Swift SPR Rimfire Sound Moderator

When I stopped by at the Swift Precision Rifles workshop (of Richard Pope) earlier in the year, Richard gave me a sneak preview of a new rimfire moderator he was developing. If I’m honest, I have to admit that at the time I wasn’t totally convinced: it just looked too simple to work. How could a line of flat baffles separated by spacers work better than the complex, multi-angled internals found in the latest designs by other manufacturers? But then again, this was the man responsible for Sandwell Field Sports’ famously-effective, carbon-fibre air-rifle silencers, and that had to count for something…

On my next visit I enquired how the moderator project was coming along. Richard showed me the finished item and asked if I would like to try it out. “Sure,” I said (who wouldn’t?), and he passed me the moderator with a look that spoke volumes about his confidence in his handiwork.

How Does It Compare?

The moderator is a muzzle can, 19.5cm long and 3cm in diameter, and weighs in at 175g. The rear end tapers to a diameter of 1.8cm and is threaded 1/2”UNF, whilst the front end has a chamfered circumference and a 7.35” diameter muzzle with a star-shaped hole that takes a T45 torque spanner. This means it can be stripped, but you’ll probably have to pop down to Halfords and buy the right ‘bit’ first. The moderator has a hard matte-black/slate-grey anodised finish that has proved highly scratch-resistant, is practical for hunting, and which looks good on any gun.

What’s more, the light weight of the SPR moderator entirely compensates for its extra length, and this, along with its slim lines, transformed the looks and handling of my 16” barrelled CZ452 HMR, which normally wears a chunky DM80 over-barrel unit (www.uttings.com). However, I had little hope that the SPR moderator would match the DM80 on performance, since the latter is calibre-specific and highly-effective.

I therefore began by testing the moderator on a softer option, my .22LR Anschütz, which is usually equipped with a capable, but not exceptional, Sako muzzle can.

Misfire?... No, Just Silent

The first shot with some Eley subsonic hollow-points was extraordinarily quiet, but I didn’t see the bullet strike. Wondering whether I’d had a misfire, I removed the bolt and checked the bore. This showed clear, but I did notice a slight occlusion in the moderator, even after it had been removed and replaced, so I went home to examine it more closely with a set of callipers. It transpired that the fault lay not with the moderator, which was perfectly concentric, but with the factory thread on the Anschütz, which was disappointingly out-of-true, a defect that had previously passed unnoticed only because the Sako’s bore is cut to looser tolerances than the SPR’s.

On my next outing, therefore, I took another .22, a V22 semi-auto, which is generally fitted with a Wildcat Growler. Designed for the .22 Magnum, the Growler’s not at its most efficient on the V22, but it looks good on the rifle and functions well enough with the smaller cartridge. This time, thankfully, there were no alignment problems - Richard himself had threaded the V22 - but yet again the moderator would have had me thinking I was shooting duds if the mech hadn’t been cycling and the rounds punching holes in the target. Now I can’t say I have used every .22 rimfire moderator on the market, but I’ve tried a fair few and I’d never heard anything as quiet as Richard’s. Quite simply, it’s the best .22LR moderator I’ve ever tested.

Now For The .17HMR

So how would it fare on the HMR? Well, my feelings of anticipation as I took up the pressure on the trigger can well be imagined, and were only outdone by my satisfaction at the rifle’s muted report. I wouldn’t say it is quieter than the DM80, but for a .22 moderator on a .17 barrel, it comes extraordinarily close, and to my mind at least, its looks and handling give it the edge.

My final test involved comparing the SPR moderator to the Wildcat Growler on my .22WMR. The Growler works well, and whilst its over-barrel design is chunky in appearance, it is both compact and quite light. Whether it’s the ultimate in .22WMR moderators is another story, however, and I’d like to try out a DM80 for comparison some time, but for now it was the turn of the SPR. The result? Well, perhaps surprisingly, given its remarkable performance on the HMR, it seems that the WMR is just too much for the otherwise-excellent SPR moderator to handle, and this, indeed is no disgrace.

Before closing, I’ll admit that the above in no way represents scientific testing, and it’s entirely possible that other ears would make different judgements. All I’ll say is that as soon as I had the SPR mod shooting on the V22 I got out my chequebook (and started thinking about having the Anschütz re-threaded), and when I take my HMR out, the SPR goes on that too.

The SPR rimfire moderator retails for £55, and a carbon-fibre version is also available to order, POA.