I finally put together a NFA trust so that I could SBR a lower and purchase a few suppressors but I have basically zero experience with suppressors with the exception of shooting a few (no idea what brands). I have a realistic expectation of how much noise reduction the provide so I am not expecting movie quiet or anything like that but I really don’t know what to look for and could use some guidance from you more experienced guys.
From the reading I have done I have decided that I probably will want a .30 cal, .45 ACP, and .22 LR can. Applications I would use them on are my 5.56 AR’s, AR-10, .308 bolt action, .45 ACP and 9mm handguns, and then .22 LR handgun/rifle. I am sure I will get a .300 blk upper later and possibly a .300 WM one day.
Expected use will mainly be plinking as well as hunting with the bolt gun. I am not rolling in cash so I can’t just go grab the best of the best but at the same time I don’t want to cheap out, be disappointed and wishing I had spent more later. I also really want to get a brand that will stand behind their work in case something happens down the road (if 41P passes I will have a hard time getting another one since my CLEO won’t sign off).
What I need help on are things/features to look for, brands to look at/avoid, and where the sweet spot is in terms of price for performance. I have never been steered wrong from the advice I have read on this site so I figure it is the best place to help educate me on suppressors as well.
Rugged Surge (a 7.62 can you can shorten, and also has 5.56 end cap option)
Griffin Revolution (a .45 can you can shorten if you want, uses Silencerco pistons)
Silencerco Spectre II (most versatile rimfire can, nice mix of length/weight/performance/cost)
I’d also consider the Specwar 7.62 instead of the Surge. Using the ASR mounts, you can even add an Omega and/or a Saker down the road and not have to switch out the muzzle devices.
There are lots of companies that make excellent suppressors so when someone list three cans from the same company you may want to keep looking.
Rifle cans - get what you want based on your list of needs. See thread above and there are other great threads here so I would recommend doing some searching and lots of reading.
Pistol cans - The new 2 in 1 cans that are long and you can then screw off part of the can to have a shorty for home defense seem to be a nice option. You need to clean pistol cans so this should factor into your decision but not heavily.
22lr cans - if you have kids or plan to shoot a LOT with a 22 can, the ability to break it down and easily clean it should be high on your list.
I was in the same boat as you a while ago. I ended up purchasing a Saker 762, Octane 45, and Spectre II. And I didn’t intend to go full SiCo either (well two of those cans are really SWR). My going in choices were AAC SDN-6, Tirant 45, and “whatever” 22 can. I was also very interested in the SF line. Only after about two months of some reading here, Silencer Talk, NFA Talk, and watching every Silencershop video under the sun, did I select the cans that I did. All the selections were of a calculated nature. I can tell you that I ruled out the Sparrow just based on everyone’s comments concerning first round pop. The Spectre II and the Element 2 were the two rimfire cans that seemed universally five star. When the stamp came in for the Spectre II, the shop had an Element 2 in stock so I picked one of those up too. Still waiting on stamps for the others. The Spectre II is a hoot, really quiet. Running it on a 10/22 Take Down with a Tactical Solutions SBX barrel. Freaking cool.
Priority wise, I was really only interested in calibers that were truly quite when suppressed. For me that boiled down to 300 BLK, .45 ACP and .22. I will use the Saker on a Mk18 upper and SCAR17 purely because I can, but I really wanted it for 300BLK. The Octane will serve on a bunch of .45/9mm pistols as well as an UZI SBR and hopefully an MPX SBR. It may also see some 300 subs. I wouldn’t mind getting another rifle and pistol can just to have two cans for each application and then call it good. Maybe a Liberty Mystic X and another .30 cal can. SF has some nice ones coming out for 300. Last thing I need to do is start collecting cans though!
Highly recommend the sparrow. It’s a a great serviceable can that excels in sound suppression and price point. I like the Thompson machine offerings too
Thanks for the advice everyone. If anyone knows of a good introduction post somewhere that would be helpful as well. It is hard to define my priorities when I don’t really know what to prioritize since I haven’t really used one except to shoot it. I don’t really understand even the basics like different attachments, that’s how green I am on this topic.
Unless you have money to blow, you should probably avoid anything that is not already proven in the market. Go with choices that are proven. The good news is there are lots of good choices.
Probably most important is to know what features you want, and what you can live without.
I will tell you, your last can should be a pistol can. Shooting a pistol with a can isn’t as fun as it seems. The order I did it was, .22LR can (Spectre II), 45 can (Octane 45 HD), then I got the rifle can (SpecWar 762). I wish I would have gotten a 22 can or 2, then Rifle and for shits and giggles a pistol can. Now I own 2 22 cans, 2 pistol cans and 5 rifle cans.
Any top .30 cal can. SilencerCo, Griffin, Surefire 300blk, and the Sig cans look promising, in the end this is probably the most saturated segment of the market with quality cans.
-I went with a Griffin Recce 7. I am still waiting on it but have shot it at the indoor range of the lgs. It fit my needs/wants perfectly and while I was willing to pay more I couldn’t find a can more inline with what I wanted than this one
I would skip the .45 and just buy a 9mm. I would buy the Griffin Revolution 9. Sorry but .45 cans are not as nice a 9mm can from a user standpoint. IMHO you would be unhappy after you shot a quality 9mm can and realized how much better it is to just do 9mm. Unlike the top .30 cal cans that sounds as good/better than a 5.56 can with 5.56, most .45 cans sound worse with 9mm than a dedicated 9mm can and a .45 in a .45 can is even worse.
Any STEEL .22 can from a top competitor. It just gives you more options in the future to use steel. I like the SilencerCo options. Griffin is also very well respected in the .22 cans as this was that companies bread and butter for years. I would probably buy the SilencerCo Spectre.
Things to think about.
Rifle cans get stuck. It happens. I would strongly suggest going with a mount allows removal of the can by shooting it off. This means Surefire, or the Griffin QD. The exception to this is if you want a precision can than you would want something with a taper mount or the Surefire which people seem to like. I wanted a .30 cal can that would do well for possible future precision bolt gun purchases. That is why I went with the Griffin taper mount. I would be equally happy with the Surefire 300blk(if it lives up to hype). When I get my next rifle can it will be the Griffin QD K can.
.22 cans are nice. I think that most of the .22 cans you see mentioned are going to make anyone happy. Figuring out your host is IMHO the most important thing. To save money get a short barreled pistol(do some research I forget the recommended length, I have a 22/45) that way you can use bulk pack and still be subsonic. I have some CCI ultra quiet 710fps subs that are very quiet out of my pistol. The catch is that it wont cycle. Subs cycle fine but are barely quieter. If the barrel was longer than I would be forced to use subs to get the sound that I like.
Spend a bit more to get a 30cal can with a high performance to cost ratio - because of the flexibility of rifle cans, especially the light-but-voluminous ones, spending more on those makes a ton of sense. If you get this right, three spare muzzle devices (run a brake on shorter rifles, they make great sacrificial baffles) is totally in the realm of possibility. A good enough 30cal can will do on a 5.56 rifle, not to mention .308, 300BLK, and in a pinch 300WM with cans rated to do so… just understand what your rate of fire needs at the worst extreme is, then determine the material of the can.
Next, get a .22 can you can service yourself, I wouldn’t worry a ton about weight, just something that you won’t mind filling with soot from constant use - this will be the can you have the most fun with, it’s also one where there are lots of great options at reasonable prices, so if one has better local/dealer support near you, it might be better for that reason alone. For a .22 can, I’d probably wind up buying host weapons specifically for the can, and most likely just run a .22lr rifle and .22lr pistol specifically intended for use suppressed, since the tax stamp itself is going to hog 30% of the overall cost to party, why not do it with good stuff - it’s not like the ammo is a giant fraction of the cost.
I’d skip pistol cans altogether, until you’ve amassed so much knowledge you’re your own SME - everybody I’ve met short of that has always been disappointed with them - they’re cool, and on paper make a big reduction in sound, but it’s still a pistol that doesn’t fit many good holsters, and is a loud action when all told.
I went with Specwar 7.62 and Spector II. A good 30 cal suppressor will cover use on 5.56 and any quality steel 22 will do great for you. I use my 30 CAL Suppressor on 3 different 308s 1 bolt action 2 ARs and on a few 5.56 ARs. I’ve got it stuck on both calibers, I keep a strap wrench in bag to take off when it happens. My 3rd suppressor 45 cal. with that a second 22LR suppressor would have been a better choice and followed by a 5.56… IMHO I’ve not regretted my choices. At range I was shooting a 10/22 and MK II few guys thought I was shooting a pellet guns. My local dealer keeps Silencerco suppressor’s in stock.
Griffin Revolution 9mm… are you really going to bang that much .45? Revolution gives you 2 possible lengths, indexed steel baffles, and is modular and user serviceable.
Spectre II… it’s a tougher can than that Sparrow and you don’t get the annoying FRP Sparrow has.
Those order of priorities are most important to you. Someone else could be in a different situation than you and in and need of sound suppression to be their number one priority. I completely agree that one should be organized, do their research and prioritize their needs but they may not end up like the list you just described.
