Mark Camoccio reveals the new Parker Hale Barton Gunworks Accurate Rimfire Silencer
credit: Archant
I’ve always been fascinated with silencers so when I saw a press release from Parker Hale stating that they were launching a new model, I was keen to get my hands on one. Apparently, several years in development, the new ‘Accurate Rimfire’ silencer is available in different specifications, and visually, has that classic sleek, super-compact look synonymous with Parker Hale.
All things
As the name suggests, unsurprisingly, there are models for live stuff, proofed for .17 HMR, and .22LR, but what might have gone under the radar is the unproofed model aimed at airgun use, and that’s what we have here.
All silencers are half-inch, UNF-threaded, packed in a cardboard tube, and are billed as lightweight, compact, low profile, with good strength-to-weight ratio. At just over 5.6oz in weight on my scales, this does make it fairly light, and it certainly is compact, being 1 inch in diameter, and 7 inches in length. Constructed from aircraft grade aluminium alloys, and treated to a hard anodised finish, the result certainly feels robust.
credit: Archant
Easy clean
A big selling point is the simple construction, free from wadding and degradable material; the silencer consists of just the outer tube, and the all-metal threaded core, which incorporates no less than four baffles. This means that the entire all-metal unit, effectively two-part, can be quickly stripped and cleaned with no fuss. Just unscrew the front cap, and you’re in.
I was fitting the ‘Accurate Rimfire’ to an S400 rifle, for the purpose of this test, so it was a good comparison to see it alongside an Air Arms Q-Tec silencer, and as the picture shows, it really is ultra-compact, and a fraction of the size of its rival here – 5.6 oz against 7oz, again according to my scales. As for performance, I didn’t have equipment to hand for a scientific test, but on a basic level, the Q-Tec was admittedly more efficient, eating the decibels to a whisper. Notably more report then with the Parker Hale in place, but back in the real world, all the obtrusive crack of the expanding air (the s400 is very loud with no silencer) was eliminated, and what was left was still nice and muted.
I really do find the simplicity a big plus point, and that’s the appeal of these new silencers. Very precisely machined and well finished, this new model is a great addition to the famous old Parker Hale brand.
Information:
The new Accurate Rimfire Silencer retails for £89.95, and is winging its way to gunshops around the country. Trade enquiries should be directed to John Rothery (Wholesale) – bisley-uk.com.