Silencer Saturday #384: The “DIY-DF” 10/22 Clone

Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome back to TFB’s Silencer Saturday, brought to you by Yankee Hill Machine, manufacturers of the new YHM R45 Multi-Host Suppressor. Once again, we have an interesting gun built by my friend Collin to look at. He found a great deal on a base model used 10/22 and decided to build his own copy of the Israeli Defense Forces' integrally suppressed rifle. The “DIY-DF” (say that out loud if you don’t get the dad joke) is a truly unique suppressor build.

Silencer Saturday @ TFB:

• Silencer Saturday #383: The Welrod's Return?
• Silencer Saturday #382: Noveske's New Amigo
• Silencer Saturday #381: Engaged Industries Operator 5.56 Suppressor
• Silencer Saturday #380: Suppressors V. Brakes On Competition Guns
• Silencer Saturday #379: The Ultra Lightweight TiOn Dragoon 7.62 QD

Disclaimer: Silencers are highly regulated items in the United States. Be sure to understand and comply with all applicable laws if you endeavor to build your own version of this gun. If you decide to build one of these you are on your own, and neither the author nor TFB or Collin are responsible if you get hurt building or shooting your own.

Some weeks ago we looked at another version of this gun made by Liberty Suppressors. You can see that article here. TFB has also covered this gun more generally with an excellent article here about its history and what is known about it. In short, we are lacking a lot of details, but we have a general idea of what these guns are. A base model Ruger 10/22 is retrofitted, with a large silencer, and pressed into service as an ersatz sniper. Some sources say these are used to target protest leaders. Others say they are for removing sentries or dogs quietly during raids or other military actions. In any case, this is a very quiet weapon made for precision work.

The Build

Collin talked me through the build process while we were out on the range. He started with a great deal on a base-model Ruger 10/22 with a wood stock. With the barrel removed, he chopped it to 12 inches and threaded the muzzle 1/2x28. He then threaded the length of the remaining barrel with a larger thread pitch (3/4x10, possibly) back to where the silencer would begin.

He machined a collar that fit the larger thread pitch and ran that down the barrel to be the back end of the silencer. That collar has large o-rings around the circumference to help seal the suppressor. The outer body of the silencer is the serialized component (here is another reminder not to do this without complying with applicable laws) and it secures to the rear collar with set screws. That outer body is 1.75” in diameter and is knurled.

Inside the suppressor sits a monocore baffle stack. It is permanently attached to the barrel to keep the barrel length over 16 inches so this gun only requires one tax stamp. The monocore has a very large “blast baffle” area that opens to the rear. The rest of the monocore includes a secondary expansion chamber, and a series of omega baffles inside the hollow front of the core. The second expansion chamber is probably nor necessary, but his equipment limitations required it to complete the design.

Behind the baffle stack, the barrel is wrapped in metal mesh. That provides an area for gases to expand into that space and cool while still being simple. Using this mesh is a fun echo back to old silencer tech, and it can be found in a lot of the interesting old integral suppressor designs. It is also cost effective and does not require any machining to create. At the front of the silencer another end cap holds everything in place. More set screws secure it to the outer sleeve.

To reshape the stock he used 1.5” router bit on a table router. Once the stock was cut roughly to shape the remainder was done with hand tools. He also removed the factory finish from the wood, added burned portions, and treated it with tung oil. For accessories, Collin opted for a Harris bipod and fitted an Arken scope. That optic is not clone, correct, but it dramatically outperforms whatever older optics were used on the real guns. He also added a foam cheek riser, wrapped in Goon Tape.

It is worth noting Collin is not a machinist by trade. He's actually a law student. He builds all of his interesting creations with a Harbor Freight mini lathe and YouTube instructional videos. He strongly recommends the Blondihacks YouTube channel, if you want to learn how to machine for yourself.

On The Range

So with those details of the build out of the way, how does it shoot? Short version, it's hilariously fun. This is the quietest semi automatic 22 I have ever used. It sounds about dry, firing, the gun. There is a bit of noise from the action cycling and the empty brass ejecting, but it is incredibly minimal. Calling things “movie quiet” draws some appropriate criticism, but that is not what I would call the DIY-DF. It is so quiet that no director or producer would use this as a sound effect because it does not even make a sound that people would associate with a suppressed firearm.

We did our shooting with CCI Standard Velocity 22LR ammo, and it was definitely subsonic. This was not the most scientific range day, as it was extremely hot outside, and we were working on a lot of other projects. I did not shoot any groups on paper nor collect velocity data, but if there is enough interest for a part 2 we could make that happen.

Reliability was very good with 2 of the 3 Ruger BX25 magazines at our disposal. For some reason, the feed lips on one magazine hung up on the bolt. But once we pulled that magazine out of the rotation, the gun ran flawlessly. I wanted to capture just how quiet this gun was. So I made a little video. The view of Collin shooting was filmed with my cell phone. The downrange part was filmed with a GoPro action camera. Gopros are not known for having the best sound quality, but the impacts on target were much louder than the gun firing.

Here is the video: