welcome to today photo of the Day! Here we have a .22 silencer in disguise. This is the ARA Mag-2C, built by Applied Research Associates around an aluminum tube that is basically a Maglite flashlight body. As the name suggests: “Mag” for Maglite, “2C” for two-cell C-shaped light. Inside that innocent-looking tube is an expansion chamber and a stack of steel baffles.
There is a whole tradition behind this. Aluminum Maglite tube proves to be close to a perfect raw material for rimfire cans. It’s a strong cylinder, it’s cheap, and its body already looks like something you’d throw in the junk drawer instead of registering it with the government. Home builders have been using the same trick for decades, threading a flashlight tube and using a drilled-out automotive freeze plug as a baffle.
Most of our POTDs use images of our friends Rock Island Auction CompanyMajor firearms auction in the United States. Take some time to browse them current auction – Who knows, maybe you’ll find a piece of history to take home!
“Two Class III/NFA silencers.” Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/5032/748/two-class-iiinfa-silencers. Accessed 3 July 2026.
