Suppressors - Where to Start

[spence]

I kicked the idea around 4-5 years ago, but canned it for the time being. With the current wait times on suppressors being days rather than months, it’s back front and center. That said, I’m not certain where to start. I think I have narrowed my thoughts down a couple directions, and if I could get three, this would be it.

1) .30 cal, would likely spend more time on 5.56 based rifles, including AR and potentially bolt gun, but also .308 bolt rifles.
2) 9mm - I don’t generally shoot any other handgun calibers, at least larger. Primarily Beretta 92’s, but might have to put a threaded barrel in another if the wife wanted to play.
3) .22 rimfire - got a threaded .22 bolt rifle and M&P .22 that are both threaded.

That’s also the order I think I would go in. Does this sound remotely solid? I would like a centerfire option first because I hunt and already have hearing loss in one ear. Next would be what else does one need to start thinking about to attach them to basic level AR’s that have the standard birdcage flash hider?

Thanks in advance.

[Screwball]

I did the Griffin Bushwhacker 46 instead of the .30 can… it runs mostly on my 11.5” SBR AR in 5.56mm. Got it because I have a few pistol caliber carbines, to include .45. My PTR 9CT runs the can great with the Griffin 3-lug.

I am leaning towards getting a Griffin .30 can that adapts to A2 flash hiders. Only doing that because it would allow the Bushwhacker to be moved towards other guns instead of sitting on that one SBR (my truck gun).

.22 cans are fun. I definitely recommend the Rugged Oculus. Can be ran long or short and is user serviceable. I actually have the baffles sitting in cleaner right now, being the blast baffle was pretty bad.

I actually have two 9mm cans. My first one was the Dead Air Odessa… which is a very skinny can. Like to the point you can still use most iron sights with it. I predominantly run that on Glocks or my .32 Beretta 81.

The other is the Angstadt Vanquish. Made my SBR 9mm AR into a two stamp gun, but it is a neat setup. I originally wanted an MP5SD clone, but too costly for my blood.

[JRB]

I kicked the idea around 4-5 years ago, but canned it for the time being. With the current wait times on suppressors being days rather than months, it’s back front and center. That said, I’m not certain where to start. I think I have narrowed my thoughts down a couple directions, and if I could get three, this would be it.

1) .30 cal, would likely spend more time on 5.56 based rifles, including AR and potentially bolt gun, but also .308 bolt rifles.
2) 9mm - I don’t generally shoot any other handgun calibers, at least larger. Primarily Beretta 92’s, but might have to put a threaded barrel in another if the wife wanted to play.
3) .22 rimfire - got a threaded .22 bolt rifle and M&P .22 that are both threaded.

That’s also the order I think I would go in. Does this sound remotely solid? I would like a centerfire option first because I hunt and already have hearing loss in one ear. Next would be what else does one need to start thinking about to attach them to basic level AR’s that have the standard birdcage flash hider?

Thanks in advance.

I would change that order to 3, 1, 2.

.22 rimfire cans are simply the best reason to own a suppressor. If you own one suppressor and only one suppressor, it should be an easily maintained lightweight .22LR can. Given how dirty .22LR is to shoot, I strongly recommend a 100% titanium user-serviceable suppressor, as that will allow you to use very harsh but much more convenient cleaning options that aluminum can't tolerate.

If you really want a .30 cal can for a bolt gun and hunting, get a .30 cal can intended for that role. Generally speaking, those .30 cal hunting cans are not going to work very well on a 5.56 semiauto. The reason being that there's no free lunch, and what works well on a .30cal bolt gun that prioritizes light weight and minimal accuracy loss isn't going to play super well on an AR semi, where durability and reduced backpressure will matter much more. So if you really want to try one on an AR too, get a dedicated AR can like an Otter Creek Polonium that's designed for hard use with a semi/full 5.56.

9mm cans work best on PCC's but Beretta 92's work better as suppressor hosts than a multitude of other options. Here I would focus on light weight and moderate/small size over a huge-ass whisper pickle that's heavy and causes cycling problems and makes the pistol handle like crap, even if suppression performance suffers a bit to make that trade. Ecco Machine has a model called the Canine that's 100% titanium and only 3.5oz or so, so I'd really like to get for those exact reasons. They have a longer version called the TLX too that's also well-regarded. Once Hansohn Brothers gets either model back in stock I'll be buying one (possibly both).

[gringop]

I will relate my experience with my one can.

I bought a YHM Turbo due to it being a screaming deal at the time. After 9 months it was approved, I got it in my grubby little hands and started working up 223 loads for it.

What I found is that there are no viable 223 bullets/loads that will run subsonic, cycle the action and retain enough energy to be usable for hunting. I was able to work up some 75 gr loads that ended up at 991 fps and dropped about 6" at 100 yards. They were James Bond movie quiet but had little to no use in realistic hunting situations.

In retrospect, for my needs, I should have bought a 30 cal can that I could use on both my 223 ARs and larger calibers where you have enough bullet mass to be subsonic and still have enough power for hunting.

I use my can every time I shoot my ARs and love it but I wish I had bought a 30 cal from the get go.

Gringop

[Horseman]

.22 LR suppressors are the closest to "Hollywood quiet" with the right ammo. They are great for training new shooters.

Plus, they are one heck of a lot of fun to shoot and use the cheapest ammunition.

One bit of warning: suppressors are like potato chips. It's hard to stop at just one.

[spence]

.22 LR suppressors are the closest to "Hollywood quiet" with the right ammo. They are great for training new shooters.

Plus, they are one heck of a lot of fun to shoot and use the cheapest ammunition.

One bit of warning: suppressors are like potato chips. It's hard to stop at just one.

Yeah, I keep that in mind on the reg contemplating this stuff….. I’ve also got one of those awesome wives that doesn’t give a shit what gets bought and like to play with things, too.

I just generally don’t shoot a lot of rimfire these days, and I live smack in the middle of town. Where I used to live, I was the last house in city limits and “town” was less than 100 folks. .22 can would have been perfect there, especially shooting vermin. I did cap of a possum once in my barn with a 9mm, but that’s because it was my carry pistol and that’s just what I had on me. But dang it was loud.

[nate89]

I think what silencers you begin buying should also depend on your long term plans with silencers (in addition to your personal priorities of sound reduction, POI shift, backpressure, weight, length, attachment method, etc.). In my experience, many people who buy silencers start with getting "do-all" models. There's a reason silencers like the Hybrid 46 are so popular and marketed so heavily: for someone who is buying their first silencer it makes sense-I can use it on almost any firearm that I would ever want o suppress. The problem is many people will eventually start purchasing more niche silencers, and inevitably the "do-all" silencer ends up stashed in the back of the safe and never gets used. In my opinion (based on buying about 6 silencers and wishing I could change what I bought), I would buy the best silencer for what you most want to use it with, then gradually fill the other roles with other silencers that do that particular job best. For example, if you really want to shoot a 5.56 AR suppressed, then get the best silencer for that caliber and system (I like the information Jay from Pew Science is releasing, and has been very informative for me).

Now, if you truly want to buy 2-3 silencers and are certain you will not be buying more, then maybe the "do-all" silencer will be the best option for you. I thought I would be the same way, now I have general purpose cans I wish I could get rid of and replace with more specific cans that would do a much better job at what I want.

I also agree with getting a quality 22 rimfire can first-they are usually the most inexpensive and best performing as far as sound, and are a ton of fun!

[HeavyDuty]

I ended up with four, and only see possible holes for two more:

.22 - Dead Air Mask
9mm - YHM R-9
5.56 - YHM Turbo T3
.30, 5.56 and 6.5 Grendel - Dead Air Sandman-S

The two possible future purchases would be another 9mm can to leave direct threaded under the handguard on one of my MPXes, and something like a Sandman-L for bolt 7.62 and 6.5 Creed.

[psalms144.1]

I own zero cans but have a buddy who has several. His first was a 5.56 can he mounted on his SBR. It is HEAVY and turns the SBR into a 16" barreled nose heavy club and doesn't really reduce sound signature significantly. Then he bought a multi-caliber lightweight modular can thinking he'd be swapping it from 9mm to .308 to 5.56. Ends up riding in its shortest configuration on his SBR most of the time, where, like its predecessor, it does only a very little to mitigate the obnoxiousness of 5.56mm's "bark" indoors.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to be on the outdoor range with him when he's shooting the SBR without a suppressor at all. So it has some usefulness. BUT, it's not terribly effective on his AR10, even less effective on his SBR, and he sold the 9mm PCC he bought it thinking he was going to shoot it on, so...

IF I ever get into this game myself, I'll be starting with the smallest, lightest .22LR can I can afford for pistol work and to hang on the end of my 15-22. Next would be a dedicated .30 can for the 300BO SBR I don't own yet but really want. I don't think I'd ever get enough use out of a 9mm PISTOL-focused can, and I'm already not impressed with the noise reduction on any 5.56. I guess that just leaves getting a .45 caliber can for my .45-70 lever :-)

[JRB]

I own zero cans but have a buddy who has several. His first was a 5.56 can he mounted on his SBR. It is HEAVY and turns the SBR into a 16" barreled nose heavy club and doesn't really reduce sound signature significantly. Then he bought a multi-caliber lightweight modular can thinking he'd be swapping it from 9mm to .308 to 5.56. Ends up riding in its shortest configuration on his SBR most of the time, where, like its predecessor, it does only a very little to mitigate the obnoxiousness of 5.56mm's "bark" indoors.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to be on the outdoor range with him when he's shooting the SBR without a suppressor at all. So it has some usefulness. BUT, it's not terribly effective on his AR10, even less effective on his SBR, and he sold the 9mm PCC he bought it thinking he was going to shoot it on, so...

IF I ever get into this game myself, I'll be starting with the smallest, lightest .22LR can I can afford for pistol work and to hang on the end of my 15-22. Next would be a dedicated .30 can for the 300BO SBR I don't own yet but really want. I don't think I'd ever get enough use out of a 9mm PISTOL-focused can, and I'm already not impressed with the noise reduction on any 5.56. I guess that just leaves getting a .45 caliber can for my .45-70 lever :-)

We really need the exact make & model of your buddy's suppressors to really give this anecdote any real value at all. There's a lot of real turds of suppressors out there, and very few of the 'do it all' models really do anything well.

Pewscience is a great resource if you want to read about some current models on the market, and get a grasp of just how rapidly things are progressing in suppressor development these days.