Best Way to Clean a Suppressor including a handy Materials and Cleaning Methods Chart with the following

	Aluminum	Stainless Steel	Titanium
Brush and Solvent	Yes ✅	Yes ✅	Yes ✅
Wet Media Tumbler	No ❌	Yes ✅	Yes ✅
Soda Blaster	Yes ✅	Yes ✅	Yes ✅
Dry Media Tumbler	No ❌	Yes ✅	Yes ✅
Ultrasonic	No ❌	Yes ✅	Yes ✅
The Dip*	No ❌	Yes ✅	Yes ✅

 

I have 4 cans and my favorite has AL baffles. I have an inexpensive soda blaster and find it easy to use.

 

Cleaning aluminum baffles with a pick, brush and solvent is no fun. I rarely shoot my aluminum suppressor for that very reason.

I need to get a soda blaster.

 

I have a CZ 453 that is integrally suppressed by Dark Horse Arms. This thing is just crazy quiet and accurate. It really likes CCI subsonic 40 grn lead hollow points. There is a cap on the muzzle that I remove with a spanner wrench and then pull out the baffles with a pick I made out of a wire coat hanger. Hoppes, WD 40, Ballistol, Break Free or some type of solvent to loosen deposits and some scrubbing and It’s done. I use a stiff nylon brush to be somewhat kind to the aluminum baffles. I use a shotgun swab wrapped in a rag to clean the shroud. When I have it disassembled I clean the barrel and action like any other 22. I just give it a good cleaning, it doesn’t need to be spotless. I’m not going to eat my dinner off of it. I wipe it down and reassemble. In the past few weeks the raccoons and squirrels have attacked my bird feeders totally destroying two of them. One of them was a gift to my wife and was equipped with a camera. As raccoons are nocturnal the lack of a report is important. 🦝🦝🦝🦝 🐿🐿🐿🐿🐿

 

I coated my aluminium baffles with some hi temp silicone grease when it was new. Makes cleaning with a toothbrush and some Hopps #9 easy enough. Always give them a new coat of grease when putting them back together.

 

I didn't know what to expect, just cleaned mine the 1st time today. I just pulled the baffles out and let them soak in charcoal starter while I rounded up a toothbrush. The gunk came off much easier than I was anticipating, but I only had ~100 rounds of CCI SV through it. Washed the tube out with the same starter fluid. I had a little packet of that grease so I smeared a tiny bit on the "dirty" sides and a little on the threads, we'll see how it cleans up next time.

I knew nothing about suppressors, when I went to pick up my 10/22 LVT (threaded barrel), the FFL guy had the Little Bird there, unused but second hand from an estate. Catch was, it didn't have the tool so $200, $400 out the door with stamp - which was just shy of 3 weeks. I called AB and explained I had the new suppressor but no tool, they sent me one no charge.

I don't know how it'll hold up long term, the threads in the tube wearing out seems like it might be a problem down the line, but the little thing is sure quiet with the CCI SV and a rubber bolt buffer.

 

X2 to the soda blaster. I bought a cheap hopper fed soda blaster from Amazon. Had to add a cheap inline air dryer due to our third coast humidity, moisture makes the baking soda clump and the blaster doesn’t perform as well. When I first got it I was a little worried about etching the metal or finish. Blasted a pair of leather, then rubber gloves, then bare hand, no damage at all. Lead, carbon, and gunk come right off. I wear a glove on the hand holding the parts and work in open air where there is a breeze. Best option, and I’ve tried most including The Dip. Yuck.

 

I would buy a Dead air mask HD or a Tbac 22 take down and call it lesson learned. Or, fight it for the next 20 years. Maybe try wipe-out bore foam if its ok for AL. I use it on my stainless baffles, 1hr they are all clean.

 

Have you tried

Ballistol Suppressor Cleaner 2-Pack | Corks Kit

Ballistol suppressor cleaner 2-pack with rubber corks dissolves combustion residue gently—self‑cleaning, odorless and safe on coatings. Clean smart today!

ballistol.com

 

Have you tried

Ballistol Suppressor Cleaner 2-Pack | Corks Kit

Ballistol suppressor cleaner 2-pack with rubber corks dissolves combustion residue gently—self‑cleaning, odorless and safe on coatings. Clean smart today!

ballistol.com

This is now my go-to method for cleaning suppressors. Aluminum, stainless or titanium are all typically able to be wiped clean with a shop towel after an overnight soak.

 

Never buy an aluminum suppressor. I don’t care what people say, it is a pain to keep clean or get clean without a walnut blaster. Just don’t do it.

I had https://www.eccomachine.net/ recore my aluminum suppressor. Now I can drop it in an ultrasonic or tumbler with stainless pins. I don’t have to coat the baffles. I can just shoot it.

 

Unless you already made a purchase I wouldn’t even consider a suppressor with aluminum components. Not only is burned powder caustic to aluminum, ultrasonic cleaning makes cleanup just so easy. I clean my suppressors almost daily and I simply disassemble and drop them in the basket. Fifteen minutes later I dry them off and reassemble. After over 20k rounds they still look almost new.

 

I have suppressor with aluminum baffles for my AR 22 I clean it with ultrasonic and it works great no issue at all. Does your suppressor disassemble so the aluminum cups or baffles are separate?

 

Same. Take my baffles out soak them in a bag if CLR while in the US cleaner. Come out perfect.

 

Edit- been there done that with aluminum cans in ultrasonic. It will damage them. Started this game in 2006. Put some tin foil in the cleaner for 20 minutes, looks like a moth ate it.
Good luck