Rimfire silencers are tricky things. They have to be lightweight enough to fit on a tiny little gun without changing the balance, and yet strong enough to contain the force of the escaping gases when you light off a round. Most of the rimfire silencers on the market accomplish this by using a series of baffles held together by the endcaps. The prodigy, on the other hand, is something completely different.
As a preface, I just wanted to emphasize that this is not a “full” review of this product. Here at TTAG we usually reserve judgment until we’ve put a couple hundred rounds through something and tried it out in different conditions. Unfortunately the BATFE here in the U.S. prevents us from getting our hands on silencers for protracted testing unless we go through months of waiting, spend $200 per transfer, and live in certain states. It’s impractical. Luckily I recently had a chance to visit the Advanced Armament Corp. factory and test all of their cans under their supervision. While the tests may not have been as complete as I want, they were good enough for a brief review.
The biggest thing the Prodigy has going for it is the “mono-core” design. With other rimfire silencers all of the baffles are separate, meaning that they come out one at a time and are a pain in the ass to put back together. With the Prodigy, the baffles are made out of one solid piece of 7075-T6 aluminum and the aluminum sheath simply slides off. Cleaning is a breeze, as all the user has to do is remove the dirt and grime, wipe the thing down, and slide it back into the sheath. Even a trained monkey could do it.
Mono-core designs are not something new at AAC. For the larger calibers, such as centerfire pistol and rifle, sealed solid inner cores are the gold standard. The force of the expanding gases requires a solid and sturdy framework to push against and trap them inside the can to cool down. For rimfire the expanding gases weren’t the problem, but the mono-core solution seemed like the perfect way to make cleaning easier and the construction more solid.
The mono-core construction brought with it an interesting quirk as well: the second shot out of the silencer is quieter than the first. The reason (according to John Hollister) is that the first shot burns off all of the available oxygen in the silencer. The next round fired, having only the oxidizers at hand in the powder available to burn, is a little quieter. This quirk means that in order to get the most out of your can it’s probably best to use it on semi-automatic firearms.
So how does it perform? Skip to about 1:28. Fast forward to about 7:20 to see it on an SBR Ruger 10/22 rifle.
In terms of sheer sound reduction, it’s on par with the Element. So quiet your neighbors will never know the horrors befalling your varmint population. In fact, I’m pretty sure that most of the noise coming off that gun was due to the action cycling and not the firing process.
The Prodigy seems to be a well thought out and constructed silencer for the .22lr platform that performs great in the field, which is exactly what you want out of a rimfire silencer. The only drawback is that it takes .22lr only, and not any other rimfire calibers.
Prodigy – .22lr Silencer
Length: 5.79″
Weight: 3.6oz
Diameter: 1″
Sound Reduction: 40 dB
MSRP: $495
Ratings (out of 5):
Sound Suppression: * * * * (*)
There’s an asterisk to the asterisks here. For the first round, the sound suppression is at about a 4 star level – just about quiet as anything else I’ve fired. And believe it or not, I’ve fired my fair share of .22lr silencers in my day. But from the second round on this thing is just unbelievable. 5/5 once the oxygen is gone. I’m pretty sure you couldn’t make it any quieter.
Build Quality: * * * *
The solid mono-core design gives me the warm and fuzzies like no other .22lr can ever has. It looks and feels to be solid as a rock. Well, solid as a .22lr silencer. It still feels a bit… light. But then again I’m a rifle guy, so pistol folks may find that to be a positive feature.
Ease of Use: * * * * *
Screw on, screw off. Cleaning is a snap too.
Overall Rating: * * * *
It’s cheaper than the Element, more solid and well constructed than the Pilot 2, and goes great with a pink shirt. The Prodigy only loses a point because it’s .22lr only and can’t handle any other rimfire caliber.
(Pictures courtesy Advanced Armament Co.)
You guys need to stop posting all this cool stuff about silencers, I already really wanted one and all of these reviews are weakening my resolve.
I finally received my first silencer this year. It’s an SWR Trident-9. It has interchangeable rear parts so it can be affixed to fixed barrels or pistols with browning type actions. It works quite well, and with subsonic ammunition while wet it is insanely quiet.
I now have an AAC 762-SDN-6 and a Surefire Mini suppressor on the way. Only way to roll.
Rubbish, it doesn’t cost me more than $5 worth of parts and an hour of time to build a silencer. All you need is some screen wire, baffles, and two tubes and end caps. The main challenge is simply to find an inner barrel that slips over your gun barrel. Once you do that, everything else is a snap. Drill your holes, wrap your screen around it, slip your baffles on it, make some ruber wipes with a mousepad cut into circles, and you’re done.
The biggest thing I’ve found is these tests are rubbish, if you point it down range with nothing to echo back, its silent as a whisper. If you shoot one in the woods, you get as much echo as firing a supersonic round. Do not buy a silencer unless you see them test it IN THE WOODS. You can shoot any subsonic round down range on a shooting range or in the desert or straight up into the air and its silent, but take it in the woods and boom.. with a silencer on. Sounds very much like a gunshot
What’s “rubbish” is what you suggested because it’s illegal for US residents. It also isn’t nearly as effective as you suggest and also affects accuracy. Yeah, it’s novel, but not a real answer to quality built suppressor.
It’s also dangerous to anyone who tries this with a centerfire rifle because it WILL unwrap your toilet-paper-tube-quality-answer.
Do it right and buy it right. If you want to make something yourself, file the AFT Form 1 paperwork to avoid any felony convictions–which, let me remind you, will keep you from ever owning another firearm for the rest of your life.
I have owned two AAC Prodigy suppressors for about 5 1/2 years. I got a couple out of the first batch I think. I have shot them predominantly in the woods and some at the range. I have also shot them in my small backyard surrounded by nearby 8 foot fences. I disagree that they are louder in the woods. They don’t sound much different to me whether in the woods, open air, or closed spaces. It is true about the first shot being a bit louder than the following shots. When used on a rifle it is whisper quiet with subsonic rounds. On a pistol the loudest sound is the action cycling. The only time it ever sounds like (maybe) a gunshot is the first shot out of a pistol.
Your silencer design with its holes, screen and wipes is not going to maintain zero nor is it going to shoot anything close to accurately. Yes, our silencers are expensive to an extent. I paid $99 ( Yes, $99 ) for a silencerco spectre 2 which is as high tech as it gets for silencer designs. It shoots to point of aim and shooting with the silencer is even more accurate than shooting without. Yes, I have to pay $200 tax but quite frankly I make that before lunch. No big deal.
just kill all enemies and you wont have an issue big mags aren’t illegal in CA like most think, if you know how to speak and how to examine laws to your own advantage there are holes, specifically for the lawmakers to use but there is no law saying you cant use them either finding something is different then buying in some cases when possession isnt illegal thats what you do look for holes in everything
I have a Rugger MKii suppressed by John a ceiner which needs to be rebuilt with a mono core design. Would you be interested in rebuilding
The monocore baffle is awful. Eventually, powder and lead lodge between the can and baffle making it nearly impossible to take apart. I sent my YHM back to the factory twice and a gunsmith once to unscrew the end cap. The inside of the can is scratched up from the particles stuck between the baffle and can. Installing separate baffles is not a “pain in the ass”. None of the .22 silencers are really quiet and are worth the frustration. I have had mine for over 5 years, sent it back to the factory twice, rebuilt once, and it still is not worth the time or money spent. For urban dwellers there is no use for them, especially since you have to wear earmuffs at the range. I was excited when I received the silencer at first and disappointed ever since.