Last year I decided to expand my silencer collection. Picking the "right" ones was and is a daunting task IMO. There are many makes and models to choose from and it's not the easiest thing to sell a silencer if you end up not liking it. At the time I already owned a Saker ASR and I loved it (still do). Around the time I started seeking advice on what to buy I came across some posts by our very own @MachIVshooter wherein he was discussing his new product line. After some consideration, I decided I was willing to take a bit of a chance and order one of his cans instead of an "established" brand.
When I first reached out to MachIV, I figured I would get a cookie-cutter response. Instead what transpired was a fantastic back-and-forth via PM that allowed me to get a real education on his silencers and undoubtedly exasperated him in the process. In fact his thorough explanations and clear knowledge of the subject matter in large part led me to my decision to purchase silencers from him.
By the time I got around to actually purchasing a silencer from MachIV I was already in the process of acquiring my Saker. The only other guns I was looking to mount a can on at that time were pistol caliber rifles, so I ordered two Phoenix IXs from MachIV. My dealer - who happens to also be a machinist - commented that the Phoenixes were some of the nicest silencers he had ever seen. The Phoenix IX certainly is nice - at least as far as I can tell. It's fairly long at 9" but surprisingly light. It also has a somewhat smaller diameter for it's class, being only 1.25". Overall these compare roughly to a TiRant 9M in terms of their overall size. I have shot the Phoenix and TiRant side by side and while it was tough to tell if one was appreciably quieter than the other, the TiRant sure seemed to blow a lot more debris back in my face when mounted on a pistol. The Phoenix design seems to excel for me when mounted on a PCC, especially my Beretta Cx4. These cans are designed to come apart for cleaning.
After a long delay (and a slight change in silencer priorities) I bought three more of MachIV's silencers and just received them recently. The first of these is his Furtivus (.308) design. This can compares roughly to my Saker in terms of overall dimensions (1.5×9" vs 1.5x8"). This can comes with a muzzle brake (see below) designed by MachIV. It weighs less than my Saker but that isn't saying much. The finish on my particular Furtivus has a satin-like black finish and really looks good. It seems to generate about the same noise as the Saker but it's not overtly as over-built. I haven't put a lot of rounds through this can yet but I am liking it a lot already. I use the Furtivus and Saker both for .300 Blackout only.
The second silencer in this group is the Ocelot. This is a .22 silencer and a pretty awesome one at that IMO. Granted, I don't have anything to compare it to directly, but this thing is phenomenally quiet. The only gun I have capable of mounting the Ocelot is my Taurus TX22 and they seem to make the perfect pair. The Ocelot is a 1" diameter can 5.5" long that's so light it feels like it should be made out of paper. Combined with the lightweight TX22, this is truly quiet shooting. Maybe all .22 cans are this quiet but the Ocelot barely seems to make any noise at all. While testing this can out I was able to confirm that Federal AutoMatch, several variants of standard CCI ammo and Blazer were all subsonic through my TX22 so there's no need for me to hunt down specific ammo.
The final silencer of the last group is the Canine. This is a specialty 9mm can that uses a wipe at the front and is designed to be run wet. Only 4" long and 1.375" in diameter, this can compares closest to the TiRant 9M in short configuration, but that's not quite fair as the Canine is a fair bit shorter than the TiRant. It's also a lot lighter. The Canine is designed to be run wet - using white lithium grease - and I definitely messed up here. While MachIV has assured me I didn't cause any permanent harm, in my excitement to get the new silencers out to the range, I forgot to put any grease in the Canine before I shot it. As a result, this can was very loud and definitely not hearing safe. I need to go back and re-test it with the grease. Grease needs to be reapplied every 2-3 magazines for best noise suppression, so this can needs to come apart often. To facilitate this, the end of the silencer is knurled. MachIV was kind enough to provide a stamp as well which is used to cut out a new neoprene wipe AFTER the current one has been destroyed (the sequence here is legally important). Per MachIV there are not many Canines currently out there. That being the case I hope to test it further.
All told these five silencers cost me in the neighborhood of $2,000 or so not including tax stamps. IMO that is a bargain when the stellar performance of the cans is considered. If you are looking for a new silencer I highly recommend the various designs offered by our very own @MachIVshooter. This brief review is not sponsored by him and I was not compensated for doing this. My intent was/is to give credit to a very talented member of THR. I am hoping to expand on this review later as I get more rounds through these silencers. As it stands I have something less than 1,000 rounds through all seven but that will definitely change!
Below (L to R): Saker ASR, Furtivus, Phoenix (only one pictured), TiRant 9M, Canine and Ocelot.
When I first reached out to MachIV, I figured I would get a cookie-cutter response. Instead what transpired was a fantastic back-and-forth via PM that allowed me to get a real education on his silencers and undoubtedly exasperated him in the process. In fact his thorough explanations and clear knowledge of the subject matter in large part led me to my decision to purchase silencers from him.
By the time I got around to actually purchasing a silencer from MachIV I was already in the process of acquiring my Saker. The only other guns I was looking to mount a can on at that time were pistol caliber rifles, so I ordered two Phoenix IXs from MachIV. My dealer - who happens to also be a machinist - commented that the Phoenixes were some of the nicest silencers he had ever seen. The Phoenix IX certainly is nice - at least as far as I can tell. It's fairly long at 9" but surprisingly light. It also has a somewhat smaller diameter for it's class, being only 1.25". Overall these compare roughly to a TiRant 9M in terms of their overall size. I have shot the Phoenix and TiRant side by side and while it was tough to tell if one was appreciably quieter than the other, the TiRant sure seemed to blow a lot more debris back in my face when mounted on a pistol. The Phoenix design seems to excel for me when mounted on a PCC, especially my Beretta Cx4. These cans are designed to come apart for cleaning.
After a long delay (and a slight change in silencer priorities) I bought three more of MachIV's silencers and just received them recently. The first of these is his Furtivus (.308) design. This can compares roughly to my Saker in terms of overall dimensions (1.5×9" vs 1.5x8"). This can comes with a muzzle brake (see below) designed by MachIV. It weighs less than my Saker but that isn't saying much. The finish on my particular Furtivus has a satin-like black finish and really looks good. It seems to generate about the same noise as the Saker but it's not overtly as over-built. I haven't put a lot of rounds through this can yet but I am liking it a lot already. I use the Furtivus and Saker both for .300 Blackout only.
The second silencer in this group is the Ocelot. This is a .22 silencer and a pretty awesome one at that IMO. Granted, I don't have anything to compare it to directly, but this thing is phenomenally quiet. The only gun I have capable of mounting the Ocelot is my Taurus TX22 and they seem to make the perfect pair. The Ocelot is a 1" diameter can 5.5" long that's so light it feels like it should be made out of paper. Combined with the lightweight TX22, this is truly quiet shooting. Maybe all .22 cans are this quiet but the Ocelot barely seems to make any noise at all. While testing this can out I was able to confirm that Federal AutoMatch, several variants of standard CCI ammo and Blazer were all subsonic through my TX22 so there's no need for me to hunt down specific ammo.
The final silencer of the last group is the Canine. This is a specialty 9mm can that uses a wipe at the front and is designed to be run wet. Only 4" long and 1.375" in diameter, this can compares closest to the TiRant 9M in short configuration, but that's not quite fair as the Canine is a fair bit shorter than the TiRant. It's also a lot lighter. The Canine is designed to be run wet - using white lithium grease - and I definitely messed up here. While MachIV has assured me I didn't cause any permanent harm, in my excitement to get the new silencers out to the range, I forgot to put any grease in the Canine before I shot it. As a result, this can was very loud and definitely not hearing safe. I need to go back and re-test it with the grease. Grease needs to be reapplied every 2-3 magazines for best noise suppression, so this can needs to come apart often. To facilitate this, the end of the silencer is knurled. MachIV was kind enough to provide a stamp as well which is used to cut out a new neoprene wipe AFTER the current one has been destroyed (the sequence here is legally important). Per MachIV there are not many Canines currently out there. That being the case I hope to test it further.
All told these five silencers cost me in the neighborhood of $2,000 or so not including tax stamps. IMO that is a bargain when the stellar performance of the cans is considered. If you are looking for a new silencer I highly recommend the various designs offered by our very own @MachIVshooter. This brief review is not sponsored by him and I was not compensated for doing this. My intent was/is to give credit to a very talented member of THR. I am hoping to expand on this review later as I get more rounds through these silencers. As it stands I have something less than 1,000 rounds through all seven but that will definitely change!
Below (L to R): Saker ASR, Furtivus, Phoenix (only one pictured), TiRant 9M, Canine and Ocelot.
