Last week, On Point Firearms took delivery of our first shipment of Gem-tech suppressors. Among them were a couple of HALOs in 5.56mm NATO. HALO stands for High Activity (let's go cyclic!) Low Observable (hey, where the heck is that fire coming from!?) The HALO is designed to quickly attach to any weapon employing a standard A2 birdcage flashhider. So, you can use a single suppressor on multiple weapons (M16/M4/HK416/M249) without expensive proprietary muzzle adapters for each application. It's a good cost effective solution for guys with a lot of ARs.
The HALO is easy to attach. First, make sure your A2 birdcage isn't mounted with a troublesome crush washer, as these have a tendency to cant the flash hider. This is important, since a misalignment between the bore and the silencer could deliver a costly strike to the inner baffles of the can. Therefore, the HALO ships from Gem-tech with a concentric washer to replace your crush washer. Luckily, I was mounting the suppressor on an LWRC M6A2. No crush washer to worry about, so I was ready to rock. After slipping the adapter collar over the flash hider, slide the can over the birdcage and screw the adapter onto the threads. It's a 30 second operation. Make sure it's on nice and tight! I'll explain the importance of that later.
After install, I could definitely tell the suppressor added some extra weight. This had an adverse effect on the rifle's balance, but moving your support hand position forward helps you regain control. The HALO also adds about 7 inches to the overall length of your rifle, so an SBR application would be ideal if you want to maintain your CQB profile.
Now, let's get down to the meat and potatoes/biscuits and gravy. How does the HALO sound? How does it shoot? The answer to both questions is... GREAT!
Before installing the HALO, I fired a 3 round group at 50yds to verify my zero. After install, there was no change in the bullet's point of impact! That's a big plus in my book, since many suppressors on the market have a tendency to shift a bullet's POI. The HALO doesn't, so you can be confident that your rounds are going to land where they're supposed to-- whether or not you're running suppressed.
We all know what the report of an AR15 sounds like. It's loud-- about 140dB. Gem-tech says the HALO reduces the sound signature by about 32dB, which gets it down to 108dB-- just above the threshold that causes hearing damage. So, it's not hearing safe-- but darn close. I took off my muffs when the ROs weren't looking (which is suprisingly often) and fired 5 rounds into the target. The 5.56mm NATO round is never going to be subsonic, so I could still hear the crack of the bullet breaking the sound barrier. The closest thing I could compare the noise to would be a high powered air rifle. You know, the 1000fps flavor that has been thinning out squirrel numbers for years! You definitely wouldn't recognize it as a gun shot-- especially from a distance. And the flash is completely absorbed in the can. However, I'd like to do a night fire exercise soon to see what kind of flash, if any, remains.
After a few rounds, the HALO really starts to heat up. Absorbing those hot gases causes the body of the silencer to heat up 7 degrees per shot, according to the HALO field manual. I found that the suppressor was too hot to handle (too cold to hold?) after only 10-15 rounds. I also found that the unit would gradually begin to unscrew after 5 rounds! So, I had to put on a pair of Blackhawk gloves and tighten it down after every volley of shots. Heck, the last thing I wanted was a loose and misaligned silencer causing a heartbreaking baffle strike. So, be mindful. If and when a strike occurs, the damage will be horrific, and you can kiss your investment and $200 tax stamp bye bye. No government bailouts here, my friends. Just cold buckets of "reality water."
Speaking of water... the manual states clearly that the HALO cannot be ran "wet". In fact, HALO has a bitter distain for water. In a pinch, you can submerge it underwater to speed up the cooling process, but HALO won't like you for it. After the interior comes in contact with water, you must immediately soak the entire unit in diesel fuel, CLP, WD40, or some other nemesis of water. HALO hates water. I hope I've made that clear. A higher grade of stainless steel might solve this problem, but I can't guarantee that. HALO simply hates water that much! Perhaps that's why our HALOs arrived with a dry-as-a-bone, anodized finish-- which consequently scratches quite easily. After talking to Gem-tech about the condition of the units, they suggested we apply some CLP to the finish. I jokingly asked if water would work and they hung up on me. CLP worked like a charm. It didn't get out all the scratches, but you have to remember: this is a mil-spec suppressor. It's ALL business. The guys that use these professionally aren't worried about a few scratches. They've got bigger fish to fry. Plus, a little Krylon or Duracoat goes a long way. Reminder: don't be afraid to spray down your expensive weapons. Jump in with both feet. However, if you're jumping into water-- don't bring HALO with you.
That's all for now. Stay tuned for my review of the LWRC M6A2 and our extensive coverage of this year's Shot Show starting the evening of January 15, 2009. Have a good one and God bless.
- Evan
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Originally Posted by Fireguy275
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