SILENCER SATURDAY #27: FIGHT! MP5SD Versus APC9

Pete
by Pete

Good morning everyone and thank you for coming back to TFB’s Silencer Saturday. Today we dig into some additional decibel metering using the industry standard B&K 2209 on loan from Allen Engineering for a few months. First we’ll do a brief overview of the Surefire Ryder 9Ti – a pistol suppressor that suprised me a bit with its performance since it has an outside diameter of only 1.25 inches. Then we will pit two of my favorite pistol caliber carbines against each other: the MP5SD versus APC9.

Above: The good people at Taran Tactical Innovations donated some custom TFB basepads to be used as giveaways. Our contest winner from two weeks ago was Anthony C.! Stay tuned for more giveaways in the weeks ahead.

Admin Notes:

A quick reminder about my testing and observations: Although I am attempting to follow the correct procedures and protocols to achieve accurate and repeatable results, I would not consider my testing to be strictly scientific. There are many variables to consider when purchasing a new silencer and I consider reported decibel numbers to be low on the list of considerations. Take information from a variety of sources, read manufacturer’s materials and above all else, get some hands on experience from a dealer or a fellow owner before you shell out your cash on something that you will most likely own for the rest of your life.

I would also like to welcome Sig Sauer as a sponsor of TFB’s Silencer Saturday series. In the episodes to come we are going to have access to the knowledge and experience of John Hollister, Sig’s Suppressor Training Manager. John is very well respected in the industry and will be able to answer anything from basic ownership questions to advanced technical issues. We hope to bring you more Sig reviews, some behind the scenes looks at manufacturing processes and of course some hands-on range time.

However, I still maintain full control of the content that appears on Silencer Saturday, which means you’ll see reviews from any and all manufacturers interested in participating in testing, news (the good and the bad) from all sources as well as competing products from other manufacturers. If you have questions or concerns, shoot me an email and I will address them publicly or privately as you wish.

Surefire Ryder 9mm Ryder Ti – 9mm

From a practicality standpoint, pistol silencers can appear counterintuitive. Take a compact weapon system designed for portability and concealability and screw on a tube as long as Harry Potter’s wand (don’t shout out the wand’s name if you know it, I’ll have to ask you to leave). The resulting system is longer, heavier and certainly more clumsy than it’s louder kin. However, suppressed pistols are a fun and practical way to to shoot inexpensive subsonic bullets downrange. And they look positively badass in the movies.

As much as I joke around, I own several pistol silencers and shoot them as often as my other platforms.

Credit: The Harry Potter Wiki

The Surefire Ryder 9Ti is unique in that it utilizes a tube diameter of 1.25” which, up until the recent release of the Dead Air Odessa, was probably the skinniest 9mm pistol silencer on the market. More traditional pistol builds can push up to a 1.5” OD in the hopes of capitalizing on greater internal volume. However, if you are one of those suppressed shooters that demands an unobstructed sight picture*, be aware the Ryder 9Ti’s slimness still isn’t slight enough to utilize stock-height sights.

My one criticism here would be that the end cap assembly and booster assembly requires a slightly larger diameter from the tube ends. Why not just keep the same diameter throughout and take advantage of the extra internal volume?

*Maybe we should talk about suppressor height sights next week.

K

Surefire Ryder 9Ti Specifications:

  • Weight: 9.6oz
  • Length: 7.6”
  • Diameter: 1.25”
  • Caliber: 9mm
  • Caliber Rating: 9mm
  • Color: Black/Gray/FDE
  • Finish: Cerakote
  • Build Material: Stainless Steel; Titanium
  • Thread Pitch: 1/2×28
  • User Serviceable: Yes
  • Full-Auto Rated: Yes
  • Product Status: In stock @ Silencer Shop
  • MSRP: $799

The Ryder 9Ti is a well built and aesthetically pleasing suppressor. At 9.6oz it is light and fairly unobtrusive on the end of a compact pistol.

Decibel Metering:

  • Environmental:  92deg 45% humidity
  • Host: Glock 19 MOS
  • Ammunition: Winchester Ranger 147 JHP
  • 140+ (First Round Pop?)
  • 133
  • 133.1
  • 131.5
  • 133.5
  • 135.5
  • 133.5

At Ear

  • 132.9
  • 129.5
  • 130.8
  • 131.1
  • 131
  • 131.2
  • 134
Overall, I thought the Surefire Ryder 9Ti had a pleasing tone and exceeded my expectations for suppression. The “At Ear” numbers were quieter than I had expected, dropping by about 3 dB over the MIL STD numbers.
Next week we will take a look at the Ryder’s baffles and booster assembly before sending it back home to Silencer Shop.

SILENCER SATURDAY #27: FIGHT! MP5SD Versus APC9

Like a family reunion or bilateral talks between contentious countries, pitting two of your favorite guns against each other is a bit of a nerve racking experience. Having somewhat of a tuned ear for silencer performance, I had my predictions laid out, but didn’t want to be disappointed.

In many ways, the comparison isn’t fair: because the MP5SD utilizes a ported barrel, ammo selection is limited to supersonic varieties. Whereas the APC9 uses a more standard muzzle-mounted silencer that needs subsonic ammunition to achieve the quietest results. Lets take a look.

Decibel Metering:

  • Environmental: 92deg 45% humidity

  • Host: MP5SD ( TPM Outfitters)
  • Silencer: TPM Outfitters Full size P5SD
  • Ammunition: Speer 127gr JHP

MIL STD

  • 133.0
  • 131.9
  • 132.1
  • 133.9
  • 131.5

At Ear

  • 140+
  • 136.1
  • 139.8
  • 136.9
  • 134.8
  • 139.9

MIL STD

  • 127.9
  • 130+
  • 128.1
  • 130+
  • 130+
  • 129.1
  • 131.4t

At Ear

  • 137.9
  • 136.3
  • 137.4
  • 139.5 (supersonic crack)
  • 135.9
  • 136
  • 138.2
  • 138

I think these unweighted numbers are worthy of discussion and further investigation. I’m going to try a variety of different types of ammo and report back with some more comprehensive results.

Thanks for reading everyone. Have fun. Be safe.


TFB reader Chase W. sent in pics of his new Dead Air Odessa on a H&K VP9SK. Sweet.



Kiteguy55– M11/9 Operational Briefcase Testing with Octane 9

DemolitionRanch – The Cheapest Suppressor

This week’s Silencer Saturday is sponsored by Sig Sauer


Pete
Pete

Silencers - Science Pete@thefirearmblog.com

More by Pete

Comments
Join the conversation
4 of 35 comments
  • Cymond Cymond on Jul 09, 2018

    My wife is a huge Potter-head, and I don't think he ever *named* his wand, although he did possess the Elder Wand very briefly.

    Also, "get some hands on experience from a dealer or a fellow owner before you shell out your cash"
    HAHAHAHA
    Yeah, because gun shops let you shoot whatever you want out of the case, and suppressors are so common that you can easily find someone with the exact model your interested in.

    • See 1 previous
    • Cymond Cymond on Jul 09, 2018

      @Russ Kell One of the local ranges has 2 suppressors for rent, but only 2. You can rent a Sparrow, but you're out of luck in your interested in any other rimfire can.
      I rented a MP-5SD at Palmetto State Armory, but there wasn't any option for comparison, and the SD is rather uncommon suppressor.
      And I did attend a SilencerCo demo a year ago after the Maxim 9 was released, which was really cool, but it was still just their own products without any option for comparison.

      And in all 3 cases, they were on active ranges filled with unsuppressed gunfire, so it was really difficult to get a good idea how they sounded while wearing earmuffs.

  • Russ Kell Russ Kell on Jul 09, 2018

    Aw. Now I want a 300BLK AK.

    /looks at 'fun fund'

    Maybe not, that free can rebate from SiCo this last month has really cleared my fun fund out

    On the other hand, I think I have enough cans in jail at the moment to form their own prison gang :)

Next