Help me understand Supressors

[thinhorn_AK]

It's not really about only TBAC. I'm just correcting misinformation. People who have suppressors from a variety of companies clean them without disassembling them all the time. I don't want the OP to believe that he'll be forced to send his suppressor (whichever company it's from) in to the manufacturer to clean. Or that he'll need to clean it more than every few thousand rounds. Because that's not even remotely close to reality. As for non-TBAC companies, Elite Iron makes some very nice suppressors.

I never said any of that, I simply stated that I made my purchase based on what I wanted.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Don't get caught up in Db "ratings". Most figures you see are nothing more than marketing. There is not an industry standard for testing, and it's known that some companies move equipment a little here or there to get better numbers. Not to mention, you're not going to hear the difference in the minor variation of Db - you're more likely to hear the difference in tone. If that really matters to you, then you'll have to find somewhere to shoot them all to see the difference.

What really matters for a suppressor is precision & repeatability. TBAC is the current gold standard (whether guys like it or not).

Don't get caught-up in the "modularity" nonsense. Swapping out endcaps or mounting is marketing and doesn't have a benefit. The ability to unscrew the front cap and/or rear typically results in a weaker can overall - there's no benefit.

For mounting, if you like the ability to jump between a suppressor and a brake, then get a mount (assuming you like the brake with the mount). Other than that, you are paying an extra $100+ per rifle for no benefit. I would also avoid adapters. If you're barrel is too skinny to mount a can - it's too skinny.

Most of us packing cans on a hunting rifle also consider weight and length. All my TBAC cans have weighed dead nuts exactly as advertised. I can't speak to the Sandman or Omega.

Length can be a factor when packing a rifle. I would avoid a k-can for your first purchase. Nowadays, the 7" length suppressors are really good, and I would only get a 9"+ for a rifle that I was not intending on packing.

As for cleaning, basically every single can out there is "user serviceable". As stated, centerfire can don't really need "servicing". One of my cans in particular has thousands of rounds through it and has never been cleaned. I can weigh it tonight to see how much carbon build-up there is if anyone cares. The last two 5-shot groups out of that can last week were ~5/8 MOA, each (with factory ammo). There's no real benefit to taking apart a precision rifle can.

For your first "precision rifle" suppressor, go with a 30 cal, direct thread, Gen 2, Ultra-7.

Is there an independant side by side test that shows that TBAC supressors are the most repeatable? if so I havn't found it. Honest question though, does such a test exist? I've seen people say it but have not found any proof of this, nor have I seen evidence of every other supressor out there sucking in terms of repeatability.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

The only suppressors which need to be user serviceable are rimfire suppressors and maybe some .223/5.56 suppressors, high volume/dirty shooting kind of stuff. The idea that you need to be able to user-service a centerfire suppressor is just plain weird. Centerfire suppressors are not as dirty and just don't really need to be cleaned often at all.

Unless you run your 30 cal can on a 5.56 then you want it serviceable.

Also be ready to cut or rebarrel your favorite rifle...7" can doesn't sound like much until you put on 22" barrel..I am not a fan of of Kentucky rifle length bolt action.

 

[JohnJohnson]

Unless you run your 30 cal can on a 5.56 then you want it serviceable.

Sure, though to be clear I'm not talking about something like a bolt action .223 predator gun which I'd 100% use a can which does not disassemble. More like if you're doing a lot of semi-auto shooting with an AR I wouldn't necessarily be picking a TBAC .30 cal suppressor. But then again they actually have a .223 suppressor which is user serviceable for that purpose.

 

[SuperDUECE22]

somthing to think about if your thinking about a banish 30 is that they usually offer a free .22 cal silencer when purchasing a banish 30 on black friday

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Sure, though to be clear I'm not talking about something like a bolt action .223 predator gun which I'd 100% use a can which does not disassemble. More like if you're doing a lot of semi-auto shooting with an AR I wouldn't necessarily be picking a TBAC .30 cal suppressor. But then again they actually have a .223 suppressor which is user serviceable for that purpose.

I wasn't referring to bolt .223 either. I run rugged radiant works great on my 30 cal bolt guns and in the k config works great on all my ARs 556, 6.8, 7.62, and 300 black out. It's serviceable, no barrel length restrictions and it's full auto rated. So far it's been the one can for all my guns...YMMV

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

Is there an independant side by side test that shows that TBAC supressors are the most repeatable? if so I havn't found it. Honest question though, does such a test exist? I've seen people say it but have not found any proof of this, nor have I seen evidence of every other supressor out there sucking in terms of repeatability.

Very good point
I've seen the video that TBAC put out where they unscrew the suppressor and reinstall between each shot at LR.
Pretty cool but my direct thread $250 el cheapo suppressor does the exact same thing at 900 yards.

Kinda funny..I was reading a thread recently about the Nomad LT and Ti, and a TBAC fanboy was trashing them because some guys cousins friend had a failure once.
Now TBAC has a big recall on the gen 2s due to a QC issue, and guys are just gushing about the great CS.
It's like they're being done a huge favor, guess they're unaware that every other major suppressor manufacturer stands 100% behind their products.
Personally I'd be pretty pissed if my new suppressor was gonna go in for repairs after waiting 8 months to get it.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Very good point
I've seen the video that TBAC put out where they unscrew the suppressor and reinstall between each shot at LR.
Pretty cool but my direct thread $250 el cheapo suppressor does the exact same thing at 900 yards.

Kinda funny..I was reading a thread recently about the Nomad LT and Ti, and a TBAC fanboy was trashing them because some guys cousins friend had a failure once.
Now TBAC has a big recall on the gen 2s due to a QC issue, and guys are just gushing about the great CS.
It's like they're being done a huge favor, guess they're unaware that every other major suppressor manufacturer stands 100% behind their products.
Personally I'd be pretty pissed if my new suppressor was gonna go in for repairs after waiting 8 months to get it.

This is exactly what I’m taking about. I’ve posted on multiple forums asking for proof that the repeatability of TBAC is so much better than others but nobody can link me, I know guys with all sorts of suppressors and none of them think the TBAC is really that much better, they are nice for sure, don’t get me wrong but I havnt seen any actual evidence of them being “much much” better than anything else. Fact is there are tons of great options out there right now and most of them seem to be making things that outperform most shooters.

 

[AkMtnRunner]

What do the shooting pro's use? That's about as independent of testing as you can get.

 

[JohnJohnson]

What do the shooting pro's use? That's about as independent of testing as you can get.

Here's a link to a 2019 survey which answers that.

Best Muzzle Brakes & Suppressors – What The Pros Use

This article covers the muzzle brakes and suppressors the top 170+ precision rifle shooters in the c...

precisionrifleblog.com

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Seems like you really inferred a whole lot into what I wrote. Maybe read it again?

For those that have been around for a bit (not even that long really), we know that repeatability and precision have not always been a given. You don’t need to read into it or get emotional about a brand. There are other good cans out there. There is also gimmicky junk out there too. TBAC is just a well-established known quantity.

I'm not getting emotional about it at all, in fact, its the TBAC guys who tend to get all fired up. I'm just saying that in my research, I've seen lots of claims that don't seem to be verified anywhere and after spending time trying out several different brands I didn't get the hype. That isnt to say TBAC isn't great because they are, but there are lots of great companies out there.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

What do the shooting pro's use? That's about as independent of testing as you can get.

whatever their sponsors give them id imagine.

 

[AkMtnRunner]

whatever their sponsors give them id imagine.

Ha, it would take an imagination to think that way. Pro shooters invest so much of themselves that they would not compete with a piece of shooting equipment if they didn't believe in it.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Ha, it would take an imagination to think that way. Pro shooters invest so much of themselves that they would not compete with a piece of shooting equipment if they didn't believe in it.

Lol ok. It takes an “imagination” to think pros use what they are given. Now I’ve heard it all lol.

 

[Kimber7man]

OP,
Don’t listen to anyone, buy what you want. You only have yourself to please.
And it’s not that hard to permanently affix a Thunderbeast CB mount to a Thunderbeast CB suppressor and make it a permanent direct thread.
You can also put me in the camp of once shooting suppressed, I’m not shooting unsuppressed..... no reason for me to switch between a brake and a suppressor. That’s why I bought suppressors.

 

[AkMtnRunner]

Lol ok. It takes an “imagination” to think pros use what they are given. Now I’ve heard it all lol.

You don't think they have a choice of suppressor company to represent?

 

[thinhorn_AK]

You don't think they have a choice of suppressor company to represent?

Sure they do, but if they are "pros" they are probably sponsored.

I still want to see hard data for the claims made by TBAC enthusiasts, I'm not even trying to insult anybody, I think TBAC makes good stuff, I just want to see actual data, not claims made out of emotion and brand loyalty.

Also, Don't lots of PRS guys use Vortex optics? I don't know, I'm not one of them and I Don't think it's an actual "sport" for the record.

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

Ha, it would take an imagination to think that way. Pro shooters invest so much of themselves that they would not compete with a piece of shooting equipment if they didn't believe in it.

If you go to a few big matches you'll see companies like NF and TBAC donate a lot of gear.
Pretty smart to give certificates out to top placers it really gets your brand out there.
A friend of mine won an ultra 7 6.5 can at a match and now that's what he competes with.

 

[JohnJohnson]

Don't lots of PRS guys use Vortex optics? I don't know, I'm not one of them and I Don't think it's an actual "sport" for the record.

I believe the predominant brand in the PRS is Nightforce according to surveys. Has been that way for years, with some Kahles thrown in and Vortex at 3rd. Maybe in the upcoming season we'll see some more ZCO scopes too. Whether it's a sport seems irrelevant to the discussion. They shoot a lot regardless if it's called a sport or not.

 

[AkMtnRunner]

Sure they do, but if they are "pros" they are probably sponsored.

You are clearly not understanding my point.

A sponsored pro voluntarily accepts a company sponsorship. They aren’t drafted. They have chosen the companies they represent or often even forego sponsorship to use the gear they see as their best tools.