Impact changes with suppressor attached

POI shift is normal when attaching a can. Lots of factors to account for, least of which is the added weight on the end of the barrel.

Consider the dynamics of the bullet as it flies past the baffles, what the gasses are doing behind the bullet etc.

Some SOT's claim their baffle designs preclude POI shift, or that POI shift can be mitigated/minimized by properly orienting the baffles in the stack...

My suggestion is to sight in for how you will shoot the rifle and know what the difference is if you need it.

POI changes are normal with suppressors. Usually, shots will be lower with the suppressor. Your experience seems extreme.

POI shift is typical with a suppressor, as is better perceived precision. I think part of it is due to less gas pressure to disturb bullet flight at the critical moment when they leave the muzzle. It’s also partly due to the recoil and noise reduction simply making it easier to shoot well.

Aside from the added weight affecting barrel harmonics, baffle design is also known to play a role in influencing POI shift and accuracy. The more turbulence you create to disturb the gas flow inside the can, the more pronounced the effect. This also makes for a quieter can, so it’s a trade off.

I’ve built a couple form 1 cans for bench rest shooting, and wanted to maximize accuracy so I opted not to clip my baffles in them. Just perfectly symmetrical 60 degree cones all the way down the bore. I know I’m sacrificing some suppression performance, but I’m often shooting at the range with hearing protection anyway. With supersonic ammunition in particular, I don’t think the potential noise reduction would even be noticeable.

I have an air rifle, a PCP, with a Lothar Walther barrel, which shoots quite accurately. I've tried three different K baffle suppressors on it. Each provides a substantially different POI, observable even at close range. I've never fired the rifle unsuppressed so can't speak about whether it might group better or worse that way, but can say that it groups just as nicely with any of the three cans I've used, just in different places at the target. So I sighted it in for the one which does the best job of keeping things quiet and don't think about it any more.

vtsteve said:

POI shift is typical with a suppressor, as is better perceived precision.

Click to expand...

There are a variety of videos on YouTube demonstrating groups opening up with suppressors. I had groups open up substantially with an AAC suppressor a buddy let me try out. Like with finding the right ammo for your new gun, adding a suppressor is can be a lot like having a new gun. Sometimes the group size changes are minimal. Sometimes they can be dramatic.

Say you have a rifle with a given favorite round. Once you add the suppressor and change the harmonics and stress on the barrel, your favorite round may no longer be favored with the rifle. Your 1 moa group may open to 2 moa but a change in ammo and you may find a new round that produces that nice 1 moa group again.

A 5 MOA change is pretty dramatic, but yes, as stated above, you'll see a POI shift regardless of what can and what rifle. When you hang a weight off your muzzle, you change barrel harmonics, which changes POI. What makes one suppressor better for precision rifle than another isn't how much POI shift, but the consistency of that shift. As long as it is the same each time you attach the can, you're golden. And that's why precision cans like TBAC use the mounting system they do.

Weird stuff happens when you put the can on. Threading imperfections can really become real here. Barrel harmonics change, often making a good load not so good. My suppressors all have repeatable shifts, and yours, though annoying, does not seem too crazy. Vertical shift is a much better sign than diagonal lol.

Test it out and see how consistent the shift is, especially on cold bore shots.