWAT team needed a suppressed firearm for some raid, and even if .22lr was ideal (?), why would you use a pistol?

      I’m okay with the gun. I think it is super ugly. I think the rails are horrible. Especially the lower one.

  2. I just can’t get over the cuts at the front. It would look so much nicer if they left it smooth.

    Also, I don’t know about the newer generations, but you’re not getting the receiver off my Mk-II without tools.

    • Does that problem persist for you? At first I thought my MK-II was busted because I couldn’t remove it, but then one day after a *ahem* few beers I decided to put her in a vice and give it a few good whacks with a rubber mallet figuring I couldn’t really break it if it never came apart. After three or four good hard shots it slid forward and then came right off in my hand. .

      After that day it’s always just been kinda snug but you can pull it off by hand.

      • When I ran the serial to find year of production (purchased used), it turned out to be one of the last couple hundred Mk-IIs that Ruger ever made, so I decided not to mess with it much. Besides, I don’t see a real need to remove it.

        • You’re right, no need. You can clean the darn thing nearly 100% without removing it.

          It just bugged me that I couldn’t follow the “complete” set of instructions to disassemble the darn thing.

        • Another method is to put a piece of plywood on a concrete floor and give it a few taps-whacks to motivate it off of there…

        • Geoff:

          I tried such things. I banged on that gun every few weeks for a couple years before I hauled off, put it in the vice and got out a 32oz rubber mallet.

          I hit that thing DAMN hard the first few whacks. No idea how it got seated that well, but I was pleased that 1) the instructions were correct and that 2) I wasn’t so stupid I was reading them wrong (which I was starting to think I was).

  3. When I saw the target market (military, civilian, civilian LE, AKA everybody when you combine the three groups), my first thought was “WTF is the legitimate purpose of a suppressed .22 in LE agency?”

    Then I saw the answer: Dog-shooting without attracting evil citizens armed with camera phones.

  4. I’m sure Volquartsen is not too worried. This will be very cool if they ever take suppressors off the NFA.

  6. “Installation of any FightLite STEP-22 monolithic receiver on a RUGER Mk-I, Mk-II, Mk-III or 22/45 pistol is easy and straightforward”

    – And how exactly would that work??? The Serial number on Ruger Mk1, Mk11, Mk111 is on the receiver.

    “Once disassembled, set your RUGER® upper receiver aside and reassemble your pistol with the FightLite STEP-22 monolithic receiver assembly using the original RUGER® bolt and trigger housing from your pistol. It’s that simple!”

    – And then you’ll have a non serialized gun that will land you in the clink for 10 years, yay! I see they made sure the picture was a 22/45.

    • The STEP-22 is probably serialized and sold as a firearm. No different than swapping out lowers on an AR-15 – both lowers are firearms. In this case both “uppers” are firearms.

  7. Ahhh ok, thought i had to be missing something there. Thanks gentlemen. Dont see me sacrificing my MK11 for this and would be worried about the fit on the frame. If i’m buying a new gun, i’d probably just buy a new gun.

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