Been in the ar game for only about a year now and I’m looking at getting a suppressor for my rifle.
Where should I start? I don’t really know anything about them and have been told theyre geared to flash suppression and I understand that they won’t make the firearm super quiet.
Some of the manufactures say how they don’t allow much gas get sprayed back in the users face. Is this part of the mechanics of the suppressor as more pressure would be coming back through the bolt area?
Is it worth the expense?
Rifle is an ar15 with a 16” barrel chambered in 556.
Shooting suppressed is the way to go. A warning, once you buy one you will want a can for all your guns. Most will take around 20-25dbs off a shot. It wont make supersonic ammo go subsonic though. Cans really shine with subsonic ammo.
The best and easiest way (IMO) is through Silencer Shop. They have kiosks that scan your fingerprints (do a search on their website for an ffl near you that has one) and an app that you can upload your pic with. I (and many of us here) use a gun trust as the method to purchase. SS offers their “Single Shot” Trust if you dont have one yet.
Most folks i know start big and go smaller (i.e. .45cal for handgun and 7.62/.30 cal for rifle) because with most cans you can shoot smaller calibers (the caliber rating will be listed on the manufacturer website).
As for back pressure…yes, that happens, especially with AK’s. There are several AR charging handles that help with gas blowback.
The hardest part is the wait. You have to be willing to buy and forget. My last can took almost a year to get. My shortest has been about 6 months.
Feel free to ask every question you may have. @SuperPredator is a connoisseur of suppressors and has a lot of knowledge and experience as an FFL.
I second everything @GuitarGuy said. Once you start shooting suppressed you’ll never want to shoot without it. Silencer Shop is easy, will set up a trust for you if you want, (I went for the single shot trusts) and generally make it as painless as possible.
To be honest, I’m not sure there’s a massive difference in brands. Some differences in materials, length, weight, etc. but baffles are basically the same as 100 years ago. The newer flow-through designs are nice from what I hear, if you’ll pardon the pun. You might want to consider the mounting system as much as the can itself. For example, I wanted quick detach mounts, but didn’t like the Surefire mounts, so I went Dead Air’s KeyMo. But that Sig locking mount looks pretty sweet, too.
As for order of buying, there’s nothing wrong with getting a 5.56 specific can, but if you think you might get a 300 BLK one day, get a 30 cal can instead. The sound is close and you’ll save a significant amount of money buying one for both. But definitely get a 22LR can one day. It’s the most fun by far. Shooting 22LR subs out of a plinker is a hoot.
I like YHM cans. Their locking system is by racheting, and its on the mount, not the can. But no one else uses it unfortunately. Most cans these days are made to use a variety of mounts. You buy what you need.
Start with your price point (dont forget the $200 for the stamp) and then read reviews as much as possible.
The more you read about the NFA, the more it will anger you. Every time you transfer ownership of a NFA regulated firearm, which includes silencers (that’s the word the law uses), you have to pay a $200 tax. Every. Damn. Time. So it’s beneficial to have a trust that owns the devices. That way you can add or remove trustees to the trust, altering the physical persons allowed to use the firearm, but the actual ownership never changes. It also greatly simplifies inheritance. While you can transfer an NFA device for free upon the death of the owner if the register owner is a real person, the new owner will need to complete the background check. Why deal with that if you don’t have to.
I picked up a YHM T2 Turbo last year and it’s a great can, especially at that price point. Can and stamp, I was out the door for about six fifty through Silencers Shop.
I have to admit that I have not followed the suppressor game closely since the atf made the change to the trust process for NFA items. I may get back into them at some point. I like the sound and suppression of the Rugged cans I demoed at The Gathering