“Its just a tube”

**MegademiC** · 03-28-20, 18:42

I’ve seen a lot of post, some here, mostly elsewhere, talking about how much cans are over-priced.
I think some brands command a premium (sf, maybe knights), but you are paying extra for the mouting system and testing IMO.

For the market as a whole, when you price stuff out, this claim falls on its face.
Titanium tubes are not cheap
Ti or even 17-4 cones are not cheap
Welding these into a can are not cheap
Cnc machining the baffles are not cheap

Yes, you can make a $100 steel tube, but it will be loud, and heavy. Al wont last long and will be heavier than a Ti silencer.
To make a decent can, you’ll likely spend significantly more than off the shelf prices. I was looking to form1 a can and saw yhm prices... cheaper, lighter, welded (not screwed together).

Its not just a tube.
If they are so cheap to make, why not undercut the market with your own solution? Am I missing something?

**Don Robison** · 03-28-20, 19:23

Originally Posted by MegademiC

I’ve seen a lot of post, some here, mostly elsewhere, talking about how much cans are over-priced.
I think some brands command a premium (sf, maybe knights), but you are paying extra for the mouting system and testing IMO.

For the market as a whole, when you price stuff out, this claim falls on its face.
Titanium tubes are not cheap
Ti or even 17-4 cones are not cheap
Welding these into a can are not cheap
Cnc machining the baffles are not cheap

Yes, you can make a $100 steel tube, but it will be loud, and heavy. Al wont last long and will be heavier than a Ti silencer.
To make a decent can, you’ll likely spend significantly more than off the shelf prices. I was looking to form1 a can and saw yhm prices... cheaper, lighter, welded (not screwed together).

Its not just a tube.
If they are so cheap to make, why not undercut the market with your own solution? Am I missing something?

Bubba is always gonna bitch that stuff is overpriced and then hack together his own hillbilly solution that "is just as good and only cost $40."

**Bret** · 03-28-20, 19:42

Material costs are not the primary driving factor when it comes to suppressor costs. It's about economies of scale. There would be many more suppressors made and they would be considerably less expensive if demand was not reduced due to the NFA cost and hassle. If suppressors were not subject to the NFA, I think demand would easily be three or four times what it is now. If that happened, the manufacturing efficiencies would drastically increase and overhead costs per unit would go way down. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the resulting prices overall were half what they are today. Therefore, I think for what you get suppressors are overpriced compared to other firearm related items.

**MegademiC** · 03-28-20, 21:05

Originally Posted by Bret

Material costs are not the primary driving factor when it comes to suppressor costs. It's about economies of scale. There would be many more suppressors made and they would be considerably less expensive if demand was not reduced due to the NFA cost and hassle. If suppressors were not subject to the NFA, I think demand would easily be three or four times what it is now. If that happened, the manufacturing efficiencies would drastically increase and overhead costs per unit would go way down. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the resulting prices overall were half what they are today. Therefore, I think for what you get suppressors are overpriced compared to other firearm related items.

Yes, the nfa burden keeps scale low, and therefore higher prices, but the current market is still more economical than home builds. You could apply that logic to anything that not proliferate. Its not over priced, just higher than it could be, and everything could be lower priced.

You could say that about anything, but I only see it said about supressors. “Its just a tube”. No its not.

If you had a cnc machine churning out oarts 24/7, yeah things would be a lot cheaper. Custom/ non-continuous machinework is very expensive.

**Bret** · 03-28-20, 23:15

People are just making a value perception. For many, the cost is not worth it given the utility they get from suppressors versus the utility they can get from other firearm related items. For example, given a choice between a suppressor and another AR15, most will choose the AR15. People perceive suppressors as being less complex than most pistols (which is generally correct), yet they cost more.

**HeruMew** · 03-29-20, 14:11

The one thing that gets me, in particular, about a lot of the folks making those statements is that Suppressors are at, in my eyes, an all time low in cost.

I just picked up a TI Tube Mystic X (Monocore and user serviceable) for 599.

Not only would I be fooling myself, but I would be straight up high to believe that I could reasonably produce something of that level of manufacture, with a 33-38db reduction, out of my home shop. Even with a mill, CNC, etc. After cost of tooling, concept, materials, you'd have to Form 1 damn near 10-15 to make it worth your overall expenditure, and still hope to produce a valid "quality" product.

**markm** · 04-02-20, 18:54

Originally Posted by MegademiC

but the current market is still more economical than home builds.

Very true. We're doing a Form 1 kit can now in Titanium. After all is said and done, buying a thread on factory build was about a wash... especially with the labor/time involved with cutting Ti.

Still a fun project, but buying a factory can is way less ass ache.

**MegademiC** · 04-02-20, 20:28

Originally Posted by markm

Very true. We're doing a Form 1 kit can now in Titanium. After all is said and done, buying a thread on factory build was about a wash... especially with the labor/time involved with cutting Ti.

Still a fun project, but buying a factory can is way less ass ache.

Your (and pappabears) thread got this going. There were no cheap readily available high volume 9mm cans out so I priced a form 1 can.

I was about ready to do it when I saw the octane m36, then yhm announced the r9.

During my research, I kept seeing comments like I mentioned. Form1s definately have a place, but they still are not cheap.

**scottryan** · 03-29-20, 21:21

Originally Posted by MegademiC

I’ve seen a lot of post, some here, mostly elsewhere, talking about how much cans are over-priced.
I think some brands command a premium (sf, maybe knights), but you are paying extra for the mouting system and testing IMO.

For the market as a whole, when you price stuff out, this claim falls on its face.
Titanium tubes are not cheap
Ti or even 17-4 cones are not cheap
Welding these into a can are not cheap
Cnc machining the baffles are not cheap

Yes, you can make a $100 steel tube, but it will be loud, and heavy. Al wont last long and will be heavier than a Ti silencer.
To make a decent can, you’ll likely spend significantly more than off the shelf prices. I was looking to form1 a can and saw yhm prices... cheaper, lighter, welded (not screwed together).

Its not just a tube.
If they are so cheap to make, why not undercut the market with your own solution? Am I missing something?

The people that make this claim are almost always idiots who can't afford one in the first place or have no intention of ever buying one.