I just converted one of my 11.5 5.56s into a 9.5 (I thought it was 9 but he said 9.5 so ...) blk ($640.00 for the CEK plus some change). I was told by one of the guys at Silencer Shop that a Thunder Chicken is the way to go with the can on this one. He seemed genuine and said it's his personal preference and is what he uses.

I've already got an existing Trust so I'm looking at $200 for another stamp and $1190.00 for the can incl taxes so it's another (crazy large $s) sizable investment of roughly $1400.00 which means I've got $2100 in the Virtus, $640 in the caliber exchange kit and am considering another $1400 for the new can and stamp ... is the Thunder Chicken worth it in your opinions? I know a couple of guys who are big on the Q cans, specifically the Trash Panda.

$4k basically, when all is said and done, for this platform, if I go this route with the Thunder Chicken. Not counting $250 for the handguard I just ordered today which I forgot about back when I ordered the CEK (because I was suffering from price shock at the time and tired of waiting for another Virtus in 300 blk) ... I forgot about the handguard and now I'm not sure whether or not to go with the 6", 8" or 10" handguard. So $4,250.00 not counting the optics I have yet to decide upon. Sheesh. What was I thinking.

Thanks in advance for your input. I need to get it ordered PDQ (the can) - a waiting list is in play.

Or is there a better option that is as versatile and comes with a couple of different caliber adapter muzzle breaks?

Help a brother out here will you men?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Gallo Pazzesco,

All of Q's stuff is expensive, overrated and the dB numbers are easily beat by top name brands. I have sold, shot and owned about everything in 30+ years. 07/02

So you saying pretty-much anything but a Q product?

Any specific recommendations for what I'm trying to do?

I have a Trash Panda, the slightly shorter version of the Thunder Chicken. The weight savings alone is worth the price. It performs very well on my 8" 300blk AR, and I use it on several different 5.56 rifles and a 308.

There are potentially better cans. They don't have the cherry bomb, which is a slick setup. It's not the best thing to have on the end of the gun without a suppressor and I admit I got their blast shield to use for those times, but it's again light weight, and effective as a blast diverter.

I'm also aware of the tradeoffs; this is not the type of can you want on a machine gun to try and melt barrels, or need military/leo hard use firing schedules out of.

If you want the quietest there are some real contenders to get you an extra couple DB. They might cost $300 less, but they don't have 2 mounts with a good QD system, and they probably weigh a good half pound more.

quote:

Originally posted by Gallo Pazzesco:
So you saying pretty-much anything but a Q product?

Any specific recommendations for what I'm trying to do?

I haven't shot anything that is hearing safe on a barrel that short. Sure, for two or three rounds they may be ok but I eventually put on ear pro. Hearing damage is cumulative even with a suppressor that runs at or just below 140 dB. That is a relatively safe number for a one or two time blast to your hearing - never meant to be for rapid fire, binary or fa dumps.
The best can I've ever shot on a short barrel 5.56 is the expensive titanium AWC almost 11" long direct thread made originally made for the military. Phil Dater of GemTech fame used to work there and was their primary engineer when they made their pioneering stuff. You can shoot the gun for a mag or two before I put earpro back on. ARs and AKs are just noisy beings.
I've found the Griffin Recce 5 and the AAC SR7 both give acceptable results and don't break the bank. They are both relatively short 5.56 cans if that is something you like. Both happen to be sealed units and are self cleaning unless you shoot them on .22LR.
Go to Silencer Shop and check out all the 5.56 cans in the length you want. They have great specs and often have videos with dB level tests. Also NFA review on YouTube and Patreon has some of the best reviews and recording equipment there is, use quality headphones and you will be pleased at what you can hear - he does dB tests also, often from several different points.

Thanks men! Much appreciated!

By BLK I'm assuming you mean that you've switched to a 9" .300 blackout Virtus upper? If that's the case, definitely disregard any recommendations for 5.56 cans, as they will obviously not work on a .308 diameter round. Feel free to ignore me if I misread that.

As far as Q stuff being overpriced and overrated, I'm going to have to differ with the poster above. Shit is silly quiet and well built. If you want to get some real, hard data rather than believing what manufacturers are publishing, go to www.pewscience.com and do some reading. It is time consuming but Jay is the only person doing real, scientific analysis and comparison of silencer sound data. No, I'm not a paid shill, the site is free and it's awesome information.

quote:

Originally posted by Killer Instincts:
By BLK I'm assuming you mean that you've switched to a 9" .300 blackout Virtus upper? If that's the case, definitely disregard any recommendations for 5.56 cans, as they will obviously not work on a .308 diameter round. Feel free to ignore me if I misread that.

I should also clarify;

If you're talking about 9.5" 5.56 I would not go with the Q can. They've said short 5.56 will be harder on the can and make for a faster erosion of the baffles. I've used mine on a 10.5", but in the ever-changing armory the shortest I have in 5.56 is now 11.5" and that has a mount for my DeadAir Sandman, my 12.5" is the shortest 5.56 I have setup for the Trash Panda.

For 300blk, Q themselves make a 7 or 7.5" Honey Badger, and their Mini Fix is an 8", all of which pairs well with their TrashPanda/ThunderChicken.

quote:

Originally posted by Rustpot:

quote:

Originally posted by Killer Instincts:
By BLK I'm assuming you mean that you've switched to a 9" .300 blackout Virtus upper? If that's the case, definitely disregard any recommendations for 5.56 cans, as they will obviously not work on a .308 diameter round. Feel free to ignore me if I misread that.

I should also clarify;

If you're talking about 9.5" 5.56 I would not go with the Q can. They've said short 5.56 will be harder on the can and make for a faster erosion of the baffles. I've used mine on a 10.5", but in the ever-changing armory the shortest I have in 5.56 is now 11.5" and that has a mount for my DeadAir Sandman, my 12.5" is the shortest 5.56 I have setup for the Trash Panda.

For 300blk, Q themselves make a 7 or 7.5" Honey Badger, and their Mini Fix is an 8", all of which pairs well with their TrashPanda/ThunderChicken.

^good advice. I'd go for an all-steel, fully welded can for a shorty 5.56 and any kind of accelerated firing schedule.

So I apologize for not being clearer in my OP.

I have two Virtuses. Both are 11.5 5.56. I bought a 300 BLK CEK (ordered it months ago) that finally arrived a few weeks ago. So I am converting one of the 11.5 5.56s to the 9" BLK (although this one I have I am told is 9.5 according to SIG but who knows) ... and the Silencer Shop rep, I believe his name was Kevin or Ryan, but Ryan may have been the SIG rep I can't remember ... the guy at Silencer Shop told me he runs his Thunder Chicken on both 300 BLK AND 5.56 given the two quick adapter muzzle breaks.

He said the Thunder Chicken comes with two muzzle breaks, one for each caliber, that are interchangeable with the can.

I want to be able to run both supersonic and subsonic through the 300 BLK conversion, but it would be cool if it also worked well on the 11.5 in 5.56.

I have a SilencerCo Omega 300 that I've been using on a bolty, and a KA QDC that I run on an older M4 build.

What I was considering the Thunder Chicken for was using the one can on both of my Virituses by simply having the two different muzzle break adapters. At least until I can afford another 5.56 can for the 11.5.

Swapping back and forth between the two cans I already have is no quick or easy task plus I'd like to leave them attached to the platforms they are already on.

I was hoping to kill two birds with one stone with the Thunder Chicken but it reads as if the Silencer Shop rep might have been trying to feed me some not completely accurate information about using the TC on the 5.56 11.5.

I wouldn't say he was feeding you inaccurate info; it's just that short barrel 5.56 is particularly hard on titanium suppressors. If you're not putting a ton of rounds through it rapidly, it should be fine. But if you want something that will stand up to the rigors of lots of shorty 5.56 and 300 BLK supers you might look into Rugged's offerings.

Q is coming out with a line of steel silencers in the near future but I imagine they'll be vaporware for awhile.

quote:

Originally posted by Killer Instincts:
I wouldn't say he was feeding you inaccurate info; it's just that short barrel 5.56 is particularly hard on titanium suppressors. If you're not putting a ton of rounds through it rapidly, it should be fine. But if you want something that will stand up to the rigors of lots of shorty 5.56 and 300 BLK supers you might look into Rugged's offerings.

Q is coming out with a line of steel silencers in the near future but I imagine they'll be vaporware for awhile.

Makes sense, much appreciated.

So I actually bought the Thunder Chicken since it was in stock. Probably will not use it on the 11.5, will keep it strictly on the 9 BLK. I'll hopefully find a worthy steel can for the 11.5 5.56 within a few months. Mind boggling that there appears to be a shortage (sic: limited selection) of cans just as there is firearms and ammo. I'll check-out Rugged's line and available inventory.

Eventually I may invest in a 300 BLK 16" CEK but I kina doubt it. I've already got some things that's got me covered in 30 cal supersonic. A couple of 716s and M1As, etc., bolties, AKs, yada yada yada, but this 300 BLK is filling a specific purpose/niche for me inside the home and immediate grounds around the home out to under 100 meters, down by the barn and so on.

We're living in crazy times. I've got a feeling that a year or two after this upcoming election there is going to be a lot of used stuff out there to be had and new inventory will be plentiful ... if this election goes our way, which I think it will. Otherwise this shortage could be with us for awhile I guess. It's just crazy when I see a shortage of cans to be had. Doesn't make any sense to me. I mean are that many new gun owners really jumping through the hoops for cans? Most of them cannot even get ammo, but they're buying cans? And I was told it's first time buyers who have never had a can before that are buying up all the inventory. Told that by Silencer Shop and two local shops, both of them saying they have a few pistol cans but the rifle cans are few and far between right now. They're selling like hotcakes.

And I wonder how all of the sudden people have money to buy all of these things because I could never afford them until I was in my 40s and the kids started going out on their own.

None of it makes sense to me.

ETA: Whoa I just checked-out Rugged and they are made just down the road from me here in SC! I had no idea! Thanks again for the tip. Their Surge model looks like EXACTLY what I was looking for and it was never recommended or mentioned to me by any of the shops.

You bet. I believe Jay reviewed that can over on PEWscience, definitely give it a read before you buy one. Congrats on your Thunder Chicken! They’re stupid quiet, I think you’ll be pleased with it on subsonics.

I think you're going to love it.


I put 250 rounds through my 11.5" 5.56 with the Trash Panda attached for an afternoon "pistol" workshop I did with a friend and instructor. It performed extremely well, there was concern that the tight training space we were using wouldn't be suitable as they don't like ARs shooting there as much due to the noise. No complaints from the range, and I didn't let up. Being behind the gun with earpro on it sounded the same as the pistol being shot 15 feet away.

I've looked inside and it doesn't look like my can is any worse for wear. And if it's damaged from anything other than stupidity they'll fix it for you under warranty.

When I first ordered it I was a bit hesitant as well, but I asked Q about doing a 2-day class on a 10.5" 5.56 and they said "have fun". (I no longer own a 10.5" 5.56 setup, and as I mentioned earlier my 11.5" is now setup for my DA can, but I still have a 12.5 and 14.5 5.56 to host my Trash Panda)

Edit: Oh, and Sig barrels are tapered, it makes mounting the Cherry Bomb super simple since it'll hold without rocksett. I still need a good muzzle device wrench for other stuff, but the socket drive on the CB is is a great feature.