Nathan S. did a great review of the Salvo 12. However there were a couple shotguns he did not test it on. I got my hands on a Salvo 12 and put it on a variety of different shotguns with varying loads.

I went on a hunt for low velocity rounds. I found a box of Winchester AA 12ga that has a muzzle velocity of only 980 fps. I also got a box of Herter’s low recoil bird shot that is supposedly 1050 fps. Then I used regular federal loads you get from Walmart.

The KSG was surprising a lot louder than I had hoped for but size wise it cannot be beat. As you can see in the photo above, the KSG with 12″ Salvo12 is the same length as my Vang Comp 870 Tactical with 18″ barrel.

The weight balance was not terrible but it felt better using the 8″ rods to shorten the length. Using full power loads like buck shot and slugs it was a bit uncomfortable when firing with out hearing protection but our ears were not ringing. Compared to shooting a regular tactical Remington 870 the muzzle end of the suppressor is now physically further away from the shooter’s ear and sounds a bit quieter. Even the 980 fps Winchester AA were not quiet. Very noticeable report.

I tried using the SilencerCo KSG mount and it does a great job of mounting the Salvo12 to the KSG and keeps the position of the Salvo12 close to the muzzle of the KSG. However it limits the KSG. I found myself resorting to my Kel-Tec choke tube adapter and using the Mossberg pattern Salvo 12 mount. Then I just unscrew the whole thing and swap it onto my Mosberg 930 JMPro.

One problem I found was trying to use the Salvo 12 on my Vang Comp 870. Vang Comp’s work on the 870 barrel is amazing. It reduces recoil a lot even when shooting full power loads. However it sucks when it comes to suppressing it. I made the sacrifice to test fire the Vang Comp 870 with the Salvo 12 mounted but without hearing protection. Big mistake. My friend Brian recommended I cover up the ports with sheet metal. I tried it but the escaping gases and pressure launched the sheet metal up and through the gap of my barrel clamp. Perhaps if I had used hose clamps it would have worked?

The best shotgun to use suppressed was my Mossberg 930 JMPro. It has a 24″ barrel which makes the gun report sound quieter than the shorter 18″ barreled tactical shotguns.

Aside from the low velocity bird shot I also grabbed a box of rubber buck shot which are 700 fps. These were by far the quietest but they only worked in pump guns. These were pretty quiet even in the KSG.

Just to satisf my curiosity I tried some Aguila Mini Shells. They were quieter but not by much. The mini shells have a full powder charge.

My friend Brian allowed me to use his Vepr 12s to test the Salvo 12. The Salvo12 is supposed to reduce recoil. It did seem to help but nothing compared to Brian’s muzzle break.

Here is a video.

First up is my first range trip with the Salvo 12.

Then I had my friends help me test out the Salvo 12.

I played with the different rod lengths 6, 8, and 10 inch rods. I did not find the 10 inch to be very effective at reducing weight so I mostly tried the Salvo with the 8″ rods. At 6″ this would be ok for a long hunting shotgun where the extra length of barrel puts the Salvo 12 further from your ear and making it sound quieter. 8″ is decent hearing protection for tactical shotguns and 12″ is fun for range use but not really for extended periods of time swinging a shotgun around.

I can see this for a compact setup like the KSG and it is great as a hearing protection device. You will not get a silent shotgun. I thought a pump action would be quieter than a semi auto but i did not really notice much of a difference between the two with regards to noise suppression. I would definitely recommend this for hunting as hearing protection however there is the issue of other shooters around you who are not shooting suppressed. All the more reason for them to get a Salvo 12 as well.