August 11th, 2021
5minute read
What can you buy for $200?
These days that would get you maybe 400 rounds of cheap steel-cased 9mm Parabellum.
$200 will land you a movie-grade Star Wars Stormtrooper helmet for your desk at work.
There are benefits and detriments to using a single sound suppressor across a variety of platforms and calibers.
Depending upon the particulars, $200 might also cover a really nice date with a pretty girl.
$200 will also buy you one NFA tax stamp.
The sordid particulars of theNFA (National Firearms Act)can be truly confusing.
Here we see five different suppressor mounts. The filthy mushroom-looking components are the pistons used to mount the can to different weapons.
The $200 is onerous, to be sure.
However, what really chaps my shorts is the wait.
Additionally, a high-quality sound suppressor can cost upwards of a grand.
.45 ACP suppressors will run just fine on 9mm guns but not the other way around.
Add all that stuff together and it behooves us to seek maximum versatility from our suppressor investment.
However, this requires a quick review of the basics.
Details
Sound suppressors come in three broad categories.
The author’s Silent Legion Complete Multi-Caliber Kit runs great on both his 5.56x45mm Springfield Armory SAINT as well as his 7.62x51mm SOCOM 16 CQB.
Rimfire cans are generally small and lightweight with an exit pupil scaled for .22-caliber weapons.
Some .22-caliber cans like the SilencerCo Switchback are rated up to 5.7x28mm.
However, for the most part, these suppressors are designed solely for .22 rimfire rifles and pistols.
They subsequently dont exhibit a great deal of versatility.
Centerfire pistol cans generally come in 9mm and .45 ACP versions and usually include a Nielson machine.
The Nielson rig is also referred to as a LID (Linear Inertial Decoupler).
Most Browning-inspired centerfire handguns require a LID for reliable suppressed operation.
Most rifle cans come in either .30 or .22-caliber varieties.
With this as a foundation, lets dig deeper.
Pistol Cans
All centerfire pistol suppressors are fairly loud.
.45 ACP cans will invariably be a little longer and a little fatter than their 9mm counterparts.
However, these dimensional differences equal greater volume.
Greater volume generally means better suppression.
Obviously, a .45 ACP can will run on a 9mm pistol but not the other way around.
To swap cans between two different calibers requires that you exchange the piston in the LID.
The piston is the threaded bit that interfaces with the gun.
Rifle Cans
The archetypal multi-caliber rifle suppressor is the Silent Legion Complete Multi-Caliber Kit.
You could therefore conceivably use this single can on four different rifles as it comes out of the box.
It takes a minute to load the direct thread mounts.
Its not hard, just tedious.
However, the quick detach mounts let you pop the can on and off in seconds.
They are indeed bulkier than the dedicated 9mm sort.
Most .45 ACP cans will run fine on a 9mm pistol with nothing more than an appropriate piston.
I am a great fan of the universal .30-caliber rifle suppressor.
You may have spare money dripping out of your ears and enjoy waiting on stuff.
If so, then Im sincerely happy for you.
For the rest of us, minimizing wait time and expense is an integral part of modern life.
