The Teeny Tiny Bowers Bitty

Admittedly, there was a double-take the first time we saw this new silencer from Bowers. It just seemed too damn small to be able to do anything.

At just under 3-inches in length and weighing in around 2.5-ounces, the name Bitty is totally appropriate. While we've certainly played with small before (that's what she said), the new Bitty from Bowers is a different animal. Small cans like the Aurora II exist, but they rely on ablatives and wipes to remain quiet. The claim from Bowers, stated right on the box is, “No wet, no wipes, no equal”. Of course, the packaging for the Bitty itself demonstrates exactly how small we're talking.

While six different calibers are listed, 22LR is what we're going to be using it on. Mostly because we have a ton of 22LRs.

The Bowers Bitty has a titanium body and spacer, stainless steel baffles, with aluminum threads and end caps. More on the aluminum here in a moment.

The baffles snap together and stay together–to the point we had to use a flat-bladed screwdriver to separate them once the silencer was sufficiently filthy. Also, be sure not to lose your wrench or the threaded endcap will be a real pain in the ass–ask us how we know.

Bear in mind there have to be compromises with a silencer this small. Using subsonic ammunition, the Bowers Bitty was a damn good performer on a 16-inch rifle. Make-grown-men-giggle good performer. With a pistol? More of what you would expect: Not as good as a “full size” silencer, but certainly better than no silencer. Essentially you can think of the Bitty as a Kurz silencer for 22lr.

When we first broached the topic of running the Bowers Bitty wet, Tom Bowers expressed some trepidation. Firstly, it was intended to not require wipes or wetting. But he did say if we were to do it, to only use something like wire pulling gel as opposed to grease, and to also only use it with 22LR.

We did run it wet, particularly in an attempt to reduce the signature of the Bitty when mounted to a pistol. Surprisingly, it had little to no effect on the report. Our take: don't bother.

There was one modification we made to the Bowers Bitty, which was to add a Gemtech 22QDA. It does make the silencer marginally longer (added length of just below one inch) but it gifts the Bitty with quick-disconnect capability. Not only did this mean that we could just hot swap from gun-to-gun like we do with other 22LR silencers, but it alleviated any concerns about the aluminum threads.

So let's talk aluminum threads for a moment. Aluminum is soft, and it heats and cools at a different rate than the steel of your barrel. This makes it easier to warp, cross-thread, and otherwise seize the endcap in place. Is this a huuuge concern with 22LR? No, not when compared to 5.56 or other high-pressure calibers. But other large silencer companies deemed it to be of enough concern to simply stop using aluminum for threads–instead opting for other materials such as titanium or steel for endcaps or threaded inserts. If we could change anything about the Bitty, we would make the threads titanium. Regardless, we recommend using a bit of anti-seize on the threads of the Bowers Bitty, if only for an ounce of prevention.

In the end, we roll right back to our thoughts on K-cans: Not as quiet, but also not as large.

If you're using a rifle and subsonic ammunition, the Bitty is fantastic. If you want to take the edge off of a pistol, it's good for that too. If you want movie-quiet on a handgun you need to seek answers elsewhere, but this silencer wasn't made to be a do-all. While the Bowers Bitty probably shouldn't be your first silencer or even your first 22LR silencer, it will make for a great second, and somewhat specialized, 22LR can in your collection.

For more information, visit Bowers online here.