Seems a fair number of people here. However, it also seems most of the info is anecdotal, not measured data.

?Does anyone follow/use data testing of suppressors to aid in choosing which one to get. ?What sites are there that provide such objective data. ?How do those reports (assuming they are available) compare with real world experience.

Pew Science and TBAC sound testing are good objective/comparative data sources. Some things, like mounts, can't help but be subjective, as different mounts are preferred for different applications.

Thanks KSGM. That was a great steer. I had heard of PEW but not the TBAC. TBH I am not sure what all the data on the TBAC testing database represents. Will need to study that a bit to understand the terminology and so the results.

I have been told there is no "good" 5.56 supressor vis a vis sound suppression. Those little monsters are just plain noisy. The cans will mitigate that sound - some - but not like they do a, say, .45 ACP or subsonic 147gr 9mm. Low speed .22 LR does OK, but the "normal" stuff is still quite loud.

?Do you know anyone who runs a Q weapon, either a Honey Badger or the new 6.8A. Those are suppose to be very quiet shooters.

Devereaux curiosity question...do you own and use a suppressor? I'm not sure what you are driving at with your question.
There is lots of objective data from mfg. material, to some 3rd party testing (I like Pew), etc. I always look at it before I buy anything. But mostly the issue on this is that each setup or gun/suppressor/ammo is different. Pew for example has maybe 140 reviews of different combinations of a specific suppressor and gun and ammo, when the combinations possible are in the millions. And the test data is a few standardized data points. So with those issues real comparison can only be made on a few specific combinations. And the test points are not relevant sometimes. Say for example suppressor A is quieter than B on a 10.3 MK18 at 1M left. That does not mean the A is quieter than B on a 16" SCAR shooters ear. So one has to look at the available data, actual reviews by others under different conditions and then decide what's important. Your ears are not very sensitive about sound levels and suppressors are a huge set of tradeoffs of suppression, size, weight, cost, material, mounts, etc. etc.

quote:

I have been told there is no "good" 5.56 supressor vis a vis sound suppression. Those little monsters are just plain noisy.

What's good? What sound level? out of what gun? with what ammo.
In general it is possible to get very meaningful reductions in a 5.56 supersonic round, but one is never going to get to what anyone would call quiet at least in supersonic rounds. But there are subsonic rounds that are pretty quiet. But I'm personally happy to not expose my ears to higher level of gunfire sound abuse if I don't have to and even small 5.56 suppressors make a meaningful difference. And in many semi guns the sound of the gun cycling is a major part of the noise.

quote:

Originally posted by Devereaux:
I have been told there is no "good" 5.56 supressor vis a vis sound suppression. Those little monsters are just plain noisy. The cans will mitigate that sound - some - but not like they do a, say, .45 ACP or subsonic 147gr 9mm. Low speed .22 LR does OK, but the "normal" stuff is still quite loud.

What you were told was only partially correct, by people who don't fully understand guns, ammo, and noise levels.

Quality suppressors greatly reduce the noise levels caused by the powder burn -- regardless of caliber or muzzle velocity.

No suppressor will reduce the noise levels caused by a bullet in supersonic flight.

With the exception of the very rare subsonic 223 subsonic ammo, 223 ammo will produce supersonic MVs. Depending on ammo, noise levels may be in the 160 to 165 dB ballpark. A quality suppressor will reduce the noise to around 140 dB, which is the crack from the supersonic flight. I shoot just about everything suppressed, and I know there's a boatload of difference between 165 dB and 140 dB. 140 dB still requires hearing pro, but only 1 type -- plugs or muffs. A 223 rifle rifle without a can really requires 2 types of hearing pro -- muffs over plugs.

A subsonic pistol round might produce noise in the 130-140 dB ballpark, with suppression. Put a good can on such pistol, and the noise levels might drop to 110 dB or so -- eliminating the need for hearing pro, for most shooters.

quote:

Originally posted by Devereaux:
I have been told there is no "good" 5.56 supressor vis a vis sound suppression. Those little monsters are just plain noisy.

Eh, I thought that was going to be the case also, but I got my first two rifle cans in 5.56 a few months ago, and so did a number of guys in my group. We've gotten to shoot a variety of 5.56 and .30 caliber suppressors on 5.56 in recent months, and honestly, the difference is amazing. If you're expecting the "Hollywood quiet" thing, well, you aren't going to get that, but it is a whole lot quieter. Sunday, we did a quick comparison of a Polonium K on a 16" rifle and a full size Polonium on an 11.5" and they were incredibly similar both at the ear and about 20' away from the shooter, and both were very quiet. This was mixed in and among other 5.56 rifles shooting unsuppressed with A2 flash hiders or Ops style brakes, and the difference was astounding. I didn't realize I had gotten that used to shooting suppressed so quickly until I touched off a few rounds through a rifle I don't have set up to take a can yet, and they seemed loud as shit.

quote:

Originally posted by Devereaux:
The cans will mitigate that sound - some - but not like they do a, say, .45 ACP or subsonic 147gr 9mm.

Same group, same guys, same day, we also did a suppressed 9mm "subgun" comparison, some integrally suppressed B&T's and the others shooting a mix of 115gr and 147gr subsonic. My impression after trying all of them for at least one round without ear pro on is that basically none of them are "hearing safe," and since I would have ear protection on anyway, then in terms of volume, they weren't substantially different to me than shooting my suppressed 5.56 rifles.

Interestingly enough, my suppressed PS90 SBR was quieter than any 9mm there, and that with standard velocity ammo. It was quiet enough standing behind a friend trying it out that I took my ears off and it wasn't even slightly uncomfortable.

quote:

Originally posted by Devereaux:
?Do you know anyone who runs a Q weapon, either a Honey Badger or the new 6.8A. Those are suppose to be very quiet shooters.

I went shooting with a guy who had a Honey Badger. He didn't bring any subsonic ammo and with electronic ear pro on, it didn't sound much different to me than the suppressed 5.56's the other guys were shooting. A very different story with subsonic ammo, I'm sure.

I think if you go shoot a 5.56 with a suppressor on it, it'll be a revelation to you. No, it's not going to be like shooting the other calibers you mention, but those are noteworthy because of their performance shooting suppressed. They're kind of the exception, not the rule.

I shoot suppressed from .22 to .50. The only thing that might tempt me to go without some form of hearing protection is single shot .22 subsonic. But even then I don't. But in every caliber suppression cuts the noise meaningfully. And that's the point.

One thing the TBAC data shows, which I found interesting, is the at-ear performance of "K" cans being sometimes superior to longer cans on the same weapon. Noise levels recorded at other locations are better with the longer silencers.

quote:

there is no "good" 5.56 suppressor vis a vis sound suppression. Those little monsters are just plain noisy. The cans will mitigate that sound - some -

Suppressed 5.56 is really all I shoot. I only occasionally shoot a suppressed .308 and 7.62x39. Anyone who makes statements like the one above is not speaking from an informed position. As fritz, Smudge, and hrcjon already said: it makes a big difference, and there are plenty of great 5.56 silencers.

I almost never shoot without a silencer. Coincidentally, I had to shoot an unsuppressed 5.56 just yesterday. A 16" gun I keep in the vehicle needed its zero checked, before a long trip. Holy hell, was it loud.

If you're ever looking at a .308 silencer, I am of the opinion that a "full size" silencer is the only way to go, unless your application requires extreme compactness for some reason. Whoever said there's "no good 5.56 suppressor" must never have shot a .308 semi-auto with a silencer attached.

That being said, if you end up leaning toward a do-it-all silencer, which I wouldn't recommend (though I understand the appeal, and for some folks' needs they're appropriate), DO NOT get one that can't be shortened/lengthened.

Well, to answer the question of my “experience”, it is shooting a friend’s AR SBR in 5.56 and .300 BLK. We lived in the Soviet State of Illinois, where we mere mortals were not allowed to own such things, and the only reason I got to shoot these at all was that my buddy had an FFL with SOT, which he acquired specifically to build full-auto and suppressed weapons. I have since moved to Texas and he’s gotten rid of his “fun guns”, keeping only a couple Nighthawks and Korths.

I, OTOH, have created an NFA trust and have two ATF forms in, one for a .22 suppressor and one for a Geissele SBR. I expect about another month for those to return, if the current trend holds up. I am now interested in getting cans for guns. I have the SBR in 5.56 coming, and am leaning towards a CAT OBD for that. I want a 9mm for some pistols and a .45 for some other pistols, and a 7.62 for some battle rifles. Unfortunately I don’t have a band of guys who shoot cans regularly to hang out with and learn about them, so I go listen to what I can (no pun intended) find. Hard sometimes to separate fact from impression or just personal like.

I am a RVN-era vet with 28 years in service in active and reserve. My ears are shot, both by the infantry deployment I did in RVN as a Marine and later when I transferred to the ANG from jet engines as a Flight Surgeon. So I am acutely aware of noise and its detrimental effects. Indeed, I shot on a Marine Bullseye team some 8 years using double muffs - and STILL lost hearing.

So I am primarily interested in the sound suppression qualities of a can. I recognize there are numerous effects a can can have, but for me, sound suppression is Bob Wills. So I have talked with the guy who runs PEW (friendly guy - seems to know his stuff) and. been reading here on this sub forum. I am trying to learn but at my age, it isn’t easy to just read something you know nothing about and just “grasp it”. There is time to ruminate over who said what about what. I know, for instance, that I was not particularly impressed by the YHM cans my friend had on his AR’s, but that’s the only can I’ve been directly exposed to.

Yes, I’ve figured out a dedicated can to a certain cartridge is probably the best way to go. However, I am retired, so I have to marshall my “fun money” expenses to fit the budget. That only means I will most likely get my cans one at a time over months, rather than buy 4 cans at once.

And thanks to all for your candid comments on cans you use. ALL such info is welcome!

If sound is literally your only criteria then its pretty easy to find that data and use it for purchase decisions. Pew has almost all the well known options and some odd balls. Reliably compared using repeatable conditions and equipment. But depending on what you are trying to accomplish with a specific gun type the choice of gun, barrel length, action type and caliber is pretty important if you want to lower your noise exposure. No suppressor really makes a AR based 5.56 SBR quiet. You are better off with longer barrels to achieve more suppression as an example.

quote:

Originally posted by hrcjon:
If sound is literally your only criteria then its pretty easy to find that data and use it for purchase decisions. Pew has almost all the well known options and some odd balls. Reliably compared using repeatable conditions and equipment. But depending on what you are trying to accomplish with a specific gun type the choice of gun, barrel length, action type and caliber is pretty important if you want to lower your noise exposure. No suppressor really makes a AR based 5.56 SBR quiet. You are better off with longer barrels to achieve more suppression as an example.

I have been coming to that conclusion myself. 5.56 seems to be uniquely noisy in its own way. An SBR in that calibre will probably be more problematic than a regular carbine or rifle. But I have to admit the Geissele looked so gorgeous and was on sale for a significant decrease in cost, I just had to get it. Plus it is now an SBR platform the ATF will know about, so when they (finally!) approve the "tax", I will then be able to add a different upper on it via letter to ATF rather than have to go through the whole file process, plus engraving. I have a Wilson 10" .300 BLK barrel and an upper I want to use, and that's the real SBR I want with a can. So a good .308 suppressor is in the cards.

?Do I understand Sigarms226 correctly in that he suggests getting ONE suppressor to work for the .45's and use it on the 9mm also. I had not thought about that. I merely assumed a 9mm round would not suppress well with a .45 suppressor. I have several .45 weapons with threaded barrels already, and two 9mm's. And at least 2 pistols in .22LR. I would LOVE to have a threaded barrel on the one Kimber 1911 I have in .17 HMR. It is a gas to shoot, but I am leery of getting Kimber products these days.

quote:

Originally posted by Devereaux:
?Do I understand Sigarms226 correctly in that he suggests getting ONE suppressor to work for the .45's and use it on the 9mm also. I had not thought about that. I merely assumed a 9mm round would not suppress well with a .45 suppressor.

The accepted knowledge that I've always heard tossed around was to buy a .30 caliber rifle can, a .45 caliber pistol can, and a .22 can, and that would cover nearly all your bases for suppression. Part of it is, yes, the tax stamp and people not wanting to spend a thousand dollars in tax stamps if they could spend four or six hundred to cover all their needs. Really, though, I think most of that had to do with the inordinately long wait times that were common before. If you're going to wait a year or three years for a suppressor, you damn well better get the most possible mileage out of it, and therefore pick the biggest bore you're going to need for a given platform. Suppressed is suppressed after all.

However.

Now we have wait times as short as a couple hours for Form 4's, so the wait thing is almost a non-issue. At most, you're probably going to wait a couple of weeks. You can buy one .45 can and suppress all your pistols, but honestly, a 9mm can is going to suppress 9mm better because it's designed to. How much better? Depends on the can, the gun, the ammo, and your ears. You don't have to wait a year to find out now, either, so the only real barrier is how many suppressors and tax stamps you feel like buying.

If your goal is the best possible suppression the idea of using a larger caliber can in a smaller caliber is simply not a viable strategy. Pew and others have tested a few different examples and the difference is substantial in all the cases I've seen.
I've tested it myself with 7.62can and 5.56 gun and .45 can and 9mm gun and its easy to tell there is a meaningful difference which means its way more than your ears limited range of discerning different sound levels.

quote:

Originally posted by hrcjon:
If your goal is the best possible suppression the idea of using a larger caliber can in a smaller caliber is simply not a viable strategy. Pew and others have tested a few different examples and the difference is substantial in all the cases I've seen.
I've tested it myself with 7.62can and 5.56 gun and .45 can and 9mm gun and its easy to tell there is a meaningful difference which means its way more than your ears limited range of discerning different sound levels.

OK. To the rifle question, I truly believe I will be buying cans for 5.56 and for 7.62. Considering the noise, etc, that approach seems eminently smart. On the pistol side, I think I will try to find a good .45 Suppressor as I have several threaded .45's. I have a few 9's also but may try the .45 can first, just to see how it performs. You guys have convinced me that guns and conditions DO matter, so a trial will lose nothing but some time. And may be enough. I have a .22 can coming. It was gift from Silencer Central when I bought my daughter a life membership in the NRA at their recent convention here in Dallas. We'll see how that works. I do have some subsonic .22 ammo to shoot, as well as a ton of .22 Pistol Match ammo, which is lighter loaded than standard .22's. Let's see how those work too.

Now to figure out how to mount all these suppressors. Seems from reading KSGM's stuff, the mount is also important - and picky.

after reading about a person in sigforum (I really want to say moron) not using a booster on a tilting barrel sig pistol with a suppressor I offer the following to your last question.
For the .22 you will be using threaded attachment. Universally 1/2-28. make sure you check if its tight before shooting and make sure you periodically loosen before it carbon locks.
For the .45 pistol cans you will be using threaded attachment via a booster device. Threads (and piston) will be based on the gun, but .45 is almost always .578x24, but there are some European odd balls like HK. But every good mfg. will have the piston you need. Threads in piston to match threads on barrel.
How to mount rifle cans is a huge topic. Best served by details on the rifle and the can.
But in general you don't want direct, you want some sort of taper mount. I normally use surefire cans and surefire mounts. But when that is not an option I like Xeno. But you will get at least a 100 other suggestion especially from P220Smudge. Let us know the details and you can get better more specific guidance.

Well I hear Silencer Shop finally has some CAT OBD's. I am planning on buying one, even though the price appears to have risen by some $200+. Still, it seems the best in the hearing protection bunch for 7.62. Afterwards I'll start looking for a 5.56 can.

Guess my question is what's the best attachment method for this kind of can. ?Is there one that is preferred over others. I am looking to mount it on a Springfield M1A1 sport and hopefully an FAL. Down the road will be an SBR in .300 BLK; I have the parts but not the time yet to assemble it and send ATF a letter notifying them I am adding a .300 BLK upper to my current SBR, which I picked up last week.

both those guns take some extra parts to even get to the possibility of attaching a suppressor. Once you get that solved any of the tapered options should be fine. Get a hub Cat and not the cat proprietary.

Well, the Banish .22 came and yesterday I shot it on a 226 conversion kit. I needed an adapter to thread it on the pistol, but then it worked fine. I DID note about 25 rounds into the shoot I needed to tighten the suppressor, and when I finished 100 rounds and dismounted the suppressor, it unscrewed on the pistol and I had to carefully get it off intact. I did bore check it using a rod made for a .223 (Geissele) and it looked fine with that. Obviously no issues with carbon locking.