**Results are in** REAPER vs AIRLOCK vs PTR VENT 1 vs NOMAD TI-XC vs DD ENTICER LTI TITANIUM SHOOTOUT

[Q_Sertorius]

So the scythe was hyped
OG was hyped
This is hyped

You must have heard this can with your own ears. But I am skeptical. What little info exists about airlock stuff is vague. Are you telling me you'd replace all your dozens of cans with this one no questions asked?

I think you are right to be skeptical about any new product. I’ll feel pretty comfortable with the ZG once a bunch of prolific shooters start getting up to 500+ rounds each. That’s nothing against the ZG, it’s just where I start to feel comfortable with any suppressor.

I would not sell all my existing suppressors to replace them with Airlocks. I’m very impressed with the ZG 6.5 so far, but I only have 40 6.5mm CM rounds through it. That’s also true of the OG 6.5.

I’ve carried the ZG 6.5 in the field on my 24” .25-06, and I liked it, but I didn’t see anything I could shoot while carrying it (I was tagged out on deer). It was comparable with the OG 6.5 in terms of easy carrying, but marginally lighter.

My personal plan is to put roughly 500 6.5mm CM through my ZG 6.5 and another 500 through my OG 6.5 in the next year. And, if I get dedicated .224 caliber center fire cans, like the Nano and/or OG 22, I’ll try to put a few thousand through each of them as well.

 

[StupidLightweight]

So the scythe was hyped
OG was hyped
This is hyped

You must have heard this can with your own ears. But I am skeptical. What little info exists about airlock stuff is vague. Are you telling me you'd replace all your dozens of cans with this one no questions asked?

The answer is yes to both.

I have heard it with my own ears on a 6mm ARC and a 6mm Creedmoor, where I compared it to my two favorite cans, the Diligent Defense Wolf Hunter on a .243 and the Banish 223 on a Tikka .223. It's every bit as good as those cans while being significantly smaller and lighter.

Would I replace any of my cans for another Airlock? Yes, I would replace any other centerfire can with an equivalent Airlock version. It would be an upgrade.

And I don't blame anyone for being skeptical of the Airlock witchcraft. That's why I have one. I wanted to call BS on these claims. What I found out, though, is this is legit technology. It's better and smaller and lighter than anything else on the market. To be honest, it's annoyingly effective, and I'm dying to know why. I should use a tiny borescope camera and run it inside to see what they did.

Now, could there be some fatal flaw in the design? Yes, there could be. Time will tell. Until then, this is the gold standard.

 

[ACHILLES]

So the scythe was hyped
OG was hyped
This is hyped

You must have heard this can with your own ears. But I am skeptical. What little info exists about airlock stuff is vague. Are you telling me you'd replace all your dozens of cans with this one no questions asked?

I would be skeptical too if I hadn't tried it against several other cans of mine and some freinds cans also.

I may have missed it but I never saw any transparency or testing videos from silencerco on the scythe. US and airlock put alot of info out there and so far provide excellent customer service.

 

[GotDraw?]

That is interesting since the db(a) ratings are

DD LTi 124
DD STi 128
AL ZG 6.5 129.5
AL ZG 7 128.5

But when I shot the ZG6.5 and DDsti side by side the ZG was noticeably quieter although the ratings don’t reflect that. With newer suppressor technology like Airlocks there seems to be more to it than just comparing DB(a) ratings between cans now.

@Josh Boyd , @Team4LongGun , @ACHILLES , @AirlockIndustries

Hmm... Is it possible that the db meter is measuring sound db with a weighting toward higher frequencies than the testers can hear due to long term hearing damage? If so, then perhaps the testers are basing and skewing their "human/real world" assessment of attenuation based only on what their damaged ears can hear and are therefore missing the impact of high frequency attenuation?

[NOTE-- This is meant as a serious question]

JL

 

[Q_Sertorius]

That is interesting since the db(a) ratings are

DD LTi 124
DD STi 128
AL ZG 6.5 129.5
AL ZG 7 128.5

But when I shot the ZG6.5 and DDsti side by side the ZG was noticeably quieter although the ratings don’t reflect that. With newer suppressor technology like Airlocks there seems to be more to it than just comparing DB(a) ratings between cans now.

The ratings are really only comparable if the tests are done under the same conditions. That’s why the TBAC summit results are so useful as an objective assessment.

 

[2buffalo]

So the scythe was hyped
OG was hyped
This is hyped

You must have heard this can with your own ears. But I am skeptical. What little info exists about airlock stuff is vague. Are you telling me you'd replace all your dozens of cans with this one no questions asked?

I would/did.

 

[ACHILLES]

The ratings are really only comparable if the tests are done under the same conditions. That’s why the TBAC summit results are so useful as an objective assessment.

I realize that. The DD ratings are from the 2023 TBAC Summit

 

[Shortschaf]

Pretty good bit of info out there. I think long term durability is a question, but that issue exists with any new product.

I dont really agree about the info being plentiful, there's a long public thread about it on this forum, and some mumbo jumbo on their site. As much positivity existed around gen1 vortex vipers when they came out and those are hot garbage.

BUT... I do expect 3D printed cans to obsolete welded baffles at some point. And maybe that is just what is happening here.

 

[AirlockIndustries]

@AirlockIndustries , Is the internal design in your suppressors that causes more turbulence/deceleration before exiting such that if you never clean the suppressor, like many of us, it would decrease the performance more than a more conventionally designed suppressor?

Performance will remain consistent regardless of carbon buildup.

For cleaning, liquid solvents have proven effective. We are currently evaluating several brands before recommending a specific option, I actually have a suppressor soaking right now.

Regarding long-term durability, the suppressor used for the 100-round test on a 16” 6.5 PRC was already a used unit with approximately 500–600 rounds on it prior to that test. That same suppressor is still in service as we continue durability testing. We’ve also had several suppressors with a few thousand rounds on them, which were cut open for internal inspection to check for any wear or damage.

 

[HighUintas]

Y'all should listen to exo's podcast interview with airlock. I don't think it's snake oil at all

 

[ACHILLES]

I dont really agree about the info being plentiful, there's a long public thread about it on this forum, and some mumbo jumbo on their site. As much positivity existed around gen1 vortex vipers when they came out and those are hot garbage.

BUT... I do expect 3D printed cans to obsolete welded baffles at some point. And maybe that is just what is happening here.

There’s also the test in here that this thread was created for comparing 5 cans including the airlock with feedback and ratings from the guys that were there. I see where you’re coming from but there is not going to be copious of data on cans that were just released only a couple months ago. The test and data collected from the guys in this thread will most likely give you more real world info anyway.

 

[Whhood]

Great. Now I really regret not emailing after my failed attempts on Black Friday!