Why I prefer an SBR over a can

General Firearms NFA
1

carried over from this thread

This is just my opinion (which generally means I’ll offend people greatly with everything that comes hereafter and there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth) but…

I frankly find suppressors in general, and 5.56 suppressed ARs in particular, to be a complete waste of time, money, effort, weight, and size. and more and more people are figuring this out all on their own. I was in a class two weeks ago where 3 out of 12 were shooting AR shorties with can mounts on them, and all three of us owned the cans that went on them. Only one of us shot the can at all over the course of three days, and he was a dealer that was asked about it and chose to shoot it to show what it does. I know of at least two other training junkies that ran cans, and ran them hard, up until a few months ago and are now off them.

I do absolutely believe that they have a tactical role with teams shooting indoors or other confined spaces. Other than that? I think they have limited use for hunters who can legally use them on certain game and may not want to disturb neighbors, hunting partners, or their next potential kill.

I also think they can be “fun”, and may offer some use for folks that are shooting on private property with antsy neighbors.

Like most things people buy for their guns (truthfully including the $200 SBR tax stamp too), they’d be better off putting the money for the can towards ammo and training. Even given that you are already training as much as time will allow, I frankly think the money spent would be better off in the kid’s college fund or otherwise invested, even if that investment is nothing more than a cheap diamond for the wife.

SBRs on the other hand are infinitely less expensive ($200 tax and a 1:1 swap for the non-NFA part), lighter, more compact, more maneuverable, easier to pack, easier to deal with on the range, lighter (oh, wait, I said that already)…

2

This is why I don’t own any.

I might get one for a 22LR, for hunting purposes.

But that’s a ways down the road, if at all.

Edit: I encountered cans on a semi frequent basis while in the military and was never really impressed with them on rifles. I see the point for some folks, definitely, but not for me. It would basically come down to me owning an $800-$1300 headset or earplugs.

3

Rob_s,

Haven’t you ever bought anything just because it was “cool”?

That’s not meant to be flippant. I’d have to agree that their application in hard core training is probably um… muted(?), but they are a source of fun. I like to shoot, I like to shoot and train hard (what I’ve been able to attend), but most of all, I like to smile. I usually do after every shooting session. It’s better and cheaper to just go shooting and learning, than pay a psychologist, and at the end of a good range session, it’s just plain fun to pop that suppressor on and get a bit more width outta that smile on my face.

I didn’t buy my suppressor for any nefarious reasons, or because I plan on busting down a methlab door. I just wanted one. It was money I had that was extra. All the bullets were bought, all the available training was signed up for… it was just because I wanted it.

Honestly though, probably like you… you won’t hear me lauding the use of my suppressor for “hard use”. It’s a range toy, much like my SBR’d PS90. I call 'em smile makers. Basically, I bought it back when I had more money than I knew what to do with. That’s not the case anymore, so now, I buy more bullets.

4

Last weekend a friend and I were discussing what the advantage of a can on an AR would be. Never having used or been around one I’d think the sonic crack would negate a alot. However there are probably more reasons than I know.

Now on a 22 rimfire, that would be a different animal. I’ve fired one on a handgun and was impressed at the difference with subsonic ammo (I’m easily impressed). A scoped 10/22 with a suppressor would be something really useful … and fun.

5

Realistically, if the primary gun comes out, the suppressor is already on it. I better know how it handles and where it shoots.

Also, when I am shooting around other folks they appreciate the can more than the 10" concussion grenade I could set off right in front of, or behind, them. :smiley:

I like it and what it does. I’m probably in the minority though, and really don’t care one way or the other. :cool:

6

I only own 1 SBR but I think a can would be fun to shoot with to reduce sound levels… whether it’s practical in training or not is a different story as I’ve yet to own one. Subscribed for reading & entertainment… :smiley:

7

SHIVAN kind of hit on what I wanted to bring up in this discussion.

If I’m using an AR for real, it’s in home-defense. An AR indoors sucks. My hearing is valuable to me, even if it’s just to confirm that the rest of my family is fine after some dirtbag earned his dirt nap. Suppessors interest me strongly for this reason. For those of you electing not to use cans on your shorty ARs, is it because that’s not your primary defensive tool, or because you’re not so concerned with the muzzle report?

For my use, I see a can as something that mandates a shorter rifle. I also see my hearing as being valuable enough to strongly consider a can, and an SBR as being useful only in off-setting the added length of said can. To me it’s hard to envision getting one of these tax stamps without the other based on how I (currently) envision using them.

-B

8

I half way agree. I wouldn’t reverse my decision to buy my cans. I almost always take one with me and shoot a mag or so through it every shoot. But shooting a can in a class is senseless to me.

Why bother if you have to wear ears anyway. Plus the volume of fire in a class will have your weapon 2 - 3 times filthier than if you had shot unsupressed.

A can is great fun, but you won’t see one hanging off the front of my Home D 11.5" carbean.

9

Not concerned. Not even remotely.

10

Not concerned in the slightest either.

11

I’m training as much as I can afford to.

I have plenty of ammo.

I know that a can on an AR has it’s downsides and will never make an AR as quiet as one of my suppressed 22s or even my suppressed Marlin Camp 45.

I still bought an AR can because I get dealer price on them and they are fun!

12

Home defense, at least INSIDE the home, would seem to be an ideal use for a suppressor, with many of the drawbacks of a suppressor mitigated by the way the rifle would be utilized in such a scenario.

But suppressors do bring their own set of compromises, that is true. Probably the most useful suppressors I have are my .22 cans, because I can shoot in my basement. But that’s mainly for fun, also. I guess if I ever had to shoot a rat or something, they’d come in handy.

13

Not very useful at all in the home. A suppressor adds at least 5-6" in length to your AR. So if you are running an 11.5" upper you are back to the length of, or maybe even longer than a 16" gun without a can and on a 16" gun you are longer than a full size A2. I have a lot of corners and stairs in my house and it is not fun to clear with anything other than a pistol let alone a 16" AR with a 6" can on the front.

14

My intended use for my 10.5" suppressed AR would be to cover the single staircase in my home from the top, while waiting for the cops.

I ain’t gonna clear anything.

That presumes I have a reasonable certainty that someone is actually in my home. For investigating the “bump in the night,” I will use a pistol with a light and my cellphone. It would be almost impossible for someone to enter my home without me having a pretty good idea they’re in here, and it would be almost equally impossible for them to get upstairs without me being certain they’re here.

15

Agreed. I’ve been running my HALO hard the last couple of months in a couple of classes (and you may see me driving it on S.W.A.T. TV in January:cool:) and it does everything I want it to do. Plus it doesn’t make everyone else training with me hate me by COB every day.

16

Me; I’m sure as hell no expert, but in my uneducated opinion, a can could have it’s place in a limited number of applications. In these scenarios, it would seem to be quite useful/practical.

17

I’m weird I guess. I prefer a SBR with a suppressor…I’m fortunate to have both. It’s not like I have to choose one over the other.

18

I’m weirder. I have two 5.56 cans and two SBRs, and I’ve never even fired my cans on my SBRs.

I did fire Iraqgunz’s M4-2000 on his 11.5 and it was very nice. Not as loud as some supressed SBRs I’ve fired in the past.

19

I’ll have to agree as well. I fell out of “love” with suppressors about this time last year.

I’ve owned all the big names, and shot alot of rounds through all of them.

Waste of time, money, and everything else they complicate.

20

I disagree. A suppressed SBR is a great home defense weapon. I would hate to light off a 10.5in SBR inside, with no hearing protection.