I am looking to purchase a can around April of next year and I have been researching the different brands and have narrowed it down to one, maybe two brands; Gemtech and or AAC. Does anyone here have any experience with either or both can manufacturers? Is there any one better than the other? I am looking more towards the Gemtech HVT which is the quick disconnect for the 7.62 and I really like how quickly this set up is to place and remove the can. I have read and seen several You Tube videos that show Gemtechs to be inferior to AAC mainly due to the fact that Gemtech does not weld the baffles and AAC does. Is welded baffles important when selecting a can? Any knowledge that can be passed along will be greatly appreciated.
This would get more responses in the NFA subforum.
See Scottryan’s and others posts in this thread:
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=68788&page=2
Is “in-superior” similar to “inferior”?
It is late here when I posted my thread…thanks for catching that before the rest of the forum did…it is fixed now.
OH, and thanks for your help.
Where suppressors are concerned, my “order of merit” tracks more or less along these lines:
- SureFire (Mini)
- KAC (QDSS NT4)
- AAC (M4-2000)
Though I would consider the SureFire to be the best-in-class product here, the other two are essentially peer competitors in my opinion. The AAC is an easy and popular choice, and while the KAC is somewhat less well-known, I included it here because of my affinity for the SR-15E3 platform.
Given an objective assessment of quality, design, zero shift and overall performance, there would have to be some compelling reason for me not to select the SureFire at this point. It costs more, but there is a reason for that.
AC
I don’t see how you place move value on a compact silencer for general use over a full size silencer?
Welded baffles are manditory for any centerfire rifle silencer.
There was a big scandal about gemtec illuding to using welding baffles. This was exposed as BS about 5 years ago.
Gemtech is a cheap “consumer brand” silencer made for people that have money and no skills to buy a silencer and so they can say they own a silencer.
Good point.
The simple answer is that there is an inevitable trade-off to deal with between form factor and effectiveness, and for my purposes, I’m more interested in a sound moderation device that doesn’t fundamentally alter the handling characteristics of the weapon. Given that inherent bias, and the impressive performance of the Mini, that makes it an easy call for me to make.
The AAC strikes me as the better “mainstream” choice, but even though I think the M4-2000 is an excellent product, it still adds more weight and length than my ideal. Not a big concern on a 16" GP carbine or SPR, perhaps, but definitely more of a factor on a 10.5" CQB gun – and it is this latter configuration that I would generally be seeking to suppress.
Given that we will all tend to weigh the various factors involved a bit differently, it naturally follows that we might all get slightly different answers. For me, small, fast and light with a positive fast-attach system and premium quality internals make the Mini hard to beat. That doesn’t mean that it is objectively the best; it means that it is subjectively my first choice.
AC
Notwithstanding my usual efforts to take a somewhat more diplomatic line on such things, I would have to agree.
AC
I currently don’t have a lot of experience with 7.62 cans, but have a lot of personal experience with both Gemtech and AAC.
The guys at Gemtech are simply the best. Honest folks that provide great service. What I also like about them is that they avoid all the errornet drama that some other suppressor manufacturer’s seem to live on. :rolleyes:
C4
Admittedly, all of the e-drama kind of blunted my enthusiasm for AAC as well, though at the end of the day, what I really care about is a premium quality component, since suppressors are on the expensive end of what we what might otherwise consider “consumable” items.
AC
Yeah, there is a lot of that…especially one certain You Tube video that has me a little concerned. Do you know if Gemtech welds their baffles or are they stacked? What are the pros and cons to stacking verses welded baffles (if there are any…)
Thanks!
You’re not the only one. It’s only recently with good TECHNICAL reviews from other knowledgeable members here that I’ve put AAC back on my list. I wonder how many potential customers they lost by making fools of themselves. It seems like since Remington bought them, the internet drama has greatly diminished, and they are letting their products speak for themselves (as it should be for any company).
I would put our products up against any others any day. Another thing to consider is that SHOT is right around the corner- new releases from almost everyone.
What do you mean by stacking? All baffles are stacked together in a tube.
Better brands weld them together after they are stacked to form one unit and then weld this assembly to the outer tube of the silencer.
I have a Gemtech Tundra for my G19 and it has functioned 100%. The sound reduction is very nice and it is still accurate.
I also like my AAC M4-2000 very much. As a matter of fact it was due to some errornet drama that I chose the AAC over another well known brand. I can’t say that I regret it.
I hope in the future I can test that other brand out, first hand and even pick one up.
This is one of the reasons why I bought my KAC NT4 several years ago over another popular brand.
My apologies. What you stated is what I was inquiring about. What is are the pros and cons to having baffles not welded verses having them welded? I suppose one advantage of not welding the baffles is that it is easier to replace any damaged baffles. On the other hand, from what I have read, the suppressor is a lot stronger when the unit is all welded together. I am not sure if any of what I just stated is true since where I got this info from and most people are going to be brand loyal and “their” brand of suppressor is far superior to any other without giving substantial testing to back up their claims. I have read tons of threads on Silencer Talk and come to the conclusion that it is an AAC weighted forum so I am not getting any valid information from there.
I’m not saying AAC is crap; from my understanding, AAC, Gemtech, Surefire, and KAC are top suppressor manufacturers. I’m just new to the suppressor world and want to do my homework before I drop $800+ on a can that won’t perform well and last a long time.
Gemtech is a distant 5th place when it comes to silencers.
The top brands are AAC, KAC, Surefire, and Op Inc.
Does any dealer carry surefire suppressors on a regular basis? I can’t seem to find many online.
I thought ADCO carried SF.
I know that my local gunshop just started carrying SF and AAC suppressors. As soon as the form 4 clears, there will be a M4-2000 in my NFA trust. A SF 212 can is next.