Air Lock Industries Suppressor

[TimberHunter]

[QUOTE="AirlockIndustries, post: 4498659, member: 101557"@passinggas33 It will be fine for those cartridges. We even bored out a Nano and ran it on a 6UM. The design parameters (material and wall thickness) remain consistent across the lineup; only the form factor changes (length, OD, etc.).[/QUOTE]

[mention]AirlockIndustries [/mention] What would it take to get you guys to bore out my nano on order to 6mm???

I’m thinking along the lines of 243/6cm so similar amount of powder as 22cm


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[Hurley88]

Ok, I’ve had the OG65 & ZG65 next to each other a few times now, around 200 rounds each. Which puts the Airlock at roughly 500ish and the OG65 at just over 200 rounds. Rifles are both 16” barrels, a 6.5CM & 243, both fast twist, I’d say comparable loads & bullets (if interested in that data just shout out & I’ll throw it up).

I was going to do a separate thread…but tbh I’m kinda done/bored with testing suppressors so I at least wanted to share what info I have so far. If something encroaches on doing drills or training these days, it won’t for long. That’s what I really want to do. Except for buying factory rifle ammo; I still refuse to do that. Which is probably helping me not shoot my way into the poor house, so it needs to stay! But anyway. In this post I’ll just try and explain the differences in the two 6.5 suppressors then go into more of the ins & outs of ownership.

So a couple hundred shots in…what I can say is that these two cans are CLOSE. they both show mirage very soon, slight edge to the OG65 here but it’s immaterial. They’ll both show enough mirage to affect the shooter between 2-5 shots depending on ambient temps, more often closer to two shots but if 40* or lower you might get to four shots. Sound and form factor are where the real differences are, with the latter playing a bigger role in which can is better to own for which purpose.

Quick aside on recoil mitigation: the Airlock does seem to give a slight reduction in recoil. As above…it’s immaterial to spotting impacts, especially with these two rifles. But just enough to be noteworthy. Again, these two are very close so I’m pointing out the minutiae where I can.

Sound: from all the people that have helped me or offered their opinions, I’m gonna have to say that the edge goes to the Airlock. Personally I believe the decibel levels would be almost identical and that most people are being swayed by the difference in tone, but perhaps the OG65 is really 1-2 db louder? To date I’ve grabbed over thirty people at the range who have been very gracious with their time, just to do an impromptu test with me. This is a range with a heavy USPSA crowd, so not many bolt action fans and I haven’t met one person who has ever heard of these suppressors. Most times one or two people, but sometimes I get lucky with a large group.

Here’s how it typically goes: I explain dbA, 80/125/140, explain the risks, and we discuss. I tell them safety is paramount and which distances are good for two shots. I began with people 50yds back but every time we did that I was told that they couldn’t tell a difference. Nobody said they could hear any difference until they were around 25yds or closer.

Today there was a group of 9 people shooting in the next bay who came over. The bulk of the group was about 15yds behind me, two were about 25yds back, and three stayed right next to me (anyone within 10-15yds or closer had earpro on). I fired one shot from each gun. This group of people were particularly helpful bc they were interested and there was a robust debate within them. We ended up repeating the test four times with various members of the group changing positions to hear it again. Then, two of the guys were interested enough that they shot two rounds with each rifle to further discuss. Can’t thank those guys enough, it was very helpful to hear a discussion from a larger group of people.

All of them remarked that both suppressors sounded much less high-pitched than most, and only one said the OG65 sounded better to the shooter bc he preferred the lower tone. They anll said the Airlock was quieter, but not by much. And they all liked the tone of the Airlock better. These thoughts mimic almost everyone I’ve run this impromptu test with.

Continued…

 

[Hurley88]

My thoughts about the sound…well I have a theory that the deeper tone of the OG65 sounded louder to the shooter bc it was more clearly distinguished through hearing protection but I thought they were the same volume. This wasn’t borne out in my testing with other members of the range.

In testing the Hyperion L, OG, OG65, and Airlock I can remark somewhat about the tone though, and I also have come to prefer the Airlock. The OG suppressors sound like the gun always sounds while wearing earmuffs, a bellow/boom. Just quieter. The Hyperion L was a sharp crack that I found not at all to my liking. Between those two extremes of sound I’d choose the OG lineup all day long. But the Airlock is more of a hiss, and to me (and most that commented or participated in my “hey wanna hear something cool?” tests) the Airlock is that in-between tone that’s preferred over the other two.

Continued…

 

[ACHILLES]

Been running 10rd strings through my 12” 22arc gasser today on steel with the ZG 6.5, no cover. No mirage issues with a 3x PA prism scope. It’s 72* & windy. Checked it with a temp gun at the hottest part and was 280*, within a minute it was at 240 , within 2.5-3min it was 100* just sitting on the table with the bolt open.

 

[Hurley88]

I mentioned at the beginning that form factor was where the biggest differences are between the OG65 & Airlock ZG65, and that’s honestly the case. They’re very close on mirage, recoil reduction, sound…the biggest difference in ownership is the fact that one is muzzle-forward and the other is OTB.

The OTB s very slightly thinner, and most guys that look at the two rifles say it’s cooler. But, that’s where the benefits end. Barrel diameter excludes it from many rifles, taking it on/off as many times as I have has put a bright ring in the stainless on my barrel (maybe I’m not careful, I dunno), I’ve gotten snow up there once on a hunt when the rifle slid across a log by itself as soon is I turned to walk away…

None of those things are deal-breakers, but after a few months with both types of suppressors there’s just less hassle with a muzzle-forward can. If the ZG65 didn’t exist I’d be singing that the OG65 is the greatest hunting can out there (nobody would care but I’d still be singing it)…but the Zero Gravity does exist and overall it’s just a better can for the lightweight hunter who wants a maximum suppression, minimal weight, minimal added length purpose-built hunting suppressor.

I love them both, and personally wanted the OG65 to win bc it looked cooler on the rifle (I also had high hopes for mirage but that’s another story), but long term the Airlock is the better can to own for hunting. Unless of course something better comes along; for now this one’s tough to beat.

If you already own one, don’t get the other. They’re too close. But having to choose just one for its intended purpose, I really can’t praise the Airlock enough.

 

[Hurley88]

Been running 10rd strings through my 12” 22arc gasser today on steel with the ZG 6.5, no cover. No mirage issues with a 3x PA prism scope. It’s 72* & windy. Checked it with a temp gun at the hottest part and was 280*, within a minute it was at 240 , within 2.5-3min it was 100* just sitting on the table with the bolt open.

Great info! Mine is shooting 41-45gr of powder, full house 243/6CM and I’m in Texas so that’s likely making the difference. And I’m gonna try suppressor covers soon too.

But awesome to know such a short barreled ARC isn’t heating up nearly as much! I have a 6ARC so can believe that. It doesn’t heat up nearly as much as other rifles.

 

[Marbles]

My thoughts about the sound…well I have a theory that the deeper tone of the OG65 sounded louder to the shooter bc it was more clearly distinguished through hearing protection but I thought they were the same volume. This wasn’t borne out in my testing with other members of the range.

In testing the Hyperion L, OG, OG65, and Airlock I can remark somewhat about the tone though, and I also have come to prefer the Airlock. The OG suppressors sound like the gun always sounds while wearing earmuffs, a bellow/boom. Just quieter. The Hyperion L was a sharp crack that I found not at all to my liking. Between those two extremes of sound I’d choose the OG lineup all day long. But the Airlock is more of a hiss, and to me (and most that commented or participated in my “hey wanna hear something cool?” tests) the Airlock is that in-between tone that’s preferred over the other two.

Continued…

Sounds like the Airlock edges out the OG65 in weight, price, sound, and frustration factor (not going to get an adapter stuck or have problems with barrel diameter).

The OG65 edges out the ZG in overall length (0.375 inches), little less heat, (perhaps no effect on mirage though), easier to get (don't have to wait on a drop), and color options.

I bet durability is about the same, both are thin and the extra weight of the OG65 is likely all in the OTB section and not representative of thicker construction.

I have an OG65 waiting to be form4'd, so probably will not add a ZG 6.5 as the difference doesn't sound large enough. But, I will probably get a Nano at some point.

 

[WCT3]

I mentioned at the beginning that form factor was where the biggest differences are between the OG65 & Airlock ZG65, and that’s honestly the case. They’re very close on mirage, recoil reduction, sound…the biggest difference in ownership is the fact that one is muzzle-forward and the other is OTB.

The OTB s very slightly thinner, and most guys that look at the two rifles say it’s cooler. But, that’s where the benefits end. Barrel diameter excludes it from many rifles, taking it on/off as many times as I have has put a bright ring in the stainless on my barrel (maybe I’m not careful, I dunno), I’ve gotten snow up there once on a hunt when the rifle slid across a log by itself as soon is I turned to walk away…

None of those things are deal-breakers, but after a few months with both types of suppressors there’s just less hassle with a muzzle-forward can. If the ZG65 didn’t exist I’d be singing that the OG65 is the greatest hunting can out there (nobody would care but I’d still be singing it)…but the Zero Gravity does exist and overall it’s just a better can for the lightweight hunter who wants a maximum suppression, minimal weight, minimal added length purpose-built hunting suppressor.

I love them both, and personally wanted the OG65 to win bc it looked cooler on the rifle (I also had high hopes for mirage but that’s another story), but long term the Airlock is the better can to own for hunting. Unless of course something better comes along; for now this one’s tough to beat.

If you already own one, don’t get the other. They’re too close. But having to choose just one for its intended purpose, I really can’t praise the Airlock enough.

Thanks for the detailed write up, you've officially confirmed that an Airlock will be the next can I buy.

 

[ACHILLES]

Great info! Mine is shooting 41-45gr of powder, full house 243/6CM and I’m in Texas so that’s likely making the difference. And I’m gonna try suppressor covers soon too.

But awesome to know such a short barreled ARC isn’t heating up nearly as much! I have a 6ARC so can believe that. It doesn’t heat up nearly as much as other rifles.

Without a cover running on my 18” 22arc bolt gun in hot weather and low wind you can start seeing mirage around 4rnds. And faster of course on my 16&18” 243&6.5CM.
But I don’t care I wanted it as a light weight hunting can for 1 shot without a cover. But it seems to do fine for longer shot strings also within reason with no cover on.
Thanks for sharing your results.

 

[dårlig jeger]

I have a dumb-guy take on "tone." Let me know if this is way off.

The crack of the bullet is high-pitched. No way around it, no way to mitigate it. The muzzle blast is less high-pitched. My theory is, the more muzzle blast you hear, the lower the tone seems. So the quietest suppressors will always sound more high-pitched because you are hearing more bullet crack than muzzle blast. As a can gets louder, the opposite is true.

I have a few cans and the quieter they are, the higher the pitch, in my opinion. But I could be minimizing the sound produced by the can. I might be way off.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

taking it on/off as many times as I have has put a bright ring in the stainless on my barrel (maybe I’m not careful, I dunno),

I will note this is true of my OG and OG 6.5 as well. The interior of the OTB section is like sandpaper. You have to be very careful when threading it on.

This isn’t true of the AB Raptors I have used. They are smoother and don’t come as close to the barrel. But that also means more space for stuff to get in there (and lower volume?).

It’s not enough to keep me from potentially getting another one, but it is good to be aware of it.

Good posts, Hurley. Interesting that we came to very similar - but not identical - conclusions.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

I have a dumb-guy take on "tone." Let me know if this is way off.

The crack of the bullet is high-pitched. No way around it, no way to mitigate it. The muzzle blast is less high-pitched. My theory is, the more muzzle blast you hear, the lower the tone seems. So the quietest suppressors will always sound more high-pitched because you are hearing more bullet crack than muzzle blast. As a can gets louder, the opposite is true.

I have a few cans and the quieter they are, the higher the pitch, in my opinion. But I could be minimizing the sound produced by the can. I might be way off.

I don’t think that is true. If you do a test with OTB and muzzle forward, it is quite easy to tell which is which, even on two cans that test the same or close to the same on suppression. At the same time, not all muzzle forward cans have the really high pitch.

When it comes down to it, I think there are some people highly sensitive to pitch or tone. Think people who hate the “nails on chalkboard.” Those are the people who are going to comment on a real difference between OTB and certain muzzle forward cans.

For someone like me, who is literally and figuratively, tone deaf, it makes no difference.

 

[omicron1792]

I love that both companies are pushing US into modern age of suppression. One with OTB and one with light new tech. What a time to be alive.

 

[WeiserBucks]

Any word on the next pre-order?

 

[HuntHarder]

@Hurley88 since you have both the OG and the OG65, is there a big difference between those 2? I have the OG and am waiting on the OG65. I am not impressed with the OG at all. I will sell it as soon as I can. "Hearing safe" isn't what I thought it was. That can is flat out loud to me.

 

[Hurley88]

Sounds like the Airlock edges out the OG65 in weight, price, sound, and frustration factor (not going to get an adapter stuck or have problems with barrel diameter).

The OG65 edges out the ZG in overall length (0.375 inches), little less heat, (perhaps no effect on mirage though), easier to get (don't have to wait on a drop), and color options.

I bet durability is about the same, both are thin and the extra weight of the OG65 is likely all in the OTB section and not representative of thicker construction.

I have an OG65 waiting to be form4'd, so probably will not add a ZG 6.5 as the difference doesn't sound large enough. But, I will probably get a Nano at some point.

Spot on. I had to really pay attention to nitpick the differences. In the end Airlock wins out simply due to cost and not having any of the (admittedly small) downsides of OTB

 

[Hurley88]

@Hurley88 since you have both the OG and the OG65, is there a big difference between those 2? I have the OG and am waiting on the OG65. I am not impressed with the OG at all. I will sell it as soon as I can. "Hearing safe" isn't what I thought it was. That can is flat out loud to me.

They’re insanely close, but as above the Airlock edges out the OG65. Even with regard to volume. But a big difference? Nope.

This is gonna be incredibly dumbed down, please don’t flame me…

On a logarithmic scale (keeping it simple), every 10db sounds like it’s twice as loud. Looking at just the manufacturer specs, IIRC the OG65 posted up something like 129 vs the OG showing 133. But the OG did this with a 308, I’d imagine it would meter around 135ish with a high speed overbore cartridge like a 6CM. So let’s assume 5db higher; it’ll seem like roughly a 50% increase to the shooter.

I wrote the above to help potential shooters while shopping, just to keep things in perspective. The numbers these guys are posting isn’t arbitrary, they’re using the best methods financially available to them in an effort to help us compare. That said, a quick search of db tables that can be found online show:

80db is loud conversation or yelling
125db pain/ringing may happen
140db instant damage to hearing

Since most suppressors are metering out right in that 125-140 range…it isn’t hard to imagine that something at 133-135 could sound drastically louder than something at 127-129. Especially at the shooter. 200yds away, you likely couldn’t tell the difference.

So to answer your question, yes the OG65 will sound drastically different to the shooter than the OG30. I own the OG30 also and I can’t give a “it sounds 30-40-50% louder”…I can say it’s an obvious difference and that a shot with the OG30 always rings my ears while a shot with the OG65 has yet to. But that makes sense given the numbers posted by the manufacturers; they’re right there between “pain begins” and “permanent damage”.

In either case you should always wear hearing protection, it’s just nice for those jump shot situations that the OG65 or ZG65 will likely not ring your ears. Either way you shouldn’t make a habit of it; if I were US’s legal counsel I might warn them to take down that bit on their website about how nice it is to be able to whisper to each other while taking the shot. That line of (no offense) BS is what caused my confusion and led me down a dumbass road. Encouraging such behavior might cause them to catch a case down the road.

 

[HuntHarder]

Thank you. I think the OG65 will fit the bill for what I got it for. I do think it looks better being OTB. I have the ZG 7mm on order as well, but missed out on getting a ZG6.5. I will grab a Zg 6.5 on the next go around. I appreciate your insights. Numbers are very important, but real world use and unbiased opinions sometimes show more than #'s do. After my buyer's remorse on the OG, I am trying to avoid that scenario going forward.

 

[Hurley88]

That’s the #1 reason I jumped in with both feet and tested these how I did. I want to share so that other guys can make a better decision, avoid buyer’s remorse, and maybe not buy three suppressors looking for just one to fit the bill. Glad to hear it’s helpful

 

[ID-Muley]

Thank you. I think the OG65 will fit the bill for what I got it for. I do think it looks better being OTB. I have the ZG 7mm on order as well, but missed out on getting a ZG6.5. I will grab a Zg 6.5 on the next go around. I appreciate your insights. Numbers are very important, but real world use and unbiased opinions sometimes show more than #'s do. After my buyer's remorse on the OG, I am trying to avoid that scenario going forward.

I’ve tried to stay out of Airlock threads since I sell US and Danny at Airlock is a great dude with a great product as well, so I don’t want to post on a thread about his cans. But in short to put your mind at ease, you won’t regret the OG6.5. They’re great cans if you want a OTB design for hunting.I’ve ran about 160+ rounds through it in the last week on my 16in 6cm and don’t have any complaints. The OG and OG 6.5 have their differences for sure.