SILENCER SATURDAY #176: The Q Honey Badger And Thunder Chicken

    SILENCER SATURDAY #176: The Q Honey Badger And Thunder Chicken

    SILENCER SATURDAY #176: The Q Honey Badger And Thunder Chicken

    Good morning everyone and welcome back to another edition of TFB’s Silencer Saturday brought to you by Yankee Hill Machine, manufacturers of the YHM Resonator and Resonator K line of rifle suppressors. Last week we got some time behind the Gemtech Integra .22LR suppressed upper, a super-quiet, integrally suppressed option for plinking and training. This week we check in with a couple of old friends – the Q Honey Badger 300BLK PDW and Thunder Chicken suppressor. This is a light, very quiet combination that will make even the most surly of shooters smile. Does it hold up after a few years of industry advancements? Let’s take a look.

    Q @ TFB:

    Make no mistake, when we are talking about 300BLK PDW replacements for pistol caliber carbines and submachine guns, the Honey Badger is as OG as it gets. The Q version is a direct descendant of the original AAC design that was meant to unseat the H&K MP5SD as the military’s special forces covert assault gun. After many years and a few employment changes, the Q team finally brought the Honey Badger to the public in 2017.

    The Honey Badger SD system is a short barrel rifle with a direct thread suppressor tucked under a hand guard is the truest form of the original design, but the more popular variant is the Honey Badger Pistol that, without a silencer, is a very compact personal defense weapon that can be easily carried in a pack or bag. I won’t go into all the pistol stabilizing brace drama over the years, but I’ve taken the extra time and expense to register it as an SBR using the Form 1 “Maker” process, mostly to have the option to use a vertical foregrip.

    SILENCER SATURDAY #176: The Q Honey Badger And Thunder Chicken

    My love for the SIG MCX platform is well documented, but I have a lot of love to throw around. The iconic Q shorty has attributes that can’t be found anywhere else. I’ve grabbed this pistol on more occasions than I can count and one of the only reasons I don’t talk about it more often is availability concerns. But now that nothing is available, I can talk up the Honey Badger and hope I won’t get as much hate mail or vitriolic Instagram comments from hungry customers.

    Honey Badger Pros:

    • Ultra-light
    • Brace or stock integration
    • Super slim hand guard system
    • Dead sexy
    SILENCER SATURDAY #176: The Q Honey Badger And Thunder Chicken

    SILENCER SATURDAY #176: The Q Honey Badger And Thunder Chicken

    Honey Badger Pistol – https://www.liveqordie.com/products/honey-badger-pistol/

    • CLEAR HARD COAT ANODIZED 7075 ALUMINUM RECEIVERS
    • FREE FLOATING MLOK HANDGUARD
    • 70° SAFETY SELECTOR
    • 2-POSITION TELESCOPING BRACE
    • ADJUSTABLE, LOW-PROFILE GAS BLOCK
    • MUZZLE:  5/8-24 Threads, Tapered Muzzle, Cherry Bomb Muzzle Brake
    • TRIGGER:  2-Stage Match
    • AR CONTROLS

    7″ 300 BLK Pistol

    • WEIGHT:  4 lbs 8 oz
    • LENGTH:  20 IN – 25 IN
    • BARREL: 7 IN, 1:5 TWIST
    • HANDGUARD:  6 INCH MLOK
    • Tentative Lead Time: 15 Months
    • MSRP: $2,999.00

    As fun and as useful as the Q Honey Badger pistol is, there are a few points that may push some buyers to PDW’s from other manufacturers. If you have read my drivel over the years, you already know that I don’t feed on clickbait gun postings (1911’s still suck). I truly believe that there is no single perfect, handgun/rifle/shotgun for everyone. Every characteristic will rank differently to different shooters. The Honey Badger is no different.

    Honey Badger Cons:

    • Availability/Price
    • Proprietary stock/brace system
    • “I want a black rifle” – Literally and figuratively.

    Yes, the Honey Badger has AR-15 attributes, but it it’s enough of a departure from traditional designs that some shooters may prefer a simpler form and functions. My original analysis still stands: If you have the means, I highly suggest you pick one up.

    SILENCER SATURDAY #176: The Q Honey Badger And Thunder Chicken

    SILENCER SATURDAY #176: The Q Honey Badger And Thunder Chicken

    But this is Silencer Saturday, so where’s the silencer? Fine. The Thunder Chicken is Q’s full-size 7.62mm suppressor that uses the Cherry Bomb mount attachment. Yes, it’s very quiet with subsonic ammunition. “Backyard” quiet is a term I’ve used in the past. The shorter Trash Panda is the preferred pairing with this slight PDW, but since I am a decibel junky, the Thunder Chicken is the obvious choice.

    Thunder Chicken Suppressor – https://www.liveqordie.com/products/thunder-chicken-by-q/

    • CALIBER: 7.62 NATO / 300 BLK / 300 WM
    • SILENCER WEIGHT:  14.7 oz
    • MUZZLE BRAKE WEIGHT:  2 oz
    • DIAMETER:  1.75″
    • OVERALL LENGTH:  8.13″
    • ATTACHMENT: Quickie Fast-Attach
    • MATERIAL(S):  100% Titanium
    • FINISH:  PVD
    • MINIMUM BARREL LENGTH: None
    • MSRP: $1,150.00
    • Buy At Silencer Shop: $1,100 (Approximate based on local dealer pricing)

    I’ve shot the Honey Badger with a half dozen other suppressors that were either direct-thread or outfitted with the Q Plan B mounting system. The Thunder Chicken still holds it’s own after a few years of development. Whether or not it is still the quietest 7.62mm option available is a debate for another Saturday.

    My hope for the future is a series of Q silencers that have modular setups that can accept other manufacturers flash hiders and brakes. These designs are worth future-proofing.

    SILENCER SATURDAY #176: The Q Honey Badger And Thunder Chicken

    SILENCER SATURDAY #176: The Q Honey Badger And Thunder Chicken

    The Honey Badger and Thunder Chicken combination is a fun, quiet and ultra-compact system that can be used for everything from hunting to personal protection. There’s a reason that this setup was developed and it certainly checks off all my boxes. Only you can really decide if it fits your needs as well.

    SILENCER SATURDAY #176: The Q Honey Badger And Thunder Chicken

    SILENCER SATURDAY #176: The Q Honey Badger And Thunder Chicken

    Thanks for reading. Be safe, have fun and we’ll see you here next weekend for another Silencer Saturday.

    TFB TV

    The Honey Badger is probably one of the most iconic firearms of the day. So much so that it has even infiltrated video games and can be found in Call of Duty. But what is it? It is the original 300 Blackout PDW. Though in fairness, it was designed originally Not For a purely defensive role… The Honey Badger was designed in conjunction with 300 Blackout to fill the role that the aging MP5SD filled for certain special units within the U.S. Military. Fast forward a number of years and we have commercially available 300 Blackout as well as the new and improved Honey Badger by Q LLC.

    PLEASE check out our Patreon and Subscribe Star pages if you enjoy our program, and consider helping us at TFBTV out! We give away hundreds of dollars of gear a month to our supporters!

    TFB TV

    In this episode of TFBTV, Pete makes his video debut with a visit to New Hampshire based firearm, silencer and accessory maker Q, LLC to build the iconic Honey Badger PDW. Outfitted with a seven inch barrel that is chambered in 300 Blackout and a pistol stabilizing brace designed in conjunction with SB Tactical, the Honey Badger is a compact short range weapon that is versatile enough to function in different many environments. Watch as a Q Honey Badger Pistol is built from scratch. In this video, the Honey Badger is suppressed with Q’s own Trash Panda silencer on loan from Silencer Shop*.

    PLEASE check out our Patreon and Subscribe Star pages if you enjoy our program, and consider helping us at TFBTV out! We give away hundreds of dollars of gear a month to our supporters!


    Silencer Saturday is Sponsored by Yankee Hill Machine

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    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

    Pete

    Editor In Chief- TFB
    LE – Silencers – Science
    Pete@thefirearmblog.com


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