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suppressor cover questions

ut755ln

Rub some dirt on it
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Full Member
Minuteman
Mar 24, 2011
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Houston Texas
Do they help with mirage and do they hold up? I saw past threads about Burn Proof Gear and Liberty Defense. When the can gets hot and you are shooting at range with higher magnification, the mirage kind of sucks. Is a cover the best option or is there another way to deal with it?
 
Yes they help a lot with mirage. TAB Gear makes a nice one. Have had one for years.

 
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Nothing is more permanent that a temporary solution…

Why, whatever do you mean sir?

While I was trying to decide which cover to buy, Rebecca took this lure cover, changed the location of the velcro and sewed a bit of welding blanket into it.
That was three years ago...

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Yep, it's been down range quite a few times, but it still works.

After her effort to build it for me. I couldn't in good conscience buy a commercially built one.
 
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Yes they help a lot with mirage. TAB Gear makes a nice one. Have had one for years.

I listen. I am using a RC2 on 16" AR precision (ish) build. I see that there are four different designs, is one of them the right answer or do they all work about the same?
 
I listen. I am using a RC2 on 16" AR precision (ish) build. I see that there are four different designs, is one of them the right answer or do they all work about the same?
Those covers look awfully thin. And it says right on the page…

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I would look to the HAD from Rifles Only if shooting longish strings of fire (like more than 10 over a couple of minutes). And even then, the cover will get HOT. It (all suppressor covers) is an insulator, and all of the heat you put into the suppressor eventually needs to get out. The truth seems to be that most suppressor covers are intended for precision applications. A 30 round mag is going to dump a ton of heat into a can, then into the cover…
 
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Pretty much necessary for mirage mitigation.

You can get away without one in some situations - I shot an entire 2 day PRS match without one shooting 6BRA. That cartridge just doesn't use enough powder to heat that can up enough (or at least in my case).

Anything 6CM and up is going to be an issue with mirage and suppressors. Any cartridge using ~40 grains of powder or more will present mirage fairly quickly in the right conditions.

I would look at Precision Underground, Rifles Only and Scope Chaps (or whatever their company is called) for suppressor covers.
 
I listen. I am using a RC2 on 16" AR precision (ish) build. I see that there are four different designs, is one of them the right answer or do they all work about the same?

Different designs and features but all work for what you want.

Are you doing AR mag dumps? I would assume not if worrying about mirage at higher powers.
 
Those covers look awfully thin. And it says right on the page…

View attachment 8366905

I would look to the HAD from Rifles Only if shooting longish strings of fire (like more than 10 over a couple of minutes). And even then, the cover will get HOT. It (all suppressor covers) is an insulator, and all of the heat you put into the suppressor eventually needs to get out. The truth seems to be that most suppressor covers are intended for precision applications. A 30 round mag is going to dump a ton of heat into a can, then into the cover…

Yes, HAD for doing extended firing with platforms like an ar-15.
 
I use the Armageddon gear extra high temp ones. No reason I use them over any other brand other than most of my gear is Armageddon
 
Different designs and features but all work for what you want.

Are you doing AR mag dumps? I would assume not if worrying about mirage at higher powers.
One thing to consider is I’ve swapped the suppressor between 3 rifles before I owned multiple suppressors. It took on a lot of heat between 6.5 prc, .308 and 5.56 at a range I was working on long distances. Some might be in that position. 🤷‍♂️
 
Yes they help a lot with mirage. TAB Gear makes a nice one. Have had one for years.


I think I bought a cover from TAB gear's first run. The first thing I did was mag dumps and the outer Cordura melted. Tony hadn't considered it at the time and replaced it without thinking twice. I think it was posted here, maybe 07 or 08. I pretty much only use TAB gear covers and don't use them on short AR's. It's a good product within it's intended use.
 
I like Can Chaps from our own @gebhardt02 who also makes the Scope Chaps. Works well, grips the can very well for installation/removal, and its not too bulky.


And yes, they help a great deal but as mentioned above, you will also get mirage from a hot barrel so either fore end covers (on chassis guns) or a mirage band will also help.


 
I like Rifles Only covers. They make heavy duty ones for carbine/heavy fire use and lighter ones for long gun use. I have a few cans that are shared among a couple rifles. The RO covers release easy and they are designed so the cord can loop behind the back of the suppressor so they don't walk forward.
 
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Has anyone used Cole-Tac covers?
Have one, make sure you order with the retention system. The buckles get very hot and it tends to slip off without a retention strap. it's not my first choice.

I ordered three suppressor covers recently, the Can Chap mentioned earlier, the Armageddon Gear and a Burn Proof. I ordered the Burn Proof through Dead Air as it's custom made for the Sierra 5 and I had a 20% off coupon from my Sierra 5 being defective out of the box and needing to be fixed.

The Can Chap is for precision rifles and it is, by far, my favorite in terms of design and execution. I really want them to have a go at a hard use cover and I've had limited use with it but so far so good. It's eliminated severe mirage coming off of a titanium can on my bolt gun. Made quite a difference over a dozen shots where I'd normally start getting mirage after 3-4 shots. Their customer service is the best and having ordered all three on the same day, it arrived first and about a week sooner than the second cover. It doesn't budge once on and is the easiest, IMO, to put on by a good amount.

The Armageddon gear is like a big, puffy breakfast Taco (Texans will understand) and it takes a bit of work getting on but the rear cinch function should keep it in place which is right up there in importance with actual thermal management. The material looks thick enough and sturdy enough, I expect it to work well and haven't had a chance to use it yet. The actual thermal portion looks to completely protect the outer cover even at the edges. The cinch cord dongle or whatever it's called, is made out of plastic and rests against the suppressor at the rear so we'll see if that melts long-term.

The Burnproof/Dead Air looks to be the cheapest in terms of materials. It uses a thin, woven inner heat liner which is made by Techflex and is really designed to keep wires and hoses from being burned by OUTSIDE radiated heat, not inside out, so we'll see how it works. I actually use the same material for a product I manufacture (not in the gun industry) so I'm familiar with it and it does work when used correctly. The included cover goes over the top of this material and it looks like it's made well enough and definitely looks like it'll be a pain to get on/off. I say "it looks like" as my Sierra 5 is back at DA yet again for another simple but completely avoidable issue so I likely won't see it for a month or two. The Burnproof is the most expensive one by over $50 and IMO, just looking at it, I'd shop elsewhere. It may prove me wrong. I did purchase the hard use version and I'm guessing the only difference is the included piece of Techflex which you could purchase separately for a couple of bucks. I do expect it to stay put but the inner Techflex lining may, ironically, prevent that. Time will tell. It's more svelte than the Armageddon gear so I guess it has that going for it.

I'll try to take a few pics when I have time and add to this post.
 
So, here’s a bit of an aside. Every cover manufacturer says to measure the actual can, and not to rely on the suppressor manufacturer’s description. THIS IS SUPER MEGA IMPORTANT AS THE FATE OF HUMANITY IS AT STAKE. Fuck, I’ve measured every can I’ve bought a cover for, and upon receipt of the cover I’ve never once thought “wow that thing fits like it was made for this exact can, not just one with similar measurements.” They all tend to be about 1/4” longer than the measurements I submit, and kind of fit like a hand me down jacket. So, what am I saying? Just, don’t expect a Nirvana like experience.
 
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^^^On the above, Cole-Tac got it right on the 2nd try, Armageddon was spot-on to my measurements, no idea on the Burnproof just yet and the Can Chap was spot on length wise and a wee bit short in circumference. They reached out to me, unsolicited by me, and offered to fix even though it wasn't a huge issue (less than 1/4") IMO. I did measure all my cans and it's imperative you do that with any of the flow through cans as you do not want the cover anywhere near the vents. It'll just fray and burn right through the material. Sometimes it's a bit of a guessing game depending on what mount method you're using and what sort of access you want to the rear of the can.
 
For heavy semi auto use I've been happy with Manta Defense:

It's much more secure than my Rifles Only HAD and also a much better insulator.
 
For heavy semi auto use I've been happy with Manta Defense:

It's much more secure than my Rifles Only HAD and also a much better insulator.
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Man, first suppressor design heads towards dildos (Huxwrx), and now suppressor covers see that bet and raise lol

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I have tab, Armageddon, silencer co and Fehu covers and they all work well to cut mirage. I like the Fehu covers the best they are real light and trim but work just as good as some of the thicker covers. https://www.fehuoutdoors.com/product-page/nomex-heat-shield he's out of stock but when I get the email that they are back in stock I will switch out some of my other covers for them.
 
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I have ColeTac with the extra layer of [lining]. Never have had an issue with mirage on Ti can.

But she beefy and its a Dominus so already 1.8 not 1.5 - functional as hell tho mine has the cord too but all I do is order cover an extra 1" long to go past the barrel/suppressor connection; then I can just make first strap extra tight so doesn't slip past (plus there's that rubber-like [lining] on this one too that is more sticky than slick so that also helps).

#functional
 
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