Suppressors How much difference is there really in suppressors?

[jakeb30]

Hello all, I'm new here and new to suppressors. I just bought my first 2 and will hopefully submit paperwork in the next week. I have never been around suppressors that much but love the idea of it. I know it will not be movie quiet but I don't expect it to be. I also understand sonic/subsonic etc. But having never been around them, just wondering how much difference in suppression is there really? For the purpose of this discussion I am not interested in weight, poi shift, etc. Just in pure suppression. I know some will have a different "tone" but how often can you really walk by a can and say man that was much more quiet than another.

I also don't know how often comparable suppressors go head to head. (same length, caliber, ammo, even gun/barrel length.) That is probably a rare occurrence as well. I know a 9 inch will have more suppression than a 5 inch due to volume alone, but if you tested say 5 different 9 inch X 1.5 inch 30 cal cans on the same gun, what do you think the difference would be? Reading these threads it seems some people brag that others ask what can they run, because it was so quiet, while others agree a few DB is not noticeable to the ear, and lots of cans are comparable.

Finally when you read the description of a suppressor and it says "developed for gas gun" or some such claim, does it just mean the maker made what that original person wanted, or is it that the way the baffles are made actually are "better" for a gas gun vs a bolt gun.

Thanks for any help

 

[JW329]

Where to start?
First off you are dispatching what might be the most important aspects of a suppressor, POI/WEIGHT/REPEATABILITY...
Having said that there is a huge difference. For example my 10.5" 300blk machine gun is WAY quieter with the sico omega on it then it is with my OSS or my socom 7.62rc. My 308 ar is the quietest with my big bore harvester on it but I prefer to run another OSS that I own on it due to gassing.
When a manufacturer says that their can is optimized for gas guns that is likely because they are producing slightly lower back pressure increases as compared to other similarly designed cans.
Also you can definitely tell a difference in suppression when walking around a range and listening to different people shoot but the biggest concern, at least in my book, is the performance of the can in poi shift, barrel harmonics, and durability. (Generally in that order too)

 

[mdmp5]

There are a bunch of head to head comparisons done on YouTube, although you won’t be able to hear the difference almost all of the time. Usually have to take their word for it but sometimes they will be using a decibel meter. Sometimes they will show performance down range too

 

[Strykervet]

This is a good question actually. Suppressors are a lesson in compromise if nothing else. In some respects it comes down to volume and slowing gasses down before they meet cold air. But other factors play into it, like weight, mounting, etc. Like was said above, YouTube doesn't capture the actual sound. Even meters are dependent on the environmental conditions (and the conditions are seldom expressed and the math done to make the readings equivalent is almost never done, not even by the military).

Certain rounds and certain conditions can modify the performance from one can to the next, from one day to the next and from one range to the next. In general, the lower volume gas cartridges work best. Like .300BLK, it was designed from the floor up to be suppressed, uses less powder than some pistol cartridges of comparative size! For instance, 10mm can be suppressed but seldom is. It's because it generates double the pressure and gas that similar rounds do, rendering the 9mm or .45 as better hosts. Same with magnum .30's vs. .308.

I've been to the range with an SDN6 (in all fairness a good can IF you have a solid mount, especially for .300BLK --but there are better, like the Saker and I'd never recommend AAC to anyone) and there were these guys there with two full size pistol cans. A .45 and a 9mm. One was a Ti Rant I think and the other maybe a Gemtech? It was a while back. Anyway, my friend noted my .300BLK rifle with subs or supers on the open rifle range was quieter than either of those cans despite them using subs, despite swapping cans on the 9mm. Now they were shooting at the pistol range, and it has "walls" around it. Any closed space will make it sound louder. Without firing my rifle on that range with them, there's really no comparison.

In general, longer, bigger and appropriate baffles (I say appropriate because there are many designs but some of the most effective have been around for forty years or more) work best. With subs, you can get away with a shorter can and still expect decent performance but a longer can will always work better. Stay away from gimmicks, stay away from the newer mfg.'s, let others break them in. Go for the sure thing, you'll have this thing for life.

My advice is to get a good .22 can first, I like the Liberty Regulator and it's cost effective (not many folks go with Liberty but IMO/E they rule when it comes to .22 cans). The Regulator has everything you'd want without going into specifics, but there are other great .22 cans too. For a rifle can, I'd go with a Saker for military/abuse/full auto or a TBAC for just about anything else. The 9" is tough to beat. The 5" is great for subs but you'll take a hit on overall performance. The "best all around" can, and I'll take flak for this, is probably the KAC QDC. I'd never have said this before using one, but it's a damn nice can that was very well thought out (the CQB isn't that great though, it's really just a moderator).

For a list of reputable companies, in no particular order, I'd start with TBAC, Elite Iron, Sico and I'd seriously consider Liberty (.22 only). Those are my top choices and many around here would agree. You can't go wrong with any of their full size cans. TBAC likely has the most stellar CS, but I can't knock the others either. But the owner of TBAC is on here all the time and he's a real standup guy.

Good luck, safe shooting!