Why are suppressors so expensive in the US?

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night_foxer

New member
I've noticed that suppressors seem to be very expensive in the US compared to the rest of the world, around $1000-$1500 including paperwork, compared to around $375-$500 in the UK where I live , they are also around the same cost in Europe and New Zealand where most if not all of our suppressors are made so we obviously have import duty and taxes to pay.
Is it the paperwork that pushes the price up or the can itself?
 
Are you comparing apples to apples? Other than titanium cans, I don't see many over $1k. My last one was $600+stamp for a 30 cal. You can get rimfire cans for a few hundred bucks.
 
Titanium cans are around £500 here, so about $625, is your stamp the federal permission to buy paperwork? we do have a £45 fee for adding any new guns or cans to our gun licenses, but this covers any number of new guns and cans, as a example I added 1 rifle and 2 cans to my license recently and it was still only the 1 fee of £45. Rimfire cans start around £35, so $43.
$600 isn't too bad for a well made product that will last a few years.
 
Because greed is the American way. Many who have never ventured out of the country don't understand just how much our government and mega corporations are screwing us everyday.

Also one reason right now is supply and demand. Suppressors are more popular than ever right now.
 
You are certainly right about being ripped off by the big companies, Tikka rifles are very popular here, but how can a t3x stainless light be £1300/$1625 in the UK , but only £900/ $1125 in the USA. The factory is only 1800 miles away. Another example of a big company (Beretta) ripping off one market to get a foothold in another....and who pays the price? The consumer where the market is already established.
We've had cans for around 25 years so they are no big thing here now, but like you say, if they are the new must have item over in the US the suppliers will make the most of it, like the old saying "make hay while the sun shines"..$$$$$$.....
 
night_foxer said:
You are certainly right about being ripped off by the big companies, Tikka rifles are very popular here, but how can a t3x stainless light be £1300/$1625 in the UK , but only £900/ $1125 in the USA. The factory is only 1800 miles away. Another example of a big company (Beretta) ripping off one market to get a foothold in another....and who pays the price? The consumer where the market is already established.
We've had cans for around 25 years so they are no big thing here now, but like you say, if they are the new must have item over in the US the suppliers will make the most of it, like the old saying "make hay while the sun shines"..$$$$$$.....
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Suppressors have "been around" for a long time, but due to the government making them so hard to get most people just didn't mess with them. It's still a pain to obtain one, but it's not near as long as it once was. I was approved for mine in 11 days. Some people are now getting approved in a day. This used to take months or years.
 
They aren't really "new" in the US, but they've become much more popular in the last several years for a number of reasons.
- More states have allowed them.
- More resellers (Capital Armory, Silencer Central, Silence Shop, etc) have made the process of getting one much simpler.
- The ATF has finally figured out how to process them in a reasonable timeframe.

But yes, I think they are relatively expensive for what they are. Certainly, manufacturers are charging as much as they think they can get away with, but there's a fair amount of government BS that creates a lot of overhead for them and creates hesitation for the consumer.

If they were regulated like they should be (not at all), where anyone could walk into a gun shop and buy them like any other gun accessory, they'd probably be half price.
 
crapshoot said:
But they are SOOOOOO much fun. It's just money. Never thought I'd enjoy a pistol suppressor till I got one. OMG!
It took pistol shooting to a whole nother level.
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I agree. As much as I love my little 350 legend, I have kinda put it aside until I buy a 338 suppressor.
 
I'd like to purchase another suppressor for my 450 Bushmaster, but went with a linear compensator, instead. :) I only use the rifle for about 7 to 10 days a year and only for deer hunting. The factory muzzle break was a real ear buster and therefore the reason for it getting replaced....which was well worth the money. Kaw Valley Precision linear compensator is about $45 from Midway USA. It has made a huge difference in the muzzle report of this rifle, for hunting. (y)
 
It would be nice if everything was cheaper but a suppressor takes a lot of machining and factor in overhead it would add up. Then after shooting with one there's no going back.
 
There's a lot of mark up for sure, but that is how they can have such great warranties and customer service. Also it makes it worth while for them to jump through all the gov't hoops and to innovate new designs to take more of our money lol.

Same is true for thermals, a local clued me in on the mark up and it's a significant percentage at the dealer level.
 
night_foxer said:
I've noticed that suppressors seem to be very expensive in the US compared to the rest of the world, around $1000-$1500 including paperwork, compared to around $375-$500 in the UK where I live , they are also around the same cost in Europe and New Zealand where most if not all of our suppressors are made so we obviously have import duty and taxes to pay.
Is it the paperwork that pushes the price up or the can itself?
Click to expand...
Government regulation on the manufacturing (ATF) along with how this reduces competition entering the manufacturing service, certainly is a factor on the higher US pricing for a suppressor. Would like to Compare a few Titanium suppressor from across the pond to some of the options offered here in the US to see how close we are to comparing apples to apples.
 
Suppressors are one of those items you’re better off never shooting. They may seem expensive, but they end up costing you more!! Rifle not threaded, either get it threaded or buy a new rifle. Have a guest that wants to go, need another suppressor. Have 2 guests that want to go? Yep, might as well get another. Some rifles end up being “safe queens” because they aren’t threaded.
Like I said, the safest bet is to never shoot one or keep talking yourself out of one.
 


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