Good morning everyone and welcome back to TFB’s Silencer Saturday brought to you by Yankee Hill Machine, manufacturers of the awesome YHM Turbo K and Turbo T2 5.56mm rifle suppressors. Last week we had some fun with the Griffin Armament GP-NATO A2 flash hider mount rifle silencer. This week we go plinking with the Gemtech Integra 15-22 integrally suppressed rimfire upper. Should you pick this integral over a standard thread on rimfire suppressor? Let’s take a look.

It wasn’t long ago that if you wanted extreme quiet out of a rimfire rifle, an integrated suppressor was your only real choice. But over the past 15+ years, manufacturers like Gemtech have refined designs to the point where muzzle mounted rimfire suppressors can match the performance of integral rimfire suppressors.

But besides excellent suppression, integral suppressors offer additional benefits that can save you from additional regulatory pain. The Integra has a 10” barrel with a 7.5” permanently affixed monocore baffle stack which means you won’t need an additional tax stamp for a short barrel rifle. Using an M&P 15-22 rifle receiver, the Integra is a drop-in upgrade – no Form 1 paperwork required .

Adding a thread on suppressor to a 15-22 rifle will put the overall barrel length somewhere near 22 inches which is a bit too long for a fun pinking gun.

In addition, the Integra’s long outer tube provides a lot of internal volume to make shooting subsonic ammo brilliantly quiet.

Not having an S&W M&P 15-22 already, I picked up the new pistol model from Grab-A-Gun for $499 (no affiliation) so I could compare the Integra with a market leading thread-on silencer.

Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22 Pistol

• Manufacturer’s Page: https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/mp15-22-pistol
• User Manual: https://snwcdnprod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/owners-manuals/M_P15_Pistol_Manual_100520_3013144_web.pdf

Specifications:

• MSRP: $504
• GrabAGun: $499
• Model: M&P®15-22 PISTOL
• Caliber: 22 LR
• Capacity: 25
• Optics: Yes
• Safety: Manual
• Length: 25.4
• Action: Semi-Auto Blow Back
• Barrel: Material Carbon Steel
• Barrel Twist: 1:15
• Barrel Length: 8″ (20.32 cm)
• Weight: 53.6 oz.

Gemtech INTEGRA 15-22 SUPPRESSED UPPER

Ultimate sound suppression for the M&P15-22 platform is now possible with the new Gemtech® Integra 15-22. We have expanded the Integra line and created an experience you have to try to believe. The platform uses our whisper quiet G-core technology found in the MIST and brings it to the M&P15-22. The new Gemtech® Integra 15-22 transforms any Smith & Wesson® M&P®15-22 into an integrally suppressed plinker. It will impress everyone at the range by how it looks and sounds.

• Manufacturer’s Page: https://www.gemtech.com/integrar-15-22-suppressed-upper.html 
• User Manual: https://www.gemtech.com/amfile/file/download/file/70/product/412/

Specifications:

• MSRP: $699.00
• Buy At Silencer Shop: $650 (depending on local dealer pricing)
• Complete Integrally Suppressed Upper Assembly
• Included: Charging Handle, Bolt Carrier Assembly
• Caliber .22LR
• Diameter .925″
• Overall Length 23.75″
• Overall Length of the Suppressed Upper 17.5″ Barrel Length
• Weight 2.7 lbs. Includes charging handle and bolt carrier assembly
• Mount Type Fits M&P15-22 lower reciever
• Tube Material 6061 T6 Aluminum
• Full Auto Rated No
• Tube Finish Matte Black Hard Coat Anodized

Many monocore suppressors can suffer from first round pop (we’ve discussed the phenomenon many times in the past). But the Integra has no detectable FRP which is a big plus.

Above, the eight inch 15-22 pistol upper with the Dead Air Mask attached. As you can see, the Integra is about four inches longer than the Mask/pistol upper combination.

At the time of this writing, the Integra is only offered as a complete upper receiver and no a complete rifle.

As compared to the naked pistol upper, the Integra is about twice is long.

Both the Integra and the 15-22 pistol upper are extremely quiet, making it very difficult to distinguish between the two. The action noise is by far the loudest part of the whole operation.

While the Gemtech Integra is extremely quiet, part of me wishes it was 16.1” long instead of 17.5” long. I’m also debating whether the barrel length should be shortened to four inches with a 12” monocore baffle assembly. Four inches would allow bulk pack and standard velocity rimfire ammo to stay subsonic without having to source specialty rounds. The alternative would be to port the barrel before the monocore to bleed off a little velocity. But that would mean that high velocity rounds would end up being anemic, if that matters to you.

As to whether or not you should own an integrally suppressed 15-22 upper over a pistol upper with a muzzle-attached silencer, my obvious answer is to get both. But the M&P 15-22, in my opinion, is a gun that should always be shot suppressed, so if this is one of your favorite guns, the Gemtech Integra is priced right and offers top notch performance.

I also wonder if there is a way to quiet the action noise of the M&P 15-22; softening the “clack-clack” will elevate this combo to next-level territory.

Thanks for reading. Be safe, have fun and we’ll see you here next weekend for another Silencer Saturday.

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