This is one area That I feel I can offer a significant amount of first hand feedback (I apologize in advance for the long reply). We started a small business - www.sentinelmn.com - almost 3 years ago in the upper Midwest as a part time gig. We didn’t want to become just another training company, as there are already many good options in that space. Instead, we focused on making an investment in gear (rifles, optics, suppressors) to allow customers evaluate equipment with a live-fire in order to help them make an informed decision. That was a particular niche that I hadn’t seen occupied at least locally, and certainly not on the scale that we intended.
What Sentinel MN has evolved into seems to be very close to our vision but with more SBRs and LE demos than I thought we would have. In retrospect it makes sense though, since agency purchases have a lot of hurdles to jump through, and I havent found that LE departments are any more knowledgable on suppressors than the general public. We are still part-time, which keeps overhead down and allows us to be very low-key in our presentations…essentially the mortgage doesn’t depend on selling suppressors, optics, or SBRs. We also send a considerable amount of business to area gun stores, because there are easier ways of buying suppressors if you’re only getting one for example (kiosks, etc).
To be clear…we sell most of the major manufacturers with optics and suppressors. If a department shoots the equipment and falls in love with THE ONE from Gemtech - great. If the Omega or Surefire is the winner - I’ll bid it out. We dont work for OSS anymore than we work for Gemtech, Dead Air, Surefire, SilencerCo, etc…we are dealers for all of them either through their LE program, or through wholesale like most other brick and mortar stores. In fact, OSS was the biggest pain-in-the-ass manufacturer to deal with for the first 2 years we had their product. Fortunately they got their shit together with a new team and focused on their IP and manufacturing process. Now the biggest issue with OSS is that they are jamming 15-20 years of R&D into 3 years time which means that new models are being developed so fast I have to dump our demos at the end of every year. Thats ultimately the reason behind this fire-sale, and OSS is going to have a very good 2018 from what I’ve seen so far in our LE evals since October.
We’ve shot thousands and thousands of rounds through OSS, Surefire, Gemtech, Dead Air, SilencerCo suppressors on a variety of rifles - LMTs, Larue Tacticals, DDs, BCMs, Colts, HKs, Nordic. We’ve also watched many more thousands of rounds being shot by LE departments through the same platforms, and there are definite patterns that come out every single time. That doesn’t mean it always ends with a sale for the department since funding can dry up suddenly, or the purchase cycle is 1-2 years out. We just want to be part of the process and be a resource to get the right gear into LE hands.
Now specifically for some thoughts regarding your questions about OSS:
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There is no perfect piece of gear made (with the possible exception of the poncho liner). Every suppressor will mess with the gas system of the rifle in some way, and the end user will work through whatever shortcomings that gear has when mounted on a platform rifle. In some cases its suppressor weight, or the modularity, or the shit back in the face, or the increase in the BCG velocity, or flat out malfunctions. Thats why its very hard to assess this impact unless you can shoot and compare head to head. There are also ways to solve these problems through buffer springs, suppressor-optimized BCGs, adjustable gas blocks, etc…but all this has to be included in the decision making process (cost) to keep a suppressed gun running like its not suppressed.
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OSS (current design) is heavier than other options and lacks a quick detach feature since it self tightens as it shoots. Those are the shortcomings with OSS Gen 5s. It has very little blow back, and in fact we’ve found our stock Larue 762s wont even function with the adjustable gas block on “suppressed” when we shoot OSS…there just isnt enough increase in velocity to work with the suppressed setting. In regard to our LMT 762s, those things are much worse with any baffled suppressor in comparison to OSS because they dont have an Adjustable gas block. the weight will be something you’ll have to deal with though compared to a lighter option like Dead Air, Silencerco, or Gemtech. One of the SWAT teams this year that went with the Gen5s, did so in part because the extra weight kept their 11.5s flatter shooting and they weren’t interested in a quick detach option…so it really all depends on how you shoot and what your priorities are.
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The Over the Barrel model you bought is an interesting option, and I think you’ll find that it works best on perhaps a rifle which is set up with a bipod. it will be the quietest of the OSS lineup, but also weighs a ton and is still longer than other options - it also requires open barrel length past the gas block and limits the rail options. I think OSS is moving away from the OTB design since there are other ways to accomplish the same sound suppression.
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The ability to clean your suppressor may help add to the OSS lifespan. There really is no other major suppressor that we’ve seen that offers this ability to clean the core with a wire brush and 2 minutes of time. That said, we’ve not yet seen a problem with any of our suppressors from any manufacturer regarding lifespan.
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Suppressors all reduce sound about the same, but the “tone” seems to be different when shot on similar platforms. out of all 20 of our rifle platforms, one of the quietest shooting guns we have is the OSS Elite 556 mounted on a BCM 11.5". Otherwise our observations are like everyone else - the longer the barrel the quieter the overall suppressor in question, no matter the brand.
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The difference between the OSS lineup and baffled suppressors is real - we see it every single time we support an eval for a department. As far as opinions online, many on the internet seems to have an “ex girlfriend whose next door neighbor’s uncle was at a range one time and said OSS is shit”. We get that - suppressor community tends to be very tribal, and the way OSS started in this industry its no wonder some feel that way. Hell, we had a hard time being a dealer with them in the beginning. What kept us around with OSS is what we kept seeing first hand with departments…the more you shoot, the more OSS seems to separate from others. If I was outfitted with Gemtech brakes (or surefire, or silencerco, etc) on my rifles, then I wouldn’t go out and wholesale switch to OSS - those manufacturers make a fine product that does the job.
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Every advantage has a price limit - thats why OSS I think had problems selling its product. Very little blowback is a great advantage with shooters, but not at any price. Thats a reason we are seeing people jump on these Gen 5s right now because the price reflects a bargain in the market, and OSS has sorted out their issue with additional muzzle brakes.
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The “finalists” in every single eval we’ve done for LE agencies over the past 12 months end up being OSS and Dead Air (both Sandman S and K). We do the initial evals with SilencerCo, Surefire (RCs and Minis), Gemtech, OSS, and Dead Air - then the LE departments narrow it down to 3-4 options on rifle platforms that reflect what they currently run or are buying - 10.3s, 11.5s, 12.5s, 14.5s or 762s in 16, 18, or 20. Dead Air came on strong in 2017 in our experience and has maybe the best attachment mechanism out there for someone who wants to move from rifle to rifle.
PM me if you want more feedback - I’m happy to help out wherever I can. You’ll like your OSS, and keep an eye on what is introduced for SHOT - Minneapolis SWAT will be rolling with the new OSS models (both 762 and 556) for Super Bowl, and there will probably be some pics out there. Our website has more pics, and we also do instagram where youll find evals, pics, etc.
good luck with your OSS suppressors.