With high interest in 'cans' and plenty of manufacturers to pick from these days, here's a look at seven of the best units for AR-type rifles. Posted on 03/10/2021 6:15:00 AM PST by w1n1
With high interest in 'cans' and plenty of manufacturers to pick from these days, here's a look at seven of the best units for AR-type rifles.
Suppressors, or "cans," are becoming a common accessory on the firearms of professionals and sport shooters. Once viewed as an assassin’s tool used by mobsters and spies, they are now used routinely by military, law enforcement and others. They are not “silencers,” as they used to be referred to. They decrease the decibel level, but they cannot silence a firearm.
There are many advantages to running a suppressor on your long gun. In the tactical realm, they allow operators to run their guns without hearing protection. This allows for ease of communication amongst operators. Bear in mind that ear protection is still a good idea, especially with rifles and when firing rounds traveling at supersonic speeds.
Suppressors allow for more accurate, consistent shots through noise and, to a certain extent, recoil mitigation. Good suppressors don’t usually cause a big difference in shot placement when compared to shooting the same firearm without a can. There are minimal differences in round velocity with a decrease of about 1 to 3 percent in round speed. In general, they make guns more enjoyable to shoot.
THERE ARE a few disadvantages worth mentioning. Some suppressors can cause more buildup of carbon and other debris inside of a weapon, so more cleaning may be required. There is also a safety concern anytime you attach an item to the end of a barrel. That being said, a good quality suppressor paired with a properly adapted bore – one with threads or specially designed flash suppressor – generally mitigates those issues. For any number of reasons, steer clear of homemade jobs.
The potential for a catastrophic malfunction when a high-velocity round strikes an internal part of a poorly made can is a distinct possibility. Besides, it’s illegal. Suppressors get hot; really hot! The internet is full of videos of red-hot cans burning brightly after sustained fire. Care must be taken to avoid contacting them after shooting. There are suppressor sleeves available that are made out of burn-resistant materials that can help as well.
One other drawback of note for non-military/non-law enforcement folks is what’s involved in purchasing one. Some states don’t allow them, and in the ones that do, paperwork needs to be filed with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to own one. Turnaround times for processing the paperwork is six to nine months and a $200 tax stamp has to be purchased.
THE MARKET is currently flooded with suppressor manufacturers. For consumers, this means there are a lot of good cans to choose from. This also means there are suppressors available in just about every price range.
The weapons of choice for suppressors are AR-15s and their full-auto cousin, the M4. There is a great selection of cans available for 5.56 AR, as well as those chambered in .308 and other calibers. Here is a look at some of the best suppressors for AR-type rifles.
SUREFIRE SOCOM556 MINI 2
SILENCERCO SPECWAR 556
O.S.S. SUPPRESSORS HELIX 5.56 IFM6
GRIFFIN ARMAMENT PALADIN 5 - Read the complete descriptions of these suppressors here.
In Maryland, where I live, they are outlawed due to a plethora of stupid and ignorant gun laws...and getting stupider.
I was just at bass Pro in Virginia. they had a ton of suppressors there. But adding an extra $200 to the price of the suppressor just doesn’t do it for me.
I have an 2003 Advanced Armament Suppressor for both my AR-15s, one of which is a Class III SBR.
https://www.advanced-armament.com
If looking for a lower price point I highly recommend the YHM (Yankee Hill Machining) line of suppressors.
I sprang for one of the Surefire 5.56 cans listed (also a .308 can same line), later bought a YHM 5.56 can at about a third the cost.
It’s quieter. Same 16” barrel, ammo, just quieter, can ALMOST shoot without ear plugs.
I’ve run thousands of rounds through both and can’t tell a difference in wear/tear and the Surefire can gets “stuck” more often. I learned to apply some nickle-bearing grease to prevent this.
YMMV.
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If these were ever to become immediately available, I would buy them, as they would also become much cheaper.
In Norway they are readily available on rifles. In some locals, I believe, they are required.
There are still those bastions of liberalism that feel they have to clamp down on those evil gun-owners that constantly use these for assassinations, mass shootings, and bank robbery. /s
Thankfully they don't allow people to wear masks during the commission of a crime or in banks etc. Imagine if you couldn't identify the criminals. /s
I don’t know of a single suppressor used in a crime, since I can remember reading crime articles’ details. I can remember seeing some BATF/ FBI pics of confiscated firearms laid-out on a table or blanket on the floor, which did include a few suppressors.
How many crimes have been committed with suppressed firearms?
Politicians write gunaws based on comic books and TV shows.
Cans
In Maryland, where I live, they are permitted, despite a plethora of stupid and ignorant gun laws. I have several, including one that was approved two years ago. Check again on our ignorant ruling class.
Really? I hard the morons at Disneyland on the Chesapeake in the General Asylum outlawed them.
They just busted a guy in Harford County for having a suppressor, some Nazi memorabilia, a couple thousand rounds of ammo and some knives.
No guns.
These were add on charges to the church theft and vandalism. I think the Nazi stuff was just evidence cause of the vandalism.
You have to pay the $200 tax stamp and wait a year, but I just checked and they are still legal. Get a few if you want them!
Wonderful! More drivel from American Shooting Urinal. I wondered where w1n1 had got off to. Glad to see he’s still getting paid in these financially difficult times.
ThHere was one case of a supressor used in a crime. One week before the Supreme Court was to hear a case on whether Supressors should be regulated more loosely, a government worker at a transportation division, IIRC went on a mass shooting with a supressed 45 pistol. The only case to hit the Supreme Court, it was not well publicized, and the only crime ever committed with one was a mass shooting.
If people don’t understand there is a full on intel op running things as a shadow dictatorship, nothing is ever going to change.
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