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Suppressors Any loss of accuracy with your suppressors

Jeff in TX

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Sep 5, 2004
315
71
McKinney, TX
I know putting on a suppressor usually changes your POI. My question is does it, will one degrade your accuracy any?
 
When I put my suppressor on, my load produced groups that are the same, if not better.... And that's the big 338ba on a 308.

I'm pretty sure that's the generally seen trend.... Something about less air turbulence on bullet exit.
 
a suppressor will produce freebore boost which will increase muzzle velocity slightly, if you are at the edge of your accuracy node this can either bring you into or push you out of that edge. or if your load is solid it may have little or no effect. also the slower shove of the recoil impulse I believe requires just a tiny bit more follow through but right now that part is still just theory to me.the reduced report from the muzzle will settle newer shooters down and often improves or makes their fundamentals a lil more solid, which is what I think most people see.
 
a suppressor will produce freebore boost which will increase muzzle velocity slightly, if you are at the edge of your accuracy node this can either bring you into or push you out of that edge. or if your load is solid it may have little or no effect. also the slower shove of the recoil impulse I believe requires just a tiny bit more follow through but right now that part is still just theory to me.the reduced report from the muzzle will settle newer shooters down and often improves or makes their fundamentals a lil more solid, which is what I think most people see.

My groups are the same or slightly better, but I think it is a mental thing. Less recoil (vs bare muzzle) and no muzzle blast makes for a rifle that is more pleasant to shoot.
 
A lot of the long range shooters are using Thunder Beast suppressors. Mine works great. I started shooting tighter groups when I put mine on but I also upgraded glass at the same time. Shot with a guy using a Surefire last weekend and he seemed to be shooting fine.
 
A properly built precision can will not degrade the accuracy of your other equipment.

A can designed for other than precision shooting will, as will many two-point attachment systems.
 
2013-09-15_18-53-23_637.jpgno...this group includes the first round cold clean can
 
I have an SDN6 that sounds good but degrades performance on pretty much all the rifles --others say they haven't had that problem, but I do have it on several rifles in different calibers. They all tend to open up, most about 1-1.5MOA. I chalk it up to the QD mounts though --the one I ground for a tighter fit, it opens up much, much less, .67. The rest wiggle and/or rotate freely to some degree. I find the groups tend to be a tad bit lower too, particularly on the 5.56 M4, hardly at all on the heavy 6.5G barrel.

I'll be sticking with thread ons from now on though. Most of those guys say it helps or does nothing negative.
 
A well designed can with solid lockup will almost always improve accuracy.
 
Seems the more rounds I fire through my SAS can, the better it gets. So far I've got about 200 rounds or so through it.
 
Shooting factory ammo with my Gemtech HVT 762 can on my groups open up to around 2moa, but i load can on as well so it still shoots great group, just not with suppressor on, im headed out tomorrow to shoot ill see if i can remember to snap some pics of can vs no can factory.
 
I have 2 rifles that shoot as well suppressed as it does braked and a third one that turns in to a 3 moa disaster with the same can. My 16.5" 6.5creedmoor and 7 saum both shoot well with my elite iron can but my 26" creedmoor match rifle goes to hell with it for some reason. Never put any effort in to figuring out why since have no intention shooting a competition suppressed. As long as it works well on the other two rifles i'm happy.
 
I have the gemtech HVT and initially noticed my groups opened up a little. After several hundred rounds I can honestly say now it shoots as good or better than without.
I have the thread on version.
My next suppressor will be the Thunderbeast though - have heard nothing but good about them.
 
I have the gemtech HVT and initially noticed my groups opened up a little. After several hundred rounds I can honestly say now it shoots as good or better than without.
I wonder what the deal is there? I've never experienced that with any of my gemtechs. I mean it seams to me that the can, is what it is. What would change within the can to shoot better groups after "X" amount of rounds?
 
Cans change the dynamics a great deal. It will no doubt depend on the can, the weight of the can, the materials it made from the type of mount, harmonics I could go on and on and on. The heat in conjunction with the extra weight on the barrel will change things as well. Cold bore can shots, warm barrel cold can, warm barrel warm can, hot hot. This list goes on and on.
 
Cans change the dynamics a great deal. It will no doubt depend on the can, the weight of the can, the materials it made from the type of mount, harmonics I could go on and on and on. The heat in conjunction with the extra weight on the barrel will change things as well. Cold bore can shots, warm barrel cold can, warm barrel warm can, hot hot. This list goes on and on.
I realize that, I guess i just don't understand if it's that first baffle that's not perfectly symmetrical to begin with, then with time and rounds down range, things get smoothed out?

And by the way, the only time my groups shift is when the can goes off or on. *shrug*
 
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Do you know of anyone with the same can you can try on your platform? I know its a silly question but is the ammo all from the same lot? I would really try to find some one with the same can and go from there. I do have to mention one other thing that I remember reading in this thread as well as far as cans and direct threads to the host. Yes that will eliminate some of the harmonic but in trade off your can can become seized to the host with carbon build up. That should not be an issue if you are a casual shooter.
 
I have an SDN6 that sounds good but degrades performance on pretty much all the rifles --others say they haven't had that problem, but I do have it on several rifles in different calibers. They all tend to open up, most about 1-1.5MOA. I chalk it up to the QD mounts though --the one I ground for a tighter fit, it opens up much, much less, .67. The rest wiggle and/or rotate freely to some degree. I find the groups tend to be a tad bit lower too, particularly on the 5.56 M4, hardly at all on the heavy 6.5G barrel.

I'll be sticking with thread ons from now on though. Most of those guys say it helps or does nothing negative.

Had the same problem - gave my mounts and SD6 to the gunsmith who fitted them to the suppressor by grinding the mounts a little. No they lock up tight and accuracy is the same as without the suppressor.
 
I was speaking of the internal or external mechanical forces the can may have on the host that may be or adding to the previously mentioned statement.
 
I have an AAC M4-2000 with a 51 tooth mount. I have tried approximately 10 mounts for it and only have one it works well on. Using the other mounts I found that the suppressor would back off to the next locking tooth and when it did that my AR would go from a 3/4 MOA rifle to a 4 - 5 MOA rifle. I would never by an AAC quick attach suppressor again. I shouldn't need to purchase $1,000 in mounts to finally find one that works well with my suppressor.

My SWR, OPS INC (favorite .223 AR suppressor), Silencerco, and Thunder Beast suppressors do not degrade the accuracy of their host firearm.
 
I have 2 rifles that shoot as well suppressed as it does braked and a third one that turns in to a 3 moa disaster with the same can. My 16.5" 6.5creedmoor and 7 saum both shoot well with my elite iron can but my 26" creedmoor match rifle goes to hell with it for some reason. Never put any effort in to figuring out why since have no intention shooting a competition suppressed. As long as it works well on the other two rifles i'm happy.

Not knowing any of the specifics, my first inclination would be to have the threads and shoulder checked.
 
Not knowing any of the specifics, my first inclination would be to have the threads and shoulder checked.

I would second Zak on this. A bad thread job can kill your accuracy when mounting a suppressor.
 
I have a Surefire can. It improved the groups on my HK MR556A1 in 5.56mm. There was minimal point of impact shifts.

I have not tested the accuracy on my AAC M4-2000.
 
I have run AAC 762SD, 762SDN-6 and also I have a TBAC 30BA. Honestly I had several .308's that had various barrel lengths and shot in the .3's and .4's all day long. Without fitting the AAC's to their mounts the cans were 3/4 MOA at best with random flyers. The key to any QD suppressor is a tight lockup, any plan will introduce variation in bore alignment and I have been told by a few engineers that the round may even try to follow a baffle stack (causing accuracy issues if the can isn't tight).

My 762SDN-6 has never and will never go on my AIAX. My 30BA however never gets taken off my AIAX. The gun prints .2's and .3's with and without can, ME as a shooting improves with the can. I never measured whether there was any freebore boost from the TBAC but there was a +50 fps with my 762SD on a 24" HS Precision HTR.
 
I have not had any problems with my AAC 762SDN-6. I guess I'm lucky with my mount since there isn't any play or wobble. It works for me just fine on my MWS.

My next can will be a thunder beast based on CS and results. Going for the 30P-1 for my .308 bolt set up.