Silencer Saturday #362: Liberty Suppressors 10/22 IDF 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. This week we are taking a look at a very unique and controversial clone. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have been pictured using integrally-suppressed Ruger 10/22 rifles in the past, and what exactly they are used for has been of some debate. But if you want your own clone of this unique suppressor setup there is a turn-key way to get one!

Silencer Saturday @ TFB:

Silencer Saturday #361: Hunting With Suppressors Silencer Saturday #360: Suppressing The Beretta Cheetah Silencer Saturday #359: A Primer On Subsonic Ammunition Silencer Saturday #358: A Holiday Suppressed Gift Guide Silencer Saturday #357: Black Friday Suppressor Sales

History

Our motto here at TFB is “Guns Not Politics” and this article is going to focus closely on the IDF 10/22 and an interesting clone opportunity rather than the broader geopolitical picture in the region or recent events. Whatever your views are on international events, the firearms used in conflicts are of interest to real gun enthusiasts even if they are used in ways that they do not agree with. So with that out of the way let’s get into this particular gun.

Pictures of the Ruger 10/22 in Israeli service date back several years. It is also not the first rimfire to be wielded by Israeli forces, with the Beretta 71 pistol having been famously used by Mossad agents and El Al air marshals in the 1970s and 1980s. Those pistols eventually worked their way onto the US civilian market and into many of our gun safes. But this 10/22 variant has not migrated to the commercial market and information about it is more limited.

A TFB article by Steve Johnson from 2015 is one of the best sources of info on the Israeli Rugers. That article is worth a read in full if you are interested in these guns. In short, there is some debate over how exactly it is employed, but it has been seen in use around protests and varying reports state that it is used as a “less lethal” tool. Note that is very different from “non-lethal” as the humble .22 LR kills people every year. But comments from an anonymous source in that article note that the 10/22 is used for tasks like killing guard dogs as well as targeting protest leaders at distances where rubber bullets or baton rounds may not be accurate or effective.

The specific configuration varies between the images, and much like the various CAR-15 models in use by the IDF through the years, these guns fall into a general category rather than meeting a precise specification. The consistent components are wood stocks, Harris bipods, and a short barrel with a very large suppressor. But there are differences in the scopes and scope mounts, as well as some of the suppressors appearing knurled while others are not.

These images of the IDF 10/22 in action have spread far and wide across the internet, and attribution to the original source is not possible. But if you know the original source please drop it in the comments below so we can give credit where it is due!

The Clone

According to the story on their website, Liberty Suppressors made a clone of the IDF 10/22 for Chad at the IraqVeteran8888 YouTube channel as a one-off project. Other people wanted to buy them as well and Liberty now offers it as a “semi-custom” item. Interested purchasers supply a donor barrel (preferably a 10/22 Charger barrel, and definitely not a fluted barrel) and $2,250 to Liberty. They work their magic and build a steel core and titanium outer tube onto the host barrel.

The IDF guns may or may not have permanently-attached suppressors, but the Liberty model is pinned to the barrel. Thanks to the vagaries of American gun laws it counts toward the 16-inch minimum length to avoid additional paperwork and registration as a short barrel rifle. The total length of the barrel and silencer comes to 20 inches as a legal matter though the actual barrel is only ten inches.

While Liberty Suppressors will supply the suppressed barrel setup, they do not furnish the rest of the clone. You will be on your own to modify the stock to fit the new barrel and suppressor. That said, it seems fairly straightforward to open up the barrel channel appropriately and cut the handguard down to match the style seen in photos.

Here are some photos from the Liberty Suppressors site showing their clone barrel installed on a host 10/22 with a modified scope:

Specifications

Caliber: 22lr

Length of suppressor module: 17.25″

Length of barrel & silencer: 20.3″

Diameter: 1.5″

Material: Stainless steel core, titanium tube

Weight of silencer: 1.6lb

Approx dB level: 117dB (action noise)

Mount type: Integral

That’s all for this week. Thanks for stopping by, and if you have a spare 10/22 in the back of your gun safe, an IDF clone would be an interesting way to put it to use! If that is of interest to you head over to Liberty Suppressors to order your own copy.

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