Silencerco Trifecta MAAD Mount - Personal Experiences
I'm going to keep this as impartial as possible, and it should be understood that I am not bashing Silencerco in anyway. I also want to state that I work as the lead salesperson at a local Wichita FFL that has been the leader in suppressor sales in KS for the past three years. In addition Silencerco has been our top suppressor brand since AAC has fallen into obscurity.
To start when I was looking for a suppressor originally in 2013 I wanted something that went above and beyond what was already available and had a fair amount of innovation built into it. At the time I was torn between AAC and Surefire but after hearing Surefire suppressors fired next to other brands I decided they didn't have the sound reduction I wanted. It was also around this time that issues with AAC's locking mechanism began to arise, or at least that's when I first heard about them. After that point I began looking at Gemtech, Thunderbeast, SWR, Silencerco, and Griffin Armament. I ended up settling on the Saker 556 with the Trifecta MAAD system, and after having demoed them a couple times liked the fact that the suppressor had no movement when mounted to the rifle, and was touted as being the most durable suppressor design to date.
Fast forward to January 2014 at the Accusport product show, I stopped by Silencerco's booth where they were demoing the new Harvester and Saker 762. At the event SiCo had the Saker762 mounted to a LMT MWS and were firing mil-spec M80 ammo. The firing schedule wasn't intense per se; as in each shooter was only allow 5 rounds of free ammo before someone else stepped up, loaded mags and fired their rounds. I figure there was probably 30 seconds between strings of fire, and as such the suppressor wasn't too over worked. Whilst test-firing the Harvester another shooter stepped up to fire the LMT with the Saker and on the second round the suppressor disconnected from the mount and skidded to a stop on the backstop 50 yards away. I didn't think anything of it at the time but now I realize it was a premonition of things to come.
Over the last year at the shop we've had at least 4 instances where the Trifecta MAAD mounts that are shipped with the Sakers have failed to be functional before being put to use -- as in were not capable of being mounted on a rifle and had to be sent back for warranty. Granted SiCo was very quick with correcting the problems, but as time went on we started to realize that the Trifecta mounts might have issues. With that said the total number of Saker series suppressors sold by our shop probably totals near 50. It's not a huge number, but 4 out of 50 is pretty easy math.
With failures occurring prior to using the suppressor, we felt lucky to address the problems before issues arose when customers picked up their cans. However over the last two months one customer specifically had purchased a Saker 556 for use on a LWRC Xiphos SBR. The gun I believe has an 8.5" barrel and is within the rating specified with the Saker. We mounted a brake to the barrel since the customer said he would primarily shoot it suppressed and wanted to avoid baffle erosion as much as possible. Since taking possession of his items he's launched his suppressor twice, and twice it's been sent back to SiCo for examination and warranty. Luckily the suppressor body was undamaged in both instances, but both times the muzzle device had to be replaced as well as the MAAD mount. From what we gathered the MAAD mount's locking teeth were slipping over the back of the muzzle device and the result was an 18 oz projectile flying down range. The solution was to replace the trifecta mount with an ASR mount (on SiCo's dime) and since then has eliminated issues with that particular combo.
As far as my HD setup, I was up until yesterday running a 14.5" barreled SBR equipped with a Saker 556 w/ the Trifecta MAAD mount. As such all of the parts of the suppressor were original including the flash hider that came with the suppressor. In roughly 9,500 rounds I've yet to have issue with the suppressor loosening, being difficult to remove, and in fact shows no discernible baffle erosion. It's been shot with PMC 223, Federal 556, reloads, steel cased ammo, and a plethora of other ammo types with 100% proper function. As such we were doing a demo at the shop last night for our yearly suppressor sale, when a customer who was using my firearm and suppressor pressed the trigger and the MAAD mount failed and launched the suppressor downrange against the concrete floor before landing on the back stop.
Again, the body of the suppressor appears to have sustained no damage other than scrapes and scratches, however, the MAAD mount and muzzle device were damaged in the event. The flash hider's shoulder that the MAAD mount locks on to was damaged to the point that suppressor can be removed now even when it's engaged. The MAAD mount itself now no longer completely closes on the muzzle device, and is additionally more difficult to turn when it is indexed on the muzzle device.
With all of that said I already have an email in to SiCo's customer service department and expect to hear from them Monday. In closing I will be asking for a replacement MAAD mount, along with muzzle devices to replace the Trifecta devices I have on my rifles. However, I will be asking for the ASR mounts in exchange, versus taking my chances with another Trifecta. It is my opinion that the Trifecta design is flawed to an extent and believe SiCo should again offer the Saker as a stand alone suppressor body, with the option of purchasing the MAAD mount of choice. If this change were to take place, I would based on personal experience recommend the ASR mount for all future purchases. Pictures will follow shortly.
In heavenly love abiding, no change my heart shall fear;
and safe is such confiding, for nothing changes here:
the storm may roar without me, my heart may low be laid;
but God is round about me, and can I be dismayed?
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Originally Posted by SC-Texas
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