The best .22 suppressor for a pistol is the lightest one that still suppresses like a full-size unit, because a pistol shows muzzle weight more than any other host. The Reticent 22 weighs just 2.5 ounces, threads onto any 1/2×28 rimfire muzzle, and keeps a pistol well balanced while still delivering the sound reduction of a full-size suppressor.

On a pistol you feel every ounce added to the muzzle. A heavy suppressor drags the front sight down and turns a light plinker into a front-loaded club. At 2.5 ounces, you barely notice the Reticent 22 added to the front of the gun.

Here is why weight is the deciding factor on a pistol and how quiet the Reticent 22 meters on a rimfire handgun.

What makes a .22 suppressor good on a pistol?

Weight, more than length or materials. A pistol carries the suppressor farthest from your support hand and highest above the line of the bore, so muzzle weight changes how the gun points, holds, and returns between shots. Sound and size still matter, but they do not reshape the way the pistol handles the way a few ounces at the muzzle do.

For scale, the 2026 Suppressor Summit tested a field of .22 LR suppressors that ran from 2.5 to 11 ounces. Bolt those figures onto the end of a light .22 pistol and the difference between the light end and the heavy end is the difference between a gun that still points like itself and one that nose-dives.

Weight is the one spec that changes how a pistol handles, so on a pistol it is the spec to optimize first.

Why does weight matter more on a pistol than on a rifle?

A rifle spreads its weight across two hands and a long, supported barrel, so a few ounces at the muzzle disappear into the setup. A pistol does not. You hold it at one point, the muzzle sits just inches past your grip, and any weight out there rides a long lever.

Add a heavy suppressor and the pistol drags down. The front sight wants to dip, follow-up shots slow, and a gun you bought because it was light starts to feel like work. The lighter the suppressor, the less it changes the pistol you already like to shoot. That is why 2.5 ounces counts for more on a pistol than the same weight on a rifle.

Run the math and the difference is not subtle. The Mini Mamba weighs 25 ounces on its own. The Reticent 22 adds 2.5 ounces, about 10 percent, and because both suppressors are the same 5″ length their mass sits in the same place, so the light one barely moves the balance. A 6 ounce can adds almost a quarter of the pistol’s weight, all of it out at the far end, and puts roughly 2.4 times the muzzle-down torque on your wrist. You feel it the moment you switch between the two.

On a pistol, suppressor weight sits on a long lever past your grip, so a lighter suppressor is what preserves the balance and point of the gun.

How quiet is the Reticent 22 on a pistol?

On a pistol, the Reticent 22 recorded 119.46 dB on a Beretta Bobcat 20x. On our standard test, a Ruger Precision Rimfire bolt gun, the same suppressor recorded a lowest shot of 113.4 dB, measured on a Larson Davis meter under Mil-Std-1474D. The pistol reads louder, and that is expected.

Here is the part a lot of buyers miss: the suppressor is not the only thing making noise. A semi-automatic pistol has an open, cycling action, so gas and sound escape at the breech and ejection port on every shot, and its short barrel burns less of the powder before the bullet leaves. A bolt gun stays sealed at the moment of firing and runs a longer barrel, so more of the sound is there for the suppressor to work on. Same suppressor, different amount of noise it never had a chance to touch.

A suppressed pistol reading a few decibels above a suppressed bolt gun is normal, not a knock on the suppressor. For the full breakdown of the numbers, see how quiet a suppressed .22 really is.

The Reticent 22 recorded 119.46 dB on a pistol and 113.4 dB on a bolt gun, and the gap is the pistol’s open action and short barrel, not the suppressor.

Will one Reticent 22 cover your pistols and your rifles?

Yes, as long as the muzzle is threaded 1/2×28 rimfire. That is the standard thread on most .22 pistols and rifles, so one Reticent 22 moves from a pistol to a 10/22 to a bolt gun without a second purchase. Common threaded hosts include the Ruger Mark IV, the Ruger SR22, the Beretta Bobcat, the Walther P22Q, and the Taurus TX22. If you are still deciding which rimfire suppressor fits your setup, our rimfire suppressor buyer’s guide sorts the choice by goal.

The one requirement is a threaded barrel. A pistol needs a threaded barrel before any suppressor is attached. For the full teardown and sound data, read the Reticent 22 review.

One Reticent 22 quiets every 1/2×28 rimfire pistol and rifle you own, so the whole safe shares a single suppressor instead of one per gun.

When is the Reticent 22 the wrong choice for a pistol?

When you want the shortest possible suppressor and you are willing to trade sound to get it. The Reticent 22 is 5″ long. If your goal is an ultra-compact, stubby pistol and you would rather have a 2 to 3 inch suppressor riding close to the slide, a short suppressor looks the part and keeps the package tight, but you give up real sound reduction for it.

Length is what gives a suppressor internal volume to work with, and less volume means less quiet. That is the honest tradeoff. The Reticent 22 is built to stay light and quiet at full size, not to be the shortest suppressor on the shelf. If minimum length beats maximum quiet for you, it is the wrong pick, and that is worth knowing before you buy.

If you want a 2 to 3 inch suppressor and will trade sound for a compact setup, the Reticent 22 is the wrong choice. It optimizes weight and quiet, not length.

The lightest way to quiet a pistol

The Reticent 22 is the lightest full-size .22 suppressor at 2.5 ounces: quiet enough to meter like a full-size suppressor, light enough that your pistol still points like your pistol. One unit covers every 1/2×28 rimfire pistol and rifle in your safe.

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• Reticent 22 Suppressor
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