Reloader
Ultimate Member
I'm liking your idea of wet tumbling with the pins since I'm already set up.
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I'm liking your idea of wet tumbling with the pins since I'm already set up.
- Jul 29, 2014
- 49,983
I have a small tumbler just for tossing my 9mm cups(inconel) in. Do not pin tumble aluminium parts. Clean them in ultrasonic bath with 50/50 Simple Green 'Extreme Aircraft' and water.
Which ultrasonic cleaner do you use? What do you do with the cleaner afterwards? Would it screw up my septic system?
1, if a silencer is on backorder at Silencer Shop, can you still purchase it?
2. If you purchase a backordered silencer, will they still send in your paperwork for the stamp or will they wait for the silencer to come in?
2. If you purchase a backordered silencer, will they still send in your paperwork for the stamp or will they wait for the silencer to come in?
- Jul 29, 2014
- 49,983
HAZMAT at the local dump. I couldn't tell ya about your septic system. I wouldn't think so, but just a guess...
I have one of these...
https://www.amazon.com/Industrial-L...ocphy=9007796&hvtargid=pla-521520627806&psc=1
Travis Bickle
Active Member
Does your octane sound any louder than a .22lr can? Thinking about getting 3 lug adapters to use my octane on my .22 rifle but don’t want to waste money just to realize they are loud/ suffer POI shift.
- Jul 29, 2014
- 49,983
I think They need to know the ser.# before they can start the appropriate paperwork. So you'll probably have to wait. You can call them and ask though.
I thought of this after I posted. This means I'll have to narrow my search to stuff in stock. Well, at least it gives me a starting line.
Thanks for the pointer on the ultrasound cleaner.
md_al
Active Member
There are a couple of threads here in MDS that talked about cleaning suppressors, particularly .22lr. Search rrdvegas and you should find the link to the article. My question related to suppressors is who and how do you go around informing the person (sheriff/etc about you making a suppressor? If there is such a thing.
Bingo, we have a winner.
No louder than a .22 can. No big POI shift. Larger bore suppressors will tend to have less POI shift because there is less turbulence affecting the projectile.
Mike OTDP
Ultimate Member
- Feb 12, 2008
- 3,324
For the OP...
1. A dedicated .22LR can will work best. Be sure not to buy more can than you need...a lot of people want full-auto, then they want .22LR/5.7x28/.22 Mag...all of which increase weight.
2. Right now, the hot cans are the Dead Air Mask and CGS Hydra. The other option is the Q Erector, which has the advantage of being highly modular. Someone else will be along presently with their own recommendations.
1. A dedicated .22LR can will work best. Be sure not to buy more can than you need...a lot of people want full-auto, then they want .22LR/5.7x28/.22 Mag...all of which increase weight.
2. Right now, the hot cans are the Dead Air Mask and CGS Hydra. The other option is the Q Erector, which has the advantage of being highly modular. Someone else will be along presently with their own recommendations.
I have the CGS Hydra (aluminum model) and am happy with it. I ended up getting a dedicated 22LR can and a Rugged Radiant 30 Cal can for my center fire rifles. Note the aluminum model will not handle 22 magnum if you plan to do so in the future. CGS does have a stainless steel version of the Hydra that will handle 22 magnum.
https://www.silencershop.com/cgs-hydra-al.html
I went AAC Element 2 and my only regret is the really fragile finish. That said, I've see plenty of grill paint redos on AAC silencers and they look fine. It is super quiet and I'll be honest, in terms of the can itself, I like that it is Ti with SS baffles. Weighs less than many cans, but not as feather light as some. It is sub 4oz and relatively short. I don't notice it on the end of my 16.1" barreled 10/22 at all and it gives me confidence if I bang it in to a tree or something it won't dent (probably more likely to mess up the threads before the body is an issue). It'll handle through 22WMR (actually I think up through 5.7, which I am unlikely to ever shoot).
The SS baffles to me are important as I can very aggressively clean them without worrying about destroying Al baffles. Since especially in a rimfire can they'll get lots of carbon, wax and lead build up.
I went SiCo Omega for my .30 cal can because I liked it's blend of quiet and lightweight.
IMHO in neither a rimfire nor a center fire rifle can did I care a lot about modularity. I mean, I wouldn't mind it, but I sure didn't want to pay for it as a compromise or cost.
To me the AA Element 2 was small enough and quiet enough I wasn't going to yurn for a modular rimfire can that could be even BIGGER, just to shave maybe 2-4dB off what is already a quiet can. And a much shorter setup likely wasn't going to suppress as well as I'd normally want a can to be suppressed. Which is for whacking varmints on 4.5 acres with mostly permissive neighbors, but a few that are a bit further away that I haven't talked to. So quiet, but it doesn't need to be silent. Sure with a modular rimfire can in its shortest configuration it'll almost certainly be hearing safe even on a 22lr pistol. But it'll still be loud. Again, that small and light can I don't notice on my 10/22 and I've tried one on a couple rimfire pistols and didn't really notice the weight either.
My centerfire can, I doubt I'd ever really use a kurtz setup on most full power centerfire cartridges. MAYBE for hunting, but even there, not sure I would. Most modular cans the longer setup might suppress slightly better than the Omega 30 does, but then also tends to weight 2-6oz more for most I looked at. The ones in a kurtz configuration might weigh slightly less and be slightly shorter, but also tend to suppress not nearly as well then.
Not saying there are ZERO options that weren't all around better, but my price range was sub $1500 for all accessories and tax stamp and I think I weighed in at $1300 and change with sales tax, tax stamp, single shot trust, a 1/2x28 rear mount and a regular .30 front cap in case I want to take off the brake cap (or maybe it was the other way around, I forget how it was configured). If I add in a .22 front cap at some point and a suppressor cover, that'll push me up on $1500, especially if I decide to go fancy and get an ASR mount or two on top of the one that came with it (I'll likely only shoot it with fixed, threaded rear mounts).
I just dropped some dough on a Rugged Obsidian. I'll be honest, I was really trying to get an AAC Tirant 45m based on a buddy's recommendation and trying it out. I really liked it. But no dice from SS the last few months of looking. I noticed the Obsidian 45 and then did a bunch of research when I had ALMOST bought a SiCo Octane 45. But when I priced out the Octane 45 for what I'd need for mounts and everything else, that $499 ended up around $900 with tax stamp. The Rugged Obsidian 45 ended up at just shy of $1000 for the same. And if I want to go fixed rear mounts, the Rugged is about $15-20 cheaper each.
And noise performance on the Obsidian is better. I like Rugged's no fault lifetime warranty. In this case I actually wanted the modular can. For 9mm, in kurtz configuration it is probably sufficient silencer for playing with at the range. For a 45 I want the extra suppression to stay well in to hearing safe, rather than border line. And for hunting, I LOVE the fact that Rugged rates their for even centerfire rifle calibers at rifle lengths for sporting purposes (IE a few shots). My hopeful use is playing at the range and for hunting with a lever gun. I'll have to play with it, but the kurtz length might be just fine for a juice 357 from a 18" barrel or even a 44 magnum from the same. And if not, I'll have a bit of extra suppression possible by just running it long. At that point, it is effectively the weight of my Omega 300 and probably a few dB quieter on a 357/45lc/44 lever gun than it would be on a .308 AR, bolt gun or probably even on my 20" Howa 1500 or 18" AR in 6.5 grendel.
So despite my "no modular cans", for a pistol and lever gun can, it was actually the route I wanted to go.
My calculus might not be yours. My budget wasn't the tightest in the universe. My buddy and neighbor convinced me awhile back, buy once, cry once. Especially with tax stamp items. At the same time, I certainly didn't have the budget to spend $2k+ on each can for the whole kit and caboodle once you add mounts and accessories. Not if I wanted my marriage intact I wasn't going to.
That's what I have found. I've yet to put that through my AAC Element 2. I did just push out the baffles a couple weeks ago to check it. I think I've got around 200 rounds through it. A bit of crud, but it didn't seem to be a ridiculous amount of build up. So I just dropped the stack back in, closed it up and put it back on my 10/22.
One thing I HAVE learned with it, is to ensure once I've shot it, to break the silencer loose and then tighten it back down (hand tight). doesn't matter if it is ONE shot or 50. It tends to "weld" in place quickly as it cools down. It doesn't need to be right away.
For example, taking it off after the end of a range session is sufficient. But for example I probably put half a dozen rounds through it potting ground hogs and squirrels last fall over about a month. I did not break the can loose. When I went to try to take it off to go to the range, it was a BEAR to get loose. It came off in the end, but a PITA.
Though part of my issues is that the body of the can needs to be re-locktited to the rear cap. Mine came loose and I wasn't sure what to do, so I tightened it down again and it has been good to go (it was that incident that got the body and rear cap loose from each other and it hasn't happened since then, and I haven't been willing to just break them loose again just so I can apply locktite to the threads). This appears to be a somewhat common problem.
Anyway, easy to remember when I go to put the rifle away, a quick twist to loosen the can and then a quick twist to tighten it back down. The can stays on my 10/22 except when I am taking it to the range (then sometimes it goes along separately, sometimes it stays behind. 80% of the time I go to the range I can't enjoy shooting with ears off because of other shooters anyway, but that wasn't really my purpose in getting it).
PS my "that is what I have found" is looking at it, I think I'll need to clean it by around 500 rounds or else it is going to be a lot more difficult to take apart and clean. I think the design would be fine to wait a couple thousand rounds before cleaning, but I'd also imagine it'll suck something fierce by then.
Thanks for the in depth info Laz.
Reloader
Ultimate Member
I appreciate the write up lazarus, good info.
alucard0822
For great Justice
Pick a Silencershop kiosk equipped shop, makes things easy, and it is easy. A good shop will handle the prints, photos, and you fill out 2 pages of F4 form, mail copies with a $200 check or write your CC number on the form, and wait somewhere currently around 4-6 months. Cleaning is such an important criteria because 22 fould cans more than any other round, lead and powder fouling builds up fast, and probably have to clean from every 500 to a few thousand rounds.
As far as what can to get, avoid aluminum, it's light, but easily damaged and hard to clean. Steel or Ti are the way to go, in a good design that comes apart easily to clean. I use an Amazon 3L dual transduscer Ultrasonic that cost $80, and it's great, an hour at 160 degrees cleans almost everything off of the baffles, although it doesn't need to be (and probably never will be) spotless. Had a Harbour freight that was OK, but times could only be set for 8 milnutes and only had 1 transducer, so it didn't clean all that well.
The old standard Sico Sparrow is a good can, monocore with a 2 peice shield, so it comes apart and easy to clean, and $300. Downside is first round pop, the space inbetween the baffles has air, which ignites unburned powder, so the first couple shots are much louder than the rest. My favorite "just want a good 22 can" is the Dead air Mask. It is really quiet, well made, has channels between the baffles and tube to come apart when filthy, the K-baffles have no real FRP, and it's got really good performance for it's size. Downside is the $430 cost, and the mount can unscrew from the tube if the cap isn't cranked down.
Third option is the Rugged Oculus, just got it a few weeks ago. It's all steel and rugged as hell, just a hair heavier/longer than the Mask and Sparrow, but being modular the tube extension is taken out and it can be a tiny 3" and 4oz, giving you 2 cans in 1. Downsides is that it has a little more FRP and a little louder than the Mask in full size(a little quieter, and still less FRP than the Sparrow), and the short config sounds decent on a rifle, but is pretty loud(but still hearing safe) on a pistol. It's also more complicated, and $400, but IMO it's a good mix of practical and versatile.
As far as what can to get, avoid aluminum, it's light, but easily damaged and hard to clean. Steel or Ti are the way to go, in a good design that comes apart easily to clean. I use an Amazon 3L dual transduscer Ultrasonic that cost $80, and it's great, an hour at 160 degrees cleans almost everything off of the baffles, although it doesn't need to be (and probably never will be) spotless. Had a Harbour freight that was OK, but times could only be set for 8 milnutes and only had 1 transducer, so it didn't clean all that well.
The old standard Sico Sparrow is a good can, monocore with a 2 peice shield, so it comes apart and easy to clean, and $300. Downside is first round pop, the space inbetween the baffles has air, which ignites unburned powder, so the first couple shots are much louder than the rest. My favorite "just want a good 22 can" is the Dead air Mask. It is really quiet, well made, has channels between the baffles and tube to come apart when filthy, the K-baffles have no real FRP, and it's got really good performance for it's size. Downside is the $430 cost, and the mount can unscrew from the tube if the cap isn't cranked down.
Third option is the Rugged Oculus, just got it a few weeks ago. It's all steel and rugged as hell, just a hair heavier/longer than the Mask and Sparrow, but being modular the tube extension is taken out and it can be a tiny 3" and 4oz, giving you 2 cans in 1. Downsides is that it has a little more FRP and a little louder than the Mask in full size(a little quieter, and still less FRP than the Sparrow), and the short config sounds decent on a rifle, but is pretty loud(but still hearing safe) on a pistol. It's also more complicated, and $400, but IMO it's a good mix of practical and versatile.
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Another great report. Thanks alucard.
KiloTango
Member
- Mar 11, 2021
- 23
Here are a few things I have learned (sometimes the hard way) from using suppressors. Hopefully this can save someone some time.
1. Check to see if any threaded mounts or caps come loose during use. A suppressor may work its way loose and risk a baffle strike.
2. If your POI suddenly starts to shift, see above.
3. A silicone pot trivet pad can be used to tighten/remove a hot suppressor
4. Frequent cleanings are much easier than waiting for the gunk to build up.
5. Some people say a dirty suppressor may be quieter. They are also MUCH harder to clean.
6. Using metal tools to pry apart stuck baffles can leave nicks on the internals that interfere with threaded components.
7. I can't reliably hear the difference between 1dB of measured sound energy, but I can hear the tone difference between different designs. Some sound quieter even at the same measured dB level.
8. Letting a dirty suppressor soak in Rem Oil (or similar liquid) overnight makes cleaning easy. Most parts wipe clean without scrubbing. Check material/finish compatibility.
9. FRP can be significantly reduced or eliminated by spraying CO2 gas into the suppressor right before firing the first round. A CO2 bike tire inflator works well.
10.Using a suppressor increases back pressure. Expect to feel more blowback towards your face and see semi-auto actions get dirty faster.
11. The weight of a suppressor on a rifle barrel may change the POI.
12. Don't be surprised when you want more suppressors and only want threaded barrels.
1. Check to see if any threaded mounts or caps come loose during use. A suppressor may work its way loose and risk a baffle strike.
2. If your POI suddenly starts to shift, see above.
3. A silicone pot trivet pad can be used to tighten/remove a hot suppressor
4. Frequent cleanings are much easier than waiting for the gunk to build up.
5. Some people say a dirty suppressor may be quieter. They are also MUCH harder to clean.
6. Using metal tools to pry apart stuck baffles can leave nicks on the internals that interfere with threaded components.
7. I can't reliably hear the difference between 1dB of measured sound energy, but I can hear the tone difference between different designs. Some sound quieter even at the same measured dB level.
8. Letting a dirty suppressor soak in Rem Oil (or similar liquid) overnight makes cleaning easy. Most parts wipe clean without scrubbing. Check material/finish compatibility.
9. FRP can be significantly reduced or eliminated by spraying CO2 gas into the suppressor right before firing the first round. A CO2 bike tire inflator works well.
10.Using a suppressor increases back pressure. Expect to feel more blowback towards your face and see semi-auto actions get dirty faster.
11. The weight of a suppressor on a rifle barrel may change the POI.
12. Don't be surprised when you want more suppressors and only want threaded barrels.
