Looking for suppressors with superior sound reduction

[BillyDa59]

It seems like the general marketing trend for suppressors is to manufacture/buy whatever's smallest and most resembles the comically tiny things you see in video games.

I'm sure other things affect the sound reduction, like the geometry of the internals but everyone who's ever spent more range time than Xbox time knows that even just the length of a barrel greatly affects how loud the report of the gun is. Eg, you definitely need hearing protection to shoot a .22 pistol, vs running the same ammo through a bolt action rifle makes the need for hearing protection debatable.

You'd think the benefit of a suppressor with greater internal volume would be apparent but people insist on wasting a tax stamp on a shot glass-sized piece of garbage so they can be like the guy from Demolition Ranch or FPS Russia or something.

Do any companies out there put greater emphasis on sound suppression than looks? My first suppressor will probably be for a 9mm pistol.

I've heard some people manufacture their own, maybe I should give that a try and design an unusually large one. I remember there was a guy on here a few years back who really thought DIY was the best way to do suppressors. I think he had a website with some designs and a quick rundown on how to let the ATF know you're building your own vs purchasing. Can anyone offer advice on DIY vs purchased?

Thank you.

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[kmk1012]

I talked to my lgs and wanted the quietest 30 cal can and I didn't care about size and weight. He sold me a AAC 762SD. It's still pending approval and I'm excited to try it out. The thing is huge, like 9"s long (giggity!). I just hope I'm not let down by my expectations when I do get to play with it, giggity again!

 

[User 1234]

I guess I'm one of those people who "wasted a tax stamp on a shot-glass size piece of garbage...".

Different people have different needs and goals than you, and that does not make them beneath your condescending and superior intellect. Have you considered that some women cannot aim a pistol with a full volume can hanging off the front? Or that the size is convenient and the lesser decibel reduction is still acceptable?

 

[Deerhurst]

Barrel length doesn't necessarily change noise level, only perceived noise level due to it being further from your ear.

Volume helps. Big volume cans are generally quiet. If you are worried about first round pop you have to purge the can of oxygen.

Small and quiet requires wipes.


I've heard F1 cans where the bullet impact onna tree at 100 yards is the loudest part of the entire thing. You can make dammed good F1 cans if you have an idea of what you are doing, don't cheap on materials and are a good machinist.

My 17oz can is very quiet but dang heavy on a pistol. I'll sacrifice a few ounces and some diameter so I can use my sights and hold it on target then load some stuff specifically for that application if I want stupid quiet.

That same can on a rifle is OK but you feel the weight. In comp it is noticably slower moving between targets.

 

[P7M13]

Barrel length definitely changes noise levels, as shown in studies. Longer barrel = lower gas pressure as bullet leaves.

 

[ORhutner]

Different strokes for different folks. There are so many factors to consider when selecting a suppressor. We are all making our selection based on a set of criteria that is unique to ourselves. So can you provide us with some additional details on what firearm/firearms you are looking to suppress and in what calibers. That will help us provide better feedback on what suppressors and brands might best fit your needs.

With the limited info you provided, I would recommend looking at Dead Air, Rugged and CGS. The Dead Air Wolfman is tops in the 9mm PCC world right now but due to its diameter isn't an ideal pistol can. Rugged Obsidian and CGS Mod 9 are what most consider the top 9mm pistol cans on the market. For only a slight increase in weight the Rugged Obsidian 45 is likely a better choice than the 9mm and some owners report getting better sound reduction out of their Obsidian 45 shooting 9mm than they do with their 9mm Obsidian. The CGS Mod 9 is usually regarded as the quietest 9mm can on the market but only by a few DB's at most and at the expense of durability. When I say durability I am talking about it only having a stainless steel blast baffle with the remaining baffles being aluminum.

I would stick with a known brand in the industry since you are going to spend $200 on a tax stamp and could be waiting a year or more for approval and receipt of your stamp. Quality brands are going to be in business and able to repair your can in the event of user error or baffle strike and keep you from having to get another stamp and wait that year all over again because you needed a new serial#/can. Lots of suppressor companies are here today and gone tomorrow, even industry icons are on the verge of going under so make sure you do your research. AAC was purchased by the same holding company that owns Remington and laid off most of their staff around Xmas, has done very little R&D to stay current in the market and doesn't pass the sniff test for a company headed in the right direction. There are similar concerns for Gemtech also.

Brands to look at reviews of to for your own opinion in general: YHM, CGS, Dead Air, CGS, Thunderbeast, Q, Griffin, Rugged, Bowers (Local Oregon Company and been doing it a long time) and SilencerCo.

Other things to consider:
- Host tolerance to back pressure
- POI shift due to unmount/remount
- Tone
- Mounting method
- Durability
- Serviceability
- Material tolerance to cleaning method
- Rated caliber
- Barrel length restrictions

 

[Deerhurst]

Barrel length definitely changes noise levels, as shown in studies. Longer barrel = lower gas pressure as bullet leaves.

To a point but most of us cannot hear the difference or determine the difference.

At 10 feet my 8.3" AK74 sounds about the same as a 16" AR with the same can. Krink has more action noise as racking an AK is louder than racking an AR. I can make the krink quieter than a Glock or an AKV with the same can if I do the right loads/ammo. the krink has a fireball out of the can too running full power ammo.

It's not so much the barrel length as the load and perceived noise. With the right loads I can make just about anything as louse as a mouse fart. I can also turn around and make things "loud" with a can by just changing load, bullet weight, manufacurer, etc. Lots of variables. Some platforms dump has in different places making them sound louder or quieter. ARs and AKs dump it in your face. Bolt guns dump it out the muzzle. Blowback guns seem to vary.

Either way, with most supersonic ammo the loudest part will be the bullet crossing the sound barrier no matter the barrel length in my experience. I'd be willing to bet tone is more important than pure DB volume.

I also tend to load my own for what I want out of each cartridge. I have 165gr subs in 9mm, 112gr subs in 223 (these were louder than expected at the shooters ear), 110gr subs in tokarev(for use in an AR though supers sound like supersonic 22LR through a can), working up a cycling sub for 5.45x39, 220gr 7.62x39 etc.

 

[BrandonQuixote]

Using subsonic ammo will be more beneficial over which brand you pick. You can really only make the explosion so quiet and still have a usable gun, its really based on volume. Getting a "universal" can like something that's rated for 45 calibers and using it on a 9x19 will some-what decrease the impracticality of a pistol suppressor provides by letting you use it on multiple calibers and multiple hand guns. Dead Air's Wolf man might be a good choice because its a .30 cal for 300blk subs but can be direct threaded to your 9x19 and with the key mo brake, you can shoot 5.56 and supersonic 300blk through it. Its configurable, so you can take off a baffle stack set and use the other 2/3rd's with the end cap and have a smaller, more pointable pistol.

 

[BillyDa59]

I talked to my lgs and wanted the quietest 30 cal can and I didn't care about size and weight. He sold me a AAC 762SD. It's still pending approval and I'm excited to try it out. The thing is huge, like 9"s long (giggity!). I just hope I'm not let down by my expectations when I do get to play with it, giggity again!

Thank you for the recommendation, you seem like one of the few people who share my design philosophy on what makes a good suppressor. You may want to checkout the webpage for that particular suppressor you mentioned. It claims a noise reduction of 30 dB while the AAC-762SDN-6 supposedly reduces the sound by 39 dB. I suppose this may contradict the experience of whoever sold you yours but it may be worth mentioning to them if changing your mind wouldn't delay the approval process too much.

Barrel length doesn't necessarily change noise level, only perceived noise level due to it being further from your ear.

Volume helps.

Thank you for your input. Please take a .22 rifle and a .22 pistol to a shooting range. Preferably both non-semiauto. Have someone shoot the pistol from 10ft away. You will notice it is louder than the rifle in your own hands. Unless your rifle's barrel is 10' or longer (additional giggity) your point about noise levels primarily being the result of the distance between the sound source and your ear is definitely not true.

Barrel length definitely changes noise levels, as shown in studies. Longer barrel = lower gas pressure as bullet leaves.

I actually do appreciate your input in particular. It's amazing what people will refuse to believe. I think the only valuable piece of information Deerhurst has offered is the notion that the frequency/tone of the gunshot can be a bigger factor in how far away you have to be before the sound is completely unnoticeable. All I know is that bassier sounds (lower frequencies/tones) travel further and through solid mediums easier. Eg, walls, trees, bushes. I wonder if suppressor companies might benefit from also listing the tone/frequency range of products.

 

[SHOOTZMEDLER]

Take a look at all the DB level decrease these companies claim. There is so many factors to cans. Types of metal used, length of can, type of ammo even things down to ease of maintenance and cleaning.

For a 9mm pistol handgun the weight and balance of a long can throws me off personally.. on an AR9 pistol it balances out well. I went with a omega 9k for my AR9 and occasional use on my G19, I run a surefire on my SBR 556, and some generic one on my AR22 and a slim line generic one on my 22 pistol.

Different strokes for different folks. All cans help with DB levels so they're doing the job they were made to do. I know all my cans are without "ears" (hearing protection) safe.

 

[Deerhurst]

Thank you for your input. Please take a .22 rifle and a .22 pistol to a shooting range. Preferably both non-semiauto. Have someone shoot the pistol from 10ft away. You will notice it is louder than the rifle in your own hands. Unless your rifle's barrel is 10' or longer (additional giggity) your point about noise levels primarily being the result of the distance between the sound source and your ear is definitely not true.

Do it with a meter. If you are not a top audio engineer in the nation your ears are useless at determining volume. I regularly do similar with full bore, not tiny pop guns like your 22 example. We can set you up exactly 10 feet from the muzzle of a 22 rifle and a 22 pistol. I very much doubt you will be able to tell what is actually louder but merely the perceived volume. Even when standing 10' from someone shooting a pistol you are still further from the barrel than the same person with a rifle.

Another thing you fail to take in to account is ammunition. Same ammo in the pistol will have more expansion outside the barrel changing the pressure wave you perceive as volume. If everything is setup properly for your barrel you, as an individual with no ability to do anything but interpret your perception of sound, should not see a difference in volume.

I have yet to see anything useful in your options and nothing backed by science.

Go grab a meter and do some testing. I think you will be suprised if you can figure out the proper configurations. Unfortunately I do not have a meter capable of 140db. I don't think termlab will catch a gunshot as it is designed for automotive audio competition.

 

[Member 34319]

There are some over the barrel suppressors out there that have very large internal volumes. Or integrals, that also utilize the tube for additional volume. They are some of the quietest suppressors I've heard.

Over the barrel cans are limited in use however, sort of, I'd your running a front sight block on an AR, it might not fit.

Integrals are a one gun can, do if your looking to switch back and forth, these may not be the best choice.

The best sounding I've heard or shot . Not DB Numbers, sounds are not the same as DB in my opinion. I've heard cans that are supposed to be amazing on paper, but are quite loud or not a pleasant tone.

22lr Dead Air Mask or Rugged Oculus (Both are stainless steel, which I believe plays a factor in sound)

9mm Dead Air Wolf and Sico Omega 9k and Rugged Obsidian 9

556 it's hard to say. They sound extremely similar. Same for 30 call cans. Essentially anything where you still have a sonic crack, it's really hard to tell. I've heard home made cans sound just as good as name brand. Some of the really big ones sound a bit better, clearly more volume doing its trick. However, larger 30 cal cans on 556 sound very similar to dedicated 556 cans yet they have more internal volume. Flow through cans suck, they are barely hearing safe in my opinion, they work yes, but cans with baffles clearly control gases better to prevent noise. So the only thing you get with the flow through cans is moderate reduction in sound and less back pressure.

 

[Member 5605]

Ammo is more important than the suppressor.
Still going to have a supersonic crack if it breaks the sound barrier.

 

[TapRackNGo]

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[Wombat of Doom]

There are some over the barrel suppressors out there that have very large internal volumes. Or integrals, that also utilize the tube for additional volume. They are some of the quietest suppressors I've heard.

Over the barrel cans are limited in use however, sort of, I'd your running a front sight block on an AR, it might not fit.

Integrals are a one gun can, do if your looking to switch back and forth, these may not be the best choice.

The best sounding I've heard or shot . Not DB Numbers, sounds are not the same as DB in my opinion. I've heard cans that are supposed to be amazing on paper, but are quite loud or not a pleasant tone.

22lr Dead Air Mask or Rugged Oculus (Both are stainless steel, which I believe plays a factor in sound)

9mm Dead Air Wolf and Sico Omega 9k and Rugged Obsidian 9

Reno. I prefer my Omega 45k to 9k on 9mm. I own both and I think the volume is lower on the 45k, because their is a greater volume for gas to expand.

I like my silencerco 7.62specwar for a .30 cal suppressor. .223 being what it is, I would just use the specwar.

 

[Member 34319]

Reno. I prefer my Omega 45k to 9k on 9mm. I own both and I think the volume is lower on the 45k, because their is a greater volume for gas to expand.

I like my silencerco 7.62specwar for a .30 cal suppressor. .223 being what it is, I would just use the specwar.

I haven't heard the 45k or shoot it. I'll take your word for it. Those are really good sounding.

 

[Wombat of Doom]

It is also substantially heavier, so the 9k has some advantages. I keep the 3 lug in the 45k now.

 

[Ben B.]

I have more than a few rimfire, pistol, and rifle muzzle cans and 2 integrals. I really like the short, fat rifle cans and the short pistol cans, and especially the micro .22 cans on a .22 rifle. They don't give up much in noise suppression and they are much easier to carry and move about.

 

[wired]

I will never spend money on a store bought silencer again. Too many good options in the Form 1 arena to do that. For a third of the cost of a store bought and especially 3 weeks form 1 tax stamp wait versus over a year for a form 4 to me its a no brainer. Build what you want the way you want it and save time and money.

And I don't like small silencers either.

 

[kmk1012]

@wired , can I pm you to get the details on your first pic of the Ruger? I love the look and the distance between sights. I think my store bought 22lr is still about 8 months from approval and don't want to wait that long.