I’m looking at getting mt first suppressor this coming year and I need some suggestions and guidance. I’m currently in the process of putting together an 11.5 AR pistol, I may SBR it later I haven’t decided yet, but what I do want to do is suppress it. This gun will be for HD and for range use the can is more for the HD side of things to take the edge off the gun if needed to be used inside. I’m not looking for a Hollywood quiet can, but what I want is for it to be short and light and not have my ears bleed. The in of the home is quite small so I’m trying to avoid putting on a can and then being back at the 16+ inch spectrum.
So far I have looked at the AAC Mini 4 and the Saker 556k and the Griffin M4SDK, are there others to look at in that size or others that will fit what I’m looking for?
Common advice is to not get a short suppressor for your first, you are likely to be disappointed. I don’t think that you would notice the extra 3/4" to 1" with a normal sized can as much as you would notice the sound difference indoors with a smaller can.
I have many cans and really don’t care which one I put on to the the gun tolerable and thats good. So buy a can that has a good deal and you can buy local. The new Sig cans are good and priced right, I have a direct thread sig can in jail, its small and built tuff. The mini 4 is time proven.
I agree with “get the full sized can” for your first. You want to be able to shoot without ears.
So a mini can is still bad outdoors with no ears I gather? Outside with a can or not I’m still going to wear ears if I’m being honest. Are there any suggestions for a first can to use in an HD role that don’t add to much length and will keep me from rupturing and ear drum in the even, or is it any quality full size can will do ya kid and the length isn’t as bad as you think?
The mini would be fine for HD in a house with no ears, jut for one or two pops. It will be too loud to practice with inside or outside, but in a Fight or Flight situation that can would make it sooo much better than nothing. And still be scary for a bad guy to hear. Just my thoughts.
Call me the oddball, for an 11.5 id get a mini can. Regardless, a suppressed 11.5 will still be loud, albeit less damaging to your hearing. My priorities are with weight, overall length and point of impact shift over actual sound suppression.
I have a Mini 4 on an 11.5, it actually isn’t that bad outside as the shooter. It is really different when someone else is shooting near to you. The shot was actually a lot more noticeable, while less loud, the blast can physically be felt more throughout your body more. I also use it with a 14.5 at the range and do not really notice much difference. I also have not noticed any issues with being gassed, but I run both with adjustable gas and A5 buffer systems so that could be a big help.
I specifically got it for my HD gun but have not shot it inside, the length is very handy in my house though. I got it as my first can as well, if I was doing it today I would still be getting a mini can first as I still think it is the best compromise for me, but I always use ear pro when shooting anyway, as am always around someone else shooting unsuppressed.
There probably better options now than the mini4 though, it is a pretty old design in the suppressor world
Recently added a Surefire mini to the collection and with my rather poor hearing I can’t notice the difference between the regular SOCOM and the mini on a 10.5" barrel. This is outdoors. No access to a rifle caliber indoor range here. I will say that even a suppressed 9mm pistol and subsonic rounds gets uncomfortable indoors after a few rounds without hearing protection.
Even the length difference between the two isn’t that noticeable. The biggest thing that I notice is the weight difference, and it’s not that much. I would start with your max budget, then find the lightest and shortest can that fits, for the best overall price. And lets be honest here… Its doubtful that this will be your last can… they are addictive.
Thanks for the information guys. I think I’m going to go with the Mini 4, I do have a .308 bolt gun but that’s more of a deer gun and don’t have use for a 30 cal cab though I did think about it.
I think I am the only proponent of direct thread suppressors. The mini cans + mounts all weigh around 17-18oz. I have an old Trek, also 18oz, but suppresses much better than the Mini 4.
My money is on a new direct thread like the GP5 at 12.5oz or what I really want, the Vox S direct thread. Also 12.5oz.
I have a mini 4 and run it primarily on my 11.5 upper. Definitely takes the edge off. Good little can from 10.3" - 16". Its a little heavy though for its size. I would look at the surefire. minis as they have much better muzzle devices. I would strongly look at the 762 cans as 556 will never be hearing safe and you are then not limited 556. Opens up a ton of calibers that you may use in the future. Once you start shooting with suppressors you will always want to be shooting with suppressors.
I’ve come to the conclusion that any can on a SBR is still going to be loud (especially indoors), so sound suppression is not really my main goal with that type of setup. Length added and weight are far more important to me. POI shift would be third if I planned on shooting it unsuppressed.
For my uses, I’ve been running one of the older Ops Inc. M4S cans (now called AE Suppressors). It’s an over the barrel (reflex) design, so it keeps added length down much more than a standard suppressor. It’s older tech and some say it’s less efficient than a standard front mounted suppressor, but even for its short size, it does a great job taking the bark and blast out of it.
It’s an SBR because you wanted a shorter more maneuverable rifle indoors, and this fills that roll perfectly.
DeadAir Sandman S is the best current option IMO when weighing performance, the mount design, back pressure, cost, durability, and factory support. Surefire, DeadAir, and KAC offer the best mount designs at present. Low back pressure is far more important than performance. I love Surefire. For me they check off all the right boxes, with one caveat - they are more costly than most. DeadAir is the best option across all criteria.
AAC and SiCo cans have higher back pressure than SF, DA. They are very durable and offer great performance. But they are gassy with more back pressure. No experience with Griffin. My impression of them is that they tend to look eerily similar to KAC.
Keep in mind, the above is based solely on my own opinions. This is not gospel.
The videos and reviews of the new 2018 OSS suppressors are very persuasive. I’d love to see feedback from someone here about them and I even posted a dedicated thread. Nothing yet.
I’m currently deciding on a 11.5” suppressed HD rifle build as well and don’t want to pull the trigger on a suppressor until I see more on these. If they work as advertised they should be quieter at the shooters ear than most and have almost no blowback issues negating the need to use AGBs and BCGs, etc
I ran a Mini4 on my 11.5 and thought the sound suppression was ok, but the fireball was distracting. I then switched to a Surefire SOCOM RC and love it- no fireball, better noise suppression, and less gas blowback.