Good afternoon everyone and welcome back to TFB’s Silencer Saturday brought to you by Yankee Hill Machine, manufacturers of the brand new YHM Bad Larry Suppressor. Let’s wrap up our 2024 SHOT Show Silencer coverage with a week in review for all things suppressor related. What was hot this year? Follow me to learn more.

First, I would like to thank the TFB, TFBTV (TFBTV Showtime) All Outdoor, and Outdoor Hub staff for working their *sses off at this year’s show. As fun as SHOT is every year, it is an all out sprint from the time we hit the ground on Saturday until the time the doors close on Friday afternoon. This was a fantastic show and I am proud of the way the guys handled the workload.

SILENCER SATURDAY 313: 2024 SHOT Show Silencers In Review

SHOT Show 2024 was markedly improved from the years after COVID. It feels like companies have collectively put their heads down and started innovating again. From Spring of 2020 through much of 2023, the industry was trying to keep high-demand items in stock, wrestling with a supply chain crunch, and then dealing with overstock items and materials – all of which dampened the creative spirits (and resources) of designers and engineers around the world. From my time on the floor and talking to company representatives, I picked up on three major trends in the suppressor industry.

I. Additive Manufacturing/ Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS)

If they hadn’t already been manufacturing with DMLS, most suppressor companies are now. Almost everyone has a 3D-printed model in their lineup. And better yet, they aren’t just using DMLS because it’s trendy; they are using the technology to design and build suppressors that aren’t possible with traditional processes.

II. 338/8.6 Blackout

It seems like everyone is adding a .338 caliber suppressor to their available models. At first I was confused – there can’t be that many people who own and shoot .338 LM ultra long range for $4+ a round. But then it clicked, 8.6 Blackout is on the rise. This round is the big sibling to 300BO and designed around long range subsonic shooting.

III. Weight Reduction

Finally, the suppressor industry has gone on a diet and has begun to make lighter silencers that can still handle high pressure rounds. This is due in large part to the increase in the use of DMLS (see point #1) but I would like to think that the smaller/lighter trend is a response to customer demand.

Let’s take a look at the suppressors from SHOT 2024. There are more draft articles in the hopper, so stay tuned to TFB and TFBTV Showtime for more new releases. For those products listed below without any details, additional information is coming in standalone articles.