September 13th, 2023
5minute read
Unfiltered gunfire from high-velocity rifles is profoundly, deliriously loud.
This penetrating, deafening racket carries for literally miles and can become a weapon unto itself indoors.
A proper sound suppressor will fundamentally change the rifle shooting experience.
Suppressors offer many benefits, beyond just protecting your hearing. Be sure to check outWhy Own a Silencerfor more reasons.
Rifle cans, however, must manage massively greater pressures than might their handgun counterparts.
The muzzle blast and volume of angry gas the rig is expected to control is significantly more intense.
However, the hole in the end is usually considerably smaller, so more of that chaos stays inside.
As the author states, you can use .30-caliber suppressors on a .223/5.56 NATO AR-15 rifle. Be sure to read his articleMulti-Caliber Suppressors Pros & Consfor more information.
Most rifle cans either thread directly onto the muzzle of a rifle or attach via dedicated flash suppressor mounts.
Suppressors using dedicated mounts are typically a bit more expensive but offer the benefit of swapping quickly between platforms.
While suppressors can be specifically crafted for a particular system, .30-caliber cans work just fine on .223 rifles.
Suppressing the M1A SOCOM 16 rifleis a popular choice with many shooters. It helps turn a great rifle into something even greater.
With few exceptions, most all rifle rounds will be naturally supersonic.
This means an inevitable troublesome sonic crack from the bullet once it is outside the gun.
There is no gun-mounted mechanical contrivance that will ever affect that.
The author has placed a suppressor on this fully tricked out AR-pattern rifle, making for an impressive total package.
However, the practical effect of this phenomenon is a function of length of exposure.
This has significant ramifications for running suppressed high-velocity rifle rounds indoors at close range.
To run subsonic ammo in a suppressed black rifle typically requires you cycle the action manually with each shot.
The author’s Silent Legion multi-caliber rifle suppressor is rated to handle up to .300 Win Mag cartridges.
Bolt-action platforms are an entirely different beastie.
I load my own subsonic rounds in 5.56mm and 7.62mm using Hodgdon Trail Boss powders.
These high-volume powders are designed for cowboy action shooting and run consistently and clean at subsonic velocities.
Rolling your own specialty ammo like this saves a bundle over commercial subsonic products.
Mounting a quality sound suppressor on a long-range precision rifle will dampen out barrel harmonics and enhance accuracy.
The mitigation in noise and muzzle blast inevitably makes shooting a long-range system markedly more pleasant as well.
Flexible Firepower
The .300 BLK cartridge deserves special mention.
The same weapon firing subsonic loads can be just stupid quiet.
.300 BLK will run safely through any .30-caliber rifle can.
Many to most 9mm pistol cans are rated for .300 BLK as well.
Some pistol cans should be restricted to subsonic loads only.
The suppressor manufacturer will publish the details.
Additionally, the interminable wait for the forms to process is sufficient to drive a guy to distraction.
Silent Legion has therefore crafted a one-size-fits-most solution to all of your suppressed rifle needs.
They call it their Complete Multi-Caliber kit.
The Silent Legion solution orbits around their rugged high-efficiency .30-caliber rifle suppressor.
The suppressor can be disassembled for cleaning or service at the user level via an included wrench.
In its multi-caliber form, the can comes with four separate mounts and a proprietary quick-release interface.
Direct thread mounts in both 12-28 and 5/8-24 accommodate all standard .22 and .30-caliber muzzles.
The kit also comes with two flash suppressor mounts in the same two thread pitches.
I keep one on my 5.56mm SAINT and the other on my .308 SOCOM 16 CQB rifle.
Unsuppressed rifle rounds, particularly through short-barreled weapons, will reliably clear your sinuses.
Drop a can on that same gun, however, and it develops a much more placid personality.
Do a little enlightened comparison shopping and you might use a common can across several platforms as well.
A rifle suppressor will reliably control the chaos.
Go to forum thread
