I’m happy to report that my 762-RC suppressor arrived at my dealer just as more and more people are getting theirs in. After a long awaited year, since my original pre-order for the SR7 at last year’s Shot Show, coupled with production uncertainty, ultimately resulted in my decision to purchase another competitor’s can. Though Surefire’s current flagship 7.62 suppressor came at a higher premium, it was in production, with an additional plus, having been vetted and selected by the special operations community after substantial testing. Yet even after winning the FMBS solicitation, Surefire continued to innovate, reducing first round flash and further improving upon their proprietary rock solid quick detach mounting system by reversing and relocating their indexing notch away from the carbon fouling. I’m glad I didn’t hold out for either the SR7 or the 762 Saker which wait time could be upwards to another year or more, considering that after a year I can now start the Form 4. Here’s a quick run down of some initial observations and pictures while I was at the dealer yesterday, albeit without rounds down range to gauge the multi-caliber sound or flash reduction characteristics for .223/5.56, .300 BLK, 7.62 or .300 Win Mag.
-Deceptively Lightweight for Size
-Cerakote FDE Finish Matches w/ Magpul and Tango Down Furniture
-Raised Surfaces on Locking Collar Prevent Accidental Release of Latch
-Residual Carbon Patterning on the Blast Baffle Indicate the Use of a Three Prong Flash Hider During the Final QA Process
-Blast Baffle Un-vented
-Ever So Slight Slop On Indexing Tongue to Slot Interface w/ Small Burrs on the Suppressor Side Indexing Slot to Tongue
-Generous Clearance on Noveske 10.5" N4 Light Barrel w/ Daniel Defense MK18 RIS II Rail (10.3" Barrel Should Be GTG)
-Confirmed Downwards Compatibility Holds True for Mounting 762 Can on 556*(Idiot Proofed - Cannot Mount 556 on 762)
Surefire also forwarded a copy of the suppressor’s corresponding POA/POI shift test target.
For some reason, it didn’t register to me that Surefire’s QC testing involved an acoustic based target system, if you watch this video, at 3:34, the video provides a quick glimpse of Surefire’s test rig and the final quality control and assurance (QC/QA) process performed to ensure every suppressor exhibits minimum consistent POA/POI shifts out of factory:
SureFire Military Gear Recommendations Video featuring Barry Dueck
It’s astonishing really, that the defense contractors, that developed the same algorithms and hardware to triangulate sniper fire, had also adapted the technology to provide a dual use - instant feedback target system. This system is quite a hefty investment on Surefire’s part, just to confirm POA/POI shifts alone. Rather than using traditional paper target system, taking time to print, replace, measure, record, compute the statistics, file, scan, and store them; the acoustic target system does this in real time, computes the values as shown above, and is definitely worth the investment, especially considering the time consuming process repeating the test for hundreds of thousands of suppressors manufactured both for civilian and mil contracts. I’m glad to see Surefire isn’t holding back when it comes to quality. And people wonder why Surefire suppressors come at a premium. After knowing more background as to what takes place behind the scenes, I think it’s unheard of in the industry, at least unprecedented to my knowledge, the level of attention given to minimizing point of impact shifts as to invest in $10k and more worth of acoustic target testing equipment as one component in the final inspection process. And is another testament to Surefire’s rigorous QC/QA approach and methodology that applies not just to their lights, but their suppressor division as well.
You ordered the 762-RC and the mini? Nice. I might have to do the same. After mounting the 762-RC on the SBR, it’s a little longer than I’d liked. But that’s not what I had intended as a dedicated SBR can. I was looking to mainly to suppress a precision rifle, OBR or later possibly a .300 Win Mag, but have the versatility to also suppress 5.56 or 300 BLK. My dealer also has the 556-RC in stock, and it’s tempting me.