Broken-down man wants gas+dB AR suppressor advice

[carbonbased]

As opposed to suppressing an AR the absolute most (damn the torpedos!) I am asking about which suppressors on a 5.56 AR have the best compromise of:

• the least gas blowback + best suppression at the shooter’s ear

For reference I own a PWS MK116 (16”) Mod 1 upper (for the curious, on a Mod 2 lower). It uses a long-stroke gas piston arrangement, and I bought it specifically to minimize le gas. But don’t focus too hard on that…I may buy other uppers including DI.

Due to eye health issues, I haven’t yet shot the rifle, but if the universe abides, I may so get to soon.

Note: The decibel reduction isn’t an idle masturbatory concern. My left ear has been confirmed by a doctor to have something wrong with it. I lose hearing in the left even if I double up and shoot unsuppressed. Shooting anything, even out in an open field!!! Can’t be around unsuppressed gunfire for the same reason.

Right ear is fine. It appears I can double-up the left ear and shoot suppressed and be gtg. I’m in my 50’s but apparently am actually 85 inside lol.

• Don’t really care about muzzle suppression
• Ditto flash suppression. No NV/thermal.
• I shoot varmints like prairie dogs

It seems the Huxwrx Flow 556k would be in the running. Others?

 

[FuhQ]

My Polonium isn’t overly gassy, and I’m not running an AGB. It’s almost identical gassiness as my Sandman-S cans, but noticeably quieter than the Sandman thanks to the smaller bore diameter (.223 vs .308). Only gas mods on that rifle are just an H2 or H3 buffer on a regular 14.5” M4. Brass ejects perfectly at 3 o’ clock, so its not overgassed. MSRP is only $550. Tone is really nice and deep. And has pretty damn good muzzle DB numbers.

My recommendation is either Polonium or Sandman-S.

 

[Zak Smith]

With almost any quiet-ish can, you will get a dramatic drop in ear dB if you can reduce the gas via an adjustable gas block

 

[Clayman]

As opposed to suppressing an AR the absolute most (damn the torpedos!) I am asking about which suppressors on a 5.56 AR have the best compromise of:

• the least gas blowback + best suppression at the shooter’s ear

For reference I own a PWS MK116 (16”) Mod 1 upper (for the curious, on a Mod 2 lower). It uses a long-stroke gas piston arrangement, and I bought it specifically to minimize le gas. But don’t focus too hard on that…I may buy other uppers including DI.

View attachment 8231776
Due to eye health issues, I haven’t yet shot the rifle, but if the universe abides, I may so get to soon.

Note: The decibel reduction isn’t an idle masturbatory concern. My left ear has been confirmed by a doctor to have something wrong with it. I lose hearing in the left even if I double up and shoot unsuppressed. Shooting anything, even out in an open field!!! Can’t be around unsuppressed gunfire for the same reason.

Right ear is fine. It appears I can double-up the left ear and shoot suppressed and be gtg. I’m in my 50’s but apparently am actually 85 inside lol.

• Don’t really care about muzzle suppression
• Ditto flash suppression. No NV/thermal.
• I shoot varmints like prairie dogs

It seems the Huxwrx Flow 556k would be in the running. Others?

The huxwrx flow556k is great for this however that is out in the free field.

Where do you do most of your shooting?

The more reflective surfaces you're around the louder that can will be.

I'd take a serious look at the upcoming Specters Cat ODB. The info on their 5.56 can will be releasing soon as well.

These cans should have excellent at ear and muzzle suppression. I personally trust Jay/pewscience but I can't wait to hear one in person.

They'll be available in inconel or titanium.

Odb is their .30 can but put up very impressive numbers in pewscience review.

CAT ODB .30
7.2"
8.6oz in ti
16.1oz in inconel

CAT WB 5.56
5.8"
6.9oz in ti
12.6 in inconel

Both available with the hub mount or 1x16lh threaded.

These are said to have an excellent balance of blowback, at ear suppression and muzzle suppression. So whereas the flow556k has great ear suppression it has somewhat poor muzzle suppression. So around reflective surfaces it's not particularly great.

Huxwrx is also releasing/announcing a new can this Friday. So my personal advice would be wait until the new hux and CAT cans are out and then go from there.

Also depending on what you're doing and how much you're shooting you should probably be wearing ear pro regardless.

 

[carbonbased]

The huxwrx flow556k is great for this however that is out in the free field.

Where do you do most of your shooting?

The more reflective surfaces you're around the louder that can will be.

I'd take a serious look at the upcoming Specters Cat ODB. The info on their 5.56 can will be releasing soon as well.

These cans should have excellent at ear and muzzle suppression. I personally trust Jay/pewscience but I can't wait to hear one in person.

They'll be available in inconel or titanium.

Odb is their .30 can but put up very impressive numbers in pewscience review.

CAT ODB .30
7.2"
8.6oz in ti
16.1oz in inconel

CAT WB 5.56
5.8"
6.9oz in ti
12.6 in inconel

Both available with the hub mount or 1x16lh threaded.

These are said to have an excellent balance of blowback, at ear suppression and muzzle suppression. So whereas the flow556k has great ear suppression it has somewhat poor muzzle suppression. So around reflective surfaces it's not particularly great.

Huxwrx is also releasing/announcing a new can this Friday. So my personal advice would be wait until the new hux and CAT cans are out and then go from there.

Also depending on what you're doing and how much you're shooting you should probably be wearing ear pro regardless.

I’m sometimes around reflective surfaces, like in the range shed (slant-roof, side walls, back, with open front, maybe 15 benches wide). During higher volume shooting I’m in wide-open fields.

Also depending on what you're doing and how much you're shooting you should probably be wearing ear pro regardless.

Don’t worry, never-ever without ear pro.

Thx for the suggestions, I’ll check ‘em out.

Anyone else?

 

[Clayman]

Another thing to think about is how you shoot. You doing a lot of slow controlled shooting or stuff with a faster rare of fire.

I'll use the polonium k as an example. It's not overly gassy imo, especially tuned. However you increase that rate of fire and if the (any) silencer doesn't flow fast enough and blow down completely before the next shot the gas blowback will increase pretty substantially. Faster and more you shoot, worse it gets. Adjustable gas/tuning will help but its not enough to eliminate blowback. You will "overwhelm" it with quick successive shots and the gas has to go somewhere. That somewhere is back down your barrel.

Point being, you can get away with a more gassy can if you're only doing slow fire stuff.

 

[FuhQ]

Here's how gassy the Polonium (full-size, not the K version) is on my 14.5" 5.56, and you can see where the cases eject (pretty as a picture, right at 3 o'clock as if I had tuned this thing with a fork). This is with a standard non-adj. gas block. It has SOME gas, but every can will. As @Clayman said, rate of fire will be huge factor in gas stacking and how much blowback you get in your face. This is why flow-through cans are typically more sought-after in the AR world, but they're not as quiet at the muzzle. The only reason the shooter's ear numbers are lower on flow-through cans, is because of less gas being pushed back through the bore, so it decreases "port pop", which means is will be quieter at your right ear, but not necessarily at your left ear, or muzzle. It will just be perceived to be quieter because you are not getting as much port-pop right beside your head.

 

[carbonbased]

Here's how gassy the Polonium (full-size, not the K version) is on my 14.5" 5.56, and you can see where the cases eject. This is with a standard non-adj. gas block.

Dang, too bad you don’t have a view from the other side (to see how much gas comes out). But thanks! Seems like a nice can.

 

[FuhQ]

Dang, too bad you don’t have a view from the other side (to see how much gas comes out). But thanks! Seems like a nice can.

I'll see what I can come up with now that the Polonium is finally home (stamp came back in Monday). I'll try to get a short video this weekend, I have to finish zero'ing the new Spitfire Gen2 5x Prism that I put on top of it. I replaced that old Gen1 3x Spitfire Prism you see in the video. She got a much needed upgrade. And even though I have an LWRC M6A1 (piston operated) gun that is absolute amazing to shoot, and accurate as hell, this old custom built DI gun is what I consider my "go-to" battle rifle if the SHTF. It's never let me down in thousands of rounds, and with LC XM193F 55gr FMJ's it's an MOA rifle, so it's pretty damn solid in the accuracy department, too.

 

[carbonbased]

I'll see what I can come up with now that the Polonium is finally home (stamp came back in Monday). I'll try to get a short video this weekend, I have to finish zero'ing the new Spitfire Gen2 5x Prism that I put on top of it. I replaced that old Gen1 3x Spitfire Prism you see in the video. She got a much needed upgrade. And even though I have an LWRC M6A1 (piston operated) gun that is absolute amazing to shoot, and accurate as hell, this old custom built DI gun is what I consider my "go-to" battle rifle if the SHTF. It's never let me down in thousands of rounds, and with LC XM193F 55gr FMJ's it's an MOA rifle, so it's pretty damn solid in the accuracy department, too.

Speaking of shooting, I cannot wait to shoot something, anything, again. I had a brief period this year in which it was ok to shoot rimfire, and that was fun. That’s it for me so far this year!

It’ll be interesting to see if this PWS lives up to the less-blowback hype. My now-returned BRN-180 decidedly did not (same manufacturer, I guess, but I think Brownells designed it).

 

[carbonbased]

Huxwrx is also releasing/announcing a new can this Friday. So my personal advice would be wait until the new hux and CAT cans are out and then go from there.

Well, the new Huxwrx dropped and is a 762 stainless-tubed titanium user-serviceable core with a HUB interface.

Random link:


Pretty cool, but after thinking about it more I’m leaning toward a SS-variant can for the AR, as my all-titanium Banish 223 (no sniggers, pls lol) shows signed of baffle erosion that I think was caused by the AR. Could’ve also been caused by five quick rounds of bolt action 204, I suppose, but .

204 wasn’t shot 5, reload, 5, reload, 5 etc. More like 5, look for more prairie dogs. For ten days.

AR wasn’t mag dumped, but 20 shots at a time doing dot drills off a bench and trying to diagnose issues with a BRN-180. Eventually the rifle worked ok with certain ammo so I actually got 20 off without stopping. Scorched the can cover.

If the AR 223 damaged the titanium, then most likely user error. Still, for this application I want something SS-like tough…even if other titanium cans would be tougher than the Banish.

Staying away from Dead Air stuff due to recent issues I’ve read about here. Specters Cat‘s site is hilarious, but I’m not one to buy a first gen of most things (esp. from a new company) and it seems the cans they list are titanium.

Anyway, so that leaves me with:

• Huxwrx Flow 556k
• Polonium
• Surefire SOCOM RC2

The Flow 556k would seem to meet my desires the most. But I really appreciate the advice!

Anyone else want to throw out some suggestions?

 

[FuhQ]

Well, the new Huxwrx dropped and is a 762 stainless-tubed titanium user-serviceable core with a HUB interface.

Random link:


Pretty cool, but after thinking about it more I’m leaning toward a SS-variant can for the AR, as my all-titanium Banish 223 (no sniggers, pls lol) shows signed of baffle erosion that I think was caused by the AR. Could’ve also been caused by five quick rounds of bolt action 204, I suppose, but .

204 wasn’t shot 5, reload, 5, reload, 5 etc. More like 5, look for more prairie dogs. For ten days.

AR wasn’t mag dumped, but 20 shots at a time doing dot drills off a bench and trying to diagnose issues with a BRN-180. Eventually the rifle worked ok with certain ammo so I actually got 20 off without stopping. Scorched the can cover.

If the AR 223 damaged the titanium, then most likely user error. Still, for this application I want something SS-like tough…even if other titanium cans would be tougher than the Banish.

Staying away from Dead Air stuff due to recent issues I’ve read about here. Specters Cat‘s site is hilarious, but I’m not one to buy a first gen of most things and it seems the cans they list are titanium.

Anyway, so that leaves me with:

• Huxwrx Flow 556k
• Polonium
• Surefire SOCOM RC2

The Flow 556k would seem to meet my desires the most. But I really appreciate the advice!

Anyone else want to throw out some suggestions?

I hate to say this, but I think the SC cans are just shit and made from weak grade Ti. Because I've gotten my Ti cans REALLY hot before on my 14.5" 5.56 (like the 3000ºF rated Rifles Only HAD cover was smoking) and there's barely any blast baffle erosion on any of them. I've got close to 3,000 rounds through my Hydrogen-S 7.62 and this is what the blast baffle looked like after about 2,500 rounds when I finally cleaned it in the ultrasonic cleaner... And I have NOT been very kind to this can. I wanted to torture-test the OCL cans to see how well they were built... They have not disappointed in any way.



You know what my vote is for, out of your list. They're also back in stock at Silencer Shop, as of today.

 

[carbonbased]

I hate to say this, but I think the SC cans are just shit and made from weak grade Ti. Because I've gotten my Ti cans REALLY hot before on my 14.5" 5.56 (like the 3000ºF rated Rifles Only HAD cover was smoking) and there's barely any blast baffle erosion on any of them. I've got close to 3,000 rounds through my Hydrogen-S 7.62 and this is what the blast baffle looked like after about 2,500 rounds when I finally cleaned it in the ultrasonic cleaner... And I have NOT been very kind to this can. I wanted to torture-test the OCL cans to see how well they were built... They have not disappointed in any way.

View attachment 8233489View attachment 8233490View attachment 8233491

You know what my vote is for, out of your list. They're also back in stock at Silencer Shop, as of today.

Damn you! Right when I was paring down my list!

The Banish cans I own are sort of bolt-action hunting-use cans, which is reinforced by the look of your pics. The first 2-3 baffles of my 223 can look worse than that and it wasn’t even subject to what your can went through (I think).

However, to me, Banish cans don’t feel cheap at all and are made by the Mack Bros. I probably just overdid what the the Banish 223 was designed for. They served a purpose when I needed cans for CF and rimfire, and they work well and sound good. I’ve got small-caliber bolt guns that they can live on forever.

But yeah, SC is a little weird.

If I open it up to titanium cans then the TBAC Dominus cans would also be in my potential lineup.

Eventually getting a Magnus, 338, or maybe even a Surefire 762 titanium for ze bolt guns, but that’s a different discussion.

 

[FuhQ]

Damn you! Right when I was paring down my list!

The Banish cans I own are sort of bolt-action hunting-use cans, which is reinforced by the look of your pics. The first 2-3 baffles of my 223 can look worse than that and it wasn’t even subject to what your can went through (I think).

However, to me, Banish cans don’t feel cheap at all and are made by the Mack Bros. I probably just overdid what the the Banish 223 was designed for. They served a purpose when I needed cans for CF and rimfire, and they work well and sound good.

But yeah, SC is a little weird.

If I open it up to titanium cans then the TBAC Dominus cans would also be in my potential lineup.

Eventually getting a Magnus, 338, or maybe even a Surefire 762 titanium for ze bolt guns, but that’s a different discussion.

Not many people would put a Ti can through its paces like I have with that one. LOL I haven't straight-up abused it, but I have definitely and consciously NOT been gentle with it. I mean, I've done several quick 20-25 shot strings through it on a .308 Win and .260 Rem. I know I've gotten it pretty damn toasty on 5.56 rifles, and done a couple full 30 round semi-auto mag dumps through it. The only reason, was because I helped them with pre-production T&R on the Hydrogen series cans (I still paid for mine, nothing was free), and Andrew told me to torture-test it (within reasonable Ti can limits) for research purposes, and that if something crapped-out, he'd happily fix it for me. So far, no issues, and no need for any repairs. It's holding up just fine, and still kicking ass and taking names.

I would still recommend the Polonium for your 5.56 can, 17-4 stainless is a better material for a duty-rated 5.56 can. Don't even worry about Ti for your 5.56, when the Polo will handle things better. And get you a Hydro-S 7.62 for your hunting and precision centerfires (sounds the best on .308 Win and smaller cartridges, IMO), and then later on, save up and get you a Magnus HUB for your long-actions and magnums.

 

[carbonbased]

get you a Magnus HUB for your long-actions and magnums.

Haha! I am a wuss and the largest caliber I have is a 308, and only have that is b/c the rifle I wanted (AIAX) came with it. Kept the 308 barrel for any potential larger game hunting and switched the barrel to 6br with the thought of goofing off with longer range PDog shots. Plus there’s a 1000yd range around here, but they don’t allow/have steel

Then my health took a crapper. But I’m on the mend.

Anyway, thx for the advice.

 

[Bluedog82]

Here I’m testing out the new Griffin Recce 5K. It’s not a flow through can but it is low backpressure. It sounds good, especially for being a K can and it’s also very low flash. I don’t know how to embed a video like @FuhQ lol.

 

[FuhQ]

Haha! I am a wuss and the largest caliber I have is a 308, and only have that is b/c the rifle I wanted (AIAX) came with it. Kept the 308 barrel for any potential larger game hunting and switched the barrel to 6br with the thought of goofing off with longer range PDog shots. Plus there’s a 1000yd range around here, but they don’t allow/have steel

Then my health took a crapper. But I’m on the mend.

Anyway, thx for the advice.

If .308 is the biggest you have, the Hydrogen-S will be fine. But if you wanted quieter, the Hydrogen-L, Nomad-LT, Magnus, or one of the other 9” cans will sound great.

 

[carbonbased]

For those of you considering the Huxwrx Flow 556k and the Surefire RC2 556, here’s a direct comparison video that is interesting.

The only info I noticed that might be wrong is the night flash test. The sparking from the Flow might(?) lessen a lot after a bunch of rounds have been through it. I can’t find a quote from the manufacturer about their 17-4 cans and sparking, but there IS a quote from them about their titanium cans (under the initial description). The sparks are an artifact of the 3D titanium metal printing that relatively quickly “flash” off during firing (200 rds).



Looking closely at the ejection port, the Flow is sending quite a bit less gas back.

If only it didn’t look like a dildo…

 

[Clayman]

I'm still team wait for more info on the Specter CAT designs. They're releasing in 2 months. Pewscience and user reviews will be out before release. Waiting those 2 months could potentially result in getting a better silencer.

The new huxwrx can doesn't interest me. The 762 and 556k flow cans are better.

 

[carbonbased]

Well, I caught wind that Surefire is releasing their SOCOM RC3 556 can on Oct 12, so I got on a preorder list with my dealer.

It’s a flow through design, still 17oz. Typically don’t buy 1st gen stuff but since SF has been around the block (and so has the RC2) I’m not worried. And it’s not as fugly as the Huxwrx FLOW 556.

It’s all over the Reddit NFA subreddit. There was a leak.

 

[Cascade Hemi]

Flow through technology is over hyped when you can regulate the gas system. There's plenty of traditional silencers that function very well on ARs and are quiet at the muzzle and the ear. Most of the flow through cans struggle to keep up with the sound performance of traditional baffled silencers.

 

[carbonbased]

Flow through technology is over hyped when you can regulate the gas system. There's plenty of traditional silencers that function very well on ARs and are quiet at the muzzle and the ear. Most of the flow through cans struggle to keep up with the sound performance of traditional baffled silencers.

Yeah, but I just care about the dB at the ear, and it seems the Huxwrx does keep up with the Jones (maybe it doesn’t).

If it’s loud to others, that’s ok as I typically shoot in the middle of a prairie. Just trying to optimize, I guess. If the gun operates and I get the absolute minimum gas blowback, that means less cleaning, cleaner mags and brass, and less gas to deal with during a bunch of shots.

As far as I understand, flow-through cans will get one closer to those goals. Could be wrong, of course.

 

[kthomas]

Yeah, but I just care about the dB at the ear, and it seems the Huxwrx does that (maybe it doesn’t).

If it’s loud to others, that’s ok as I typically shoot in the middle of a prairie. Just trying to optimize, I guess. If the gun operates and I get the absolute minimum gas blowback, that means less cleaning, cleaner mags and brass, and less gas to deal with during a bunch of shots.

As far as I understand, flow-through cans will get one closer to those goals. Could be wrong, of course.

It seems like flow through cans get closer to those goals without the need to tune a gas system.

If you have desire to tune a gas system - there's lots of suppressors that can be made to work. And there's lots of different ways to tune a system.

That new SF can looks interesting. SF makes good hard use cans, I have friends that swear by them for ar15 style use.

I don't think there's any real wrong answers here - there's lots of different ways to achieve what you are looking to do.

 

[E. Bryant]

I hate to say this, but I think the SC cans are just shit and made from weak grade Ti. Because I've gotten my Ti cans REALLY hot before on my 14.5" 5.56 (like the 3000ºF rated Rifles Only HAD cover was smoking) and there's barely any blast baffle erosion on any of them. I've got close to 3,000 rounds through my Hydrogen-S 7.62 and this is what the blast baffle looked like after about 2,500 rounds when I finally cleaned it in the ultrasonic cleaner... And I have NOT been very kind to this can. I wanted to torture-test the OCL cans to see how well they were built... They have not disappointed in any way.

Huh - almost as if those who claimed that titanium got soft or brittle or whatever at some arbitrary temperature were wrong. Fascinating.

 

[E. Bryant]

It seems like flow through cans get closer to those goals without the need to tune a gas system.

This right here. The clout gathered by flow-through cans has come via testing on platforms that most would consider to be over-gassed. That's not wrong, because the vast majority of ARs meet that definition. The most common configuration is a 16" barrel with carbine gas, so there's ~8" of barrel after the gas port + whatever the silencer adding up to a substantial amount of impulse on the system. If you're going to screw a can onto the Colt 6920 you bought in 2010, flow-through technology is terrific.

If one is doing things in a dedicated and intentional manner, then a suppressor with the ability to trap more gas for longer has the potential to perform better if the bolt can be kept closed long enough.

 

[FuhQ]

Huh - almost as if those who claimed that titanium got soft or brittle or whatever at some arbitrary temperature were wrong. Fascinating.

I never said they were right or wrong, I’m not a professional metallurgist, just a former professional welder and fabricator. But I do know what temp pretty much every company says not to exceed, so that’s why I use that number. I guarantee you I’ve exceeded it on a couple of my Ti cans, but they’re still rocking along just fine.

 

[Cascade Hemi]

Yeah, but I just care about the dB at the ear, and it seems the Huxwrx does that (maybe it doesn’t).

If it’s loud to others, that’s ok as I typically shoot in the middle of a prairie. Just trying to optimize, I guess. If the gun operates and I get the absolute minimum gas blowback, that means less cleaning, cleaner mags and brass, and less gas to deal with during a bunch of shots.

As far as I understand, flow-through cans will get one closer to those goals. Could be wrong, of course.

Flow through cans are loud. They can be quieter on gas systems that can't be regulated. The criteria, however, is starting with an overgassed system. Flow through cans are not necessarily quieter at all. Fix your rifle and buy a quiet and lighter weight silencer.

 

[Cascade Hemi]

Beware of anyone advocating products not yet on the open market.

 

[carbonbased]

A flow-through will also expand my gas “choices” or flexibility if I get another upper, one that might be a DI and without a AGB.

Ah stupid suppressors which take too long to get, cost too much, and thus raise the purchasing stakes.

 

[kthomas]

A flow-through will also expand my gas “choices” or flexibility if I get another upper, one that might be a DI and without a AGB.

Ah stupid suppressors which take too long to get, cost too much, and thus raise the purchasing stakes.

And because suppressors take so long to get and are essentially a lifetime purchase, a lot of suppressor discussions are dominated in peoples need to confirm their lifetime purchases.

At the end of the day, it's a tube with baffles. Some tubes with baffles are made to a higher quality. Some are made with better materials. Some are held to tighter tolerances. Some designs have a bit more back pressure. Some suppress a couple of dB's quieter. Some are longer. Or shorter. Or heavier. Or lighter. But they are still just tubes with baffles.

No need to really overthink it. Flow throughs negate the need to tune a gas system, which as you point out will probably be more versatile across different ar15's. I haven't tuned any of my ar15's to run suppressed - and because of that some suppressors work better than others. My Abel Co Biscuit for example is much more pleasant to shoot on my KAC SR15 than my wife's SiCo Omega.

 

[carbonbased]

Of all of the NFA items, suppressors seem the dumbest to regulate. Too bad the powers that be didn’t push that through when they had a chance.

In suppressor humor news, when I looked up the list of NFA items, I noticed the term “firearm mufflers” on the ATF’s site lol. Decidedly unsexy and not very Bond, James Bond.

 

[tlg308]

You should look hard at the Abel Co Theorem L with their 556 vented end cap they have. For your application it would be money. I’ve ran the 11” PWS with that combo and it was really quiet in that config at the shooter. PM me if you want

 

[carbonbased]

In suppressor humor news, when I looked up the list of NFA items, I noticed the term “firearm mufflers” on the ATF’s site lol. Decidedly unsexy and not very Bond, James Bond.

Quoting my own post for context.

Silencer Shop could’ve been:

Firearm Muffler Shop​

 

[TheOfficeT-Rex]

Quoting my own post for context.

Silencer Shop could’ve been:

Firearm Muffler Shop​

Thankfully not. The last thing I need is my wife seeing the shorthand "Muff Shop -$1500" on our credit card bill... But honey, I bought it for US!

 

[carbonbased]

Thankfully not. The last thing I need is my wife seeing the shorthand "Muff Shop -$1500" on our credit card bill... But honey, I bought it for US!

Or worse…

FMUFF -$1500​

 

[E. Bryant]

Beware of anyone advocating products not yet on the open market.

Huh, almost seems as if that's aimed at a few Instagram posts I saw recently.

 

[E. Bryant]

I guarantee you I’ve exceeded it on a couple of my Ti cans, but they’re still rocking along just fine.

Go figure.

 

[darkfader]

That video above makes me really anxious for my RC2 to be released. Form4 wait times need to hurry up.


And this post right here should really end all suppressor threads. Very well said sir.

And because suppressors take so long to get and are essentially a lifetime purchase, a lot of suppressor discussions are dominated in peoples need to confirm their lifetime purchases.

At the end of the day, it's a tube with baffles. Some tubes with baffles are made to a higher quality. Some are made with better materials. Some are held to tighter tolerances. Some designs have a bit more back pressure. Some suppress a couple of dB's quieter. Some are longer. Or shorter. Or heavier. Or lighter. But they are still just tubes with baffles.

No need to really overthink it. Flow throughs negate the need to tune a gas system, which as you point out will probably be more versatile across different ar15's. I haven't tuned any of my ar15's to run suppressed - and because of that some suppressors work better than others. My Abel Co Biscuit for example is much more pleasant to shoot on my KAC SR15 than my wife's SiCo Omega.

 

[Clayman]

I hate to say this, but I think the SC cans are just shit and made from weak grade Ti. Because I've gotten my Ti cans REALLY hot before on my 14.5" 5.56 (like the 3000ºF rated Rifles Only HAD cover was smoking) and there's barely any blast baffle erosion on any of them. I've got close to 3,000 rounds through my Hydrogen-S 7.62 and this is what the blast baffle looked like after about 2,500 rounds when I finally cleaned it in the ultrasonic cleaner... And I have NOT been very kind to this can. I wanted to torture-test the OCL cans to see how well they were built... They have not disappointed in any way.

View attachment 8233489View attachment 8233490View attachment 8233491

You know what my vote is for, out of your list. They're also back in stock at Silencer Shop, as of today.

Basically new.

Ti you definitely don't want to get well over 800⁰f but I've found my CGS Helios qd Ti to still look fantastic, even after a bit of abuse on a 10.5" 5.56.

My Dead Air Nomad looks much worse than my helios. It's spent a little more time on 5.56 rifles vs the Helios but I don't really abuse the shit out of it. Like I'm not getting the thing glowing. My Helios has significantly more rounds through it on 6.5cm AR, 308 (16"-24" AR & bolt), 300 prc, etc. Still probably has around 1k rounds on 5.56.

My sandman cans I've abused, they look dirty but fine.

Helios new

Now

Nomad

Now

 

[FuhQ]

Basically new.

Ti you definitely don't want to get well over 800⁰f but I've found my CGS Helios qd Ti to still look fantastic, even after a bit of abuse on a 10.5" 5.56.

My Dead Air Nomad looks much worse than my helios. It's spent a little more time on 5.56 rifles vs the Helios but I don't really abuse the shit out of it. Like I'm not getting the thing glowing. My Helios has significantly more rounds through it on 6.5cm AR, 308 (16"-24" AR & bolt), 300 prc, etc. Still probably has around 1k rounds on 5.56.

My sandman cans I've abused, they look dirty but fine.

Helios new

Now

Nomad

Now

Damn, the stack in that Nomad is trashed. Time for a rebuild.

 

[Clayman]

Damn, the stack in that Nomad is trashed. Time for a rebuild.

It's looks worse in the bottom picture because baffles aren't aligned, it's a first gen. Still worse than I would have expected tbh.

 

[Inline6]

Have been very happy with my KGM R556 cans. They work well and are not over gassed. Not sure if you can kind any at the dealers. Worth a look for the performance dollar.