Dead Air Nomad Ti Failure

[AnesthesiaMD]

Had an interesting day at the range this past weekend. I had taken my 7 saum out to shoot a few rounds and was running it with the Dead Air Nomad-Ti that I have had for about 9 months. I normally hunt with a TBAC but like the size and tone and had recently switched to the Nomad-Ti. It is only used on bolt actions and never abused. Honestly it has never been too hot to take off because my rifles are so expensive to shoot (dang saums....) that I rarely shoot more than 5-10 round through it per session. The first two shots printed a nice little group at 200. Shot number three was violent with excessive recoil and an obvious problem. It took a second or two to make sure I still had 10 fingers etc and then noticed my suppressor was about 4" shorter. The base of the can was still firmly attached (direct thread mount) but the final 3.5 inches was missing in action. It took 4 of us looking to find the other 5 ounces of titanium roughly 65 yards downrange!! A pic of the now two piece can is attached. So to answer the questions that will be asked

1) There was no baffle strike (the bullet actually impacted 1" high on target)
2) Yes it was a hand load but was a proven load and brass looked perfect after firing (ADG, Fed 215m, 143 Ham Hunter, H4350 (58.5gr) at 3020)
3) Rifle was a Gunwerks Magnus chambered in 7 saum with a 20" proof barrel
4) I have submitted a warranty ticket and fully expect Dead Air to make things right.
5) No person or rifle was harmed from this failure

Just curious if this was a fluke with a weakness in manufacturing or if others have had any issue like this. Curious to hear others thoughts.

David

 

[Zak Smith]

Welding Ti is tricky, ask me how I know

 

[Ronin_64]

I have had a Nomad Ti for about six months now and put 300 rounds of 6.5cm factory through it. Direct thread. No issues. Usually too warm after five rounds to hold comfortably with bare hand. Good luck with Dead Air.

 

[AnesthesiaMD]

Welding Ti is tricky, ask me how I know

haha....if it makes you feel better I just started my transfer on a gen2 ultra 7! I have loved my 30p1 but hadn't made the ultra jump yet. This pushed me over the edge. Love your products.

 

[M_R_Woodard]

I had the same thing happen with an Omega. Scope cut my eye pretty good from the recoil but SilencerCo took care of my buddy's can pretty quick.

 

[Charger442]

haha....if it makes you feel better I just started my transfer on a gen2 ultra 7! I have loved my 30p1 but hadn't made the ultra jump yet. This pushed me over the edge. Love your products.

Zak will convert your old 30-p1 to an ultra stack. Ask me how I know

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

Had an interesting day at the range this past weekend. I had taken my 7 saum out to shoot a few rounds and was running it with the Dead Air Nomad-Ti that I have had for about 9 months. I normally hunt with a TBAC but like the size and tone and had recently switched to the Nomad-Ti. It is only used on bolt actions and never abused. Honestly it has never been too hot to take off because my rifles are so expensive to shoot (dang saums....) that I rarely shoot more than 5-10 round through it per session. The first two shots printed a nice little group at 200. Shot number three was violent with excessive recoil and an obvious problem. It took a second or two to make sure I still had 10 fingers etc and then noticed my suppressor was about 4" shorter. The base of the can was still firmly attached (direct thread mount) but the final 3.5 inches was missing in action. It took 4 of us looking to find the other 5 ounces of titanium roughly 65 yards downrange!! A pic of the now two piece can is attached. So to answer the questions that will be asked

1) There was no baffle strike (the bullet actually impacted 1" high on target)
2) Yes it was a hand load but was a proven load and brass looked perfect after firing (ADG, Fed 215m, 143 Ham Hunter, H4350 (58.5gr) at 3020)
3) Rifle was a Gunwerks Magnus chambered in 7 saum with a 20" proof barrel
4) I have submitted a warranty ticket and fully expect Dead Air to make things right.
5) No person or rifle was harmed from this failure

Just curious if this was a fluke with a weakness in manufacturing or if others have had any issue like this. Curious to hear others thoughts.

David
View attachment 7875058

Interested to see how this goes and what they say. I have one that will be released in 1-4 months ish....

 

[FuhQ]

I'm sure the folks at Dead Air will take care of you. They're good people.

 

[rlsmith1]

Same thing happened to a buddy of mine when a 308 was shot through his titanium suppressor. His failed at the direct thread point and it was in the first 1 shots through that suppressor.

I’m sure dead air will make it right, fortunate the serialized part is still in tact

 

[AnesthesiaMD]

Interested to see how this goes and what they say. I have one that will be released in 1-4 months ish....

I honestly have been very impressed with it. Much lower back pressure bc of the slightly larger diameter and design. Tone is nice and minimal first round pop. Very repeatable and super light. It has helped kill several pigs and a giant elk. I’ll let them make me a new one (with the same serial number of course) and go back to being very happy with it.

 

[KZP]

I honestly have been very impressed with it. Much lower back pressure bc of the slightly larger diameter and design. Tone is nice and minimal first round pop. Very repeatable and super light. It has helped kill several pigs and a giant elk. I’ll let them make me a new one (with the same serial number of course) and go back to being very happy with it.

Pretty sure they can't do that. Everything I read it is either repair current keeping serial or replace with a new one + form 4 all over again.

Q3: May the outer tube of a registered silencer be repaired due to damage? If so, may the repair be done by someone other than the original manufacturer?

A: damaged outer tube may be repaired by any Federal firearms licensee qualified to perform gunsmithing or by the registered owner. The repair may not alter the dimensions or caliber of the silencer, except that the length of the outer tube may be reduced, as set forth above. The repair may not be performed if it results in the removal, obliteration, or alteration of the serial number, as this would violate 18 U.S.C. § 922(k). In that case, the silencer may be returned to the registered owner in its original, damaged condition or destroyed. A replacement silencer must be registered and transferred to the registrant of the damaged silencer in the same manner as a new silencer, subject to the registration and transfer procedures of the NFA and GCA.

 

[Mageever]

Hi David,

First off, I'm really sorry this happened! It appears from the picture that the weld seam on that second baffle was not perfectly aligned. The plant does tens of thousands of welds a month and it seems this is one they didn't get right. The can is definitely rated for what you were doing so don't worry about that.

I understand we have a new batch of material coming in so this will be repaired and right back to you with a new stack. The serialized blast chamber is something we can't replace, but it's designed to easily take a whole new stack.

Our CS guys are really slammed and understaffed at the moment, so reach out to me if they're not getting you taken care of.

Best Regards,

Todd Magee
Dead Air Engineering

 

[Mageever]

Welding Ti is tricky, ask me how I know

Lol. Ain't that the truth.

 

[Supersubes]

Hi David,

First off, I'm really sorry this happened! It appears from the picture that the weld seam on that second baffle was not perfectly aligned. The plant does tens of thousands of welds a month and it seems this is one they didn't get right. The can is definitely rated for what you were doing so don't worry about that.

I understand we have a new batch of material coming in so this will be repaired and right back to you with a new stack. The serialized blast chamber is something we can't replace, but it's designed to easily take a whole new stack.

Our CS guys are really slammed and understaffed at the moment, so reach out to me if they're not getting you taken care of.

Best Regards,

Todd Magee
Dead Air Engineering

Hello Todd, the Nomad Ti’s (LT’s too) have been pretty hard to get almost since they were introduced. Out of stock for long periods. Nomad 30 and Sandman are almost always in stock, and in huge quantities. Why the disparity?

 

[TapRackBang]

Good to see Dead Air already stepping up. Ti doesn’t conduct heat well when compared to steel and like Zak said it can’t be treated like steel or aluminum in the manufacturing process. Glad nothing else broke or anyone hurt other than the silencer.

 

[FuhQ]

Hello Todd, the Nomad Ti’s (LT’s too) have been pretty hard to get almost since they were introduced. Out of stock for long periods. Nomad 30 and Sandman are almost always in stock, and in huge quantities. Why the disparity?

My understanding was the original run of Nomad-LT's (back when I bought mine in early Dec 2020) was that it was a limited run for silencer shop exclusively. But, I thought I remembered hearing that due to popularity and demand, I think they are now making them in small production batches.

 

[akmike47]

Lol. Ain't that the truth.

JB weld that thing back together

 

[newguy2k3v2]

Hello Todd, the Nomad Ti’s (LT’s too) have been pretty hard to get almost since they were introduced. Out of stock for long periods. Nomad 30 and Sandman are almost always in stock, and in huge quantities. Why the disparity?

He did mention they’re getting more material in so, titanium shortage? Everything else is In short supply so that wouldn’t surprise me either

 

[AirgunnerPCP]

He did mention they’re getting more material in so, titanium shortage? Everything else is In short supply so that wouldn’t surprise me either

Wouldn't surprise me. Russia exports a ton of Ti and it even has certain aerospace/defense manufacturers worried about their supply.

 

[Charger442]

Wouldn't surprise me. Russia exports a ton of Ti and it even has certain aerospace/defense manufacturers worried about their supply.

i wonder if they are going to just route that material through another country who will mark it up and sell it to the West.

 

[Kmahow2]

I'm just stunned that the can is not a single piece tube, but hey whadda I know ? Glad nothing was damaged in the process.

 

[newguy2k3v2]

I'm just stunned that the can is not a single piece tube, but hey whadda I know ? Glad nothing was damaged in the process.

This is getting more an more common. Instead of a tacked together baffle stack inside a tube the baffles are fully welded together. No outer tube means less weight.

 

[Kmahow2]

Hmm, no proper ability to clean it & or inspect the component parts. An expensive throw away society to save a couple of ounces

 

[newguy2k3v2]

Hmm, no proper ability to clean it & or inspect the component parts. An expensive throw away society to save a couple of ounces

Even if it had an outer tube it wouldn’t be user serviceable. There’s no need. Rimfire and pistol cans are about the only ones that can be disassembled.

 

[Zak Smith]

Hmm, no proper ability to clean it & or inspect the component parts. An expensive throw away society to save a couple of ounces

No.

 

[FuhQ]

Hmm, no proper ability to clean it & or inspect the component parts. An expensive throw away society to save a couple of ounces

 

[paul sasseville]

Had an interesting day at the range this past weekend. I had taken my 7 saum out to shoot a few rounds and was running it with the Dead Air Nomad-Ti that I have had for about 9 months. I normally hunt with a TBAC but like the size and tone and had recently switched to the Nomad-Ti. It is only used on bolt actions and never abused. Honestly it has never been too hot to take off because my rifles are so expensive to shoot (dang saums....) that I rarely shoot more than 5-10 round through it per session. The first two shots printed a nice little group at 200. Shot number three was violent with excessive recoil and an obvious problem. It took a second or two to make sure I still had 10 fingers etc and then noticed my suppressor was about 4" shorter. The base of the can was still firmly attached (direct thread mount) but the final 3.5 inches was missing in action. It took 4 of us looking to find the other 5 ounces of titanium roughly 65 yards downrange!! A pic of the now two piece can is attached. So to answer the questions that will be asked

1) There was no baffle strike (the bullet actually impacted 1" high on target)
2) Yes it was a hand load but was a proven load and brass looked perfect after firing (ADG, Fed 215m, 143 Ham Hunter, H4350 (58.5gr) at 3020)
3) Rifle was a Gunwerks Magnus chambered in 7 saum with a 20" proof barrel
4) I have submitted a warranty ticket and fully expect Dead Air to make things right.
5) No person or rifle was harmed from this failure

Just curious if this was a fluke with a weakness in manufacturing or if others have had any issue like this. Curious to hear others thoughts.

David
View attachment 7875058

Same exact thing happened to me. And the exact same location. Took about 4 months to fix but the company gave me a nomad for free for the inconvenience, so now I have 2.

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

Same exact thing happened to me. And the exact same location. Took about 4 months to fix but the company gave me a nomad for free for the inconvenience, so now I have 2.

Looks like dead air had some bad welds in some product. I hope they got that fixed. I have a few of them (one being a Ti) in jail for the last year. This is the 4th or 5th dead air Ti that I've seen that happen to on here.

 

[CaptArab]

I have tbac and deadair cans.

DeadAir probably has more qc issues, but I doubt it's significantly more by percentage - they sell an enormous amount of cans.

It's also just really not a big deal when an issue occurs- prepaid postage overnight shipping both ways plus a day or two to fix it.

QC would be no factor for me when cross shopping.

 

[Digetydog]

Hi David,

First off, I'm really sorry this happened! It appears from the picture that the weld seam on that second baffle was not perfectly aligned. The plant does tens of thousands of welds a month and it seems this is one they didn't get right. The can is definitely rated for what you were doing so don't worry about that.

I understand we have a new batch of material coming in so this will be repaired and right back to you with a new stack. The serialized blast chamber is something we can't replace, but it's designed to easily take a whole new stack.

Our CS guys are really slammed and understaffed at the moment, so reach out to me if they're not getting you taken care of.

Best Regards,

Todd Magee
Dead Air Engineering

This is why I have a Sandman in jail instead of a cheaper can made by a company without the same reputation for customer support.

If only you guys could speed up the ATF.

 

[AnesthesiaMD]

Update…..I received my prepaid shipping label on May 25th and sent the can back to Dead Air. Roughly 2 months later I had a box on my porch with a new baffle stack and new welds. Everything was very smooth and I am happy with the result. I wish there would have been some sort of email communication during the process of how long to expect as I had no idea my suppressor was sitting on my porch a week ago until I opened the box. Another thing that doesn’t bother me but might some people is the end cap and 5/8x24 adaptor were both lightly polished on on my original but came back a very matte almost unfinished look on the fix. It looks fine just something I noticed. Overall, good job to dead air for making it right.

 

[metroplex]

Is this KGM workmanship?

 

[Trident3033]

Had an interesting day at the range this past weekend. I had taken my 7 saum out to shoot a few rounds and was running it with the Dead Air Nomad-Ti that I have had for about 9 months. I normally hunt with a TBAC but like the size and tone and had recently switched to the Nomad-Ti. It is only used on bolt actions and never abused. Honestly it has never been too hot to take off because my rifles are so expensive to shoot (dang saums....) that I rarely shoot more than 5-10 round through it per session. The first two shots printed a nice little group at 200. Shot number three was violent with excessive recoil and an obvious problem. It took a second or two to make sure I still had 10 fingers etc and then noticed my suppressor was about 4" shorter. The base of the can was still firmly attached (direct thread mount) but the final 3.5 inches was missing in action. It took 4 of us looking to find the other 5 ounces of titanium roughly 65 yards downrange!! A pic of the now two piece can is attached. So to answer the questions that will be asked

1) There was no baffle strike (the bullet actually impacted 1" high on target)
2) Yes it was a hand load but was a proven load and brass looked perfect after firing (ADG, Fed 215m, 143 Ham Hunter, H4350 (58.5gr) at 3020)
3) Rifle was a Gunwerks Magnus chambered in 7 saum with a 20" proof barrel
4) I have submitted a warranty ticket and fully expect Dead Air to make things right.
5) No person or rifle was harmed from this failure

Just curious if this was a fluke with a weakness in manufacturing or if others have had any issue like this. Curious to hear others thoughts.

David
View attachment 7875058

Man - I hope that doesn’t happen to mine

 

[FuhQ]

Is this KGM workmanship?

Yes

 

[jzerfoss]

I've seen a lot of posts about KGM made Nomad TIs failing but has anyone seen a KGM branded can fail? I find it interesting that I haven't seen one pictured or even mentioned.

 

[FuhQ]

I've seen a lot of posts about KGM made Nomad TIs failing but has anyone seen a KGM branded can fail? I find it interesting that I haven't seen one pictured or even mentioned.

It’s not interesting. Think about how sub-contract production and brand recognition works, and it will all make sense. It’s a shitty and unethical way to run a business, but facts speak for themselves.

 

[jzerfoss]

It’s not interesting. Think about how sub-contract production and brand recognition works, and it will all make sense. It’s a shitty and unethical way to run a business, but facts speak for themselves.

I'm well aware of how it works and know that some of these contracts are very profitable and a huge percentage of some machine shops total work. I've personally worked for a shop that did this type of work. Doesn't make any sense to purposely slack on quality control and risk losing a big contract when I'm sure the KGM brand doesn't sell anywhere near the same numbers as Deadair. So to me it is interesting.

 

[chevy_man]

Hmm, no proper ability to clean it & or inspect the component parts. An expensive throw away society to save a couple of ounces

Well, they work or they don't. I've seen quite a few tube and baffle stack cans become one piece without regular cleaning.

I soak my sealed cans in bore tech c4. Just fill a mason jar and let the can soak for an hour. All the carbon washes right out, hot water in the sink gets it damn near new looking inside.

Most manufactures have a cleaning service if it gets really nasty. They're definitely not throw away.

And I'll take a 10oz can over a 20oz can everyday. That's enough mass to prevent me from using it while hiking and hunting.

 

[AirgunnerPCP]

It’s not interesting. Think about how sub-contract production and brand recognition works, and it will all make sense. It’s a shitty and unethical way to run a business, but facts speak for themselves.

Or there was a process issue during manufacturing that then got rectified. Not everything is a conspiracy.

 

[AnesthesiaMD]

Since this was my original post. It was due to a missed/faulty weld. Dead air was great and quickly fixed the problem. I received the Nomad Ti within a month of sending it in with a brand new baffle stack and correct welds this time. Haven’t had an issue with it since! The problem is that I have purchased more suppressors since then so the addiction is still present. Wishing everyone a Happy Easter and safe shooting!

 

[FuhQ]

Or there was a process issue during manufacturing that then got rectified. Not everything is a conspiracy.

What yall don't know, yall don't know. I'm leaving it at that.

@Mageever

 

[E. Bryant]

Or there was a process issue during manufacturing that then got rectified. Not everything is a conspiracy.

The likelihood of this being a conspiracy is next to zero. You'd have to believe both that KGM is willing to sabotage one of its largest customers, and that Dead Air was dumb enough to let it happen.

What's far more likely is the myriad of issues that arise with a contact manufacturing relationship. No need to go into details because anyone who's lived with that situation has experienced enough and anyone who hasn't is probably incapable of understanding, but safe to summarize the situation by stating that there are many reasons to manufacture stuff under your own roof and most of them come back around to human nature.

 

[kthomas]

What yall don't know, yall don't know. I'm leaving it at that.

@Mageever

I'm sure Dead Air thinks they are getting the short end of the stick - that's the ugly reality of having to contract out a part of your business to another business. I can't imagine that KGM is acting in any malicious manner - but like any and every company, they're probably looking after themselves first. I don't think it's fair to expect otherwise.

There is a solution. Dead Air could just start manufacturing their own cans, if they truly think KGM is a problem and not treating them right.

 

[nikonNUT]

I'm sure Dead Air thinks they are getting the short end of the stick - that's the ugly reality of having to contract out a part of your business to another business. I can't imagine that KGM is acting in any malicious manner - but like any and every company, they're probably looking after themselves first. I don't think it's fair to expect otherwise.

There is a solution. Dead Air could just start manufacturing their own cans, if they truly think KGM is a problem and not treating them right.

KGM isn't part of the equation anymore...
"Dead Air Armament® is a division of Sound Moderation Technologies®, a North Carolina company designing, patenting, and marketing the next generation in sound suppressor systems for civilian sportsmen, law enforcement, security and the military. Dead Air products are manufactured and sold through BPI Outdoors."

 

[metroplex]

KGM isn't part of the equation anymore...
"Dead Air Armament® is a division of Sound Moderation Technologies®, a North Carolina company designing, patenting, and marketing the next generation in sound suppressor systems for civilian sportsmen, law enforcement, security and the military. Dead Air products are manufactured and sold through BPI Outdoors."

BPI used to make Dead Air stuff before KGM. Did Dead Air just go back to BPI again?

 

[Smokin7s]

Not super rare apparently this is my friends and I’ve got one in jail third shot of the evening with factory .308 ammo

 

[Digetydog]

It’s not interesting. Think about how sub-contract production and brand recognition works, and it will all make sense. It’s a shitty and unethical way to run a business, but facts speak for themselves.

Subcontracting out parts and production is extremely common. The key is to ensure you have quality subcontractors and you have the QC to ensure products meet the specs provided to them.

In the case of building large planes like a 787, I bet there are thousands of subcontractors.

Most scopes sold today are subcontracted out for production.

Unfortunately, they appear to have screwed the pooch with their Sierra can and a large number of warranty cases.

I personally think 99% of baffle strikes are user error, but Dead Air fixed my Sandman S for free. The only questions they asked me were diagnostic in nature and my address for the shipping label.

 

[AnesthesiaMD]

I agree with baffle strikes…..my failure was a missed first weld which is exactly what the above appears to be. There was not a baffle strike during my incident. BUT dead air was great and had it fixed quickly. I have no problem if things happen as long as the company stands behind the product which they did. I have been shooting the fixed can for a while now and it is performing well.

David

 

[Campguy308]

Is that first section threaded? I know Diligent Defense threads the first section on their enticer series to add strength at the first joint where pressure is highest.

 

[FuhQ]

Is that first section threaded? I know Diligent Defense threads the first section on their enticer series to add strength at the first joint where pressure is highest.

Otter Creek Labs threads their blast baffles on their tubeless cans, as well.