Suppressor and Muzzle Device Recommendation

[bofe954]

All three of the SureFire muzzle devices will work with SureFire and other compatible suppressors. That being said, WARCOMPs are considered poor suppressor adapters, due to their lack of labyrinth seals; if the rifle will see frequent suppressor use, the muzzle brake and flash hiders are better choices.

The choices might change by the time I order (which could be next year). I just thought I'd piggyback on this thread since I have the same question. Which of those specifically would you pick, or just get the free A2 and get something else? I would get a 16" barrel so pin and weld is not an issue, although I wouldn't mind having BCM just install something if I could.

The rifle probably won't be a specific suppressor host. I currently have rimfire suppressor and would like get some sort of 30 cal suppressor to hopefully use hunting, and hopefully could also go on the AR.

[Default.mp3]

The choices might change by the time I order (which could be next year). I just thought I'd piggyback on this thread since I have the same question. Which of those specifically would you pick, or just get the free A2 and get something else? I would get a 16" barrel so pin and weld is not an issue, although I wouldn't mind having BCM just install something if I could.

The rifle probably won't be a specific suppressor host. I currently have rimfire suppressor and would like get some sort of 30 cal suppressor to hopefully use hunting, and hopefully could also go on the AR.

3 prong flash hider would be my choice if it's not gonna be a dedicated suppressor host. The 4 prong is fine, really, just slightly weaker prongs and slightly less effective at flash suppressing, is my understanding; main draw of it is that it's clone correct for those trying for the SOCOM look. The brake works quite well, but, well, it's a brake, with all the concussion, flash signature, and kicking up of dust/dirt that goes with a brake.

Of course, that, only matters if you're set on getting a SureFire can, which may not be the best choice depending on what you're looking for. The new B&T cans also works with SureFire muzzle devices, but they're also HUB compatible, so there's no reason to have to stick with the SureFire mounting method, which while still quite good in terms of repeatable POA/POI shift, is a bit prone to carbon locking. If you're not getting a SureFire can, the plain ole A2 birdcage will be fine as a placeholder while you figure out what can you want.

[Biggy]

I like and use the Zeno suppressor adapter and fashhider suppressor mount on my 11.5 barreled AR. It works great and I have had no issues with it using it with my old Omega 300 can.

https://youtu.be/WoYnaqkTmYM?si=TJq0h17m64GTOmru

[Skinner Precision, LLC]

Like @Clusterfrack, I like the sacrificial blast baffle aspect of a brake on a dedicated suppressed only gun and a flash hider if the majority of the time it will be unsuppressed. I am personally fond of the griffin armament taper mounts. The system is simple enough / reliable enough and easy enough to fabricate your own mounts or compatible form1 cans if so inclined...

Sbr's with the increased muzzle pressure and more unburnt powder (abrasive/erosion potential on the can) benifit more from brakes IMO but if you think you are going to do high round count classes etc. with said SBR, where you don't want to abuse your can, pick a mount with a blast shield option.

[Failure2Stop]

First things first: there are no truly "hearing safe" supersonic rifle/suppressor combinations. The "140dB is hearing safe" is utter bullshit, and I would almost go as far as to say negligent on the part of any manufacturer to claim unless stipulated by "for a single exposure in 8 hours".

If you are going to be taking multiple shots inside 8 hours, you should be wearing at least single-layer hearing protection.

That said, the lower the peak impulse and impulse duration, the more you can shoot inside those 8 hours.
Also, be cognizant of the difference in testing methodologies, ESPECIALLY "at ear" measurements. Standardized testing protocols are for A-weighted sound pressure level (SPL) at 1 meter left of the muzzle with the firearm and sensor 1.5m elevated from the ground, as well as at "shooters ear" at 11" behind trigger and 3" offset left. The "at ear" location is usually significantly lower than the muzzle measurement due to variable obstacles being laid into the path of the pressure wave. This is also a misleading measurement in that it implies that the "actual" damage is lower that the muzzle measurement, whereas the pressure that can cause actual damage is not truly negated, and can still affect people in near vicinity to the shooter, and the pressure waves can bounce off nearby hard surfaces in the real world, causing damage.

SPL with most centerfire rifles will be 163-175 dB at muzzle, and 160-172 dB at ear, with barrel length and muzzle device being significant contributors to "at ear" SPL variability. Properly worn single-layer in-ear hearing protection will have an NRR of around 25 (reduce harmful exposure by 25dB). Properly worn over-ear muffs will have an NRR of about 20-30, BUT these are extremely susceptible to being compromised due to having the seal broken by eye protection legs under the cup, or shifting when changing positions. Audiologists and OSHA type folks recommend keeping exposure BELOW 130 dB, and therefore recommend 2-layer hearing protection when using firearms. Those 2-layers of hearing protection will get you down to about 125dB in most cases. What I'm getting at is that no matter what suppressor you are using, if it's not under 125dB, you are damaging the hearing of everything within about 30 meters of the muzzle, and ultimately, it's best to look at the suppressor as replacing a *single layer* of hearing protection for anything inside that radius.

When it comes to suppressing a gas-operated firearm, the residual bore pressure that results due to the containment and slowed release of the pressurized gasses inside the suppressor is responsible for speeding up the extraction and ejection phases of the cycle of operation, which can cause issues in ejection and increased cycle speeds. The escape of those gasses also contributes to significantly increased exposure to lead and toxic/noxious gasses and fumes for the user. This is not talked about nearly as much as it should be, but those of us in the suppressor industry have been paying attention to it over the last few years when testing has illuminated the issue.
There are a few ways to remedy these problems. When it comes to the operating system itself, you can reduce the pressure to the point that the primary operating system barely does more than unlock the breech mechanism, relying on the blowback effect of the contained bore pressure to complete the rearward stroke. This, however, will make the gun severely undergassed in an unsuppressed configuration. You can increase ejection force, as KAC did with the E3.2 bolt, but that won't slow down the operating system, so you could still have issues with the magazine keeping up with the cyclic rate. The optimal approach is to use a low backpressure suppressor that keeps cyclic rate increase to less than 10%. That not only keeps the operating system working in its optimal band for reliability and felt recoil/muzzle rise, the will also significantly reduce the increased exposure to the nasty stuff that usually gets blown downrange instead of sitting in a ball around two of your most important orifices.

My advice is to choose a muzzle device that will work with a low backpressure suppressor.

[PearTree]

For the muzzle device, I would recommend a rearden or liberty precision machine. For the suppressor, traditional high back pressure options I would recommend are the OCL polonium/polonium k, liberty precision machine anthem k/s, aero lahar. For flow through/low back pressure I would recommend the huxwrx ventum 762. These are all hub compatible which is what I prefer. If you don’t mind manufacturer specific mounts, there are other options as well.

[TWR]

I have a Huxwrx Flow 556k suppressor with their flash hider. I don’t know how well the flash hider works because I haven’t shot without the suppressor since I got it. I love this thing. I shoot it on an 11.5”, 16” and 18” AR’s.

It works great on all of them but the 18” is really nice. The other night I shot a coyote and I was amazed at how quiet it was. Shot it again today under an awning at the range and it really seems quieter than a 22.

Function wise I’ve done nothing to any of the 4 guns I’m shooting it on. They are gassed right unsuppressed and the suppressor makes no perceivable difference. It just works.

However, I don’t have a ton of rounds on it yet nor do I have a lot of experience with other cans so take it for what it’s worth.

[JCS]

Many newer suppressor are what's known as HUB compatible, which is to say, their mounting method can be changed, as they have a 1.375×24 internal thread that allows you to swap out the mounting interface on the suppressor side, which thus opens up your ability to use various different muzzle devices across different brands.

As for the suppressor question, there still remain many questions. How much does weight matter compared to audio signature reduction? Will this rifle be dedicated suppressed, or only sporadically so? Is visual signature reduction a lower concern, or a non-concern? Etc.

I had no idea about the HUB. Thank you for that!!

I have not thought a lot about these other questions but here's my initial answers:

This is my only rifle (for now haha). My biggest reason for getting a suppressor is the noise reduction. I understand it's not like the movies and I'll still need hearing protection, but I recently had a scare with my hearing and don't want to shoot unsuppressed rifles too much. I plan on running it suppressed a large majority if not all of the time, but I don't want it to be a permanent install. I would still like to be able to shoot the rifle unsuppressed if something changes. Lastly, I don't really care about signature reduction.

[JCS]

After having been burned by buying the latest hotness, I will likely be sticking with Surefire and TBAC from now on.

If the upper will be used primarily with the can, I'd go with a brake (acts as a sacrificial 1st baffle and prolongs can life). If the upper will be shot a lot without the can, I'd go with a flash hider because brakes are harsh on anyone nearby.

Thoughts on the SOCOM suppressor and surefire warcomp? Initially that was just what I was going to do (it seemed like the easy button solution) since I can get it pinned and welded directly from BCM.

[JCS]

Some guys seem to approach suppressors with an "as many fits as possible" approach. From the outside, I suppose that makes sense. You want to get the most bang for your buck (and tax stamp, and waiting period).

Personally I prefer to tailor the suppressor to the gun as much as possible. Also, I think we do better when we get over the "it's forever" idea. I've owned 7 NFA items (not a ton by any stretch compared to some), and currently only own 4. A 9x19 can, a .30 cal can, and a Benelli SBS went down the road. I actually made money on the SBS and didn't loose too much on the cans. All sold to other individuals on form 4's. Just putting it out there that if you get something and don't like it, you're not necessarily stuck with it forever.


What did I keep?
- 5.56 SBR
- 5.56 Can (AAC M4-2000)
- .22lr Can (AAC Element 2)
- .22lr SBR

My cans are older AAC because of the time and place I got them. They still work fine, but are "outdated" technology. Frankly the M4-2000 sounds fine, is bombproof inconel construction, and the 51T mounts aren't as bad as some say. If I were buying today I would hope to gain lower backpressure and lighter weight.


I would recommend you think and prioritize features such as length, weight, sound, and mounting above others; especially on a centerfire can. AR's are loud, even with silencers. So why use one in the first place? To minimize blast, flash, and not go deaf if you ever do need to shoot it without earpro. For a 14.5" I'd probably go with a shorter "K" can of some kind, and knowing what I do now, a YHM Turbo K with whatever plan B mount you like is not a bad way to go.

Thank you for this! Can you explain what a plan B mount is?