SILENCER SATURDAY #158: Stealth Project Recon - Fight 1st Round PopThe Firearm Blog

Welcome back to another edition of Silencer Saturday as we have safely navigated the abominable year that is 2020, and peaked into the doorway of what shall be 2021! Hopefully, you had a rapturous New Year’s Eve filled with family, friends, and good times. I am not one to make New Year’s resolutions because I am self-aware enough to know that I will never give up cheeseburgers or pizza, but I think we can all commonly resolve to own more silencers in 2021. The last silencer I purchased was a Stealth Project Recon .30 Cal silencer merely a couple weeks ago and we will explore that model further today. As always, we want to note that Silencer Saturday is sponsored by Yankee Hill Machine and we thank them for supporting this editorial series and continue to bring you fresh silencer content every Saturday.

stealth project Recon .30 cal silencer – nitty gritty details

As you might have noticed by now, I am not your normal beloved host of Silencer Saturday and Editor in Chief – Pete. I am his C-List replacement who fills in when Pete is on a secret suppressor assignment or he is soundly asleep from a Die Hard movie marathon while spooning his MP5 (#LifeGoals). In any event, my addiction for silencers like Pete has been steamrolling ahead pretty strong in the last few years and I get giddy with every opportunity I have to test a new one. Over at our sister-website of AllOutdoor, I did a complete review of the Stealth Project Recon and authentically enjoyed it so much that I bought it.

As you likely have learned over the 2+ years of Pete doing Silencer Saturday is that many suppressors look alike so it genuinely boils down to the little details that set them apart. With the Stealth Project Recon .30 Cal silencer, it most definitely falls into that category. It is an unassuming can that looks like many others, but with a unique helical baffle system and one trait so perplexingly rad that it prompted me to purchase it. All of the specifications for the Stealth Project Recon .30 Cal silencer can be read below:

Manufactured: USA
Caliber: 7.62MM/.308 cal
Weight: 12 oz
Overall Length: 7.5”
Diameter: 1.75”
Sound dB: 133-136 dB
Mount: Direct Thread 5/8-24
Outer Tube: 6061 Aluminum
Core: 7075 Aluminum
Finish: Black Hardcoat Anodize
Min. Barrel Length: 16″ Std./22″ Magnum

Patented Helical Technology
Zero Muzzle Flash
Serviceable
Multi-caliber
40-55% recoil reduction
No Baffle Strikes

The MSRP for the Stealth Project Recon .30 Cal silencer is benchmarked at $629 putting it in very affordable territory relative to many other centerfire silencers that push or exceed $1,000. As one might predict, it comes standard with 5/8″ x 24 TPI (Thread per Inch) to accommodate nearly any .30 caliber cartridge or smaller.

stealth project Recon .30 cal silencer – eliminating 1st round pop straight out-of-the-box?

I mentioned earlier that there was one perplexingly rad attribute about the Stealth Project Recon that made me whip open my wallet. That characteristic was one of the quietest “first round pops” that I have ever heard (or lack thereof) without the use of performance enhancing drugs like dB Foam or similar products. If you are unfamiliar with Db Foam and what that product is all about, Pete covered both its initial product announcement back in 2017 as well as a full review below:

So, before I get ahead of myself, what is 1st round pop?… For those who are unfamiliar, the first time you shoot a silencer on any given range or hunting trip you are filling the silencer and all of its baffles with gas, carbon, and other debris for the first time (this is obvious, but worth stating). That first shot is normally louder than all the successive shots to follow. Once the tube is filled with gases the silencer truly begins to do its thing and suppress sound. With the Stealth Project Recon, it was the most quiet silencer I have ever tested when it came to the 1st shot pop!

With something like dB Foam, you are filling all of the voids and spaces of the baffle system prior to the first shot in hopes to knock down the noise of that inevitably louder 1st round pop. The issue with something like dB Foam is that it is dependent on how well you fill the nooks, crannies, and crevices of the baffle system. Also, it can be a bit messy, but all ablative medias are so that is no knock specifically against dB Foam.

stealth project Recon .30 cal silencer – application

So, you have a silencer with stellar first round pop elimination, now what? Where does the tire meet the road? How can this benefit you in real-world applications? For myself, I am a big sportsman and hunter so it is tremendously useful when I am out hunting. If you are someone who chases coyotes in the winter or a big-game hunter, eliminating that 1st round pop can be invaluable. Often times while hunting in the hills and valleys of Minnesota I wished upon the gun Gods that my firearm was quieter so I would not scare every single living creature in the woods once I shot. Also, in the scenario of varmint coyote hunting, you can often have multiple coyotes come into a call or decoy. If your first shot is quieter they cannot easily discern your specific location and it affords you a better opportunity at a follow-up shot.

Another example of why it could be tremendously to anyone’s benefit to have a quieter first shot is home defense. In the horrific scenario of someone breaking into your home at night when you are half-groggy and awakened in your Batman underwear, you do not want to shoot at this malice-ridden intruder, potentially miss due to grogginess, and then have your senses further stifled by your own gun’s deafening sound. I pray that event never pans out to anyone reading this, but a more quiet first defensive shot could mean you better keep your wits about you and save your family and yourself.

stealth project Recon .30 cal silencer – final thoughts

So, like any direct thread silencer, the Stealth Project Recon is easy enough to install, disassemble for cleaning, and is very straight-forward. No Engineering degree required to play with it and it suppresses noise to hearing safe decibel levels for any .30 caliber cartridge or smaller. While I spoke at great length anecdotally as to how the Recon is impressively quiet on its 1st shot, it does great for all successive shots as well (which most silencers do). At an MSRP of $629, it is very affordable for most potential buyers considering we all still need to tithe the church of the ATF $200 additionally to buy one.

The Stealth Project Recon is not the lightest or smallest silencer on the market, but its competitive price-point and quiet 1st shot are intriguing enough for me to have bought one. Maybe you would like one too for the reasons I mentioned? Next week you will be back to your regularly scheduled programming of Pete bringing you silencer goodness, but thanks for sticking it out with me – his writing stunt double. As always, let us know all of your thoughts in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.