SILENCER SATURDAY #276: Spotlight On SilencerCo

Good afternoon everyone and welcome back to TFB’s Silencer Saturday brought to you by Yankee Hill Machine, manufacturers of the new YHM Turbo T3 5.56 rifle suppressor. Last week we broke out the the lightweight hunting and bolt action Silencer Central Banish Backcountry – a performer. This week we turn the spotlight on SilencerCo – one of the main companies that has put suppressors in the hands of thousands of Americans in the past 15 years. Many of which may not have ever considered owning an NFA regulated item until SilencerCo stepped onto the scene. Let’s take a look.

Above: SilencerCo Osprey 2.0

• SILENCER SATURDAY #272: Under Pressure – SilencerCo VELOS LBP
• New Custom Paint Service from SilencerCo
• [SHOT Show 2023] SilencerCo’s FIRST Flowthrough Can – The Velos LBP
• Autumn in Maine: GLOCK 29, SilencerCo Hybrid 45M, Kraken Case Company
• SILENCER SATURDAY #241: Be Very Quiet, We’re Hunting With the SilencerCo Harvester EVO
• SILENCER SATURDAY #240: The New SilencerCo Osprey 2.0 – Pushbutton Indexing
• The Rimfire Report: SilencerCo Switchback Modular Suppressor
• SILENCER SATURDAY #198: The SilencerCo Hybrid 46M – A Can For All Seasons
• SilencerCo: Introducing The Hybrid 46M Big Bore Modular Suppressor
• SILENCER SATURDAY #194: Pistoling With The SilencerCo Omega 36M
• SilencerCo Science: Metering Guns From Call of Duty Modern Warfare
• SilencerCo Science: The Quietest .22LR Silencer Hosts
• SILENCER SATURDAY #190: The Quiet Multitool – SilencerCo Omega 36M
• SILENCER SATURDAY #182: Old & New – SilencerCo Octane 45 Vs. Octane 45HD
• Behind the Scenes: The SilencerCo Batcave

SilencerCo started in 2008 with a couple of guys building suppressors in a garage. Many of the original members have moved on to other companies – some within the suppressor industry, and others who are not. I could go into all the individuals that made what SilencerCo what it is today, but that is a story for another day.

Like most suppressor companies that have arrived on the scene since their debut, SilencerCo started by making rimfire silencers. In 2011, SilencerCo acquired SWR Manufacturing, a company with its own deep knowledge base and silencer portfolio.

My second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth silencer purchases were all SilencerCo products. The Octane 45HD that I bought 11 years ago with SWR markings was my first enjoyable suppressor after a heavy multi-caliber, mono core model from a different manufacturer. The Octane is light, accepts a long list of pistons and mounts, and most of all, it performed. I still remember walking out to the range after leaving my dealer to fire my first shots with the Octane on the end of a GLOCK 19.

A week later I ordered a Warlock 22, a semi-controversial purchase amongst hardcore suppressor owners since it is made completely out of aluminum, making it slightly more difficult to clean. However, to this day it is still one of the quietest and lightest rimfire suppressors in my safe.

Not even another week went by when I purchased one of the original Saker 762 rifle suppressors. It had a legacy mounting system that, as described to me by one of the designers, was designed almost too well. The intricate locking system was precise and easy to use, but was difficult to determine if it was locked into the muzzle device. It was eventually replaced with the ASR system that is in use today.

The Saker was my first entry into rifle suppressors and, although it is heavy, I considered it to be an end-of-the-world piece of gear. I have punished my Saker over the years and it is still a rock. I swear this silencer could survive an uncontrolled re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere. Because I had not started my eventual adoption of 300BLK, for me the Saker was a supersonic-only rifle caliber suppressor. Adding to the fond memories, my Form 4 approval time for this can was a personal record 11 days.

Diving back into the rimfire world, I next picked up the mono-core Sparrow 22. The Sparrow’s unique clamshell feature shelters the mono-core baffle stack from the walls of the tube, making disassembly simple. It does have some first round pop that is common with most mono-core designs. But it is a solid design that can handle all the rimfire rounds plus 5.7mm. The Sparrow is probably my least used rimfire suppressor these days.

And rounding out my list of ‘my early days of SilencerCo’ purchases is the Salvo 12 shotgun suppressor that I bought from my friends at Hansohn Brothers. Obviously, this is a unique suppressor that has a limit on both suppression and practicality, but it is also a lot of fun. In its longest configuration, on a hunting-length barrel, and with subsonic shells, it is quiet. In its shortest configuration on a short barrel shotgun, the difference between suppressed and unsuppressed levels is minimal. However, somewhere in the middle is a handy shotgun that is not too long and could save you or your hunting partners from permanent hearing damage. Don’t forget – always wear hearing protection when shooting.

If it’s your thing, SilencerCo does offer a lifestyle feeling that can range from hip to hipster – although maybe not as much as it was a few years ago. Being a lowly dirt farmer, I can safely say that no lifestyle brand fits my lifestyle. But, freedom is awesome and to each their own. Besides, if it gets more NFA items into the hands of the masses, manufacturer’s like SilencerCo can be as western hipster as they want. I am the last person anyone should ask for style advice.

SilencerCo has weathered some financial troubles better than anyone could have expected – including me. I wrote editorials that were critical of certain situations in the past when I should have just stuck to facts and product-based reviews that focused on relaying capabilities to potential consumers. I am happy they have persevered through the rough regulatory and economic boom/bust cycle that is the world of NFA items. At some points in the past, many of us thought that deregulation of suppressors was an eventual possibility, later only to have our hopes dashed – mostly by politics and politicians – and then feeling really lucky when we got nine-month Form 4 approvals instead of 15-month approvals.

Let’s take a look at the details.

Since the early days of my NFA awakening, I have had the pleasure to review, or at least shoot, all of the current SilencerCo offerings. My current favorites are the Osprey 2.0 because not only does it perform, but it looks fantastic on even the ugliest of pistols (you know who you are), and the Velos LBP rifle suppressor. The Velos LBP is a next generation silencer that is strong and capable. It is my hope that SilencerCo will eventually release a titanium version of the Velos LBP that will save some weight for guns that won’t be run at maximum rates of fire.

I also really enjoy the Hybrid 46M. Suppressing a .45-70 lever gun with heavy, hard cast lead subsonic rounds is a fantastic experience. Both the 46M and the 36M come very close to the perfect do-it-all silencer.