silencer

SilencerCo Spectre II Suppressor

The .22 LR caliber firearms aren’t very loud to begin with—add a suppressor to that and you’ve got a very quiet shooter that is perfect for plinking or hunting small game. SilencerCo has yet again produced a quality AND affordable suppressor with the Spectre II. With an MSRP of around $400, what’s not to love?

The Spectre features stainless steel construction and a very robust container with a 1/2×28 thread pitch and a tail cap that resembles an RPG fin. This end and tail cap easily unscrew to allow cleaning and routine maintenance; the non-mono-core baffles can then be removed and also replaced if necessary—a very user-friendly design indeed. The baffles press together like they were hand fitted to each other and their smooth finish makes for an easy wipe down after a long day of shooting. Of course, SilencerCo’s warranty system is in full effect: the removable components, baffle strikes and possible unfortunate mishaps are no longer a major concern as the end-user can simply replace the damaged part with ease.

Advertised as being capable of performing at 113 decibels, the suppressor leaves your hearing intact after a pleasant snap rather than an irritating crack; at least that’s the best I can describe the experience. I didn’t feel a significant difference in recoil personally and, not that there was much to begin with, I seriously doubt it altered the rifle’s performance much. I would also like to say that zero malfunctions were experienced throughout the day, so reliability is another pro “box” that can be checked for this one. All in all, the SilencerCo SpectreII suppressor is a fun and affordable way to get into suppressors without breaking the bank.

Zayin Tactical: Rifle Suppressors That Run for $299

Zayin Tactical makes quality suppressors. You can buy one today for $299. How can they do this? There must be a catch. That is the hook in the story. Owner Zack Cross is an Army veteran, a Machinist, a Patriot, and a Constitutionalist. He and his family make cans in America for Americans and they run a very efficient operation.

ALL zTac – Gen1 SUPPRESSORS are $299*

Unconditional Lifetime Warranty 4130 Chromoly Steel – Any Caliber Cerakote Finish
Choice of Graphite Black, OD Green or Coyote Tan
Oscar Mike Hoodie – Free Shipping

Zayin Tactical’s UNCONDITIONAL Lifetime Warranty:

Squished from being run over by a Stryker MGS? No problem.
Teeth marks from a grizzly? Don’t sweat it.
Threads damaged by an overzealous brother-in-law trying to prove himself? No worries.
Accidentally microwaved it instead of your burrito? They’re gonna laugh at you, but you’re covered.

Looking back at great ideas of the past, some have a clear genesis. Denzel Dockery invented the ‘Diver Down’ flag (red diagonal stripe on white) to avoid being chopped to bits by propeller blades as he tried out his homemade SCUBA gear, the plans for which he’d taken from an issue of Popular Mechanics.

Levi Strauss was a busy merchant who sold pair after pair of pants to the rugged miners during the San Francisco gold rush, to replace those literally torn apart at the seams by the sharp rocks in the tunnels and the heavy gold in their pockets. It occurred to him that they needed much sturdier gear, and he was in possession of hundreds of yards of heavy cloth – and Levi’s Jeans (after a couple iterations) was born.

The Start of Zayin Tactical

Regarding the start of Zayin Tactical, Zack Cross’s small arms and suppressor business, it would be harder to trace to a particular event. As a child in the early seventies in Southeast Alaska, his familiarity with guns was just a normal part of daily life. Some afternoons his parents would station him at an upstairs window with instructions to stabilize the rodent population in the surrounding junkyard.

Many mornings he would leave with his .22 and a box of shells and spend the day plinking in the woods, enjoying what was essentially a deep affection for shooting, and admiration for the gun itself. The deer he shot one day at only seven years old (having come upon it by complete surprise) was just a collateral blessing and a bit of a problem – he had to go get his mother to come and help him haul it home.

At seventeen he enlisted in the Army and gained a new understanding of and appreciation for arms and munitions of all types- their construction, strengths and weaknesses, their care and maintenance and different capabilities, memorizing many, many ballistics tables along the way. Despite his ETS from the Army, he never lost his love for firearms.

Fast-forward through the years and careers and we find him working overseas as a government contractor, responsible for in-theater maintenance and repair of Remote Weapon Systems installed on variants of the Stryker platform. During that assignment, he learned more about large caliber weapons – specifically M2’s and Mark19’s; their tolerances – temperature and stress fatigue, and the incredible decibel levels they can generate.

Though it was hard working long hours in an inhospitable place away from his wife and children, the pay was more than adequate, and he was determined to put in his time now in order to get out of debt and finance their dream of buying a piece of property somewhere where they could become independent and self-sustaining- chickens, goats, a garden- the whole nine yards. It was right about this time, on a trip stateside for the birth of his first grandchild, that the trajectory he had been on ran right up against a blast barrier and stopped cold. In his first week back in the states, he was admitted to the ER two times in such excruciating pain that he could barely walk and couldn’t drive at all.

The doctors’ eventual findings: congenitally deformed hips exacerbated by decades of running for physical fitness and finished off by years of deployment. In an instant, everything changed, and he found himself not only at a financial disadvantage, but struggling to figure out what he could possibly do to be productive with a functional diagnosis of “permanently disabled”.

What now? After considering many possibilities and adjusting direction a few times, he enrolled in a machining course at Olympic College in Bremerton, Washington where his daughter was getting her Technical Arts Degree. He obtained his Precision Machinist certification in 2014 (repairing an old Navy lathe for his instructor along the way), and moved back to Alaska in 2015, still looking for a viable way to get back on the path to being independent and able to provide for his family.

An active reader and contributor to several websites and boards that other weapons specialists frequent, he began to see a need for high-quality suppressors in an affordable price range. After some research, he concluded that launching a start-up business on the strength of his ideals as a patriot and defender of the second amendment, his skills as a machinist, and his love for guns was a worthy gambit.

Once he had the target in his sights, it remained for him to figure out all the details that make up a business – name, logo, mission statement, advertising methods, business cards, and the million details that make up a “simple” website. He spent a lot of time wondering how much to share with the world, how transparent to be, how vulnerable? Following the same leading as before, he put all of it out there- why he chose the name Zayin, why he believes small manufacturing is crucial, why he chose suppressors as a business.

He spent hundreds and hundreds of hours staring at laptop trying to make pictures and text stay where they were supposed to, and on the phone arguing with credit card companies, most of whom flat-out wouldn’t do business with him at all because suppressors are still classified as a ‘destructive device’ and regulated by the NFA much in the same way as machine guns and explosives.

Finally, he got everything daisy-chained together and plugged it in. Beyond excited, he began to get feedback that there had been a spike of views to the site, interested searchers clicking around, and then… it slowed to a crawl. After a little investigation, it was discovered that the main company he was depending on for advertising canceled his ad, though they had previously approved it. Again, the reason according to Facebook: his site was associated with weapons.

Undeterred, knowing he had a great idea, product and pricing; he pressed on. These days you can either find him still staring at his CNC or a computer screen, watching for any problems, answering every single email right away, with great care and focus. Despite Facebook refusing to allow advertisement, with hopes of word-of-mouth. He’s looking to attract enough of a share of the vast market to simply get up every morning and do what he has long pictured doing- feeding the goats and then on to the shop and to make beautiful, lasting, worthwhile things.

Zayin Tactical is Southeast Alaska’s first and only premier Small Arm and Suppressor Manufacturer. Aside from producing new designs and improving old ones, they are a fully-functioning machine shop. Offering services from prototyping to gunsmithing, cerakoting, barrel-threading and custom orders to meet your needs! They support local, Veteran-owned businesses and use American-made/sourced materials whenever possible.

Get your very own Zayin Tactical Suppressor HERE. Priced to be the First Suppressor You Buy; Engineered to be the Last

Hollywood: Suppressors Still Go Bang

I’m quite forgiving when it comes to realism in movies — I don’t have to watch a one-for-one retelling of a firefight with perfect tactics and flawless uniforms in order to enjoy it. For starters, I realize that soldiers in real life make stupid mistakes all the time, and I realize that actors are not actual soldiers or Marines. I also realize that, generally speaking, the veterans that know less about tactics and how firefights actually work always seem to be the most vocal.

With that said, I do love it when things are done right. I love to see quick reloads and attention to detail on a service member’s uniform. I love it when someone calls someone else out on their mistakes (in the movie) or when it sounds like the actors actually know what they’re talking about — not simply repeating an FM or using ultra-formal language that you would never actually hear on a mission.

Some movies and shows do infinitely better than others, but I can’t think of many that have gotten suppressors right. Given how many filmmakers hire subject matter experts these days, you would think they’ve been told that, spoiler alert, suppressors still make a loud enough noise for nearby sentries to hear. Perhaps they are getting told, but such alterations would make too major of a change to the script to realistically change at that point in a production.

Well, here’s to hoping they start changing the writing, and maybe that’s who ought to be told — the writers.

“Inception” gets a pass in my book, considering they’re in the dream of someone who probably has the same misconception about suppressors that most people do. | Image courtesy of Warner Bros

First of all, just know that silencers and suppressors are the same thing — silencers are sort of a misnomer, as the weapon is never actually silenced. Companies who produce suppressors also wanted to get away from the stigma associated with unrealistic movie “silencers” that tend to be a complete fiction.

There are ways to make the rounds as quiet as you’d get in a movie (though if you’re nearby, you’re still going to hear it), and this is with the combination of a suppressor and subsonic rounds. However, anyone who has shot subsonic rounds knows that it changes quite a bit about the way you shoot, as your shot group tends to drop significantly quicker than with regular rounds. Anyone using such ammunition needs to be pretty sure they aren’t going to actually get in a larger firefight, because accounting for that kind of drop can be problematic in the heat of battle.

Not only do subsonic rounds decrease accuracy, but they, by definition, reduce the bullet’s velocity, thereby making them less deadly. These are all factors your protagonist has to take into account if he/she is taking a truly “silenced” weapon into combat.

On top of all that, most of the actors in movies are toting silenced pistols instead of rifles, and pistols are even more difficult to “silence.” Even if no sound exited the barrel (on which the suppressor is attached), a good deal of sound will still exit as the slide cycles back. You’d have to have some sort of giant bag device wrapped around his whole hand/pistol that doesn’t impede the functioning of the pistol — it would get ridiculous.

By and large the average suppressor can, at best, reduce one’s signature while firing and give nearby enemies a second’s pause as they may not immediately understand the sound to be gunshots — however, a second might be all you get. Even untrained guards generally get what the crack-crack-crack, staccato gunfire-sound means, despite any alterations you’ve made to the weapon.

But that soft, pew pew sound is blatant fiction, and continues to be perpetuated in films today, despite the wave of ultra-realism Hollywood has found itself in.

For your consideration: here is an experimental silencer for a tank, which they tried to test (for some reason) in 1969:

Featured image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

*Originally published on SOFREP and written by Luke Ryan

Dead Air Armament Reveals Odessa-9 Handgun Suppressor

Dead Air Armament has been teasing an impending release on its social media channels for the past few weeks; the Georgia-based company has finally spilled the beans, unveiling its brand new Odessa-9 suppressor. This thing boasts next-level modularity with 11 different baffles. It also features a 17-4 PH stainless steel construction; one-inch tube; and a QPQ black nitride finish. More info from the company can be found below:

The Odessa-9 features a 1.1″ tube, allowing you to fully utilize your stock sights. That’s right, the Odessa-9 is almost as small as our Mask. It is also fully modular and can be shot in multiple configurations. 11 to be exact (well, 12 if you don’t use ANY baffles). If you stack only four baffles you’ll be close to, or below, hearing safe levels with subsonic ammunition. Stack on the full 11 baffles and we’ve hovered just shy of 122dB with HUSH subsonic ammo. With the smaller tube and this much modularity, your suppressed handgun life just got easier.

The Odessa-9 is compatible with legacy pistons such as those from Silencerco and Rugged Suppressors.

Continue reading on Tactical Life

*Photo courtesy of Dead Air Armament

Yankee Hill Machine Q.D. Phantom Suppressor

Nothing raises the blood pressure of anti-gunners like firearms and accessories that fall under the purview of the National Firearms Act (NFA). The NFA, passed in 1934, governs the sale and production of all the truly fun toys of the firearms world, namely suppressors, machine guns, short-barreled rifles, and short-barreled shotguns. Many people mistakenly believe that these items are illegal. (Without the proper forms approved by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms & Explosives, they are.) But with the approved forms, they are 100-percent legal to own.

There are many manufacturers of silencers/suppressors (the BATFE uses the terms interchangeably). Surefire, Gemtech, SilencerCo, and Advanced Armament Company are several that you may have heard about. Today, we are going to take a look at a product made by the Yankee Hill Machine Company.

The Yankee Hill Machine Company is located in Florence, Massachusetts, approximately 104 miles west of Lexington and Concord, the birthplace of the American Revolution. The Yankee Hill Machine Company makes nine different versions of the 3100-series sound suppressors. Today we’ll look at and evaluate the Q.D. Phantom suppressor.

Model: YHM 3100QD

MSRP: $629 (additional BATFE tax of $200 not included)

Weapon platform: M4/AR15

Caliber: .223 / 5.56×45

Weight: 20 ounces

Dimensions:

Length: 6.875″
Diameter: 1.5″

Decibel reduction: -35 db

Material: Chrome moly steel and heat-treated Inconel 718

Finish: Matte black only

Attachment system: Quick-detach flash hider

Caliber rating: .17 HMR up to .223 /5.56mm

Flash hider thread mount options:

1/2-28
M15 x 1 RH
9/16-24 LH
M13 x 1 LH
M13 x 1 RH

Pros:

Affordable
Easy to mount
Lifetime warranty

Cons:

Weight
Proprietary mounting system

Bottom line:

The Q.D. Phantom suppressor isn’t for everyone, I will say that upfront. However, if you are looking for an affordable sound suppressor for your AR-15 rifle that comes with a lifetime warranty, it’s hard to pass this one up. The Phantom is heavier than almost all of the other suppressors in its class, but it has performed wonderfully for me the last two-plus years.

There are things someone in the market for a suppressor should know: First, it’s not like the movies. A .223/ 5.56mm fired through a suppressor still makes a lot of noise; it is still supersonic, after all. The second thing a potential owner needs to know about is heat. Any suppressor is basically a muffler, a series of baffles that dissipate sound. The bi-product of that is heat. I learned this the hard way the first time I took my suppressor with shooting. After two magazines of fast firing my rifle, I tried to remove the suppressor. To my surprise, I burned through the palms of my brand new Mechanix Wear gloves. I let the rifle cool down. The next time out, I brought a digital thermometer and recorded the temperature after two magazines of firing at a rate of one round per second. Below is the result: 530° F, and that is not a faulty meter.

One thing that is a little frustrating, but at the same time is inarguably a functional feature, is the Phantom’s quick-detach system. The Phantom uses a proprietary system that threads onto the existing thread pattern of your rifle. The quick-detach system forces you to use an awkward-looking flash hider that no other company uses. It really makes the rifle stand out like a sore thumb. That said, with the flash hider on, mounting the suppressor becomes shockingly easy. Line up the threads, twist the suppressor on in a clockwise motion until the clicking stops, and it’s ready to rock.

Shooting the rifle with the suppressor on is very easy, and it doesn’t interfere with the sight picture or alignment at all. I will admit that the fun factor for shooting goes way up when you have a suppressor; you instantly make a lot of friends on the range. In recent years, there has been a large push by hunters to use suppressors while hunting rabbits, coyotes, wolves, and other small rodents and predators. More than 30 states have allowed it as of the writing of this article.

AAC Halcyon – Two Rim Fire Silencers in One

Advanced Armament Corporation’s Halcyon: Two Rim Fire Silencers in One
Mike the Mook

Of all the silencers on the market, we find the rimfire cans to be some of the most versatile. The latest from AAC (Advanced Armament Corporation) appears to be one of the most useful yet. The Halcyon is a modular suppressor that is essentially two cans in one.

When suppressing 17 HMR, 17 M2, 22 Magnum or even FN’s 5.7 you may want to run a longer profile silencer for better suppression. In this case that is a matter of 5.28 in. with a weight of 6 oz. However if you want to quiet a bolt action .22 long rifle and keep a shorter profile you can take it down to a 3.4 in. can that weighs a scant 4.5 ounces.

Switching back and forth takes a matter of seconds without tools, just like the company’s Ti-Rant 45M and Ti-Rant 9M.

When our good friends at Silencershop.com asked us if we wanted to try it, we looked at the e-mail like they were stoopid — we always want to try new cans.