Suppressed Ruger American Rimfire Rifle Setup

Small, swift, and effective, the .22 LR cartridge is a classic for a reason.

Though it was designed in 1884, the effectiveness of the caliber for varmint control, small game hunting, teaching new shooters, and all-around fun is unmatched.

It’s such a capable caliber, that some US Special Operations units keep .22 caliber firearms in their inventory for specific mission sets.

Shooting .22 is fun, but when you suppress it, it will change your life.

For the best experience, we paired up the Ruger American Rimfire with the Maxim Defense DRF-22 Suppressor.

Ruger American Rimfire Rifle

The Ruger American 22LR rifle is one of the most affordable and dependable bolt action 22 rifles. And it can use the same magazines as my Ruger 10/22.

How does the Ruger American Rimfire shoot?

Based on sound and reliability, it’s one of the best; even better than my Ruger 10/22. Not that the 10/22 isn’t reliable, it’s just the nature of a semi-auto rimfire.

With regards to sound, the Ruger 10/22 is louder. The sound of the bolt cycling is more noticeable when suppressed, though the synthetic stock exaggerates that a bit. The Ruger American Rimfire has very little noise being a bolt gun.

If you want to shoot a 22 in your backyard without attracting the attention of your neighbors, I suggest using the Ruger American Rimfire paired with the Maxim Defense DRF-22 suppressor.

Bolt Action vs Semi Auto

Rimfire suppressors have a reputation for being a tool of stealth assassins such as James Bond, Nikita, and other "off the books" operatives. This is primarily thanks to Hollywood.

To make a suppressed 22 rifle Hollywood quiet, you will want a bolt action over a semi-auto.

There are four advantages to using a bolt action over a semi-auto.

1. Felt Recoil – A bolt-action rifle has only one stage of recoil; recoil to the rear into the shooter’s shoulder. A semi-auto action has three stages of recoil; One to the rear as the bullet exits the muzzle, a second to the rear as the bolt slams into the buffer, and the third as the bolt slams forward, picking up the next round. Because the bolt-action has only a single stage of recoil, some find it easier to manage a bolt action over the semi-auto.
2. Gas – With a bolt-action rifle, the force from the explosion and expanding gases propel the bullet down the barrel at a faster rate. With a semi-auto rifle, some of the energy used to propel the bullet down the barrel is also used to cycle the action which can negatively affect the velocity.
3. Moving Components – Less moving components reduce the noise and increase reliability.
4. Malfunctions – It’s well known that any semi-auto rimfire is going to have issues. Some firearms are better than others, but there is always that risk. With a bolt action rifle, you eliminate any malfunction that was common to the semi-auto platform.

Ruger American Rimfire Suppressor

Since the Ruger American Rimfire rifle is available in 22LR, 22WMR, and 17HMR it makes sense to find a rimfire suppressor that supports all three calibers.

The Maxim Defense DRF-22 meets that requirement and much more.

Maxim Defense DRF-22

It’s said in the industry that it’s easy to make a 22 suppressor, but to make a good one is another story. Maxim Defense has taken the 22 suppressor to another level with its new DRF-22.

A few noteworthy design features of the DRF-22 include a significant reduction of sound signature, decreasing flash signature, reduction of recoil, and increasing the accuracy of the suppressed firearm.

However, one feature that sets the DRF-22 suppressor apart from others is the lack of a first-round pop. In the past, the first round out of a suppressor is always the loudest due to the oxygen-rich atmosphere. Once that first round is fired, the oxygen is removed from the suppressor tube and all subsequent shots are quiet.

The engineers at Maxim Defense have figured out how to mitigate that first-round pop.

With a 114dB sound rating AND no first-round pop, the DRF-22 suppressor is one of the quietest 22 suppressors on the market. Attach this suppressor to the Ruger American Rimfire and you’ve got yourself a Hollywood quiet setup.

Specs

• Diameter: 1.0" outer diameter
• Material Composition: 7075-T6 Aluminum and 6AI-4V Titanium
• Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Overall Length: 5.9"
• Finish: Type III MIL-SPEC hard coat anodizing and DLC

What sets apart the DRF-22 from other rimfire suppressors? The design of the DRF-22 suppressor is far stronger than what .22 requires.  It is all 7075-T6 aluminum and is hard anodized, with the exception of the core.  Through research, development, and testing, Maxim Defense found that aluminum in the white is measurably quieter than any coating that they tested.

Even though the DRF-22 uses a Monocore design, which some believe to be ‘old’ technology,  Maxim Defense designed its monocore to be mathematically and geometrically optimized.

Preferred 22 Ammo for The Ruger American Rimfire and DRF-22 Suppressor Combo

Although the bolt action of the Ruger American Rimfire will eat up any rimfire ammunition you throw at it, there are some that are better than others.

Throughout the DRF-22 suppressor testing that Maxim Defense conducted during research and development, they found that the CCI Mini Mag had the best all-around performance.

If you want to go the subsonic route, to keep things Hollywood quiet, then check out the Federal 22LR Suppressor ammunition.

Read Next -> Affordable Suppressed .22LR Pistol Build

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