AR for use with suppressor

[Evil_Ed]

If your buddy really wants out of his suppressor, the AAC restoration is a viable option that would essentially give you a new Ranger 5 or Ranger 5 Mini, but as I noted earlier I just can't see how it would be cost effective vs. buying a new can. I can't speak to Ecco Machine or YHM as I don't have any experience with either.

Oh it's very much as effective as buying a new can in a couple ways, if not more -

1) No new tax stamp, so $200 and long approval process saved right there
2) Brand new can warranty - just like a brand new can. Which it effectively is; the only re-used part is the metal ring that has the serial number and maker information on it.
3) Removing muzzle device dependency from the list of problems

The only time invested is the repair time, and at the end of it you're getting a brand new can to replace a can you're probably not using because it's so gassy, not to mention it's tied to outdated and wobbly muzzle devices.

The main reasons I'm getting my M42k done is because I want to use the thing again which is kind of annoying in it's current format, I don't want to have to keep swapping muzzle devices away from all the Keymo stuff I already have...and I don't want to deal with another form 4, fingerprints, photos, $200 I may as well have used to light cigars with, and an 8-11 month wait just for a rubber stamp and "ok, you can use this harmless metal tube now". The AAC upgrade program abrogates all of that at the cost of $700 and 3-5 weeks (other quotes on time may differ, that's just what they quoted me. For all I know they'll have it done in a week, who knows)

Also, @TGS - no idea on if ECCO can upgrade or otherwise do work like that? As far as I know, they can recore and convert to HUB, but maybe they can do more...you'd need to ask them. You could contact YHM and ask, too? Maybe they can do the work in-house? Also, I'm not sure I'd directly compare the new RC3 to the AAC Ranger series; the Ranger series has at this point been around a little longer, and the RC3 was developed with some very specific customers in mind...it's more a "whole signature reduction" kind of product; IR, heat, sound, and gas mitigation...they also probably got Uncle Sugar to defray some if not most of the R&D costs, as they'll probably be the primary customer. I don't think AAC can really compete with that juggernaut If the R5 comes even close to the RC3 I'd consider that a "win" - for me, I'm just trying to make an otherwise unused can become useful again, without buying a whole new product and tax stamp for it. To me, it sounds like the perfect program for the old 556-AC, if AAC can even upgrade it...you should probably ask them first.

Also...if you're form 4-ing the can away from your friend in the first place, it might honestly not be worth it in that case - unless he sends it off to be upgraded while the form 4 is processing. Even then, that's iffy. Having to do a form 4 anyway kind of defeats the purpose of a lot of this for most people. If you're doing that, you may as well just buy a whole new can for your trouble, IMO. The AAC upgrade is more geared towards those of us who already have the can, want to make it more useful, and don't want to go through the tax stamp BS again when we don't strictly need to.

[Evil_Ed]

Also, before anyone gets too deep into this...remember, the military has been running 10.3, 11.5 and 14.5 unmolested USGI carbines with cans on them (AAC M42000s, KAC M4QDs, Surefires, Ops Inc 5th models, Dead Air Sandman-Ss, probably tons more I don't know about) for decades at this point. Other than fucking around with gas ports, they haven't really done too much past that as far as I know. You don't need to go super high speed A5 buffer tube with special buffers made out of the finest spices mined from Turkish mountains, with gas tubes made out of pure diamond silica and twisted into pretzels to delay bolt unlocking, with bolt carriers crafted by gnomes in Germany with adjustable gas keys and extra-long cam pin paths in them. I won't even get into the cold hammer forged barrels with polygonal rifling and gas ports drilled in steps by hand by retired dentists, putting their decades of dental training to good use.

You can buy an off-the-shelf Colt 6920, replace the muzzle device, throw just about any can on it, and with %99 certainty it'll run just fine with nothing but lube, ammo and love for thousands of rounds.

You don't need to go nuts if you really don't want to.

Doesn't mean you shouldn't go nuts - just saying, you don't need to

[Wake27]

Also, before anyone gets too deep into this...remember, the military has been running 10.3, 11.5 and 14.5 unmolested USGI carbines with cans on them (AAC M42000s, KAC M4QDs, Surefires, Ops Inc 5th models, Dead Air Sandman-Ss, probably tons more I don't know about) for decades at this point. Other than fucking around with gas ports, they haven't really done too much past that as far as I know. You don't need to go super high speed A5 buffer tube with special buffers made out of the finest spices mined from Turkish mountains, with gas tubes made out of pure diamond silica and twisted into pretzels to delay bolt unlocking, with bolt carriers crafted by gnomes in Germany with adjustable gas keys and extra-long cam pin paths in them. I won't even get into the cold hammer forged barrels with polygonal rifling and gas ports drilled in steps by hand by retired dentists, putting their decades of dental training to good use.

You can buy an off-the-shelf Colt 6920, replace the muzzle device, throw just about any can on it, and with %99 certainty it'll run just fine with nothing but lube, ammo and love for thousands of rounds.

You don't need to go nuts if you really don't want to.

Doesn't mean you shouldn't go nuts - just saying, you don't need to

Be a lot cooler if you did though... except for the Turkish part. They kind of suck and I prefer my spices from the islands.

[JSGlock34]

The cost is quite close to the new cans - and that's the prohibitive aspect of this program. There's very little savings here and I do not think it makes much sense for the situation you propose. If you don't already have an AAC can it makes more sense just to buy one. I even think there's a free tax stamp promotion on the Ranger series right now.

If your buddy really wants out of his suppressor, the AAC restoration is a viable option that would essentially give you a new Ranger 5 or Ranger 5 Mini, but as I noted earlier I just can't see how it would be cost effective vs. buying a new can.

Oh it's very much as effective as buying a new can in a couple ways, if not more -

Also...if you're form 4-ing the can away from your friend in the first place, it might honestly not be worth it in that case - unless he sends it off to be upgraded while the form 4 is processing. Even then, that's iffy. Having to do a form 4 anyway kind of defeats the purpose of a lot of this for most people. If you're doing that, you may as well just buy a whole new can for your trouble, IMO. The AAC upgrade is more geared towards those of us who already have the can, want to make it more useful, and don't want to go through the tax stamp BS again when we don't strictly need to.

So, um, we're saying the exact same thing, right?

Just to reiterate, as the guy who brought up the AAC restoration option in this thread, I've got a Ranger 5 and Ranger 7 Mini on their way back to me right now.

[Robinson]

You don't need to go nuts if you really don't want to.

Well shit, just when this thread was going so well.

[Robinson]

So is anyone running a suppressor on an AR using direct thread mount? I see YHM has direct thread mounts with wrench flats. Does that imply they can be tightened with a wrench as opposed to merely hand tightened?

Going direct thread if it's feasible might get me into a Turbo T3 instead of a Turbo K-RB.

[HeavyDuty]

So is anyone running a suppressor on an AR using direct thread mount? I see YHM has direct thread mounts with wrench flats. Does that imply they can be tightened with a wrench as opposed to merely hand tightened?

Going direct thread if it's feasible might get me into a Turbo T3 instead of a Turbo K-RB.

What would direct thread be gaining you that would cause the change?

[WobblyPossum]

By going direct thread you might gain a small advantage in overall length on a 16” gun but you’d be missing out on the benefits of a muzzle device. For example, a muzzle brake has been shown to act almost like a sacrificial baffle, extending the life of your suppressor by taking some of the muzzle blast. Also if you ever decide to shoot the rifle unsuppressed, you’d have no recoil or flash mitigation without a muzzle device.

[Robinson]

What would direct thread be gaining you that would cause the change?

I just figured it would give the shortest, lightest method of attachment is all. I think WobblyPossum corrected my thinking on that.

[Robinson]

By going direct thread you might gain a small advantage in overall length on a 16” gun but you’d be missing out on the benefits of a muzzle device. For example, a muzzle brake has been shown to act almost like a sacrificial baffle, extending the life of your suppressor by taking some of the muzzle blast. Also if you ever decide to shoot the rifle unsuppressed, you’d have no recoil or flash mitigation without a muzzle device.

Okay, gotcha.

Is a flash hider as good as a muzzle brake in that regard? With a suppressor mounted, that is.