Suppressors - Looking to purchase my first

DarthRevan

DarthRevan

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Looking to purchase my first, for an AR in 5.56

I’m leaning towards a trust so I can eventually add my wife and future kid(s) to. Any method in particular that works better than others? Looks like there’s a silencerco kiosk in one of my local shops that can do the fingerprinting and trust set up. Sounds like the best option.

For hardware, .30 cal cans are what I’m leaning towards so I can swap to a bolt action .308 in the future. Any reason why a 5.56 can would be a better choice, even at the cost of being platform specific?
 
one-eyed Jack said:
Don't bother with a trust for one NFA item. Jack.
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The problem is you can't have only one, and by your third you are wishing you had done a trust from the begining.

I did not do a trust for my first NFA as I did not want to go through adding everyone to the trust when I started. But I could have just done the trust for myself and then added them later.
 
I need to get my wife back down to Holden as a co trustor for prints and photo as I forgot about that "gotcha" because my sbr was done prior to the change.

IMHO the trust allows her to keep stuff without any additional transfers/tax if I cash out.

EDIT:
Sorry OP, I had to leave for a phone call. I bought a 30 can for my first as I can use it a few guns. If I get another I'll mix it up a little on maybe something a little more dedicated for pistol.
 
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I started with a 30cal can, I recommend that to everyone looking at their first suppressor. If you feel like it was a good purchase (it is) and you want more (you will), then look at a 556 can to fit the specific need you want to fill.

I started with a trust, it is a waste of time now. Cans are not machine guns or heirloom items, they are a wear item and you will replace it if you shoot enough through it.
 
In my experience, I would not cheap out. Buy good cans, and focus on weight and durability for rifle, and durability/cleanability for pistol and rimfire. Silencerco is awesome, you can't go wrong with anything they have. Curtis tactical is a smaller maker but I had them recore my thompson machine THIRTY (I would not buy TM stuff again) and it is awesome now. My recommendation:

1) Rifle can that works for every rifle you could conceivably buy. Lightweight and brake mount. 1.5 OD.
2) Pistol can that works for every pistol you could conceivably buy. Doesn't have to be serviceable if you also get #3. Otherwise I would shy away from aluminum. I like thread mount and 1.375 OD or square (silencerco osprey)
3) Rimfire can that is easy to take apart and is durable. Think stainless with an inner tube or tight fitting baffles. Thread mount is fine. You will use this most.

That will let you run everything you have suppressed, which you will want to once you get a suppressor haha.

Also, buy threaded barrels, brake mounts, get stuff threaded, get suppressor sights etc. NOW. Don't wait till you get the suppressors. You will probably want an SBR or three after you run a rifle can on a 16+" rifle a few times. Garand thumb has a good video on SBR lengths for ARs. I agree with his assessments.

ETA: bore size doesn't affect suppression that much. I.e., running a 30cal on a 556 wont be perceptibly louder, but it might be bigger overall.
 
edmorseiii said:
I started with a 30cal can, I recommend that to everyone looking at their first suppressor. If you feel like it was a good purchase (it is) and you want more (you will), then look at a 556 can to fit the specific need you want to fill.

I started with a trust, it is a waste of time now. Cans are not machine guns or heirloom items, they are a wear item and you will replace it if you shoot enough through it.
Click to expand...
Thank you for this informative post. I never thought about it wearing out someday.
 
one-eyed Jack said:
If you have a .30 can you can get adaptors for any threaded barrel up to that caliber. So one size fits all. Don't bother with a trust for one NFA item. Jack.
Click to expand...

Is there a point of diminishing returns on this?

Would .45 or .357 work for .30 cal? I'm guessing .22 would work with anything. I'm thinking lever guns - but is there a big difference in pistol vs rifle?

I'm only a tire kicker, but NES is way better than doing real research.
 
tuna said:
Is there a point of diminishing returns on this?

Would .45 or .357 work for .30 cal? I'm guessing .22 would work with anything. I'm thinking lever guns - but is there a big difference in pistol vs rifle?

I'm only a tire kicker, but NES is way better than doing real research.
Click to expand...
Bigger bores let more flash out. If you don't know why that matters, then it isn't something you should worry about on your first can.

.22 is dirty, I only shoot .22 through my .22 can which can be cleaned, or more appropriately, emptied. I have a pistol can but that is because it was cheap, they are very much a novelty unless you have a sub gun or PCC to suppress. Rifle cartridges shoot at much higher pressures then pistol cartridges, so unless the can is rated for rifle cartridges, stick to rifle cans.
 
Staring with a .30 silencer isn't a horrible idea but it will certainly leave you with a less than ideal experience. People will say buy a .30 silencer it can shoot both 5.56 and .308 and thats absolutely true. I will tell you that you should buy silencers for a purpose. The silencer thats good on your gas gun may very well suck on your bolt gun. Everything in the silencer world is subjective except for one site, people will recommend shit tier silencers to defend their own bad choices or maybe they just don't have enough experience. I bought my first NFA item in 1994 at the age of 21 and I'm closing in on 100 stamps and you should still take any recommendation I make as subjective. On a 5.56 gas gun I would recommend the Surefire RC2556 or the OSSHX-QD 5.56. Both of these silencers are going to be quieter to the shooter because they have low flow restriction, you can probably even avoid tuning your weapon if you sometimes shoot unsuppressed.

This is the only objective data on silencers and silenced weapon platforms, its free and its very valuable data. There are still a lot of silencers to be tested and be very careful trying to compare silencers across weapon hosts. PEW Science
 
I was originally looking at a Trash Panda but the Pew link said it wasn’t great for 7.62 and over bored for 5.56… I know a mk18 isn’t a 16” barrel but they don’t have data for that on this side of their pay wall.
Since I’m mainly looking for 5.56, what do those more experienced recommend?
 
DarthRevan said:
I was originally looking at a Trash Panda but the Pew link said it wasn’t great for 7.62 and over bored for 5.56… I know a mk18 isn’t a 16” barrel but they don’t have data for that on this side of their pay wall.
Since I’m mainly looking for 5.56, what do those more experienced recommend?
Click to expand...
Everything is public, you get some research and at ear dBs when you’re a member. He hasn’t tested any 16 inch ARs yet. Keep in mind the MK18 is probably the worst weapon to run silenced, he picked it for that reason and because it’s so popular. Anything you see on the MK18 can probably be improved a point or two with a proper dwell time, AGB and a Surefire BCG. In the end though a 5.56 gas gun is going to be loud, they're really hard to suppress.
 
DarthRevan said:
I was originally looking at a Trash Panda but the Pew link said it wasn’t great for 7.62 and over bored for 5.56…
Since I’m mainly looking for 5.56, what do those more experienced recommend?
Click to expand...
Don't get wrapped around the axle, it is a tube with baffles in it. Suppressor nerds are up there with nightvision nerds when it comes to bickering about whats best or worst based on numbers that don't mean shit to the casual user. I have old cans, new cans, cheap and expensive cans. You know what they all do? Quiet down the guns they are threaded on.

Pick your budget including the kings tax and the cost to replace the muzzle devices on the rifles you want to use it on, and go from there.

I want a Half Nelson for my MCX, but that's because those cans are light and I don't intend to take the can off that barrel.
 
DarthRevan said:
I was originally looking at a Trash Panda but the Pew link said it wasn’t great for 7.62 and over bored for 5.56… I know a mk18 isn’t a 16” barrel but they don’t have data for that on this side of their pay wall.
Since I’m mainly looking for 5.56, what do those more experienced recommend?
Click to expand...
My nephew has the TP and it works fine on sub 300BO but it makes a funny sound with 556.
I bought the Sig 7.62 QD rated up to 300WM mostly for my 300 and will seek out sub 556 ammo. I’ll likely buy a dedicated upper for my AR10 as I’m not spending the money to thread my 24” stainless barrel.
Who knows what I’ll do moving forward after that.

It was a “happy retirement” toy for me.
 
edmorseiii said:
Don't get wrapped around the axle, it is a tube with baffles in it. Suppressor nerds are up there with nightvision nerds when it comes to bickering about whats best or worst based on numbers that don't mean shit to the casual user. I have old cans, new cans, cheap and expensive cans. You know what they all do? Quiet down the guns they are threaded on.

Pick your budget including the kings tax and the cost to replace the muzzle devices on the rifles you want to use it on, and go from there.

I want a Half Nelson for my MCX, but that's because those cans are light and I don't intend to take the can off that barrel.
Click to expand...
I’m a silencer nerd so I have to point out that they aren’t just baffle stacks anymore. Coaxial path silencers like CGS Hyperion and Helios, DDS Enticer and the DAA Nomad are another tier better at suppression, especially in the supersonic realm.
 
edmorseiii said:
Don't get wrapped around the axle, it is a tube with baffles in it. Suppressor nerds are up there with nightvision nerds when it comes to bickering about whats best or worst based on numbers that don't mean shit to the casual user. I have old cans, new cans, cheap and expensive cans. You know what they all do? Quiet down the guns they are threaded on.

Pick your budget including the kings tax and the cost to replace the muzzle devices on the rifles you want to use it on, and go from there.

I want a Half Nelson for my MCX, but that's because those cans are light and I don't intend to take the can off that barrel.
Click to expand...
Best advice yet. Jack.
 
JRT said:
I’m a silencer nerd so I have to point out that they aren’t just baffle stacks anymore. Coaxial path silencers like CGS Hyperion and Helios, DDS Enticer and the DAA Nomad are another tier better at suppression, especially in the supersonic realm.
Click to expand...
Right, and all that is super neat, but meh. Home boy is talking buying his first can that he will likely use to crack a few shots off in his backyard, not some whizbang hype beast game changer.
 
Don’t start buying suppressors unless you want to go broke quick and not have anything to show for it for 9 months, lol.

I bought one and then bought two more before I even got my first one…now that I have all three I need more.

Personally I started with a dead air nomad for my .300blk and .30 and 6.5 bolt and AR’s with keymo mounts and muzzle devices…then got a wolverine to supplement my retarded amount of AK’s (first world problem of having to buy another .30 cal suppressor JUST for my commie guns because I hate swapping thread inserts.)

Now I need a Primal because…well, just because. Not sure if I’ll get one though, because now that I’ll be in KY, I can hunt with regular center fire rifle and done ‘need’ 458 socom.
 
edmorseiii said:
I started with a trust, it is a waste of time now. Cans are not machine guns or heirloom items, they are a wear item and you will replace it if you shoot enough through it.
Click to expand...
How would a Titanium YHM with Inconel baffles wear out?
 

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