TFB Review: A-TEC PMM-6 Pistol Suppressor -The Firearm Blog

This is a review of the A-TEC PMM-6 suppressor, mostly attached to the Glock 45. A-TEC is a Norwegian company, and it may seem odd for an American-focused firearms blog to review something Americans can’t buy. However TFB has readers all over the world, and A-TEC has a strong position in the European suppressor market. For instance, A-TEC and Heckler & Koch recently entered into cooperation “in the areas of development and sales“, and the outcome will be very interesting.

A-TEC Suppressors @ TFB:

About the Company

A-TEC is a Norwegian company founded in 1999 by Anders E. Johansen. Like many other success stories, everything started with prototyping, development and production in his garage. The target was to make suppressors that had less weight and were constructed and performed better.

The company is now located in a top modern factory of 1400 square meters and they manufacture more than 60,000 silencers per year. The main market is Northern Europe, but there are customers all the way to South Africa. A-TEC has invested 1.2 million euros in R&D and redefined silencer geometry in the past years.

To avoid anyone getting confused, in most marketing material A-TEC refers to “silencers”, not suppressors. We try to use the word suppressor here at TFB.

A-TEC PMM-6 Suppressor

A-TEC PMM is a series of lightweight suppressors for pistols. The design is by modules, so it’s possible to add or remove modules to customize the weight and the efficiency of the sound suppression.

The model on review here is the A-TEC PMM-6. It is constructed from aluminum and stainless steel, with a black anodized finish. According to A-TEC, it offers a 36 dB(C) reduction. The weight is 215 grams (7.58 ounces). The total length is 195mm with a diameter of 34.4mm. It’s available in the following threads: 1/2”-28 UNEF, M13.5X1 LH and M13X1. For the Glock 45 here, the threading is M13.5×1 LH, hard spring.

The A-TEC PMM-6 uses a spring-loaded piston (also known as a Nielsen device) which requires cleaning about every 300 rounds, and then lubed or greased up again. The functionality is that the weight of the suppressor becomes uncoupled from the barrel at the moment of firing. This is accomplished by attaching the silencer’s body to a spring, which attaches to a piece that screws onto the muzzle of the firearm – the Glock 45 MOS FS TB in this case. It can be seen in the picture(s) below.

When the suppressor is fired, the force of the gases expanding inside the baffles forces the suppressor body forward in relation to the barrel. The spring enables the slide and the barrel to recoil while keeping the suppressor in place.

You can see a video of it working here, at normal speed and slow motion. The sound of the video doesn’t tell, but to me, I could hear the bullets hitting a wooden target louder than the shots themselves. And people standing about 30-40 meters away didn’t notice we were shooting at all.

A few words about the pistol

We’re using a 2022 Glock 45 MOS FS TB in this review, my private gun. There are also a few other Glock 45s in these pictures, with the same basic configuration.

Why chose this model over other Glocks? Glock MOS, or Modular Optic System, makes it easy to put a red dot on the slide. FS = Front Serrations, can’t go wrong with that. TB = Threaded Barrel, gives you the option to mount a suppressor or other attachments. In case you don’t have one on, just put the protective cap on, and it looks cooler than the normal G45. The barrel length is still “legal” in IPSC Production Optics (and Light). This version of the G45 is clearly the winner!

Apart from the Shield sight (or Leuopold in some images) the only modification is a Timney trigger. For more information about the Shield Red Dot, check here: TFB Review: Shield Sights RMSx Red Dot Sight. This is by far my favourite open red dot at the moment.

Mounting the A-TEC PMM-6 Suppressor

Here’s my Glock 45 as it looks every day. You remove the thread protector, make sure the threads are clean and…

Voila! A Knipex tool or similar is a great help as I use Loctite to keep the thread protector in place.

Ready to do some shooting. The PMM-6 doesn’t feel very heavy, but of course, it changes the balance of the pistol.

Schrödinger’s cat? No, this is Schrödinger’s Suppressor – where the 9mm cartridge should be considered to be in the chamber and shot and ejected at the same time. Likewise, the A-TEC PMM-6 suppressor should be considered simultaneously in its rested position and under full recoil.

The Matrix! This is not Photoshop, it’s what the video gave me as a screenshot when I paused it.

Below: To the left, we have the SIG Sauer P322 (.22LR) with the A-TEC Wave Carbon suppressor, which we might review if you want. The Pulsar Merger LRF Thermal Binoculars are in the middle and a Glock 19 is to the right. There are also two A-TEC PMM-6 suppressors, they have become quite popular among friends who saw the performance. The Glock 19 performed well with the PMM-6 as well.

Testing a suppressed MP5 clone by MKE to compare sound levels. And the image looked kind of cool.

The Glock 45 with the A-TEC PMM-6 and the Apple Watch Ultra.

A picture of a picture of a picture…

Accuracy and Point Of Impact with and without the PMM-6 Suppressor

I did a basic test, shooting my Glock 45 with Timney trigger at 15 meters with normal Geco 124 gr FMJ ammunition. I shot free-handed, which adds insecurity for sure, but I did my best and apart from a flyer or two the rounds hit where I aimed.

Left side: 15 meters free-handed, the top hit was a flyer – shooter error while still trying to master the Timney trigger. Right side: 5 shots with the Glock as pictured, unsuppressed, no protective cap.

If anything, the point of impact is more to the left with the suppressor off. But all the hits are within about 7-8 centimeters (estimated) from each other, overlayed.

Another video of the PMM-6 on the Glock 45.

According to A-TEC, one should not use the PMM-6 with non-jacketed bullets. The excess lead residue will reduce the effect and the silencer’s life span.

Price and Availability

The recommended price is about €540 ($570), but it can differ from market to market due to dealers and VAT. In most countries, suppressors are regulated. For availability, I’ll let you have a look at A-TEC’s dealer network and let you be the judge: https://www.a-tec.no/dealers

A short B&T APC-9 with the A-TEC SMG suppressor. The sight is the InfiRay Fast FAL19 1x 384×288 thermal sight.

Conclusion

The A-TEC PMM-6 suppressor did everything the company promised it should do. We cannot verify the sound suppression levels, but a friend of mine who has a lot more experience in suppressors than I do was extremely impressed. Unless there are a lot of walls close to you, that reflect sound, it’s no issue to shoot supersonic bullets without hearing protection. With heavy subsonics it’s a walk in the park.

The PMM-6 performed really well with both subsonic and supersonic rounds, and there were zero malfunctions. I think that’s what we all look for when modding any firearm. We would like to keep 100% of the reliability, while adding performance. In this case, the PMM-6 delivers, the reliability and repeatability are kept and you get a really good sound suppression. There’s a small shift in point of impact, but at normal pistol distances, it’s not going to matter.

When things are great, you have to become picky with your complaints. I would have liked the stainless steel parts of the Nielsen device to have been black as well, but that’s how picky you have to get. Between magazines, take a moment to make sure that the suppressor (and modules) didn’t unwind themselves. This goes for all suppressors, so it’s not unique to A-TEC. The suppressor adds a little weight, but it’s not a big issue. On a heavier pistol, it would be even less of an issue. I could still shoot it “good enough” with the original Glock sights, although the line of sight is somewhat blocked by the tube.

Below: The Snigel Squeeze ballistic protection and equipment carrying system and the Benchmade SOCP Dagger with the item in review on top.

For all I know and learned during this review, the A-TEC PMM-6 suppressor comes with my highest recommendations.

You can find a direct link to the A-TEC PMM-6 here.

TFB Review: A-TEC PMM-6 Pistol Suppressor