“Suppressed is best”, and the new Comet Barrel for the S&W SW22 Victory from TandemKross turns that pistol into a great suppressor host. If you have a Victory, a suppressor, and a passion for some quality “quiet time”, this is for you. And if you don’t have a Victory or a suppressor, consider this some gentle motivation. Because they’re awesome pistols, and the Comet adds some versatility to this somewhat overlooked platform. It’s about time the Victory got a little more love from the aftermarket.
Comet barrel specs
At just 2.690 inches long and threaded 1/2 x 28, this barrel should keep most ammo subsonic. It’s a chubby stainless steel bull barrel design, but quite stubby. Which just makes for a nice and compact pistol once a suppressor is threaded on. According to the folks at Smith & Wesson, the base model SW22 Victory is 9.2 inches in length. With the Comet and my TacSol Axiom installed, the overall length is an even 12 inches. Sure, that’s about 1/3 more length. But look at the image below. It doesn’t seem overly long, does it?
Some readers may recognize the Comet as an abbreviated version of the TandemKross Spitfire barrel. That does seem to be what it’s based on, but with less length, and without the extra heat management. And like the Spitfire, TandemKross includes an adjustable and removable thumb ledge. I really like this gas pedal-style rest, as my Victory has the matching Cornerstone safety thumb ledge, for “both thumbs forward” shooting. Three positions let nearly any shooter take advantage of the added stability and control. Or remove it completely for holster use.
Installation of the Comet barrel
If you already own the SW22 Victory, and have done a deep cleaning, you know how easy this is going to be. Even if you don‘t own one, trust me, it’s easy. Drop the magazine, and make sure the chamber is empty. Flip the pistol over, and remove the upper with a 1/8″ Allen key. This will expose the grub screw that holds the barrel in place. Using the same wrench, loosen that screw until the OEM barrel slips out. Slide the Comet into place, with the dimple lined up with the grub screw’s location. Snug it down, and then carefully reinstall the upper. It really is a quick swap, with the most difficult part being getting the slide installed correctly. If you have trouble, TandemKross has a great video on the barrel and installation.
Range time
Since I usually shoot subsonic ammo suppressed with a bolt action rifle, I’m pretty spoiled when it comes to “quiet time”. Running cheap bulk through the Comet with my Axiom, it was still impressively quiet though. I found that my subsonic match ammo was super quiet – because the slide wasn’t moving. And this was expected. Switching to higher velocity bulk ammo, it ran just fine. I forgot to take note of the ejection pattern, but it did cycle as reliably as it did with the factory barrel or the Spitfire. Hits on the steel targets were very distinct, and accuracy was more than acceptable.
TandemKross does mention that the Comet is designed for use with a standard .22 LR suppressor. Using a larger suppressor designed for centerfire, or no suppressor at all may cause malfunctions. This is normal for blowback semi-auto firearms. Even lower-velocity ammo can cause failures to fully cycle. Most bulk ammo is supersonic by design, and subsonic through the Comet, so it should function reliably.
Since I was shooting with some friends, there was a variety of ammo available. Most of it worked fine, but one brand just refused to cycle. I’m chalking that up to rimfire being rimfire, as it was one out of about eight kinds of ammo. And it was one specific carton of Federal bulk – other Federal went bang and ejected without issues.
Final thoughts
The last time I had a pistol barrel cut down and threaded, it was $100. And that didn’t include a thumb rest. So $149.99 for the Comet seems like a bargain. You get to keep the factory barrel too, should you want to swap back to the noisy length. Oddly enough, I didn’t notice much POI shift. Our steel targets are mostly between two and four inches, and placed between 25 and 50 yards out. Whether it was luck or just a small shift, I don’t know. But I didn’t have to mess with the optic on my pistol at all. And it’s just much more enjoyable to shoot a quieter pistol.
If you like a good suppressed rimfire, this is the way. With five minutes and a single wrench, the S&W SW22 Victory can go from stock or full Steel Challenge race gun to a quiet plinker. Remove the gas pedal and it probably fits in most Victory holsters too. Overall, this is a cost-effective solution for SW22 Victory owners looking to create a compact suppressor host.
As always, I’d like to thank TandemKross for providing their Comet barrel for testing and evaluation. They keep churning out cool stuff, and this is no exception. Find it and plenty more upgrades for your S&W SW22 Victory at TandemKross.com.
What do you think? If you have a Victory and a suppressor, is this going on your wish list?
Did you experience any loss of accuracy or bullet stability due to the short barrel?
Sorry for the late reply. According to the experts at one of the big silencer brands, you only need about 2.5 inches of barrel to stabilize a .22 LR round. TandemKross seems to be aware of this as well. It’s no laser, but still plenty accurate for its intended purpose.