Suppressors Sandman S or L for AR?

[Arc Light]

Looking at purchasing my first can. It will be used exclusively on my AR platform rifles. I want the quietest can at the ears. Not too worried about weight. I know the Sandman L is quieter by the numbers, but does that hold true on an AR? I’ve read where some say the Sandman S is actually quieter at the ear on an AR. What do you guys think?

 

[22-Dasher]

Yes the L will be quieter.

 

[John Burns]

Looking at purchasing my first can. It will be used exclusively on my AR platform rifles. I want the quietest can at the ears. Not too worried about weight. I know the Sandman L is quieter by the numbers, but does that hold true on an AR? I’ve read where some say the Sandman S is actually quieter at the ear on an AR. What do you guys think?

What AR?

Typically shorter cans work better on gas guns due to less port pop at the shooters ear.

There is the additional advantage of running cleaner with the shorter cans.

Sound reduction at the muzzle is not always or even usually the same at the shooters ear when dealing with gas guns.

 

[Arc Light]

SIG 516, SIG 716 and also an Armalite AR15 Carbine are the three guns the cans would be used on.

 

[HansohnBrothers]

Sandman-S. Yes the L is quieter but the S sounds better to me on an AR platform.

 

[Huskydriver]

The nomad sounds great on ar's btw also worth looking at.

 

[kocustoms]

I have run my L on my AR and it sounds good. But I’m waiting on my sandman S to form 3 to me. L is just too long IMHO.
the S sounds fantastic I run it on my 10.5 AR

 

[Huskydriver]

I have run my L on my AR and it sounds good. But I’m waiting on my sandman S to form 3 to me. L is just too long IMHO.
the S sounds fantastic I run it on my 10.5 AR

Don't listen to this guy... He's never shot supressed in his life and doesn't even own a can haha

 

[kocustoms]

Don't listen to this guy... He's never shot supressed in his life and doesn't even own a can haha

haha yep don’t own any lol!!

 

[Huskydriver]

haha yep don’t own any lol!!View attachment 7333512

Fake news!!!!

I would still take a nomad over the S unless you 100% need a stellite made can


The S does sound really good on an sbr though compared to the L

 

[FuhQ]

Old thread, but not many newer threads about the Sandman-S...

I made a quick video yesterday with my Sandman-S on my 16" .300 BLK and 24" 6.5 Grendel AR's...

Sorry for the background noise, it's a private range, and it's normally very quiet, but there happened to be a few people there yesterday. Go figure...The day I try to make a video to show how quiet it is.

 

[FuhQ]

Just bought a 2nd Sandman-S...

Silencer Shop just got in a batch of the FDE Mil-Contract Sandman-S cans... It's basically a regular Sandman-S, but in FDE finish that were built for DEVGRU (Seal Team 6) to test and run on their rifles, and the serial numbers say "SMS-MIL-XXXX" , so they might be a novelty/collectors item down the road. Same price as a regular Sandman-S, just a few cool little features, and makes for a conversation piece since they are very limited in production.

Sandman- S FDE Military Contract - Silencer Shop

The Dead Air Sandman-S FDE has all of your iconic Sandman-S features in a new color – flat dark earth. This rifle suppressor weighs 17.7 ounces and a 6.8-inch length, providing a compact, maneuverable addition to your rifle host.

www.silencershop.com

 

[themightytimmah]

I’d go S or Nomad. There’s huge diminishing returns on an AR with the L, as the port pop is about as loud as the muzzle, even with an adjustable gas block. It is spooky quiet on bolt guns, though.

The AR really sucks to shoot offhand with the Sandman L. I have a Sandman K, which I bought because it was $350 less than the S at the time with the HPA promotion. At today’s pricing, I’d never take it over an S or a Nomad.

I cannot overstate how overbuilt the sandman cans are. They will take a short barreled belt fed MG in 7.62. If you mostly shoot precision and aren’t into suppressed mag dumps, a Nomad gets you more suppression than the S at about the same weight.

 

[Smokin7s]

If you’re running it on ar’s get the s it’s a little shorter which is optimal on an AR and not noticeably louder than the L. The K I was ever around was not quiet enough for my liking but good if you’re straight up tac team probably. I’d go for the S.

 

[FuhQ]

If you’re running it on ar’s get the s it’s a little shorter which is optimal on an AR and not noticeably louder than the L. The K I was ever around was not quiet enough for my liking but good if you’re straight up tac team probably. I’d go for the S.

I was impressed with the sound quality and suppression of the Sandman-S on my AR's. Which is why I got a 2nd one. Had it not been impressive, I wouldn't have gotten the new one tonight, simply because it was FDE or MIL contract overrun. Yes, it has a certain novelty to it, but at the same time, I'm not into wasting $1,100 (total with stamp & local tax & trust) on something that is just "so-so" or average, just because it's "cool"...This isn't high school or a popularity contest. These are tools, and you want your tools to function at peak performance.

I have been VERY impressed with the Sandman-S on all of my AR's especially supersonic 5.56 and I was really impressed with how well it suppresses the subsonic .300 BLK. I know that's not really a hard thing to do for a purpose-built subsonic cartridge, but for a very thick, heavy, and robust 6.8" can (including the KeyMo mount) to make an AR (including the port noise) sound like a modern high-powered air rifle, that's just damn-impressive.

For the AR' the best mix of length and suppression with the Sandman-S...I wouldn't have just bought a 2nd one, otherwise.

I will say this, the SMS is just "ok" on bolt-actions. It's not the best can I've shot through on a bolt-action centerfire. But it does enough to mitigate hearing damage when I have it on my .260 Rem. It is a bit restrictive and does overpressure my loads that are not normally overpressure when unsuppressed. I have not tried this experiment with my Nomad-LT as my stamps have not come back in yet, so I cannot test to see if it's the internal volume of the SMS being restrictive, or just the gun being suppressed in general, that is causing this. Being a bolt-action, I would not imagine this should be happening to this level. Even my lighter loads are showing ejector swipes. Anyone else experienced this with a bolt-action suppressed and supersonic loads?

 

[Smokin7s]

I was impressed with the sound quality and suppression of the Sandman-S on my AR's. Which is why I got a 2nd one. Had it not been impressive, I wouldn't have gotten the new one tonight, simply because it was FDE or MIL contract overrun. Yes, it has a certain novelty to it, but at the same time, I'm not into wasting $1,100 (total with stamp & local tax & trust) on something that is just "so-so" or average, just because it's "cool"...This isn't high school or a popularity contest. These are tools, and you want your tools to function at peak performance.

I have been VERY impressed with the Sandman-S on all of my AR's especially supersonic 5.56 and I was really impressed with how well it suppresses the subsonic .300 BLK. I know that's not really a hard thing to do for a purpose-built subsonic cartridge, but for a very thick, heavy, and robust 6.8" can (including the KeyMo mount) to make an AR (including the port noise) sound like a modern high-powered air rifle, that's just damn-impressive.

For the AR' the best mix of length and suppression with the Sandman-S...I wouldn't have just bought a 2nd one, otherwise.

I will say this, the SMS is just "ok" on bolt-actions. It's not the best can I've shot through on a bolt-action centerfire. But it does enough to mitigate hearing damage when I have it on my .260 Rem. It is a bit restrictive and does overpressure my loads that are not normally overpressure when unsuppressed. I have not tried this experiment with my Nomad-LT as my stamps have not come back in yet, so I cannot test to see if it's the internal volume of the SMS being restrictive, or just the gun being suppressed in general, that is causing this. Being a bolt-action, I would not imagine this should be happening to this level. Even my lighter loads are showing ejector swipes. Anyone else experienced this with a bolt-action suppressed and supersonic loads?

I said the s was quiet and recommended it lol chill

 

[FuhQ]

I said the s was quiet and recommended it lol chill

I am chill. I think you misread my post…. I wasn’t being contradictory or inflammatory, I was agreeing with you.

 

[FuhQ]

New video from Sunday afternoon... Had some fun shooting the suppressed .300 BLK with my handloaded subsonics @ 200 yards... Fixed 3x power scope... This is with the new Dead Air Sandman-S MIL-Contract can...

Feel free to hit the like button (on YouTube) and subscribe... It would really help me out.

 

[HansohnBrothers]

We are running a special on Sandman-S MIL, add a free flash hider with purchase. A $75 value!

https://hansohnbrothers.com/shop/dead-air-armament/silencers/30-caliber/dead-air-sandman-s-mil/

*other coupons and deals excluded

 

[FuhQ]

 

[FuhQ]

New video is up! If you like it, please go to the YT link, and hit the thumbs-up button, and the SUBSCRIBE button, and share it all over your social medias. I'm really trying to grow my channel. Any help is much appreciated! Thanks!

 

[4thandbleek]

I would get the Sandman-S. The L is too long for an SBR, and while it may be "quieter" the tone on the S is much more pleasant overall IMO. I bought my L for larger calibers and long range shooting, my S is primarily used on my DD MK18.

 

[Annex Defense]

Since it’s your first suppressor, you’re blessed that you’re not locked into a specific mounting interface and already smart enough not to be making the mistake of trying to buy a do-all / multi caliber.

Suppressors are a tough thing to ask about because there’s a ton of ownership bias, lots of brand loyalty and almost all the attempts at data collection / objective analysis are very flawed—until recently.

Pew Science is a guy that is a weapons-grade nerd at data collection and analysis and is publishing objective data for the public to review that isn’t just stupid peak dB ratings off an uncalibrated second hand meter from eBay.

He uses a pretty advanced sensor array that captures thousands of data points on sound / pressure and even back-pressure (very important on a gas gun!) that paint a much, much better picture of suppressor performance than just peak dB. As the very-excellent @HansohnBrothers retailer posted, “tone” or overall sound signature is often so much more important than just peak dB. I actually bought all but 2 of my Dead Air Cans from Hansohn and have been a recurring customer for accessories from them; best in the business IMO.

I can honestly say that the test results he / Pew Science posts mirror my own experience having shot most suppressors on the market. I own a Sandman L, S and K (as well as a Wolfman and Mask) and I probably would not buy them again after my experience shooting them, coupled with how my two Masks were threaded incorrectly out of the box.

Peep the link below and make sure to filter down to the supersonic rifle caliber tests and look for the composite sound ratings:

Suppressor Sound Rankings — PEW Science

What is the quietest silencer for your suppressed firearm? The quietest suppressor for your use case is listed on this page with detailed links to the Silencer Sound Standard test data. PEW Science test data with PEW-SOFT is the most accurate suppressor test data available.

pewscience.com