Suppressor questions

[vpetrell]

I hope this isn't a dumb question.

Is there a difference between suppressor brands?

Currently I am liking at Griffin Armament M4SD-II

I will be using on a 16" ar and a 10.5 sbr.

Any advice is appreciated!

VP


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[Auto-X Fil]

Most of the large brands have similar reputations for quality and customer service. TBA and SilencerCo seem to top the list, but the others like Griffin are good shops.

Now, are there differences between the actual suppressors? You bet. It's not usually just a tradeoff in terms of weight and size vs. dB rating, either. Some mounts are easier to use, some are more accurate. Some are more versatile. Some have less backpressure.

Major questions to ask:

What guns will you use this on? Are there other guns you might want to get in the future?
How much do you care about size and weight?
How much do you care about accuracy?
How about sound? Are you trying to make it hearing-safe?
Will the suppressor be swapped between firearms a lot?

The biggest thing the M4SD-II has going for it is the A2-birdcage mount. It's not a bad suppressor anyway, but I'd pick a Specwar or M4-2000 for general 5.56 use.

[BigWaylon]

The simple answer is "yes".

1. Customer service
2. Quality
3. Suppression levels
4. Availability of accessories/parts
5. Compatibility across models
6. Length/weight
7. Materials
8. Design
9. Minimum barrel lengths
10. Caliber ratings
11. Attachment methods
12. More things I didn't type

Obviously some of those items impact other items.

[Antonio5005]

I'll start by saying I do not own a suppressor, I hope to eventually but I know people who do. I know probably just enough to get the ball rolling on your question. Yes there are differences. It comes down to a few things that make people decide one brand over the other. Usually it's sound reduction, weight, materials used, caliber size, what type of mounting system, how it's built, can you disassemble it for cleaning, and customer service. I'm sure there are other features that separate them but I have not dove into the fine details yet. Hopefully someone else can come along and be of a little more help.

[vpetrell]

Most of the large brands have similar reputations for quality and customer service. TBA and SilencerCo seem to top the list, but the others like Griffin are good shops.

Now, are there differences between the actual suppressors? You bet. It's not usually just a tradeoff in terms of weight and size vs. dB rating, either. Some mounts are easier to use, some are more accurate. Some are more versatile. Some have less backpressure.

Major questions to ask:

What guns will you use this on? Are there other guns you might want to get in the future?
How much do you care about size and weight?
How much do you care about accuracy?
How about sound? Are you trying to make it hearing-safe?
Will the suppressor be swapped between firearms a lot?

The biggest thing the M4SD-II has going for it is the A2-birdcage mount. It's not a bad suppressor anyway, but I'd pick a Specwar or M4-2000 for general 5.56 use.

Thanks for this. It's overwhelming to see how many options there are!

As for answers, size and weight is important but accuracy is more important. I'd like to keep it as light as possible, but I understand there is a trade off.

As for other weapons, not in my immediate future. I keep my collection small to minimize ammo I need.

The main reason I am looking into this now is to get one before July of this year when the new rules go into effect for the atf.

I'm not overly concerned with sound but the lower decibels the better.
And it will be swapped between 2 guns. A 10.5 sbr and a 16" ar.

All in all this will be for general use.

Thanks for this. I will have to check these other ones out.

VP

[vpetrell]

The simple answer is "yes".

1. Customer service
2. Quality
3. Suppression levels
4. Availability of accessories/parts
5. Compatibility across models
6. Length/weight
7. Materials
8. Design
9. Minimum barrel lengths
10. Caliber ratings
11. Attachment methods
12. More things I didn't type

Obviously some of those items impact other items.

This is a good start for a list.

The biggest concern I have is minimum barrel length since it will be swapped between a 10.5 sbr and a 16 ar.

Quality is very important. But sometimes I know that the name is what allows for a price. Circumstantially.

[Auto-X Fil]

There are some .30 cal cans that work great on 5.56, so if this is going to be your only suppressor, it's hard to ignore that. Then you'd be set for .308 or 300 BLK. The Omega was my first can choice, based on sound/weight/size/versatility. It's not the lightest, most accurate, or quietest in any application - but it's darned close to the best cans in many different uses. That makes is very desirable. Compare that to then Hybrid, which can do essentially everything, but is probably only 70-80% as good as a dedicated can for each job - more versatile, but not as good in any one thing.

If you are a 5.56 guy and that's that, then AAC M4-2000 has a lot going for it. However, AAC is at the bottom of the list of good companies to work with.

W have a SpecWar 5.56 in jail right now because SilencerCo has been just incredible to deal with, and this can is pretty much as good as the M4-2000. Plus, the mounts will work with the Omega - I really like the ASR system. As soon as my 6.5 CRD barrel comes in I'm going to do some serious accuracy testing with it, but on my 5.56 guns I can't tell the difference between direct-thread and ASR in terms of accuracy. Both are just as good as no can at all, with repeatable POI shift.

[plinkerr]

This is a good start for a list.

The biggest concern I have is minimum barrel length since it will be swapped between a 10.5 sbr and a 16 ar.

Quality is very important. But sometimes I know that the name is what allows for a price. Circumstantially.

I'll throw this out there in case you haven't shot suppressed very much. When it comes to 5.56 cans, I haven't come across anything on the market that I think most people would consider to be "quiet", especially on a 10.5". Quiet compared to unsuppressed? Sure, but you will still want to wear hearing protection for training/practice. With that in mind a lot of people (including myself) prioritize the mount/accuracy, durability (especially on 10.5"), back pressure, and first round flash when choosing a 5.56 can.

Back pressure is a big one and something that I think a lot of first time buyers don't put enough emphasis on. Unless you're planning on running an adjustable gas block or something else to try to bleed off the excess gas then it can have a huge impact on the shootability of your rig. It's hard to make decent hits when you're teary-eyed and can't breathe after the first 2-3 shots.

With all that in mind I chose the SF 5.56 RC2 which should be approved any day now. There's another thread in this sub-forum about it if you're curious: https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread...-Socom-556-RC2

[vpetrell]

I'll throw this out there in case you haven't shot suppressed very much. When it comes to 5.56 cans, I haven't come across anything on the market that I think most people would consider to be "quiet", especially on a 10.5". Quiet compared to unsuppressed? Sure, but you will still want to wear hearing protection for training/practice. With that in mind a lot of people (including myself) prioritize the mount/accuracy, durability (especially on 10.5"), back pressure, and first round flash when choosing a 5.56 can.

Back pressure is a big one and something that I think a lot of first time buyers don't put enough emphasis on. Unless you're planning on running an adjustable gas block or something else to try to bleed off the excess gas then it can have a huge impact on the shootability of your rig. It's hard to make decent hits when you're teary-eyed and can't breathe after the first 2-3 shots.

With all that in mind I chose the SF 5.56 RC2 which should be approved any day now. There's another thread in this sub-forum about it if you're curious: https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread...-Socom-556-RC2

That's a good point. I am starting to do my research and am finding the back pressure to be a key component to my purchase.

How does the rc2 do on the shorter barrel?

Can you copy that link for me?

I'm sure there is a can out there that will work great on my sbr and full size. Just need to find it!


Thanks

VP

[VIP3R 237]

The M4SDII is a fantastic can that works well with both barrel lengths, and its versatility is hard to match. Surefire and SiCo also both produce excellent cans. Honestly there isn't much difference in quality anymore with the more well known brands. However as mentioned above, no can is going to be hearing safe on a 10.5" barrel.