Good morning everyone and thanks for joining us for another installment of TFB’s Silencer Saturday. Last week we discussed suppressed rimfire shooting with the Rex Silentium SEG. Today we get a look at the new Gemtech Lunar 9 pistol caliber suppressor in front of a Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 Compact Suppressor Ready pistol. The pairing is intentional: if you didn’t know, Gemtech was bought by S&W a few years ago, sparking conversations that the company and its world-renowned products would never be the same. Is Gemtech’s first release since the acquisition worthy of your money and NFA wait time? Let’s take a look.

SILENCER SATURDAY #119: Gemtech Lunar 9 And M&P 9 Suppressor Ready

Background:

I’ll be honest, I had my reservations when S&W purchased Gemtech. Most of the reasoning was not specific to either company but more attributable to the fact that mergers and and acquisitions are all about money and not about product lines or retaining talented employees. From an outsider’s perspective, S&W did not have any experience in suppressor design or manufacturing. To top it off, Gemtech’s headquarters was thousands of miles away from Springfield, Massachusetts and their primary manufacturing contractor, GSL Technology, was in a different state all together. So how was this going to work?

Introduction:

The Gemtech Lunar 9 is a refreshed version of the Lunar 45 silencer released several years ago. Besides obviously being made for a better caliber, the Lunar 9 has a slightly larger outer diameter, different sized modular sections and a stainless steel blast baffle versus a titanium blast baffle found inside the Lunar 45.

Some of you will protest the aluminum baffles and tube, proclaiming that cleaning processes can be more challenging over steel and titanium. I maintain that unless you are shooting lead reloads, cleaning an aluminum pistol silencer is less of a concern than an aluminum rimfire silencer.

The Gemtech Lunar 9 ships with a universal 1/2 x28 LID piston assembly that will work with 90% of 9mm threaded pistol barrels in the United States. For those of you with metric threaded barrels or who require a direct thread or three lug mount, the Lunar 9 is compatible with all the GM-9 mounting options.

The baffles click together to shield debris from the outer tube and to maintain alignment. The baffles don’t lock into the tube sections, meaning you may see some point of impact shift after reassembly (I didn’t notice any significant change).

One of the most impressive features is the Lunar 9’s weight class. Checking in at seven ounces in short form and ten ounces in long form, this can is heavenly on the end of a pistol. The short setup is a perfect pistol suppressor size .

Gemtech Lunar 9

https://www.gemtech.com/lunar9.html

Here’s the Lunar 9 in the full size configuration on the Suppressor Ready S&W M&P Compact. The suppressor height sights clear the larger diameter tube without issue.

The Lunar 9 in the full size configuration.

The forward section of the Lunar 9 holds four click together aluminum baffles.

The main section of the Lunar 9 holds three baffles, one of which is the blast baffle that is made from stainless steel.

The Gemtech Lunar 9: Our quietest and most versatile 9mm suppressor yet. A pistol suppressor should deliver excellent sound reduction and function flawlessly on a wide variety of firearms. The Lunar 9 suppressor meets all of these needs – and then some.Featuring our latest baffle design, the Gemtech Lunar 9 suppressor delivers the internal volume and turbulence needed for serious sound suppression with both 9mm and 300BLK subsonic cartridges. The Lunar 9’s internal design ensures optimal baffle alignment for easy disassembly and cleaning.The modular Lunar 9 suppressor offers two shooting configurations, the ultra-quiet full-length 7” configuration, and the ultra-compact 4.7” configuration. Crafted from Type III hard-coat anodized 7075 Aluminum and a 17-4 Stainless Steel blast baffle, the Gemtech Lunar 9 suppressor is lightweight, full-auto rated for 9mm, and capable of handling as many rounds as you are.

Compatible with the extensive line of Gemtech GM-9 suppressor mounting hardware, the Lunar 9 suppressor can be used on the vast majority of popular 9mm handguns, pistol caliber carbines, SMG’s, and 300BLK host firearms. If you’re in the market for a 9mm suppressor with exceptional sound reduction and versatility, look no further than the Gemtech Lunar 9.

• Caliber 9MM, 300BLK
• Sound Tested: 129dBC LONG / 135dBC SHORT Glock® 17 Gen 4 | 136 dBC LONG BCM® Standard 9 300BLK
• Diameter: 1.4″
• Overall Length: 7″ Long configuration / 4.7″ Short configuration
• Weight: 10 oz. long / 7 oz. short
• Mount Type: Ships with 1/2 x 28 LID assembly. Compatible with all GM®-9 mounting options
• Tube Material: 7075 Aluminum
• Full Auto Rated: Yes
• Tube Finish: Matte BLK Type III Hard Coat Anodize
• MSRP: $616 – ($599 – Silencer Shop)

Host and Ammunition:

M&P 9 M2.0 COMPACT THREADED BARREL 15 ROUND

https://www.smith-wesson.com/firearms/mp-9-m20-compact-threaded-barrel-15-round

The latest addition to the M&P9 M2.0 Compact pistol offering features a 4.625” threaded barrel and suppressor height white dot sights. With two versions available, (13111) with a standard 15RD 9MM magazine and (13112) with a low-cap 10RD 9MM magazine, the M&P9 M2.0 Compact pistol with Threaded Barrel includes the full array of M&P M2.0 enhancements. The M&P9 M2.0 Compact with Threaded Barrel pistol ships with two magazines, including two magazine extender sleeves for use with M2.0 full-size magazines.

Features

• Low barrel bore axis makes the M&P pistol comfortable to shoot reducing muzzle rise and allowing for faster aim recovery.
• Optimal 18-degree grip angle for natural point of aim.
  Four interchangeable palmswell grip inserts for optimal hand fit and trigger reach – S, M, ML, L.
• Aggressive grip texture for enhanced control.
• M&P® M2.0™ crisp trigger with lighter trigger pull
• Tactile and audible trigger reset.
• Accurate 1 in 10” twist M&P M2.0 barrel.
• Extended rigid embedded stainless steel chassis to reduce flex and torque when firing.
• Armornite® durable corrosion resistant finish.
• MSRP: $569
  

Detroit Ammunition Subsonic 165gr Round Nose

https://detroitammoco.com/product/subsonic-9mm-165gr-rn/

• Manufacturer: Triple R Munition
• Condition: Factory Re-manufactured
  
• Bullet Weight: 165 Grain
  
• Bullet Type: Round Nose (RN)
  
• Ammo Casing: Brass or Nickel
  
• Ammo Caliber: 9mm (9x19mm)
  
• Primer Type Boxer
  
• Velocity: 880 ft/s
• $18.99/50

Gemtech Lunar 9 – Range Time

In it’s long configuration, the Lunar 9 is impressively quiet with the 165gr 9mm subsonic round nose ammunition. Recoil is tame and the sight picture is clear. I didn’t notice any noticeable difference in POI/POA from shooting the M&P compact unsuppressed. I’d rank the Lunar 9 at the top of the list when it comes to suppression levels in a full-size pistol silencer.

In it’s short configuration, the Lunar 9 is obviously a bit louder, but still “hearing safe”. I’d compare it to the SilencerCo Omega 9K in terms of suppression levels at less than half the weight. Adding a few squirts of DB suppressor foam brought the noise and tone down to impressive levels. Running the Lunar 9 wet lasted about 8-10 shots before requiring a recharge. Smokey discharge did increase with ablative use, but it is still worth using in short form.

Conclusions:

The Lunar 9 is a very capable pistol silencer that impressed me – something that is not easy to do anymore. Keep it long for maximum performance (that’s what she said) or run it short for a nice blend of portability and performance.

I’ll break out the MCX and some subsonic 300BLK ammo for additional testing before I have to send it back home to S&W.

Thanks for reading TFB. Stay safe and healthy and we’ll see you here next week for another edition of Silencer Saturday.

Today on TFBTV, James Reeves looks at Gemtech’s quietest 9mm suppressor ever, the Gemtech Lunar-9. How does it perform on the S&W M&P 2.0 and the Heckler & Koch SP-5 /MP5? Check today’s video to see (hear?) for yourself.

Read more at: : https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2020/02/18/lunar-9-silencer/

---

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

---

special Thanks: Mac Tactical

---