I was getting ready to drop some coin on a SilencerCo Saker 762 and 556K. However, the KAC QDC line of suppressors are starting to finally hit the shelves; KAC has been catching up with agency orders for 2 years. Unfortunately, there is not much out there on the new KAC in terms of independent testing.
I need 2 suppressors for my 10.5" SBRs which are my home defense and vehicle guns. I will also need the 762 for my MWS and SCAR-17 which are set up for ranges between 50-500 meters. If I go the Saker route, the 762 would serve double duty as a 556 can and save me from having to buy a dedicated 762 suppressor since KAC uses caliber-specific mounting platforms. Because I’m using the 556 cans for home defense, I want to know if the KAC QDC full-size is louder than advertised (-29 dB). I’ll probably put the 556 QDC/CQB can on the SBR that rides in my vehicle - it does not get shot indoors so I just want it to take the tooth rattle out of the u suppressed 556 SBR shot. I do not care too much about dB rating for the 762 guns since they are outdoor medium range guns; I mainly want little to no POI shift for distance shooting.
Both the Saker Trifecta MAAD and KAC QDC mounts seem solid on paper. However, I watched a Trifecta get stuck on a barrel a few months ago. We got it off after 10 min of fiddle-farting with it. Perhaps the mount is too solid as I’m seeing similar reports with hot barrels. I have no personal experience with the KAC QDC.
The POI for both KAC and Saker is reported to be minimal and consistent. The Saker at the range shifted very little to the right after we put it on; I’ve never seen a KAC to comment, but the few internet reports seem reasonable.
Size and weight are virtually identical between the Saker and KAC QDC lines except for the uber small KAC CQB. Both 556 full-size models are about 6.5" and 18 oz., and the 762’s are 7.5" (within 1 oz of each other near the 20 oz mark). While I’ve never dissected a KAC suppressor, I trust that both are built to high standards.
Price is $300 more per can for the KAC, but I’ll need to buy a third can for 762 if I go with KAC use since their 762 cans cannot be put on 556 flash hiders. This is not a huge deal.
The big question is how does KAC do in terms of suppression and gas blow back with their 556 cans? SF has a reputation of being a tight lock-up (if you do it correctly) and little POI shift, but about 5-10 dB louder than the Saker or Omega. This is significant and very noticeable to anyone who has shot a Saker and SF SOCOM next to each othe because it is really crossing that 140 dB threshold that makes my ears ring. Is the KAC QDC also a good bit louder than the SilencerCo offerings? While I’m not interested in chasing a couple of decibels of performance below 140, more than 5 or 6 is very significant to hearing damage when you cross that 140 dB threshold indoors.
I’ve considered other offerings from Rugged, Thunderbeast, et al and found them lacking for my uses.
I was 90% sold on KAC… but they took soooo long to get them out, and I still can’t find a MAMS anywhere. Ended up going with a SOCOM 556RC and a 762RC for my MR556 and Scar17. I’m damn sure they’re going to be similar in performance, but for the price of one KAC Suppressor, I pretty much got two Surefire SOCOM suppressors with the sale ArmsUnlimited is having. I’m just surprised at myself that I’m not buying multiple.
In my opinion, there is no rifle suppressor currently available on the commercial market that can as properly as possible maintain the balance of sound reduction, repeated POI shifts, reduction in action speed, weight, blowback, etc other than KAC QDC line. Others are out there, but I don’t believe they balance factors as well. I’ve been running the entire line of QDC cans for a while. They may not be the best compared to a particular attribute, but the balance of them has been outstanding. Using all the major brands, there may be some choices that are more affordable with a sacrifice in some way, that depends on the user. Overall, the new line of KAC cans are a pinnacle of what is available commercially at this time.
While the cans did take some time, I am satisfied by the results, October of '13 is when I was invoiced. I did hope that they would’ve been out before that, but I am very pleased in how they perform.
I decided to go Knights QDC and QDC/CQB for my 556 needs based upon tom’s recommendation. He owns all four of both KAC’s and Surefire’s offerings IiRC, not common to find this amoung recommendations… Then because of lack availability and since I did not already own several 762 QDC mounting devices like I did in 556 I went Surefire SOCOM 762 for my longish range MWS setup over the Saker because of its reputation for solid lock up, minimal POI shift and minimal blowback with a heavily gassed .308.
Did you see SilencerShop now sells Knight’s line? They have been a dealer distributor for a long time but never sold the cans until now, only thing is I paid less for both QDC cans then they listed them for and mine came with QDC flash hiders.should be any day now the forms clear.
Yes, do tell. I just placed an order for a FDE 556 QDC. I’m about to buy a black 556 QDC/CQB unless you’ve got a source better than $1400. I’m also on the waiting list for a black 762 CQD.
I bet the Form 1’s for my SCAR-16 and Knight’s IWS/LMT MRP hybrid will be approved along with these suppressors at around the same time near Christmas. This will be a very fun Holiday Season…especially the “Knight” before Christmas when I put the rifles with suppressors under the tree.
Are the KAC QDC/CQB cans really that much better than the SOCOM RC/Mini? I’ve been happy with the performance of my RC/Minis but I still have my eye on the KAC/QDC & CQB cans…
$1350 at the time w/ flashhider, w/o tax it was a deal even with a transfer.
The cqb I found on gun broker local for the same price but w/ tax it about equaled out.
I’m not sure where you are getting your information from, but the only real difference is the SOCOM does have some FRP, other than that, Db reduction differences are negligible and the SOCOM is shorter and lighter.
10" 5.56 unsuppressed averaged 167.9, Saker averaged 137.9 at muzzle and 149.5 at ear, Surefire SOCOM measured 139.2 at muzzle (FRP brought the average up, negligible difference past the first shot), 149.8 at ear. Saker did a little better on the 16" rifle, but honestly, who suppresses a 16" AR anyway?
I will also say this, I know Tom prefers the KAC (I’m a fan of KAC in general) but my SOCOM’s haven’t even bad at all with blowback (nothing scientific here) and the RC on my 11.5 KAC upper & Mini on 14.5 KAC upper have had negligible POI shift (I can’t tell a difference at 100 yards).
I sent an inquiry to SilencerShop to get details on their offering. I have my eye on a 7.62 CQB. I was hoping for a 762 SakerK, but I may go the CQB route instead.
I was excited when I found out Silencer Shop was going to carry KAC, but I was expecting better prices than $1431… If/when Silencer Shop has a sale I’ll likely be snapping 1 or 2 up.
Shit, I just thought of something. What barrel length does KAC warranty their suppressors down to? I saw on ARF.com that the QDC is only rated down to 11.5" and both of my builds are 10" for the SCAR and 10.5 for the Knight’s MRP build.
The price is definitely steep. I’d feel better if it at least included a muzzle device.
I have asked SilencerShop, and am waiting for a reply. I should probably ask KAC instead, but unless they offer that info here, I will wait to see what SilencerShop has to say first.
SilencerShop will price match btw, give them a call though, not sure about the details of how.Like local vs not, surely it has the be in stock at the other place. $1350 is still steep w/o a flash hider IMO. If Surefire SOCOMs were available at the time for $800 and $1050 respectively, I likely would not have bought the Knights…
I have both as stated before in a few other threads. Weight of MAMS and KAC QDC CQB is almost 4oz lighter then the Mini with the Brake. (3.8 or something… in that ball park) Other then that, I feel the performance is quiet comparable. If you have one of them already, IMO, you wouldn’t notice the difference to justify buying the other. I notice slightly less flash on my 11.5 with the QDC over the mini. When I say slightly, its just that.
If I couldnt have a MAMS, I would have skipped the KAC line most likely. The MAMS is just awesome. Other then that, pick either one and go with it. I bought my KAC QDC CQB for $1260. And the MAMS for $259.
Already having MAMS was a big deciding factor for me, I am very happy with the MAMS on 16" guns. But now I find myself wishing knights had a cheaper QDC brake option to use on a dedicated suppressed SBR as a sacrificial baffle.
I can’t imagine that 11.5" is the limit with all of the MK18’s and 10" SCAR-L’s floating around SOCOM. KAC may only only go down to 11.5" but .gov defiantly uses shorter barrels. However, stranger things have happened. Hopefully Jack or someone else from KAC will come along to put my mind at ease.