New to NFA items, looking to get into it. I’m looking for a good host to add a suppressor to. I’m thinking of getting the Ruger American Ranch in 300BLK to get into the NFA world. I prefer getting a dedicated suppressor for each weapon over a modular system.

What caliber would be the best for a first time NFA suppressor purchase?

What would be a good host to start off with?

Any other options, please let me know in the comments. Please no political comments.

.22 rimfire.

Very quiet.
Economical.
Wide range of uses.
Broad array of factory ammo available.
Fun!


Later on...300 BLK.

22lr can is most movie like and a must.

45 acp can will take care of most pistols and sub 300 blk

30 cal can will take care of everything less then .30 cal

I also won’t buy a one can fits all.

I’m leaning towards lever action or bolt so there is no sound from the action.

I have a bunch, and while I agree with having a suppressor for each host, it takes a while to get there. I recommend a 30 caliber rifle can (you can go with one of the larger bores to accommodate pistols as well, but in my opinion they are too large and heavy to be anything close to fun). You also need a rimfire suppressor. Those two will cover most of the shooting you do. If you have pistol caliber shoulder fired weapons, that’s worth considering as well with one of the new modular/large bore cans if you don’t want a third dedicated suppressor. If you’re not shooting pistol caliber stuff out of things that aren’t handguns, you can of course skip this. To be honest suppressed pistols are unwieldy and tend to get old quickly. PM me if you want more information, happy to help you avoid some of the expensive mistakes I’ve made. 45 suppresses very well, as does subsonic 9mm. Blackout is great but the ammunition is stupid expensive and of questionable use when subsonic. The fact is that even 5.56 and 308 are worth suppressing, because even though they aren’t Hollywood quiet a decent suppressor makes them much more pleasant to shoot, especially with the short barrels.