When we spoke to suppressor makers late last month, projections varied, but all agreed that 2026 would be a significant growth year for the suppressor industry, now that the $200 tax stamp officially zeroed out at midnight on December 31, 2025.
But nobody could have expected the volume of eForms that would be submitted as we rang in the new year.
NSSF announced that the ATF reported processing over 150,000 eForms on January 1. The normal daily volume is roughly 2,500.
Welcome to the new normal.
Knox Williams, executive director of the American Suppressor Association (ASA), reported after meeting with ATF officials during SHOT Show here in Las Vegas that, to date, more than 260,000 eForms have been processed this January.
That figure includes all NFA forms, not just those covering suppressors. ASA hopes to obtain a further breakdown for its tracking of suppressor-specific transfers, but that data is not yet available.
However, we do have the final numbers for 2025. Last year, a total of 732,863 suppressors were transferred, falling short of the 746,380 transferred in 2024. That brings the total number of registered suppressors in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR) to 5,776,685—up from 4,419,578 at the end of 2024.
The shortfall was obviously not due to a lack of consumer demand, but rather to buyers refusing to pay the tax when they knew purchases would be tax-free on January 1. That 150,000-plus eForm volume on day one proves the point.
Here at SHOT Show, the busiest booths are those of suppressor manufacturers, with retailers and buyers looking for what’s new, when it will ship, and what the pricing will be.
Fighting through crowded booths, we got updates from several suppressor companies. While all agree that 2026 will be a major milestone year for their segment of the market, it’s still anybody’s guess as to where 2026 will finish.
Value-Priced Suppressors Will Lead The Way
Silencer Shop, which accounts for approximately 50% of all suppressor sales through its network of dealer accounts and easy-to-use kiosks, says that low-price-point .22 suppressors are the big movers.
These entry-level suppressors were a lot less inviting when the federal tax accounted for a 50-66% markup. Overall, Silencer Shop estimates is already up three to five times over this point last year.
SilencerCo told us they are up 25% compared to this time last January, with value-priced products leading the way. Their Sparrow 22, with its $349 MSRP, has always been a strong seller, and .22 sales are expected to remain on trend.
As for overall sales in 2026, they estimate growth could reach as much as 50% over last year, on the high side.
Inland Manufacturing, which is distributed by MKS, offers suppressors in the $500 range. Ron Norton says he’s seeing huge demand for low-dollar suppressors, especially now that the stock-up that occurred prior to January 1 has sold through distribution channels and dealers are restocking.
He estimates they are seeing sales as much as 10X over January 2025.
Over at the JK Armament booth, where suppressors range in price from $325 to $1,495, they expect 2026 growth to fall between 25% and 50%. Again, low-dollar suppressors at $550 and under, will lead the growth as the entry point for new suppressor owners.
B&T USA, which isn’t in that “value-priced suppressor” end of the market, finished 2025 with 30% growth over 2024 and is already up 30% over January 2025. B&T USA’s VP of Sales, Michael Petronella, estimates the company could finish 2026 with 50% growth, a trend that could continue for two to three years as new consumers find their way into suppressor ownership.
Silencer Central admittedly takes a conservative view and estimates they are seeing sales in the range of three times that of pre-July 2025, when the idea of the $200 tax stamp being eliminated was just that—an idea.
Silent Steel USA, which operates out of Michigan and has only been in the U.S. market for a year, sees tremendous growth potential compared to the volume generated by its Finnish counterpart over the past eight years.
Mark Wildasin, COO and CFO for Silent Steel USA, is reluctant to put a number on 2026 sales with only one year of data for comparison. However, he did agree that 2026 could be a major milestone year for the Silent Steel brand, as sales in the overall U.S. suppressor market are poised to explode.
While estimates vary, everyone we spoke to agreed that the suppressor market will continue to see sales growth, along with expansion as new companies enter the segment looking to cash in on the surge.
The upside is significant, especially when you consider that the total number of suppressors in the hands of individuals is only 5.7 million, and annual sales have yet to break 1 million—something that could, and should, happen this year.
To put that into perspective, Ruger was the first U.S. gun maker to produce 1 million guns in a one year period. Then were also the first to produce 2 million in the same timeframe. They have quite literally made more suppressor-compatible firearms than there are suppressors in circulation—probably.
But, suppressor manufacturers will be working to catch up—sooner rather than later.
– Paul Erhardt, Managing Editor, the Outdoor Wire Digital Network