At SHOT Show 2020, Griffin Armament gave us a heads up that they had a new suppressor in the works: the GP-NATO (or GP-N for short). While most of the industry’s popular cans tend to use various aftermarket mounting systems, this new 6.5″ dedicated 5.56 model would wear the NATO designation because it was designed to attach to the common A2 “birdcage” flash hider, the typical muzzle device for most NATO nations’ standard-issue M4s and similar firearms. Griffin drew inspiration and some lessons learned from Gemtech’s prior A2-compatible design, the Halo silencer. Now the GP-N is finally here and should be shipping soon. The text from Griffin‘s release announcement reads as follows.

The GP-N mounts to the common A2 flash hider by virtue of a locking collar, similar to Gemtech’s Halo, but with some modern improvements.

Introducing the GP-N

(A2, Nato Attachable 5.56mm suppressor)

The GP-NATO™ suppressor is a robust, dedicated 5.56mm suppressor which provides secure fitment to common A2 compensator. The A2 compensator is a familiar muzzle device to nearly all AR15 rifle owners. This simple, inexpensive, yet effective compensator has served the military for decades. The Griffin GP-NATO™ was designed to bring modern suppressor technology to the A2 mountable class of silencers which started in the late 90’s with the Gemtech® Halo.

Fullybillet machined from 17-4 stainless steel, the GP-NATO™ offers users with an extremely durable welded general-purpose suppressor.  Full H900 heat treatment further increases strength and service life to the product. The mounting collar is QPQ nitrided and the suppressor is spray coated in Cerakote® to provide a smooth, heat resistant, and desirable finish.

Cutting edge materials and composition aren’t the only upgrades to this suppressor.  Griffin’s ECO-FLO™ baffles provide substantial blow-back reduction on semi-automatic systems while balancing sound pressure levels at the shooters’ ear and the muzzle to optimize sound performance.

Attachment to the host firearm is simple, quick, and secure. Included wrenches and interfacing geometry ensure rock solid mounting security that you can trust. The GP-NATO’s premium material composition, ECO-FLO™ baffles, and 16oz mass ensures that full auto fire is well within its performance limitations.

The Griffin GP-NATO is a modern A2 flash hider compatible suppressor, inspired by a legend, and built on years of dedicated research and development.

“There are hundreds of thousands of firearms globally that use the A2 compensator. This is a highly fielded, low-cost muzzle device that has served free world military units for decades. This silencer brings modern materials, construction, performance, and durability to this simple, robust attachment system. The objective of this product was to offer a modern suppressor that could provide a direct fitment to those firearms.”

-Austin Green, Owner & Lead Engineer

The GP-N is intended to be just as tough as the duty guns it’s meant to go on, so its full-auto rating and 17-4 stainless steel construction should provide good durability.

Griffin has provided some great products and enjoyed a good deal of success in the suppressor world with prior models, and it certainly makes some sense to provide an option for the widely-used A2 muzzle device. We look forward to seeing how the GP-N turns out measuring up in terms of performance. Hopefully the intended improvements over the Gemtech Halo, like alleviating lockup and providing removal functionality with a standard castle nut wrench, will bear fruit. As you get your hands on the new GP-N out there, please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below. See you at the range!

Photos courtesy of Griffin Armament.