Suppressors Do you clean your suppressor?

[opeagle]

One of mine started spitting glowing chunks out of it. I was accused of attempting to burn Oklahoma.

I tried a few things but it seemed like the sonic cleaner helped the most. The sealed cans, after the sonic cleaner run, I rinsed with water. I got chunks, out of the two of them. The AEM30 was well over 5k rounds, the AEM5 was likely getting close.

 

[tomcatfan]

I do not clean the mufflers in my car, so I will just continue shooting my 15 yo 30 caliber Surefire. The 5 yo AEM5 will be treated the same.

For you guys in the military who used suppressors, did/do you clean issued cans?

I don’t clean the pistons on my trucks engine so I don’t ever clean my guns.

That’s how ridiculous that post was. Gasoline and gun powder are a little different. Guns and cars are totally different. Try putting 20Ksi of pressure into the top of an engine and let me know how that goes.

 

[81STFACP]

I don’t clean the pistons on my trucks engine so I don’t ever clean my guns.

That’s how ridiculous that post was. Gasoline and gun powder are a little different. Guns and cars are totally different. Try putting 20Ksi of pressure into the top of an engine and let me know how that goes.

How often do the military folks who shoot for a living clean their suppressors?

You probably know the answer, I don't, as I was in the Boy Scouts Brigade of the military - USAF.

 

[Jcmar15]

The mil guys who use cans don’t give a shit if they are clean. They also don’t pay for or own them so they don’t really care about them. Don’t base your choices off things people in the military do other wise you’ll end up with an itchy crotch and a couple of child support payments.

 

[Alderleet]

I have a saker762 thats seen north of 7000 rounds, and I finally broke down and had it cleaned.
A good friend who teaches at an automotive school used the big industrial heated ultrasonic cleaner with a ton of simple green added in. (Obviously 1:1 would be obscenely expensive, so given its a couple dozen gallon tank, we probably got close to a 1:5 ratio). Took about 9 hours of run time to get everything out of the can. Did it in 3hr runs, and it softened the big shit in the blast chamber up immensely on the first run. Few scrapes with a dental pick after the first run flaked off a couple huge chunks of rock hard carbon deposits. Second run went better having gaps between bigass pieces of carbon and lifted a bunch more off. Third run really got the tiny stuff hidden in the bottom of the cones where they’re welded to the sides.

sure, the cans exterior didnt look as good as factory afterward, but the weight was lighter and it sounded much better afterward.

all in all, good experience, and will do it again in another half decade.

 

[81STFACP]

The mil guys who use cans don’t give a shit if they are clean. They also don’t pay for or own them so they don’t really care about them. Don’t base your choices off things people in the military do other wise you’ll end up with an itchy crotch and a couple of child support payments.

No sir thank you, don't want any of that, I am still married to the same lady for 44 years. She is always there for me though the company I worked for sent me on a lot of short overseas trips from Europe to Asia all through my 30 year career after the USAF. No, I was not in sales.

So what happens if you don't clean your can? I lost count how many rounds have been through my FA762SS since I acquired it about 15 years ago. When I used to shoot over 10K rounds a year in matches and on training, I used it a lot in training for across the course for the noise reduction, a courtesy devise, as my friends in the UK calls them. It changes the rifle balance, but no big deal. Thanks to Surefire they have brake adapters for ARs, M1as, and bolt guns, I switched the can across a few platforms.

Many days before hunting season I screw it in my hunting rifle and verify POI every other day, still good after all these years with a bunch of MexMatch M118 brown boxes for hunting. Left over from my M1A days in competition.

I even adapted it to my AIAW 300WM and dumped a bunch of rounds through it with FC Match 190s punching holes through Cayotes down the senderos.

I had access to my personal 1000 yard range down in SoTex where I did a lot of shooting and hunting.

Again, all these years no cleaning, what bad could happen now if I don't clean it?

If there is real benefit in cleaning I will do it to my 5 yo AEM5 as it is getting a lot of rounds through it now. If it just makes me feel good, forget it, I am too lazy at my young age of 68, who has been retired retired for 9 years.

 

[81STFACP]

it sounded much better afterward.

I like that, thanks for sharing.

 

[srt-4_uk]

I get that there's 9 pages of this thread, but even the first page is filled with info on why you should clean and what to use to clean.

 

[Keel Haul]

I like that, thanks for sharing.

In your longer post above when you asked what happens when you don’t clean, here’s half of a cut open MP5SD can that was never cleaned. I remember reading about it over on the HK site.

 

[lead ƒarmer]

I get so sick of people saying you don't need to clean centerfire cans. If that's true for you - great, that just means you don't shoot as much as some other people. Besides the obvious drawbacks of increased weight, and increased noise, there are other issues too. Just wait until you get chunks of carbon falling out of the can down the barrel and locking up your bolt. This is even worse if you have a recessed bolt nose like Remington uses. And when it happens it'll ruin your hunt/match/day real quick.

 

[NWnewguy]

In your longer post above when you asked what happens when you don’t clean, here’s half of a cut open MP5SD can that was never cleaned. I remember reading about it over on the HK site.
View attachment 7523843

I'm not sure what the problem is. Maybe a little louder and a little heavier, but my SOT told me, you don't need to clean centerfire cans.

 

[carbonbased]

I'm not sure what the problem is. Maybe a little louder and a little heavier, but my SOT told me, you don't need to clean centerfire cans.

Jesus Christ people. You don’t have to wash your clothes or your car, clean your house, or yer effing eyeglasses either. Most dirty things will continue to "work," sort of. Perhaps you don't wipe your butt (squeeze some supersonic turds outta it to self-clean?). Maybe you think that showers are for idiots, your toilet works just fine uncleaned for 150 years. I mean, you probably reason nobody’s cleaning the sewer line from your house, so why clean your suppressor, amirite?

For you types, then stop fucking washing your dishes and just send them back to the manufacturer for a once-yearly cleaning and you’ll be fine (or for you hard-types, wait 10 yrs ‘cause you're not a goddamn ghey faggot mustachioed pussy). So what if you blow green chucks out of your rear because of occasional food poisoning?

You're on the clock, high-speed, you're low-drag, you ain't got time to bleed clean!

Newborn baby? You don't clean that shit. Screw diapers, that’s a deep-state scam. You’re not cleaning your house or mattress anyway, so let the stank decompose where it fell and move on.

And your rifle's bore? No doubt you call people that own cleaning rods - twerking bore scrubbin’ man-lovers.

Logically, I bet you tell your girlfriend to stop cleaning that va-jay-jay! She’s ruining it! Plus you like that period-taste! (wait, you don't have a girlfriend because your ass/pits/toilet/clothes/entire body reek)

edit: It's occurred to me that some folks may not be able to understand the originally posted satire, so I've made it a little more obvious. Spelled out: Sometimes clean things are actually better (this is coming from a known slob). Your suppressor, ass, armpits, dishes, babies, clothes, any and all va-jay-jay , they all are better clean-ish. Clean your can at some sane interval if you want it to work as intended, if you want it to last (to give to your kids or if they are grandfathered in after being outlawed), and if you want to make each subsequent cleaning easier vs waiting 20 years and then having to ultrasonic vibe it for 30 weeks.

 

[tomcatfan]

So what happens if you don't clean your can? I lost count how many rounds have been through my FA762SS since I acquired it about 15 years ago. When I used to shoot over 10K rounds a year in matches and on training, I used it a lot in training for across the course for the noise reduction, a courtesy devise, as my friends in the UK calls them. It changes the rifle balance, but no big deal. Thanks to Surefire they have brake adapters for ARs, M1as, and bolt guns, I switched the can across a few platforms.

It has been covered here in detail but carbon builds up, reduces effectiveness of sound suppression and increases weight. This even happens in centerfire cans. Sure some people never clean their centerfire cans and are ok with that. But the general consensus that centerfire cans are self cleaning is not correct. There has even been suppressor manufacturers that have supported that conclusion. Just read the thread.

 

[alamo5000]

There are plenty of reasons to keep a suppressor clean. The first is if I spend all that money and I want to keep my can clean it doesn't go through a committee to answer that question.

 

[alamo5000]

Realistically the old wives tale about not needing to clean a center fire suppressor is just that. A old wives tale.

I am just coming up with a sophisticated guess, but I think the fairy tail began with certain aspects of the military shooting 5.56 cans all the time.

It is true, in general a 5.56 can will stay cleaner than almost anything else. The minute you step off of that one cartridge things change.

Yet some people push the idea if it's good for one thing it has to apply to everything.

Shoot a few thousand rounds of subsonic 300BLK. You will see.

It depends on so many factors. Type of powder and barrel length are among two of the big ones. Round count is another big one.

If left neglected a can eventually will lose a lot of performance and it could lead to catastrophic failures. If a big piece of carbon breaks off and creates an obstruction that can go south fast.

Cans don't need to be spotless but routine maintenance is warranted depending on how much and of what you shoot.

 

[parshal]

Just wait until you get chunks of carbon falling out of the can down the barrel and locking up your bolt. This is even worse if you have a recessed bolt nose like Remington uses. And when it happens it'll ruin your hunt/match/day real quick.

This happened to me just before Christmas on a coyote hunt. I could not close the bolt. I‘d put the 223 can on my 22 Creedmoor and sat it upright. I’d been using that can on my rimfire and all that crap came down and got lodged in the bolt nose recess. It was quite difficult to remove.

 

[carbonbased]

Mkay, edited my prev post to make it a little more, shall we say, obvious.

 

[opeagle]

While in the Ultrasonic, I think it settles on the bottom of the can. That’s why I rinse it and get more out of it.

 

[MediumSpeed]

Hi All - just went by Boretech for Not-Shot week - new product Extreme Clean Gun Parts Cleaner | Purchase the Premier Extreme Clean Concentrate for Cleaning Gun Parts - Bore Tech Think this is the magic cleaner they were hinting at? I'll order some and give it a try on my Omegas (300 and K45) in a few weeks when I get a chance to escape hippy town for a bit...

 

[SilentVapor631]

Honestly the Darter the better

 

[lash]

Honestly the Darter the better

??

I know that when I dart, I’m better for the darting.

 

[SilentVapor631]

Dirrty****

 

[deersniper]

 

[lash]

Honestly the Darter the better

Uhm, no.

 

[SilentVapor631]

Uhm, no.

Really tell me how so you cant get the same results with a dirty Suppressors as a Clean Suppressors ?
Witch Suppressors do you run ?

 

[Darkside-Six]

Really tell me how so you cant get the same results with a dirty Suppressors as a Clean Suppressors ?
Witch Suppressors do you run ?

Funny......I use to think the same thing. Until I weighed my suppressor and it was 6.8oz over it’s factory weight. Once I cleaned all the gunk out it was noticeable quieter. I hadn’t noticed it over time, over the corse of a few years and about 9K rounds but I could defiantly tell when I cleaned it. Accuracy never changed but the sound did. Isn’t that the whole purpose of it in the first place?

 

[SilentVapor631]

Funny......I use to think the same thing. Until I weighed my suppressor and it was 6.8oz over it’s factory weight. Once I cleaned all the gunk out it was noticeable quieter. I hadn’t noticed it over time, over the corse of a few years and about 9K rounds but I could defiantly tell when I cleaned it. Accuracy never changed but the sound did. Isn’t that the whole purpose of it in the first place?

Agreed

 

[lash]

Really tell me how so you cant get the same results with a dirty Suppressors as a Clean Suppressors ?
Witch Suppressors do you run ?

When a suppressor gets dirty enough so that chunks of carbon fall down the barrel into the action and cause feeding problems, that’s too much carbon, imo. Plus, physics is not an adjustable science. You fill that suppressor with carbon and you have less volume to redirect the muzzle blast.

 

[SilentVapor631]

I got it now 101 lol I got a few good thing I can swap between cleanings !!!

What do you use to clean yours ?

 

[srt-4_uk]

Really tell me how so you cant get the same results with a dirty Suppressors as a Clean Suppressors ?
Witch Suppressors do you run ?

There is measured data in the exact thread you are posted in.

 

[lash]

I got it now 101 lol I got a few good thing I can swap between cleanings !!!

What do you use to clean yours ?

Really heavy buildup, like from many thousands of rounds is going to be harder to get rid of than 1000 rounds or do maintenance clean. In my opinion, after a few tries at things, is this:
- if first time after many years of use, start with CLR. Plug the muzzle end and fill the unit with CLR for a soak. If your unit is SS, don’t let it soak for too long. Mine was Ti, so I left it for a few hours.
- then give it some time in an US system with industrial Simple Green or just undiluted Simple Green. Multiple cycles with occasional shaking and rinsing.
- for regular maintenance intervals (depending upon powder used and volume of use) I think just a few cycles of the US cleaner seem to be fine.

 

[atepointer]

Ok... I'm going to share a story. I used to be on the side of many here with the theory of "just shoot it clean". That was until my Elite Iron can started blowing big chunks out and I investigating inside with my bore scope. I called Dale at EI and he made the following recommendation. 3 day soak and rinse with hot water. That's it! Everything comes out and it leaves the internals looking like new again. Be very careful lowering the can into the chemical though!! The "tube" like shape of suppressors cause a spurt of liquid to shoot up when lowered in. Found that out the hard way! It's not fun in your eye. Now I put the can in first and then fill when possible. I clean my cans once a year.

View attachment 7313283
View attachment 7313284
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MACHTECH

Question on your guesstimated round count when you used the Hillyard DMB? I ask b/c I'm coming into 3 weeks of CLR/ultrasonic plus Bore Tech Decimator(used all the Part A and Part B as well) and well....dang I'm still 6 ounces heavy and have hit a stalemate just not getting any more out. Blast chamber is 99% spotless minus a couple of chunks on the welds that won't budge. This reads like you did a 3 day soak and were done? Seems like maybe I should have led with this approach:/. Arrgh. Learning my lesson on cleaning as I go dangit.

Just wanted to get a bit more clarification b/f I drop more $ into this ordering up Hillyard.....doesn't seem to be sold in stores. Thanks man

 

[Darkside-Six]

MACHTECH

Question on your guesstimated round count when you used the Hillyard DMB? I ask b/c I'm coming into 3 weeks of CLR/ultrasonic plus Bore Tech Decimator(used all the Part A and Part B as well) and well....dang I'm still 6 ounces heavy and have hit a stalemate just not getting any more out. Blast chamber is 99% spotless minus a couple of chunks on the welds that won't budge. This reads like you did a 3 day soak and were done? Seems like maybe I should have led with this approach:/. Arrgh. Learning my lesson on cleaning as I go dangit.

Just wanted to get a bit more clarification b/f I drop more $ into this ordering up Hillyard.....doesn't seem to be sold in stores. Thanks man

Have you tried the ultra sonic cleaner yet?
From my experience, the 1-2 day soak in CLR got a majority of it loosened up and out. The ultra sonic did a good job of breaking up the little bits that were caked into the baffles. Now clean mine yearly, every winter over Christmas break and it’s much easier keeping up with it, but the first time I went to clean mine I was 6+ ounces over the factory weight and it took a lot of soaking over night, and then running many times in the ultra sonic with 50/50 Simone green and water. Then soak over night again. Like you I hit a stalemate after about half came out and then went to the ultra sonic and at first it didn’t look like much was coming out after multiple runs but then when I soaked it again over night in CLR it just started puking out carbon the next day.

 

[lash]

I agree with what you are saying @Darkside-Six , but just happen to know that his can was clogged solid with over 15,000 rounds on it. It’s the last few ounces that are being stubborn. He’s used both long CLR soaks and US baths and back and forth between them. There’s some extra stubborn compacted carbon in there. It’s probably Diamond by now…

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Don’t you clean suppressors with those solvent trap things they sell on Facebook???

Sirhr

 

[lash]

Don’t you clean suppressors with those solvent trap things they sell on Facebook???

Sirhr

Why, yes. Yes they do, now that I think of it…

 

[atepointer]

Have you tried the ultra sonic cleaner yet?
From my experience, the 1-2 day soak in CLR got a majority of it loosened up and out. The ultra sonic did a good job of breaking up the little bits that were caked into the baffles. Now clean mine yearly, every winter over Christmas break and it’s much easier keeping up with it, but the first time I went to clean mine I was 6+ ounces over the factory weight and it took a lot of soaking over night, and then running many times in the ultra sonic with 50/50 Simone green and water. Then soak over night again. Like you I hit a stalemate after about half came out and then went to the ultra sonic and at first it didn’t look like much was coming out after multiple runs but then when I soaked it again over night in CLR it just started puking out carbon the next day.

Yea and then some! It's crazy. As of this monring just rinsed out my last 24 hour CLR soak not even one little spec of carbon flushed out with Bore Tech pressure washer lance. Still 5 3/4 oz over baseline factory weight and 4 1/2 ounces over the lightest I've ever had it down to a couple of years ago.....shook out water for a minute or so so maybe a tiny smidge in baffles still, but essentially I've been at a stalemate for the last 10 days or so. Sigh....I'll just keep at it hoping that one day the carbon will come my way I guess. Learned my lesson on waiting!

 

[srt-4_uk]

Are you measuring against advertised weight or measured weight when new? What suppressor?

 

[flatland1]

I thought I'd seen a reference to using purple industrial degreaser cleaner (Zep makes the one most recently purchased) here somewhere in the past, but looking back through most of this thread, I've failed to find it. How does it compare to Simple Green when used in ultra sonic cleaners? Is it safe for use with titanium cans? I've got both simple green and a couple of different brands of the purple degreaser. If one's faster or more effective in doing the final cleaning of a can that's had multiple treatments with CLR, I'd like to know.

 

[lash]

I thought I'd seen a reference to using purple industrial degreaser cleaner (Zep makes the one most recently purchased) here somewhere in the past, but looking back through most of this thread, I've failed to find it. How does it compare to Simple Green when used in ultra sonic cleaners? Is it safe for use with titanium cans? I've got both simple green and a couple of different brands of the purple degreaser. If one's faster or more effective in doing the final cleaning of a can that's had multiple treatments with CLR, I'd like to know.

I’m sure that Dan will come back in a while and share his complete experience once he’s done. He’s had quite the ride getting the last few ounces out of that can. Admittedly, it was the result of waiting for about 15,000 rounds before cleaning. That gives the carbon plenty of time to get as hard as anthracite and that takes special treatments to remove the oldest and hardest carbon.

I don’t think that it’s a matter of which heavy duty degreaser to use as much as constant CLR and then US treatments for about 30 days to get that last few ounces out.

 

[Mike Casselton]

I saw Dan last week. I think he's out of hair to pull.

On a more serious note, he's got 1/2 oz to go before reaching factory weight.

He was 10oz heavy...

 

[atepointer]

you will have to bear with me grammar Nazis I'm lazy and Siri is taking over as I am enjoying a cup of coffee scratching my nuts on the front porch .

okey-dokey so 33 days ago I started this project by soaking in CLR and it bubbled up great the first couple of days and I chipped out a lot of my blast chamber. Then it just stale made it on me and the CLR would not do a thing with overnight soaking. Then I went to doing a couple of hours of ultrasonic cleaning a day and I was getting maybe a quarter ounce per day. At that point I found out about the bore tech decimator system with flushing wand. I still think CLR is the best cleaning solution out there, but the flushing wand is all aces and makes a huge difference being able to knock out loosened carbon. I even tried some metal prep solution with phosphoric acid and Valvoline carb cleaner it was hilarious .

Mike had a suggestion about possibly freezing the suppressor and lo and behold at about two weeks that really started to give me a lot of bang for the buck. I don't know why but I suppose the carbon contracted a little bit when it froze up and boy did I really start getting some headway with freezing it and then flushing it. The last 10 days or so I've been in a routine of a couple of hours of ultrasonic treatments during the day when I can and then flushing it. then it would freeze overnight start up and repeat the whole process.

I even tried a peristaltic pump recirculating CLR but I just wasn't getting any effect. My unscientific caveman analysis of that is that I just waited too long to clean this and the deeper carbon had just glassed over and had been heated so many times it was just going to be a cluster bang no matter what I did. I do plan on going back to CLR every 500 rounds or so or whatever my scale tells me closing in on 1 ounce. I spent all day today working on it and I could not even take out another one 8 ounce working really hard on it so I'm gonna say my can is just a little bit heavier than the factory published 14.7.... i'm at 15 3/8 ounces. My new modus operandi will be filling my can with CLR and using the peristaltic pump for 24 hours with a couple of flushes in between and hopefully that will come out much faster with fresher carbon Then this debacle of waiting 15,000 rounds

i'm sure I've missed some things in there I basically threw everything including the kitchen sink at it. The freezing really did seem to work well those were my best carbon barf sessions..... freezing it overnight and heading straight out to the driveway with the flushing wand.

I also have to think @kurtispalu from TBAC for answering a lot of questions as I struggled through this process. Pro tip: don't wait 15k rounds to work on your 'self cleaning centerfire suppressor'.

 

[lash]

Good reply, Dan. This is the first time that I’ve heard of the freezing and also not mentioned yet in the thread. Those that have a severe over buildup of carbon and need something else can use that idea. Kudos to Mike for tossing that out there.

 

[atepointer]

Good reply, Dan. This is the first time that I’ve heard of the freezing and also not mentioned yet in the thread. Those that have a severe over buildup of carbon and need something else can use that idea. Kudos to Mike for tossing that out there.

Who knows if we get a storm this season i may get bored and try and see if factory weight is achievable. i just ran out of bandwidth and figured getting within a smidge of ~ 1/2 oz over was perdy good to go shootin Friday. Yea as you know I was pretty discouraged until the freezing....that was big time.

 

[bohica17]

Ok so I’m gonna be that guy that didn’t read the ten pages of this. I own one can, saker 556k. I bought a USC to clean parts. Iv used it on one bcg and on the wife and a few other woman’s rings with simple green. Rings came out phenomenal. My can has roughly 500 rounds through it. Haven’t been able to shoot much with the kids. Again I’m being that guy. Iv never “broken it down” or cleaned it. Can I get the flames thrown at me and some advice? Throw the bitch in the USC a few times oil it and move on? Or do more? Thanks for the advice and flames.

 

[lash]

No flames. If you don’t shoot it much, sure, go ahead and throw some CLR in it for an overnight soak and then into the USC with simple green for a few cycles. Mike made a good point today and said that he felt that the sooner we get the carbon out, the easier it is to remove. This was in reference to cleaning a barrel, but if true (likely) it would also apply to suppressors.

 

[lash]

Oh and I admit that I’ve never oiled my suppressor and do nothing to it after cleaning except for a dab of anti-seize on the threads.

For reference, mine are Ti.

 

[atepointer]

I will also add since I was switching up approaches just looking for anything at around day 10 I can't say which was more responsible. Did the freezing suddenly start to *look* like it was more effective b/c of the 10 days prior of CLR/pump? That could have been, but I also had days where I went back to CLR and the solution was as clear as it was out of the bottle 2 days later. All I can say is don't give up on it and keep trying things if something doesn't appear to be working.

I weighed it this morning all dried out and it's teetering on 15 3/8 to 15 1/4....it's tempting me to keep going. Ugh.

 

[atepointer]

Well I took it out for a run today and I have to say the protracted cleaning process was well worth it. I had forgotten how quiet this Q was when I first purchased until I let the first one go this morning. Mike's was like new as well....fun day. Was a serious pain in the butt to get it done, but now that I have learned my lesson on 'self cleaning centerfire cans' I'll be doing it like clockwork at 1 ounce over or 500 rounds whatever comes first.

 

[flatland1]

I bought a 30BA from TBAC when I got my DTA SRS, and was pretty well satisfied with it on 6x47 Lap & 284 Win bbls. However, when they announced their CB line, I got a 30CB9, and the 30BA turned into a safe queen for several years - until TBAC announced the Ultra re-core program. The 30BA went to Wyoming and came back as basically an Ultra 9, so then the 30CB9 turned into the safe queen. Then I got an Ultra 7, and after testing groups with all three of these cans, on several of my rifles with custom barrels, I found out that they all shot smaller groups with the Ultra 7. So over the past couple of years, neither of the 9" cans have seen the light of day, and the Ultra 7 gets used on every CF rifle that I shoot suppressed. After recently getting the tax stamp for a new 6.5 Gen 2 Ultra 7, and realizing how much lighter it is than the original Ultra 7, and then reading through most of this thread, I decided I'd better get off my butt and start in on the original Ultra 7, as it weighed 12oz. After several CLR soakings and as many trips through 50/50 Simple Green/distilled water solution in an US cleaner, it's down to 11.5oz, and I can still see layers of carbon in the walls of the blast chamber. If there's that much visible carbon in the blast chamber, I can imagine how much there must be in the baffles. I believe it may be time to put it into the deep freeze overnight, and then try it in the US cleaner again....