Newbie Suppressor Recommendation

[TriIceS]

I knew there were already so many threads about suppressor recommendations here and a lot of other forums but I still want some recommendations from the hide about getting my first suppressor.
1. I see a lot of people are big fans of TBAC but I wonder if they are still the best in today's market. I read reviews from Pew Science/various bro science/TBAC Summit 2023 and saw that its sound suppression level is outperformed by some newer designs such as Otter Creek, Diligent Defense, and Abel. I wonder if their accuracy level is also outperformed by those newer designs? or perhaps it is different guns like different suppressors kind of thing?

2. If TBAC is the ultimate answer, should I go with the U7 or the Dominus? I see the trend today being everyone making fatter suppressors and I see the result in the TBAC summit showing that the Dominus is much quieter than the U7. But what about the accuracy level of these two suppressors? And also do people run into the problem that they see the fatter Dominus in their scope?

I plan to only shoot bolt guns with the suppressor and I plan to use it for both benchrest and hunting. Thanks for any input!

 

[kthomas]

For a precision rifle, I think TBAC and Abel are the obvious answers.

Both are very high quality cans designed for the precision rifle market. OCL seems decent, but no personal experience.

Personally I would pick the Dominus over the U7, I think they both meter around the same. But no real wrong answers here.

 

[Mike_in_FL]

Well I have an Ultra 9 and a Dominus SR so I'm somewhat biased. If cans exist out there that are better and don't hinder your accuracy or at least leave it where it was I don't know of them. And I won't know of them because I don't have that kind of $ nor am I going to be given any for testing. I think it's foolish to base your decision on what is "quiet". Never seen either in my scope.

If you're looking for secret squirrel door kicker for your Mk18 cans, then maybe buy Surefire. I am completely satisfied with TBAC and I run them on almost all my rifles, gas and bolt.

 

[Mr. F]

Abel and TBAC are the only two players I'm buying cans from for the foreseeable future.

I have a couple of 30 cal Bisquit shorts in line that are cut square as hell.

Cans are mass at the end of a mechanical sine wave generator. So when you hang a new thing off the muzzle of a gun that shoots really good all bets are off. The inverse is also possible, a gun that shoots ok with a break/No Device and awesome with a can of a specific mass...testing... I have one of those.

All things being equal you stick with Abel and TBAC and aside from your gun not "liking" the new mass, runout and off angle mating surfaces are some of the things they have spent some time dialing in.

 

[FuhQ]

Well, I have Dead Air, TBAC, Rugged (pistol), and Otter Creek Labs... Here's what I've found in my tests...

While POI was slightly shifted when swapping to a different can (naturally), that was expected and not important... All 3 brands of rifle cans produced roughly the same size groups on the same rifle, on the same day, with the same handloads. And I've tested this theory on multiple rifles and multiple cartridges, both direct-thread and KeyMo mount system. Same results.

I don't know about many other brands, but I can tell you that the Dead Air Nomad-LT, Otter Creek Labs Hydrogen series (both S & L lengths), and the TBAC Magnus-HUB are all precision cans, as far as group sizes and repeatability are concerned, though my experiments and results.

And if you want quiet, the TBAC Magnus, DA Nomad-LT, and OCL Hydrogen-L 7.62 are all 3 pretty much a wash. They're all SUPER quiet, and have an excellent tone.

 

[TriIceS]

For a precision rifle, I think TBAC and Abel are the obvious answers.

Both are very high quality cans designed for the precision rifle market. OCL seems decent, but no personal experience.

Personally I would pick the Dominus over the U7, I think they both meter around the same. But no real wrong answers here.

Thank you for the input! What is your experience Abel vs Dominus then? I am also looking at the Abel Theorem(Non-L) Suppressor. They seems really well made.

 

[TriIceS]

Well I have an Ultra 9 and a Dominus SR so I'm somewhat biased. If cans exist out there that are better and don't hinder your accuracy or at least leave it where it was I don't know of them. And I won't know of them because I don't have that kind of $ nor am I going to be given any for testing. I think it's foolish to base your decision on what is "quiet". Never seen either in my scope.

If you're looking for secret squirrel door kicker for your Mk18 cans, then maybe buy Surefire. I am completely satisfied with TBAC and I run them on almost all my rifles, gas and bolt.

I am also somewhat thinking about an Ultra 9 thinking I might be more comfortable in the range. Have you ever carried it on a hunt? how bad is it to carry a full-size suppressor in the woods?

 

[TriIceS]

Abel and TBAC are the only two players I'm buying cans from for the foreseeable future.

I have a couple of 30 cal Bisquit shorts in line that are cut square as hell.

Cans are mass at the end of a mechanical sine wave generator. So when you hang a new thing off the muzzle of a gun that shoots really good all bets are off. The inverse is also possible, a gun that shoots ok with a break/No Device and awesome with a can of a specific mass...testing... I have one of those.

All things being equal you stick with Abel and TBAC and aside from your gun not "liking" the new mass, runout and off angle mating surfaces are some of the things they have spent some time dialing in.

Thanks for the input! Speaking of off-angle mating surfaces... What mounting method do you recommend? I see TBAC only offers brake mount nowable. Should I also not just direct mount if I decided to go the Abel route?

 

[Mike_in_FL]

I am also somewhat thinking about an Ultra 9 thinking I might be more comfortable in the range. Have you ever carried it on a hunt? how bad is it to carry a full-size suppressor in the woods?

If I was doing it over again, I'd just get the Ultra 7 for hunting. It doesn't matter on an 8" .300BO pistol with a 9" can. I haven't used it for hunting other than that. To me, it would depend on what you're dragging into the woods. A 22" barrel is now 2 1/2 feet long with that suppressor. Depending on the distance of your shots, that's when 16 - 18" suppressed rifles make a lot of sense.

Also want to add, if you're still hunting to a stand you can always leave the suppressor off and put it on in a blind or tree stand. Lots of ways to skin this cat.

 

[Mr. F]

Both TBAC and Abel offer HUB mounting options.
The SR stuff from TBAC works well too.

I have a mix of HUB and SR in ATF paper stack at the moment. Both work well.

The HUB is super convenient though, if you don't need SR id go HUB.

 

[Supersubes]

I knew there were already so many threads about suppressor recommendations here and a lot of other forums but I still want some recommendations from the hide about getting my first suppressor.
1. I see a lot of people are big fans of TBAC but I wonder if they are still the best in today's market. I read reviews from Pew Science/various bro science/TBAC Summit 2023 and saw that its sound suppression level is outperformed by some newer designs such as Otter Creek, Diligent Defense, and Abel. I wonder if their accuracy level is also outperformed by those newer designs? or perhaps it is different guns like different suppressors kind of thing?

2. If TBAC is the ultimate answer, should I go with the U7 or the Dominus? I see the trend today being everyone making fatter suppressors and I see the result in the TBAC summit showing that the Dominus is much quieter than the U7. But what about the accuracy level of these two suppressors? And also do people run into the problem that they see the fatter Dominus in their scope?

I plan to only shoot bolt guns with the suppressor and I plan to use it for both benchrest and hunting. Thanks for any input!

Tbac has been a leader in precision rifle cans for a while. They're very high quality, and I’d lay odds that there isnt a straighter line of cans on the market. Ive measure every can thats come through my inventory in the lathe on freshly cut threads, and nothing has been straighter.

On the other hand, there is a lot of value to be had in some of the newer Ti cans. Diligent and Otter creek are probably top of that list. I really like and have a lot of experience with the Diligent Lti. Super quiet, very light, not that long, and well
priced.

 

[Mike_in_FL]

If all you'll ever use your can for is to attach to 5/8-24 threaded barrels you could just get direct thread. I use Area 419 hellfire adapters because I put my Ultra on everything from .223 1/2-28 up to 3/4-24 stuff.

 

[CMP70306]

Thank you for the input! What is your experience Abel vs Dominus then? I am also looking at the Abel Theorem(Non-L) Suppressor. They seems really well made.

The 22” Minimum on .300 Win Mag makes the Abel a non starter for me with an 18” 6.5 PRC and a 20” 7 PRC and 300 Win Mag.

I personally have had good luck with the Dead Air Nomad L but it’s hard for me to recommend them with their current QC issues. When they do it would definitely be a solid option.

I am also looking to expand my suppressor collection with more specialized cans so I’m interested to see what others recommend.

 

[Bacarrat]

Having owned a bunch of different brands, I still would say TBAC is the gold standard for precision rifle suppressors. Currently have 2 and 1 in the works. But my next can will be a Able Co Theorem. Now that is just a badass looking can. Plus I need something in the 7" range in the newer bigger than 1.5" can. For the OPs needs, I would go with the Theorem or the Ultra 7. And both companies are represented well here on the hide too.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

TBACif the best they’re is. The absolute quietest can is not the most important feature of a suppressor, especially on a precision rifle.

 

[Lawnboi]

I like my ultra 7 for hunting so much I bought another.

Magnus and the like of 1lb really quiet cans are cool and all but on a hunting gun I’ll take the ultra 7

 

[NateVA]

I am also somewhat thinking about an Ultra 9 thinking I might be more comfortable in the range. Have you ever carried it on a hunt? how bad is it to carry a full-size suppressor in the woods?

TBAC is the easy button where you won't have any second thoughts or regrets. It depends on what kind of hunting you're doing I suppose but I hunt in tree stands out east and also spot and stalk out west with an Ultra-9. Just a day ago I got back from a coues deer hunt with my Ultra-9. It also depends how long your existing barrel is as well and whether you're willing to cut it.

 

[chevy_man]

Go find an SOT dealer local where you can actually look at them, and they will provide support in the future.

I have always hand loaded for my stuff. So I just did load development with the cans. Haven't had one not shoot yet except a .19 Calhoon through a 308 Lang monocore. It shot great with a 5.56 can though.

 

[kthomas]

Thank you for the input! What is your experience Abel vs Dominus then? I am also looking at the Abel Theorem(Non-L) Suppressor. They seems really well made.

I don't have a Dominus, nor have I shot one. So I can't make a direct comparison.

I have an Abel Co. Biscuit. The can is great - not the quietest, though not expected given it's volume. Has a great recoil impulse, decent sound reduction, low back pressure so works great as well on semi's. Quality is very high - even my class 3 dealer was very impressed with the quality.

I don't have a Theorem, but if I was in the market for another can I would be looking hard at one. Given my experience with the Biscuit, the quality is very high. The theorem line has bigger volume cans that would suppress better than my Biscuit, if I was looking for more dB reduction. Being HUB thread pattern, you have a lot of mounting options available - I use Rearden muzzle devices and their Atlas.

I don't think you can make a wrong choice between Abel or TBAC. Both very high quality, both have great features.

 

[K80/6.5]

Both TBAC and Abel offer HUB mounting options.
The SR stuff from TBAC works well too.

I have a mix of HUB and SR in ATF paper stack at the moment. Both work well.

The HUB is super convenient though, if you don't need SR id go HUB.

I just placed an order for Magnus SR super excited hopefully be using it in 9-10 months.

 

[Vyx313]

Zak from Thunderbeast is pretty active on the board and has recommended the Ultra 7 for hunting in a few threads I’ve seen. Seems to strike a good balance between weight/length and noise reduction. That’s what I went with for my first suppressor.

 

[C130]

I’m also Interested in buying a suppressor for my long range rifle. 6.5CM, MPA Matrix Pro, Bartlein barrel. I have a couple other suppressors, both are Deadair, one is a Nomad I use on a 300BLK SBR the other is a DA Wolfman on an HK SP5.

I’m leaning towards an Abel, either the Theorem or Biscuit. I was not really interested in the biscuit initially but haven’t ruled it out either. I like the size of the Biscuit but not sure it suppresses the sound as much as I’d prefer. I believe I saw a guy shooting with the biscuit at a local PRS match last year but didn’t really know what it was at the time. I did talk:to him about it and he said he really liked it. Any suggestions, especially those that have both the biscuit and theorem? Thanks.

I looked but didn’t see a list of dealers that carry Abel, is that listed anywhere? I’m north of Houston if anyone knows of a local dealer or can you only buy direct?

 

[Todc]

Biscuit specs look heavy for its size. For that weight you might as well go full size Magnus.