First suppressor decisions???

4cort4

Private
Minuteman
Feb 26, 2023
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Minnesota
EDITED:

Hello there,

I have
- Ghost Vital 10.5" Upper .300 Blackout
- Radian Raptor SD Ambidextrous Vented AR-15 Charging Handle
(it helps with the back pressure to reduce gas to shooters face because of the vents in the charging handle)
- Geissele Automatics Super Semi-Automatic Enhanced SSA-E Two Stage AR-15 Trigger .154

I went to my local FFL dealer and they recommended Sandman K, omega 300 for a well versatile platform to switch between riffles. Also the chimera for a rougher or continues use.

The sandman K
- I like the QD mount and how it only add 2.5” to the total length of the riffle

Omega 300
- The quietest mentioned on a 300blk
- the length of a little over 6” is ok bringing the SBR to the full 16 or well 16.5”.

Chimera
- all I have seen is that it’s durable, and more of a active shooter can if you tend to used aggressive (or a lot)

I’m not really sure what I want but I’m lost researching around not knowing what to look for in a first well versatile can. I own 1 5.56 16” and two one 9m pistol. I will only use the suppressor on the two AR and maybe more to come.


I’m just wanted to post a thread to hear the inside of what to look out for or what your would recommend for a first time great suppressor to start with.
 
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Go for durability, flash suppression and minimal poi shift over sound reduction if/where you have to make that trade off. Beyond that i dont have any direct experience with the above mentioned cans (i run SF socoms on my carbines) though they seems to have a good rep.
 
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In all seriousness, the Omega is a higher backpressure can and is gassy on ar15 type systems. It was in my experience anyways, on my KAC SR15. Much more gassy than a Abel Co. Biscuit on the same platform.

No experience with the other cans.
 
A lot of recommendations that will come in a thread like this come from shooters that only have one or two cans and that is generally the can they will recommend. It is typically not the view of the current market. There will be a lot of great recommended cans but are they a good fit for what you want?

Typically I recommend you rank your needs and we can give you a solid recommendation based on what you are looking for.

Below is an example of MY rankings from most to least important. But this may also change based on what the can will be used for. If it's for 300 blk I will value db reduction far more than if it's a 308 or 556 can as you will typically be shooting with hearing protection (FYI - 556 and 308 gas guns with a can are not hearing safe). If it's only for one gun you may not want QD and just go with direct thread, etc...

-Mount/locking mechanism
-POI shift
-Accuracy
-Weight
-Blowback on semiautomatic weapons
-Signature (flash etc.)
-Durability
-Customer service/support
-db reduction
-Price

If it is primarily for 300 blackouts I would personally not choose any of the cans you listed. The purpose of the round is to be quiet. Suppressors that are super quiet has more to do with tone vs db ratings. The older Sig cans and the new Q cans are wicked quiet with the right setup.

That being said, do you have a house where you will be shooting outside? Are you trying to shoot all the time but not bug your neighbors or are you going to an indoor range and it won't really matter how quiet it is?

If you are primarily looking for a solid all-around can to use on 556, 300blk, 6.5, or 308, the omega is ok at most but not exceptional at anything. It can be very short and light with a Q plan B mount, coming in at only 13 oz and 6" long, but that can has lots of backpressure.

I know you don't want to hear this but If you can find an NFA group in your area that does a suppressor shoot there is no better research you can do. You will be able to shoot 20-30 different kinds of suppressors and solidify your choice. At a minimum take a look at https://pewscience.com/.
 
And before the impending dB wars start in this thread between the fanboi's, understand that dB rating isn't everything if you still require hearing protection (most likely).

With ar15 type systems, its also worth noting that they are difficult to suppress, and you need to take into consideration more than just muzzle dB. A suppressed ar15 that's quiet at the muzzle is probably louder at the port, which will make the rifle louder to the shooter. So there's at least two sound measurement statistics that are important when it comes to ar15's.

I don't have any experience suppressing 300BO, so I'll let others chime in with what works for them. But to get the best answers you will need to provide your objectives.

- What type of projectiles are you going to be shooting?
- What are the details of your rifle, and how important is backpressure to you?
- Does weight matter? Length?
- Is flash suppression a goal?
- What is your budget?
- Is the suppressor going to be used on anything else, or is it going to be dedicated to this one rifle and cartridge?
- What mounting system are you going to use?
- What is the intended use/firing cycle? Does the suppressor need to stand up to "hard use" requirements?

If you provide more details people can provide more direct and specific feedback to help you out.
 
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Hello there,

I have a 10.5” barrel 300 AAC SBR. I have been doing a lot of research and end up getting the vented ambidextrous charging handle to reduce gas to shooters face but haven’t tried it yet. I am stuck on deciding the Sandman K, omega 300, or the chimera. I have seen that the Omega is quieter, but chimera is more sturdier. I really like the Sandman K quick attachment, but doesn’t compare to the other two db by far and they are a little longer.

Does anyone have any points or other miscellaneous information? They can share to help solidify my first can decision?
You should look into the Sandman-S. It's longer and quieter than the Sandman-K.
 
Weight,
Durability,
Felxibility,
Mounting system,
Sound,
Brand / support,
Cost

Everyone prioritizes those characteristics differently you have to decide which of those are most important and find the cans that fit that bill best....
 
I was hoping/waiting for a new HUXWRX "flow" in a .308 caliber K (short) configuration but alas, they did not introduce it at shot show. Their Flow 5.56 is an amazing performer and I was hoping for similar in a bigger bore. For me, I prefer a can which will have little or no impact on the rifle on or off, operationally as well as POI repeatability. I currently have a HUXWRX 762Ti which I use on both .308 semi-auto and bolt guns in addition to my 300 blackout semi auto gas gun. It's almost 7" long and weighs about 14 ounces and I think it performs very well. Other advantages is the HUX cans won't come off. You can spin them on and snug them down by hand and they'll never come loose as the gas is ejected at an angle radially. So each shot tightens it down. Also super easy to clean out and maintain "as-new" performance, with far less gas to the face. There's a reason why a lot of the new cans being introduced are flow through designs.

With that said, I'm purchasing a Diligent Defense Enticer S Ti which outperforms both the Dead Air cans on suppression and likely back pressure while coming in shorter, lighter and less expensive vs. their Ti versions. It'll be dedicated to the 300 blackout and likely the bolt gun for hunting purposes. I'd give them a hard look.
 
For double duty as in 300blk and 5.56 I find my self using sandman s quite abit, Dedicated 5.56 i like the surefire rc2. I have sevral differnet ones and quite frankly its hard to tell which one is " better sounding to my ear". These are the ones i seem to use the most
 
I was hoping/waiting for a new HUXWRX "flow" in a .308 caliber K (short) configuration but alas, they did not introduce it at shot show. Their Flow 5.56 is an amazing performer and I was hoping for similar in a bigger bore. For me, I prefer a can which will have little or no impact on the rifle on or off, operationally as well as POI repeatability. I currently have a HUXWRX 762Ti which I use on both .308 semi-auto and bolt guns in addition to my 300 blackout semi auto gas gun. It's almost 7" long and weighs about 14 ounces and I think it performs very well. Other advantages is the HUX cans won't come off. You can spin them on and snug them down by hand and they'll never come loose as the gas is ejected at an angle radially. So each shot tightens it down. Also super easy to clean out and maintain "as-new" performance, with far less gas to the face. There's a reason why a lot of the new cans being introduced are flow through designs.

With that said, I'm purchasing a Diligent Defense Enticer S Ti which outperforms both the Dead Air cans on suppression and likely back pressure while coming in shorter, lighter and less expensive vs. their Ti versions. It'll be dedicated to the 300 blackout and likely the bolt gun for hunting purposes. I'd give them a hard look.

I just ordered the flow556k as well. I based my decisions a lot on the research from pewscience which uses a mk18 rifle for testing, which happens to be the same style setup I wanted a can for, so that made life a lot easier.

I think others have explained the important parts better than I did, but for me it came down to noise suppression to the shooter (not bystanders) which flow 556k objectively ranked higher than any other tested can.

The guy who owns the site has made numerous posts also explaining the nuances of measuring whats "quieter", especially with first round pop and other factors that complicate it. I dug in and spent a lot of time reading a lot of his opinions in posts across the internet, before I trusted his data on what was ultimately a $1500 purchase. I work with data on a daily basis and I felt like his approach was sound and unbiased.

However, I would also say that 9/10 times, even without digging in, I would trust his information more than the majority of people you talk to, who have experience with maybe 1-2 cans at the most. I started out wanting multi-cal then realized that I dont want all season tires on my cars either and ended up with the dedicated 5.56 can.

I had multiple people recommend the dead air sandman K and L (and others), and then found it odd that a few of them also mentioned they dont own one, but would "probably" buy one. I dont like those kinds of recommendations. Its easy spending someone else's money. We see it happen hear a lot. Also, your LGS or FFL may have a financial incentive. Dont forget that they exist to make money more than to make recommendations as to whats best for you, and certain brands and sales goals will ultimately be tied to that.
 
EDITED:

Hello there,

I have
- Ghost Vital 10.5" Upper .300 Blackout
- Radian Raptor SD Ambidextrous Vented AR-15 Charging Handle
(it helps with the back pressure to reduce gas to shooters face because of the vents in the charging handle)
- Geissele Automatics Super Semi-Automatic Enhanced SSA-E Two Stage AR-15 Trigger .154

I went to my local FFL dealer and they recommended Sandman K, omega 300 for a well versatile platform to switch between riffles. Also the chimera for a rougher or continues use.

The sandman K
- I like the QD mount and how it only add 2.5” to the total length of the riffle

Omega 300
- The quietest mentioned on a 300blk
- the length of a little over 6” is ok bringing the SBR to the full 16 or well 16.5”.

Chimera
- all I have seen is that it’s durable, and more of a active shooter can if you tend to used aggressive (or a lot)

I’m not really sure what I want but I’m lost researching around not knowing what to look for in a first well versatile can. I own 1 5.56 16” and two one 9m pistol. I will only use the suppressor on the two AR and maybe more to come.


I’m just wanted to post a thread to hear the inside of what to look out for or what your would recommend for a first time great suppressor to start with.
Get the sandman S if you are going with dead air. The k is still cool but you’ll probably regret not getting the S.
 
My first can and still favorite is my OSS (HuxWurx now) 762. I bought it because I shoot primarily semi auto and I don't want to tune all my rifles for on or off and I don't want gas in my face. I've used it on 308, 223, 300BLK(super and sub), and 22lr. Other suppressors claim "flow through" but in my experience the OSS is better.
 
Just don't go with the omega. Anything semi auto and short barrel is not friendly to it. I don't care what its rated for, my personal experience says it doesn't go well. It's a really nice can otherwise.
 
As others have said, it really depends on what features are most important to you. There are always tradeoffs. The shortest, lightest can won't be the best at noise suppression. An ultra durable can that's great at suppression and reducing flash won't be the lightest can. Cans that do the best at reducing back pressure tend to be louder at the muzzle, but quieter for the shooter. The best quick detach systems will generally add weight to the suppressor/end of your rifle. You get the idea.

I own a Sandman S, as well as several other cans. Shoot the Sandman S a lot. I like that it's ultra durable and I never have to worry about overheating it. However, if you are willing to exercise some caution in how you use the can and are interested in something that's very light, but does a good job at suppression, I'd look at the Nomad TI, probably on a Xeno mount(I also own this can). Or maybe the regular Nomad as the best goldilocks solution - more durable than the TI version, lighter than the Sandman S. That's if you're focusing on the Dead Air line of suppressors. Don't own a Sandman K, but from what I've read would not be my first choice.

As fas as back pressure, which it seems like you're concerned about, I shoot lefty and haven't really had a lot of issues with either the Sandman or the Nomad. But then I'm used to a little gas in the face. But if back pressure is your top priority you should probably look at one of the OSS cans. Or KGM (which you may be able to pick up for a good price since they are stopping sales to the civilian market and are trying to get rid of their existing inventory).
 
I have both the Sandman S and K. I use the K on my 300 BO with both supers and subs. With Subs I do not see that much of a difference in comparison with the Sandman S.
 
Just don't go with the omega. Anything semi auto and short barrel is not friendly to it. I don't care what its rated for, my personal experience says it doesn't go well. It's a really nice can otherwise.
Adding your thread for reference for the op

 
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EDITED:

Hello there,

I have
- Ghost Vital 10.5" Upper .300 Blackout
- Radian Raptor SD Ambidextrous Vented AR-15 Charging Handle
(it helps with the back pressure to reduce gas to shooters face because of the vents in the charging handle)
- Geissele Automatics Super Semi-Automatic Enhanced SSA-E Two Stage AR-15 Trigger .154

I went to my local FFL dealer and they recommended Sandman K, omega 300 for a well versatile platform to switch between riffles. Also the chimera for a rougher or continues use.

The sandman K
- I like the QD mount and how it only add 2.5” to the total length of the riffle

Omega 300
- The quietest mentioned on a 300blk
- the length of a little over 6” is ok bringing the SBR to the full 16 or well 16.5”.

Chimera
- all I have seen is that it’s durable, and more of a active shooter can if you tend to used aggressive (or a lot)

I’m not really sure what I want but I’m lost researching around not knowing what to look for in a first well versatile can. I own 1 5.56 16” and two one 9m pistol. I will only use the suppressor on the two AR and maybe more to come.


I’m just wanted to post a thread to hear the inside of what to look out for or what your would recommend for a first time great suppressor to start with.

I would recommend none of those. The Sandman K is loud. I regret getting one.

Dead air Nomad
CGS Helios qd

Ti versions of both if you aren't going to be subjecting them to harsh firing schedules.

Nomad is much cheaper and give you whatever mounting options you want.

These 2 also sound fantastic on bolt guns.