Suppressors are experiencing a meteoric rise in popularity and it’s no mystery why. While there can be a certain satisfaction in the loud boom of a gunshot, it’s generally much more pleasant to shoot quietly.
Moreover, shooting suppressed protects the user’s hearing, as well as that of any bystanders. It tames muzzle blast to avoid buffeting others on the firing line. It even helps to reduce noise pollution. All of these are key reasons why you should shoot with a suppressor if you are able.
For the majority of ballistic pursuits, suppressors just make sense.
Silencer or Suppressor?
Technically, “silencer” is the more correct term, since that is the word used for legal documents and legislation. “Suppressor” came into common usage as a more descriptively accurate term, since these devices don’t truly make a firearm silent, only reduce the noise they produce.
At the end of the day, both terms are equally understood to refer to a metal tube that attaches to the end of your rifle and dampens the report of a gunshot. Use either, or both, unless in the context of an actual legal document such as an NFA trust.
Understanding Caliber Compatibility
Often, when starting out on their NFA journey, users will look for one silencer that can suppress all or most of their firearms. This isn’t an inherently bad idea—though one should consider the tradeoffs involved—but to do so safely and effectively, it’s important to understand how caliber compatibility works.
As a general rule of thumb, it is usually safe to shoot a smaller caliber through a suppressor chambered for a larger one. However, this guideline is not true 100% of the time; for instance, while .338 Lapua Magnum is technically a smaller caliber than .45 ACP, running .338 through a .45 ACP suppressor is likely to be a recipe for disaster.
It’s important to consider not just the caliber but also the overall pressure generated by the round. A round that is both smaller caliber and lower pressure than the cartridge for which your suppressor is designed will almost always be safe to fire through it, but when in doubt, always defer to the manufacturer’s instructions.
As a rule, though, if you want to use your suppressor on multiple firearms, pick one that will suppress the biggest, most powerful firearm you own, and you will often be able to run it on smaller-caliber guns with little difficulty.
Types of Suppressors
Suppressors come in all shapes and sizes, from pill bottle-sized rimfire cans, to gargantuan .50 BMG suppressors, to sleek, high-tech designs only possible with additive manufacturing. Each one has a place and purpose, but it’s important to understand the differences and best use cases before buying.
Multi-Caliber vs. Dedicated Suppressors
Suppressors aren’t cheap, particularly once you take into account the $200 tax stamp attached to each one. The cost of picking up a suppressor for each caliber of firearm you own can be daunting. As such, it’s no surprise that multi-caliber suppressors are among the most popular models, particularly for those new to silencer ownership.
The idea of buying one suppressor for all of your firearms is obviously an attractive one, but it’s not without tradeoffs.
For starters, there’s really no such thing as a multicaliber suppressor. Suppressors do not offer modular baffle stacks, so there is no way to change the diameter of the opening in the baffles other than just boring it out, which is obviously an irreversible modification. Some suppressors offer interchangeable end caps, which allow the user to swap the diameter of that aperture, but most find that such changes have minimal impact on sound suppression.
Instead, what you’re really doing when you buy a multi-caliber suppressor is buying an oversized suppressor for your needs. This can be as simple as buying a .30 cal suppressor for your .308 hunting rifle and also using it for your 5.56×45 AR-15, or buying a beefy .45 caliber can like the Silencerco 46M and using it for everything from .338 RUM to .223. In any instance, the caliber of the suppressor doesn’t change.
The downside to this strategy is that overbored suppressors generally do not offer as much sound suppression as those more narrowly tailored to a specific caliber. An overbored suppressor can also have a negative impact on accuracy when used with a smaller-diameter round, although the effect is not universal. The larger the discrepancy, the more performance is typically lost.
In some cases, the change in performance is negligible. For instance, many 5.56 suppressors are actually bored to allow the use of 6mm projectiles. While they are technically slightly overbored, there’s almost no measurable difference in sound suppression. But, the same cannot be said for running 5.56 through a suppressor with a .45 caliber opening.
Additionally, oversized cans will typically be heavier than an appropriately sized suppressor. This can be alleviated by choosing a titanium model, but that brings its own tradeoffs.
Lastly, trying to use a single suppressor for all your firearms can be quite cumbersome. Pistols nearly always require the use of different mounting systems than rifles, so you may need to change parts in your suppressor in order to move it from a rifle to a handgun, or vice versa. This quickly becomes tedious to do at the range and often involves lugging extra tools around with you to make it possible.
Ultimately, there’s no wrong choice between buying a single, multi-purpose suppressor or getting a dedicated one for each caliber—or even a dedicated can for each firearm—but buyers should consider the performance they are forfeiting in exchange for cost savings.
Rifle vs. Pistol Suppressors
From a technical standpoint, there’s very little difference between rifle and pistol suppressors. They both use the same designs, the same materials, and accomplish the same task. The most salient difference comes in how they attach to your firearm.
While rifle suppressors can be directly threaded onto a barrel or quick-disconnect muzzle device, pistol suppressors require some additional components to be functional on most handgun models. Because most semi-automatic pistols utilize a tilting barrel or similar locking mechanism, adding the weight of a suppressor to the end of that barrel can cause the gun to malfunction, as the action of the firearm no longer has enough force to tilt the barrel.
The solution to this comes in the form of a Nielsen device, also known as a piston or booster. This spring-operated device helps unlock the firearm’s action during operation and ensures reliable function when a suppressor is used.
Rifles, with their stationary barrels, have no need for such a device. Neither do fixed-barreled pistols, but those are rare in centerfire calibers.
Besides the inclusion of a Neilsen device, pistol suppressors tend to be smaller and lighter than rifle-caliber suppressors, owing primarily to the reduced size of the cartridge they are intended to suppress.
Rimfire vs. Centerfire Suppressors
Rimfire suppressors are in most respects simply smaller versions of centerfire suppressors. Because rimfire pistols typically do not utilize tilting barrels, rimfire suppressors are generally not designed for use with Nielsen devices.
The most significant difference between rimfire and centerfire suppressors is that rimfire suppressors are rarely fully welded—that is, they are designed so that the end user can easily disassemble the baffle stack from the suppressor tube.
This is because rimfire cartridges tend to deposit significantly more fouling inside the suppressor body, and lack the potency to blast that fouling out when it becomes built up. Centerfire suppressors are typically self-cleaning to a degree because the force of the gas from the gunshot will eject larger, looser bits of fouling, preventing debilitating build-up.
As such, rimfire suppressors need to be cleaned with much greater frequency than centerfire suppressors, particularly in the case of a .22LR suppressor. To facilitate this, manufacturers typically refrain from welding the baffles into the tube—whereas they commonly do so for centerfire suppressors in order to achieve greater durability and pressure resistance.
Low Back Pressure Vs. Traditional
Also sometimes called reduced back pressure, these cans allow gas from the gunshot to vent out the front of the suppressor after slowing and cooling during its journey through a labyrinthine baffle stack. Traditional cans, on the other hand, are sealed systems, allowing gas to exit only one of two ways; out the front aperture, or out the back through the firearm’s ejection port.
Low back pressure designs come with a great many benefits. Because gas can escape through the suppressor in a controlled manner, the amount of gas directed back toward the user through the ejection port or the space around a charging handle is limited, often making for a much more pleasant firing experience.
The reduced amount of gas directed back into the action also means that low back-pressure suppressors have a lesser effect on the equilibrium of the hosting rifle, thereby requiring less tuning of the firearm in order to operate properly with the suppressor attached. This is a minor benefit for easily tuned guns, such as those with highly adjustable gas blocks or pistons, but a major one for traditional AR-15s and other firearms that lack an easy way to limit the amount of gas fed into the action.
Despite these considerable advantages, reduced back pressure suppressors are not all upsides. They typically offer less effective suppression than their traditional counterparts, particularly on extremely quiet, subsonic calibers. They also tend to be more complex to manufacture, often utilizing designs that are only possible with additive manufacturing, increasing costs.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Suppressor
There’s a lot that goes into buying a suppressor, particularly if it’s your first. Once you own a few, your experience with them will often inform your next purchase—your first time, though, all you have to go on is research.
Sound suppression, weight, and length tend to be correlated, so it makes sense to evaluate all three of these attributes together. For the absolute maximum suppression possible, you’ll need a big silencer with a lot of internal volume. That means a lot of length and weight added to your firearm, which will influence its handling and may make it impractical for certain tasks. Suppression is important, but if it compromises the utility of your firearm, it isn’t worth it.
Ultimately, you’ll have to weigh suppression capability against weight to find the balance that is best for your preferences and use case.
The next thing to consider, and one that is closely related to weight, is what material you want your suppressor to be made from. Ultralight materials like titanium allow for a much greater suppression in much lighter packages, but typically cannot handle the same abuse as heavier, tougher suppressors. Titanium suppressors may have limits on firing schedule or calibers that a steel or Inconel suppressor would not.
As such, titanium is often an ideal material for hunting suppressors, which are carried frequently and fired slowly. On the other hand, it would be an exceedingly poor choice for a semi-automatic rifle that sees frequent mag dumps.
Next, you’ll want to consider versatility—do you want a large caliber suppressor that can handle your entire arsenal, or would you prefer to maximize performance on only one caliber?
You’ll also need to decide on a mounting platform. There are a variety of different platforms available, including those from Dead Air, Surefire, Q, Griffin Armament, Huxwrx, and more. An increasingly common option is 1.375×24 threading on the muzzle end of the suppressor, also sometimes known as Bravo or HUB threading, which allows for the use of a variety of adapters for most of the aforementioned mount platforms.
Each mount has its own pros and cons, but the most important thing is to choose one platform and stick with it if you intend to swap suppressors between host firearms frequently. Of course, if you intended to have a dedicated suppressor for each firearm, your choice of mount matters considerably less.
Popular Models
There are nearly as many different makes and models of suppressors on the market as there are guns. Calibers, materials, and designs abound, so it can be easy to fall victim to analysis-paralysis. Below, we’ll take a look at some of the most popular models.
Diligent Defense
Best known for its Enticer series of suppressors, Diligent Defense is a newer company in the industry, but one that is quickly building a reputation for impressively quiet silencers.
Their suppressors tend to be on the larger side for their size—the standard Enticer measures nearly 7″ long, while the L model is over 8″—but they more than makeup for it with excellent noise suppression.
Diligent Defense offers suppressors in both steel and titanium variants as well as a variety of finishes. All of their centerfire suppressors accept Dead Air style end caps and HUB threaded adapters, allowing users to choose their mounting system.
Surefire
One of the best-known names in the industry, Surefire has been making bomb-proof suppressors for decades. Their suppressors are extremely well-respected and heavily utilized by police and military units.
If durability is your top priority, a Surefire suppressor should be a top contender. And now, with the introduction of their new RC3 suppressor, that same nigh-invincibility they are known for can be had in a low back pressure format.
However, Surefire suppressors do not offer HUB threading, so users will have to stick to Surefire muzzle devices to ensure compatibility.
Huxwrx
Huxwrx is all about low back pressure. Their flow-through technology is incredibly efficient and offers exceptional sound suppression for a low back-pressure can.
Their most iconic line of suppressors is the aptly named Flow series, which utilizes a type of 3D printing technology to construct complex baffle designs that would not be possible with traditional manufacturing methods. To maintain peak performance, this line does not offer HUB threading and must be used with a compatible Huxwrx muzzle device.
For those desiring a more versatile mounting system, the Ventum line uses more traditional construction and accepts HUB-threaded adapters, allowing it to use a variety of different muzzle devices.
Aero Precision
As with all of Aero Precision’s products, the Lahar 30 line of suppressors offers exceptional value and commitment to durability. Offered in three different lengths, the Lahar 30 is crafted out of the toughest possible materials and has no minimum barrel length restrictions or rate of fire limitations.
Lahar 30 suppressors offer both HUB threading and removable end caps and are rated for any centerfire cartridge with a caliber of .30 or less up to .300 Win Mag, making them exceptionally versatile cans.
Yankee Hill Machine
Yankee Hill Suppressors offer some of the greatest bang for your buck on the market.
The YHM R9 is a particularly popular model, which, while designed as a 9mm suppressor, is built so tough that it can still be used with calibers up to .308 Winchester, albeit with certain barrel length minimums. The R9 is HUB threaded for mount versatility and can even accept a Nielsen device for use on 9mm handguns.
Q
Known well across the industry for its commitment to innovation, Q offers a complete line of suppressors both large and small.
Q’s suppressors range from featherweight rimfire designs like the El Camino all the way up to full-sized though still lightweight models like the all-titanium thunder chicken. Q’s centerfire suppressors enjoy a solid reputation for excellent sound suppression and are popular for both precision rifles and firearms seeking to absolutely minimize their noise signature, such as .300 Blackout rifles.
If you want the absolute quietest firing experience, a Q suppressor is worthy of consideration.
Conclusion
A suppressor is a fantastic way to invest in both your shooting experience and personal health by protecting your hearing.
While they are by no means inexpensive accessories, even just one or two suppressors can easily handle your entire collection of firearms, offering a phenomenal bang for your buck. Or, if you want the absolute best performance possible, dedicated suppressors for each firearm will offer superior suppression and fewer drawbacks, other than cost, of course.
In the end, there is no one right way to approach suppressor ownership.
