Greetings everyone and thanks for joining us here for TFB’s Silencer Saturday, where every gun deserves a quality serialized tube. Last week we looked at some rimfire silencers because, besides being cheap, clean fun, 22LR host and silencer combinations can be stupid quiet with the right ammo. So as the weather takes a turn for the wicked today, I thought we could stay inside and have an open discussion on the top five best rounds to suppress.

Using absolute terms like ‘best’ will almost always lead to trouble: my best gun/suppressor/ammo combination may get a resounding meh from those with different requirements. For today’s exercise, let’s take broad ‘is this enjoyable?’ approach at the best rounds to suppress.

As always, I expect you to illuminate me on which rounds should have made today’s list. Hint: 45ACP fanboys you may want to fire up your typewriters, jump in your Studebakers and head down to the country store to mail me your letter.

SILENCER SATURDAY #43: Top 5 Best Rounds To Suppress

Besides the all-around entertainment value, my criteria today includes subsonic versions of ammunition, overall availability, cost and commonality between a variety of hosts. Let’s take a look at the list.

1. 22LR

An obvious choice in my opinion, this rimfire cartridge is universally accepted as being excellent for suppression. Host firearms are relatively inexpensive in comparison to their centerfire counterparts, ammunition is once again cheap and packing 1,000 rounds for a range trip doesn’t require a kettlebell workout regimen.

In most pistols with four inch (or less) barrels, standard velocity rounds are subsonic. On the other hand, rifle hosts will need ammunition marked as subsonic or with velocities at or below 1,040fps depending on your location and environment.

As quiet as 22LR can be, it’s not really a good choice for self defense or hunting outside of small game.

2. 300BLK

Another obvious choice, 300AAC Blackout is a fantastic round to suppress. Finally having a wide selection of quality subsonic ammunition, this round is almost a drop-replacement for 5.56mm in AR15 platforms. Besides a barrel change, a 300BLK AR15 won’t require much in the way of alteration.

Barrels as short as 5.5” (Sig Sauer Rattler) make for great hosts, while an average barrel length of 7”-11” will allow for a burn of all the powder inside the barrel. The result is a small package that shoots up to 220gr bullets at subsonic speeds with excellent ballistic coefficients. While not as quiet, plenty of supersonic versions of 300BLK exist to give shooters the option of longer ranges.

Honestly, I wish I had adopted 300BLK years ago,

3. 9mm

Go ahead and flame me, but 9mm is the best handgun caliber on the planet. Modern ammunition development has pushed terminal ballistics to be better than ever before. This includes the availability of subsonic ammo. Usually available in 147gr varieties, subsonic 9mm can be near rimfire quiet with the right pistol choice. Prices are currently decent making a basic range trip affordable. And of course, reloading options are fairly cheap as well.

And let’s not forget the pistol caliber carbine market. Marked for death with the proliferation of 300BLK and other options, the availability of 9mm carbine platforms have exploded in the last few years. Capable and fun, a PDW with subsonic 9mm is a quiet package.

4. .38Spc/.357Mag

Many of you are probably looking at me like I’ve lost my mind. Kick revolvers out of your head and think of levergun or bolt action hosts. Unless you are dead inside, a 38Spc subsonic round in closed manual action with a quality suppressor will always leave a smile on your face. Ammunition availability and cost is about as good as it gets for centerfire options. Straight walled cartridges means that reloading is also fairly straightforward.

Bumping up to the .357Mag cartridge means being able to shoot heavy 200gr+ hard cast bullets very quietly.

5. .223/5.56

This cartridge makes the top five list mostly because of abundance; everyone has an AR15 and many of those have short barrels. If you didn’t already know, shooting 5.56/.223 out of a short barrel is loud. It’s loud for the shooters, bystanders, neighbors and citizens in the next town over. As such, the goal of suppressing .223Rem is not for overall sound performance – shooting the supersonic rounds will never be quiet. But, running a silencer on your AR15 may save you from having to double up on ear protection, make your friends less likely to throw that muzzle brake in the trash while you aren’t looking and the neighbors may just think you are shooting supersonic 22LR.

Conclusions:

Look, I believe that almost every firearm should be suppressed. It saves us and our friends and family from hearing damage, decreases noise pollution and makes our sport much more enjoyable. But for the best, most satisfying results, consider the above list when making purchases.

Have a great week. Be safe. See you next Saturday.

TFB’s Silencer Saturday is brought to you by Sig Sauer

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Published on Oct 25, 2018

THE GAUNTLET: CHIMERA 300

We decided to push our most reliable silencer to the limit — and this time we wanted to take our test methods to the next level. What better way to test durability than to let a few of our favorite people put the Chimera through a gauntlet of challenges doing what they do best? Watch our latest film The Gauntlet: Chimera 300.

Watch Omar Avila (@crispy11b), Courtney Smith (@sportswomancourtney), Matt Carriker (@drdemolitionmatt), Dave Kiley (@the_diesel_dave), and Rob Terkla (@lunkerstv) put the Chimera 300 to the test.

No barrel restrictions, full-auto rated, multi-caliber, and perfectly suited for a variety of hosts; the Chimera 300 is arguably the most durable and versatile high volume silencer you can find. Chimera 300 is compatible with 22 Hornet ammo up to 300 WM and offers an impressive 125.8 dB on 300 BLK.

Have a favorite mounting system? Chimera matches seamlessly with a variety of mounts market-wide as well as our SilencerCo ASR mounts, muzzle devices, and front caps.

*Disclaimer: One Chimera was used for this entire test. The Chimera used maintained all original readings after the full range of abuse; however, don’t try any of this at home. All stunts were performed by professionals on a closed course.

Published on Oct 26, 2018

Table Top: Q Erector

Weighing a mere 2.6 ounces in its complete setup, the Erector provides a highly-maneuverable model for rimfire enthusiasts. When fully assembled, it measures 7.6” long… And this is where the fun starts! Being a truly modular can, the Erector is able to be downsized to a single baffle. Talk about versatility. Comprised of one stainless steel baffle and nine aluminum baffles, this Q masterpiece sets itself apart from the competition. Find your perfect balance of size and sound performance in the user-serviceable Erector.

Weight: 2.6 ounces (long configuration)
Length: 7.6” (long configuration)
Build materials: stainless steel; aluminum
Easy to disassemble/clean
From 10 baffles down to one!

Published on Oct 24, 2018

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