Good afternoon everyone and welcome to the 99th edition of TFB’s Silencer Saturday brought to you by Yankee Hill Machine – home of the new YHM Resonator R2 and YHM Turbo T2 suppressors. Last week we reviewed the SureFire SOCOM300-TI, a very capable 7.62 suppressor that is also light in the weight department. Today we are going to take a look at a silencer that has been on the market for a few years – the Dead Air Wolverine PBS-1. The Wolverine is specifically designed to suppress Kalashnikov patterned rifles (aka Commie Guns) mostly due to its variety of mounting solutions as well as it’s bore allowances to compensate for our of spec threading and bore lines.

We’ve taken a look at the Wolverine and suppressing AK47 style rifles here at TFB, but I wanted to do a deep dive into its setup, features and maintenance. And not to spoil the surprise, but we have a new AK-style host on the way that I’ll be pairing with a KNS Adjustable Gas Piston. So I’m doing some of my own research in preparation for an upcoming episode. Our own Austin Rex also has a new review coming down the line. References:

• Austin reviews the KNS Gas Piston with the Wolverine: TFB REVIEW: Dead Air Wolverine With The KNS Adjustable Gas Piston – https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2019/02/06/kns-adjustable-gas-piston/ 
• Suppressing AK’s – SILENCER SATURDAY #68: Suppressing Kalashnikov Patterned Rifles: https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2019/04/13/suppressing-kalashnikov-rifles/
• The More You Know: Thread Pattern Basics –https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2016/06/23/the-more-you-know-thread-pattern-basics/

SILENCER SATURDAY #99: Dead Air Wolverine PBS-1 For Commie Guns

As any responsible gun guide should do, I strongly suggest that new owners spend the time to actually read their owners manuals. This is especially true for the Wolverine PBS-1. Dead Air’s AK suppressor isn’t overly complicated, but the mounting system is slightly more involved than more traditional suppressors. So grab a plate of black bread, a hearty bowl of borscht and read your manual.

• Read The Manual here: https://deadairsilencers.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Wolverine-manual-Low-Res.pdf

Dead Air Wolverine – Specifications

Product Page: https://deadairsilencers.com/products/wolverine-pbs-1/

• Rating: Multi – Up to 7.62x54R
• Length: 7.4″ (with thread adapter)
• Weight: 19.8 oz – 24.4 oz depending on mount
• Diameter: 1.5″ tube, 1.93″ outside diameter
• Finish: Cerakote body with nitrided parts
• Min. Barrel Length: No Restrictions
• MSRP: $1099
• $799 (Est) – Silencer Shop

Dead Air Wolverine Mounting Options:

• Ships with a 14L thread insert.
• 13mm RH Galil
• 14mm RH VZ-58
• 14x1mm LH AKM
• 15mm RH HK
• 16mm RPD
• 24mm RH
• 26mm LH
• PAP92
• 5/8×24
• 1/2×28

Dead Air Wolverine – Setup And Assembly

Lets take a look at the different parts of the Wolverine and the steps that should be taken to mount it on a rifle and swap mounts. Information shared below is from the Dead Air Silencer’ Wolverine owner’s manual.

• COLLAR: The Collar extends to engage the locking pins often found in the front sight posts of Kalashnikov weapons. It can be moved to one of three positions as its internal lugs travel over a cam surface machined into the exterior of the suppressor body. Dimples are machined into the outer diameter of the Collar to help you know where the lugs are.SPRING: Provides force to keep the Collar in place on the suppressor.
• THREAD ADAPTER: Removable adapter for flexibility of fitment to most all host weapons. Your Wolverine ships with a metric 14mm left hand adapter that has been pre-torqued into the suppressor body.
• SUPPRESSOR BODY: Made of high strength/high durability Stellite and stainless steels, the suppressor body is a complete welded structure with a removable front cap.
• LOCK RING: Locks down on the Collar to keep it in place as it engages the front sight post pin.

Removing the collar:

Internal lugs of the Collar must align with the gaps machined into the suppressor body.

1. Spin the Lock Ring forward until threads on the suppressor body are visible behind it.
   
2. Push the Collar forward to compress the Spring and twist until the machined dimple lines up with the matching dimple on the suppressor body near the threads. You may feel the lugs travel against the cam profile on the suppressor body. If you are not able to turn it, increase pressure on the spring.
   
3. Reverse the process to place the Collar back on the suppressor. Ensure the Spring is fully inserted into the groove on the Thread Adapter. A slight twist may be needed to get it to click into its groove. A light amount of lube is helpful on the cam surface, threads, and lugs to keep the parts moving smoothly once assembled.

Collar positions:

There are three positions where the Collar can rest. The positions are reached by aligning the internal lugs inside the Collar to sit on specific cam surfaces on the suppressor body. The Collar will need to be compressed and then rotated into position as outlined below:

Note: A dimple is machined into the knurled surface of the Collar to help you know where the lugs are underneath. A dimple is also machined into the suppressor body just in front of the removal gap in the cam profile.

The three collar positions are displayed below (locking ring removed).

• POSITION 1: Collar is extended for locking onto front sight post pin to keep the suppressor from vibrating loose while firing.
  
• POSITION 2: Collar is in a neutral position for threading onto or off of the weapon.
  
• POSITION 3: Collar is retracted all the way forward so that a wrench can be used to tighten suppressor onto barrel. This is the point of maximum spring load, so some force is required to bring it to this position.
• Note: The collar can be locked in each position by tightening the Lock Ring firmly against it. Remember to ensure that the Lock Ring is unscrewed to the point that the threads under- neath it are just visible to get full travel of the Collar.

Swapping mounts:

Thread insert partially installed:

Wrench included with the Wolverine:

1. Remove Collar and Spring as described in section 1.
   
2. Tighten a Wolverine specific collet wrench into a vice so that it is sitting horizontally with the opening away from you.
   
3. Insert the suppressor into the wrench so that the collet hook engages the large, flat, cam face. It may be a tight fit, so the suppressor may need to be rotated into the collet hook.
   
4. Use a torque wrench with appropriate socket to loosen the old Adapter and set aside.
   
5. Lube the threads of the new Adapter with anti-seize or moly lube and thread into place until it bottoms out inside the suppressor.
   
6. Flip the collet wrench over and re-tighten in vice so that it is open and facing you.
   
7. Insert suppressor so that the large cam face engages the collet hook.
   
8. Tighten the new Adapter into place with the proper socket and torque wrench. Torque should be 40-50 ft-lbs.
   
9. Repeat the removal and installation steps above on the new Adapter to ensure an accu- rate torque has been obtained.
   
10. Replace the Spring and place the new matching Collar as described.

Front Cap:

The Wolverine’s front cap is compatible with the Nomad/Sandman series of accessories from Dead Air. A Flash hider and E-brake are available and are swapped with a round, pinned tool.

Shooting The Wolverine – 5.56mm AK47

As to be expected, any sub 10” short barreled rifle is going to be loud, no matter how well the suppressor is designed. But the difference can really be seen when comparing an unsuppressed krinkov against one outfitted with a Wolverine.

Here’s a short video showing the relative suppression between suppressed, suppressed with E-Brake, and unsuppressed 5.56x45mm. As I come across new AK hosts, I’ll report back with my observations.

Host Information:

• Arsenal SLR-106UR (modified) – Short Barreled Rifle
• Barrel Length: 8.5”

Ammunition Information:

• 5.56×45 M855 Winchester white box

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Conclusions – Wolverine PBS-1 Silencer

This Dead Air offering is one of the most specialized silencers available on the market today. With a wide variety of thread adapters for all sorts of commie guns (and some capitalist pig firearms), it is built like a tank and has interchangeable end caps. It also tames the short barreled 5.56 in a respectable fashion.

At a street price of around $800 +/- and depending upon your dealer and transfer fees, the Wolverine is a solid value. By design, the overbore means you sacrifice a bit of suppression for peace of mind on imports and parts kit builds with original barrels. And the weight of a 20+ ounce suppressor on a 16” barrel may get tiring during extended range sessions.

But if you own an AK47 style rifle and enjoy suppressors, there’s no question you need to pickup a Dead Air Wolverine.

Thanks for reading. See you next Saturday.

 

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Silencer Saturday is Sponsored by Yankee Hill Machine:

Buy YHM silencers and accessories at:

Silencer Shop – Hansohn BrOthers – dead eye gun supply –

Mac tactical

All YHM Products At Brownells

DEALERS: If you want your link to buy YHM suppressors included in future Silencer Saturday posts, email: silencers@thefirearmblog.com

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special Thanks: Mac Tactical