The Squelch -- A Tiny Can for a Tiny Pistol   

    Over the years we've had numerous requests for a tiny suppressor that would fit a very small pistol.  We've held off because we were unhappy with many of the tiny pistols available, and because their tiny barrels required them to have threads that were insecure.  After examining and using a number of pistols (from Astra to Walther), we finally settled on the Beretta 21, in .22 LR.  This 12.3 oz. pistol is available in either a black matte or stainless finish, has a good, double and single-action trigger and carries a tip-up barrel, which eases loading for those with little hand strength.  The safest way to carry any firearm is with an empty chamber, but if you insist on carrying the 21 with one in the spout, it is possible to put the hammer on half-cock, with the positive safety engaged.  Federal Arms is finally making a suitable barrel for the Beretta 21, which is available in either 1/2-28 or 32.  We would choose the 1/2-28 thread, which seems to be standard in the suppressor industry, and is far more robust than the 5/16" and 3/8" threads that many have used in the past.

    We built a wide variety of lengths and diameters of prototypes, searching for a combination of size and performance that we could live with.  We now have the tiny 1 x 5" Squelch (S-Can), which weighs 6 ounces and retails for $250, and the 1.4 x 5" Super Squelch, which weighs about 10 ounces.  The Squelch is available in either bright stainless, or in steel, finished in matte black.  The Super Squelch (SS) is available only in steel, finished matte black, and retails for $300.  The larger volume SS is more effective, but the tiny Squelch makes for a lighter and more compact package.  Either make a lightweight combination for plinking at a picnic or on an outing.

    The best ammunition we found was the steel-cased Russian, Jr. Steel, which works flawlessly in the Beretta 21.  It has a mild report and is fairly accurate.  As in all pocket pistols, one should use the mildest ammunition available to keep the noise down when a suppressor is used.

We were also happy with the 60-grain Aguila SSS ammo, which delivers a better punch for the effort, at a proportionally greater cost.

    Both the S and the SS are dry cans, however they can be used wet for even better performance.  We have been using a small blob of red Jet Lube grease in the rear expansion chamber for most of our recent demonstrations.  Occasionally we will dip the cans in a cup of water for optimal silence.  While we don't have finite dB reduction numbers for you yet, we will as soon as we get near a meter.  All who have shot our Beretta 21A with the Squelch have been inpressed with its performance.

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