Stoeger X20 Supressor

Last updated: October 2026.

The Stoeger name may be familiar to some as a shotgun, but the Stoeger X20 Suppressor is an air rifle – and a pretty good one at that, as Mark Camoccio finds out.

The airgun market is an exciting place to be right now, and despite the inevitable influence of a languishing economy in general, airgun manufacturers seem determined to maintain a bold approach, with new models still emerging on a regular basis.

Stoeger is one brand that, up until now, I had not sampled. Yes, I had noticed that they were part of the world-famous Beretta brand, but nothing seemed to stand out to grab my attention.

I had always been a fan of their sleek stock designs though, and there is no doubting that those wraparound fore-ends create a distinctive, pleasing profile for their whole range of springers.

The main feature

The introduction of a brand new model, however, was clearly a good excuse to get better acquainted with the brand, so my rifle on test here is their latest X20 Suppressor – and an elegant little number it is too!

It is a traditional spring-piston powered, legal-limit airgun, built around a conventional break-barrel action, yet the main on-board feature of this rifle does set it apart from the crowd in a fiercely contested sector of the market. The clue is in the name, as they say, and the Suppressor suffix stems from the fact that the barrel is shrouded over its full length by a synthetic casing. Plenty of technical wizardry is housed inside this area, forming the Suppressor, which obviously has an effect on the muzzle report of the rifle – and we will come to that later.

What also rather helps this rifle’s case is the fact that it comes as a package deal, with the X20 Suppressor supplied complete with a Stoeger 3-9×40 scope and mounts, all-in at the time of writing for a seemingly modest £195.

Nice scope, but the mounts could be better

The scope and mounts included in the asking price are obviously fairly basic fare, yet the Stoeger-branded scope comes fitted with parallax adjustment, target turrets and variable magnification. A conventional 30/30 reticle provides a thin central crosshair, set within four equidistant thick posts, and the image quality on test seemed fine. For the record, the ranges displayed on the parallax ring were several yards adrift from reality, yet overall function was fine.

One minor gripe is the fact that a tiny amount of daylight could be seen between the bottom of the scope and the mount, meaning the scope was not sitting true within the mount base. This may not be the case with every example, but if the test rifle was mine I would replace the mounts as supplied with a quality set from the likes of Sportsmatch, which would hardly break the bank and would be money well spent.

Looks and handling

Onto the rifle, and first impressions of the X20 Suppressor, with regard to looks alone, centre on a perceived over-use of synthetics, since the entire stock and the action forward of the breech are formed from this material. Yet handle this rifle for any length of time and any unfavourable preconceptions are soon put in their place.

For a start, this X20 feels reassuringly weighty, with a nice amount of that heft towards the muzzle. The stock feels dense as well as being well thought out, so overall balance and handling all feel right from the start. That sublime fore-end design means the leading hand just naturally cups the rifle on aim, and despite a cheekpiece that is slightly too low and a butt pad that is slightly too firm, I could not help but warm to this model.

Overall finish is fairly good too, with the traditional blued main cylinder well up to standard.

Range time

With the Stoeger scope already mounted and sitting in roughly the correct position (secured with an arrestor stud into the scope rail, I might add), I could settle down to the serious business of performance evaluation.

Cocking the rifle requires the breech to be gently jolted open, which is more technique than effort. Once mastered, the actual cocking stroke that follows should be achievable by most, requiring, as it does, minimal effort. With a pellet pushed home and safely flush with the facing edge of the breech, the barrel can be swung up – and at this stage, with no resistance whatsoever, an incredibly subtle breech lock-up detent can be appreciated.

How quiet is the Suppressor?

And so to that main feature. With manufacturers currently waging war by acronym, Stoeger are not to be outdone here. Air Flow Control (AFC) technology is apparently what lies behind this rifle’s headline-grabbing spec, and let us not forget the Dual-Stage Noise Reduction System, designed by silencer specialists Humbert CTTS. All sounds very impressive, so just how does that Suppressor shape up?

The manufacturers modestly claim that this rifle is the quietest airgun in its class, and whilst I lacked the technical equipment to scientifically validate this claim, I can report that output from the muzzle is noticeably muted when compared with many other rifles of a similar specification. Bear in mind that this X20 is fitted with a carbine 10.5in barrel, and the fact that no crack is emitted as the air exits the barrel is a fine achievement.

In the real world though, do not lose sight of the fact that silencers play a far more significant and discernible role when fitted to pneumatics, with the noise generated by the mechanical action of a spring gun arguably of far more relevance than that detected at the muzzle. So the X20 Suppressor is not whisper quiet by any means – just highly civilised.

Performance and accuracy

Over a chronograph, the slick-feeling action returned truly stunning consistency with a variety of pellets, along with full legal-limit power output across the board.

Accuracy testing revealed a trigger that is admittedly fairly basic in operation, and whilst technically two-stage, the amount of felt creep before the sear trips means a deliberate routine needs to be adopted to get the best results. I had a play with the adjustment screw, and whilst refinement was not coming any time soon, if the creep was carefully taken up, the final feel before the shot released was improved.

Using Daystate FT in .22 calibre, the X20 Suppressor printed groups of a little over an inch at 30 yards. The best groups came with Webley Xtreme ammunition, achieving clusters of just over half an inch, yet 0.75in seemed a more representative benchmark with this rifle.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Stoeger X20 Suppressor quiet?

At the muzzle, yes. The full-length shroud stops the crack you would expect from a 10.5in carbine barrel, but the mechanical noise of the spring action is still there, so it is civilised rather than whisper quiet.

How accurate is the X20 Suppressor?

On test in .22 it grouped around 0.75in at 30 yards as a fair benchmark, with best groups of just over half an inch using Webley Xtreme and a little over an inch with Daystate FT.

How powerful is it?

It is a legal-limit rifle. The test gun produced 11.8ft/lb with Daystate FT and 11.9ft/lb with Webley Xtreme, with average spreads of 8fps and 10fps over 10-shot strings.

What scope comes with it?

A Stoeger 3-9×40 with parallax adjustment, target turrets and a 30/30 reticle, plus mounts. The scope is fine for the money, but upgrading the mounts is worth considering.

Has the X20 Suppressor been replaced?

Stoeger has since developed the design into the RX20 range, including the RX20 S3 Suppressor, which carries a newer version of the suppressor system along with interchangeable grip sections. Our review of it is linked below.

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