Back in March I purchased and paid the tax on a Surefire SOCOM556-RC for my Colt 6933 with an 11.5" barrel. Just waiting for the stamp to come back so I can pick up my can.
Based on the advice of the shop I went with the SOCOM556-RC because the guys there thought it’d be the most effective suppressor for my rifle. I was interested in the SOCOM556-MINI because I wanted to keep the overall length of my SBR down but the guys only recommended the MINI on longer barrels around 16" or more. Because the barrel on my rifle is 11.5" they thought the full-size RC would be the most appropriate.
What do you guys think? The MINI is only .9" shorter than the RC but I can’t help but second guess my decision now. Just wondering if a suppressor that’s .9" longer (RC) would really help suppress the rifle that much better. Just hoping the MINI is a little shorter but the RC is going to be a lot quieter because of the exponential decrease in decibels a slighter longer can would offer (3-4db). I’m no scientist tho, just doing my best to repeat what I remember hearing at the shop. Thanks
On the AAC cans, there’s no difference really to the shooter. I could hear a difference when the mini was fired on a 20" bolt gun with no action or port noise to clutter up the sound. The mini was a little louder on that set up.
But in reality, the mini is no quieter to the shooter because there’s less back pressure from the shorter baffle stack and thus, there’s less port “snap” hitting your right ear… all things equal.
Your can will be fine. Don’t waste energy thinking the grass is greener on the other side. 
I figured too that SOCOM selected the RC for use with the M4 and 10.3" Mk18, not the SB or MINI. There has to be some reasoning behind that.
I figure the MINI is just something Surefire came up with for guys with longer barrels that don’t want to add anymore to their rifle’s OAL. The RC should still be good to go for my SBR but I wouldn’t mind hearing from anyone else who might have experience with these new Surefire cans.
I’m torn on this same exact issue. I have an HK416 10.4" and I wanted to put the SOCOM mini to keep it SBRish instead of the full size RC. From what I saw online so far is that it’s about a 4 decibel difference between the RC and the mini. I would also like to hear members that have experience with these two.
I went with the RC as I wanted as much sound reduction as possible. Big picture, I really think there’s not much difference between the two. 0.9" is not a big deal, even on an SBR. I’m assuming the RC has at least one, possibly two more baffles in the stack, which should help. Mine is still in NFA jail, so I haven’t had a chance to put it through it’s paces.
I suppose if you feel the OAL of your Commando and 556-RC is to long, you could get a 10.3" Mk18 barrel instead
Yeah I was afraid the MINI might not ‘wow’ me as much with its suppression, was thinking it’d probably just cut down the muzzle flash a lot. And something a little larger like the RC might be more of a true ‘suppressor’ like I was expecting. However we’re just talking about 0.9" and 4 decibels so I don’t know if it’d make much of difference. But from what I understand muzzle pressure starts to go way up on barrels shorter than 14" so the more baffles you can get they may help sound suppression that much better.
Exactly. Same reason why I went with the RC and the fact my dealer gave me a phenomenal price.
I got a 20% LE discount on my can and flash hider through my dealer.
I would have bought a 7.62 RC instead.
I know what the MINI and SB post-fixes stand for but what does RC mean?
Rifle/Carbine???
+1. I was in the market for a can for my 10.5" SBR and after discussing it with Kudu22, I decided to go with the SOCOM762 RC. Multi-cal suppressor for all my guns 
I must be one of the few people that doesn’t understand the appeal of adding a 8.4" suppressor to a 10.5" barrel
In an ideal world, I would’ve gone with a dedicated 5.56 suppressor for my SBR. Since my budget is limited and I have multiple guns that I would like to suppress, for my purposes the 762RC makes the most sense for me and I give up 2". In my situation, it is a fair trade off.
The SOCOM556-RC takes that down to 6.2" with approx. 2" going over the brake/flash hider, so it’s not as bad. Plus it saves a couple of ounces where it’s most important, at the end of the barrel.
This is only my opinion, but I don’t understand why people buy .30 cal cans to shoot predominately 5.56 through them. It can’t be for performance reasons as .30 cal’s are longer and heavier than dedicated 5.56 cans.
Is it the money/cost? Really? If the cost of a rifle can is an issue, you must not shoot much as you can get into a decent rifle can for the equivalent of about 1,500 rounds of 5.56mm at the current going ammo rate. Regarding NFA - Buy Once, Cry Once, Wait Once! BTW, suppressors should always be bought in pairs!
You get a dramatically reduced chance of baffle strike… with no significant loss of suppression for the shooter.
I hear what you’re saying… and the 7.62 cans are usually more money too. But there is a certain amount of logic in doing it.
Because weight and length are not important when chosing a silencer for the vast majority of situations.
The top priorities are ruggedness, longevity, and minimal POI shift.
Length, weight, and sound reduction are a secondary consideration.
The shop I’m ordering my can through also recommended installing a flash hider on my 11.5" Colt 6933, not a muzzle brake.
They said shooting an SBR with a brake installed WITHOUT a suppressor is brutal, which is why they recommended the flash hider.
However I’ve also read that on an SBR using a muzzle brake WITH a suppressor is beneficial because it acts as an additional baffle inside the can.
So which is recommended, the Surefire flash hider or brake?
I’ll be shooting my rifle with the suppressor attached probably about 90% of the time. However there may be times I don’t, so I want the most versatile muzzle device I can get.
Nicely said…