So I'm about to buy my first suppressor...

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kdunn

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...and it will be my first NFA Title II item as well. The suppressor will be going on the end of a 45 ACP 1911. I've been trying to do some research on different suppressors and what makes one suppressor "better" than the next, but most of the stuff I have been reading seems to be contradictive to what I read in the next article.

Really all I'm looking for in the suppressor is to make it as quiet as possible, and to find one that will do this without getting all of the "blowback" from the gases. The two suppressors I have been looking at are the AAC Ti-Rant and the Silencer Co. Osprey, anyone who has either of these feel free to weigh in on the issue.

So can someone who has experience with suppressors give me some insight on what I should be looking for when purchasing my suppressor or what makes a suppressor "good"?

Thanks in advance!

-kdunn
 
Its great to see you doing your research as there is allot of information out there to be found. Unfortunately, there isn't any suppressor out there that fits all of the characteristics of a perfect can but you can get very close. I think that, depending on your intended use, a can you can clean yourself is very high on the list of priorities. Given this the Ti-Rant and the SilencerCo Octane would be the top of the list. I have the Octane 9 myself and it does have the blowback, not bad but it's there. However, it is as quiet as any other top end can and, best of all, can be disassembled for cleaning. This means you can shoot lead and 22lr through it increasing it's versatility. As for the Osprey, it is not recommended that you shoot lead or 22 through it because it cannot be disassembled by the end user. The Ti-rant cannot be cleaned in an ultrasonic or the dip because, from what I have read, the baffles are aluminum where as the baffles of the Octane are SS. Another factor you might look into is customer service of the company. Both AAC and SilencerCo have excellent customer service so you can't really go wrong there.

Just my 2 cents. If I had to pick between only the Osprey and Ti-rant. I think I would pick the Ti-Rant.
 
I also recommend the Octane over the Ti-Rant. The Ti-Rant only has two minor advantages over the Octane:

  • The Ti-Rant meters slightly quieter than the Octane, but you can’t tell the difference with your ear.
  • The Ti-Rant is slightly lighter than the Octane, but by less than an ounce.
But the Octane has a bunch of advantages over the Ti-Rant:

  • The Octane has stainless steel baffles, so they're stronger and you can use harsher chemicals to clean them.
  • The Octane’s baffle design makes the can stronger and a lot easier to clean; the Ti-Rant has holes in the baffles that allow carbon (and lead, depending on what you're shooting) to get between the baffles and the tube. If you shoot a lot of un-jacketed bullets or .22 through it the lead can seal the baffles to the tube, making it a pain to disassemble.
  • The Octane doesn’t need a separate tool to disassemble it, but the Ti-Rant does.
  • The piston mounts for the Octane are more universal: The Octane uses the same pistons as the Osprey, and the pistons for the 9mm are the same as for the .45, whereas the Ti-Rant 9 and Ti-Rant .45 pistons are different, even if it’s the same thread pattern.
  • AAC doesn’t offer a 5/8x24 mount for using the Ti-Rant with 300 Blackout subs.
  • The only part of the TI-Rant that’s titanium is the tube, which mostly just makes the finish come off if you look at it wrong. Supposedly AAC now ships the Ti-Rant with a better finish, but I haven’t seen it yet and I doubt it’s as good as the finish on the Octane.
Don't get me wrong, I think the Ti-Rant is a very good can. But the Octane is better in almost every way. The only reason I'd get a Ti-Rant is if I wanted one of the short S models for an HD can.

Now, between the Osprey and the Octane, there are pros and cons. The Osprey is also one of the top pistol silencers on the market, and its unique offset design gives it few disadvantages along with some advantages. The advantages of the design are:

  • More internal volume (so it's a little shorter than silencers with similar performance).
  • It sits lower than normal silencers so sometimes stock sights will see over it.
  • It's much more adaptable to holster use.
  • It's a lot easier to tell if it's coming unscrewed when you're shooting, which makes it easier to avoid baffle strikes.
But its disadvantages are:

  • It's sealed and can't be taken apart, so it's not a good idea to shoot cast bullets or .22 though it.
  • It has a somewhat fragile indexing latch system.
  • Its indexing latch system means you need a tool just to take out the piston: It's more difficult to switch out the piston or take it out for cleaning.
  • Its baffle design gives it more first-round-pop than some other designs.
 
I guess this just going to show how little I actually know about suppressors! Yes if it cannot be cleaned by myself it is going to rule it out for me. I made the mistake of assuming it would be just like cleaning the barrel of a firearm. I guess that is one more thing I will need to check into.

Also, I am not trying to choose only between the Ti-rant and the Osprey, those were just 2 that I liked when I was browsing at my LGS. I'm open to any and all suggestions. I'm just trying to keep the cost of the suppressor in the $700-$800 range.
 
You'll still be able to clean it if you can't take it apart, just not as easily; soaking it in solvent will get most of the carbon out. But you need to take it apart if you want to shoot .22 or cast lead bullets through it; the lead will build up and be almost impossible to remove if you can't take it apart. Here's what the Octane 9 looks like when disassembled (the Octane 45 is basically the same but it has a small last baffle). I think the Octane is the best pistol can on the market. I have the Octane 9.

IMG_8382.jpg
 
I just started the paperwork for the Osprey 45. I chose that one because I will be able to use the stock night sights on my Kimber, they are just high enough. Also it is rated for full power 44 magnum loads out of a 16" barrel, I contacted SilencerCo and that's the reply I got. Also I kind of like the look of it and it won't roll off the table. I will never shoot .22 or lead bullets with it. If it starts to get heavy and filled with crap you can send it back to SilencerCo and they will clean it for free. If you want to shoot .22 get a .22 suppressor, they are much smaller and lighter.
 
My Ti-RANT 45 will be here next week so I'll shoot some MBC 200gr lead RNFP bullets through it to see how bad this leading issue is. I bought the disassembly tool for less than $20 and don't plan on shooting .22 LR through the Ti-RANTs so I'm not expecting any drama. I have a Ti-RANT 9mm on order too.

tirant1.jpg


The Octane’s baffle design makes the can stronger

I'd like to see the calculations on that given that the AAC tube is titanium. Not saying you're wrong but I need to see some numbers.
 
1858 said:
Theohazard said:
The Octane’s baffle design makes the can stronger
I'd like to see the calculations on that given that the AAC tube is titanium. Not saying you're wrong but I need to see some numbers.
I doubt you're going to find any numbers anywhere, but all you need to do is take both cans apart to see the difference. The Octane's CTA baffle stack basically provides another inner tube made of heat-treated stainless steel, whereas the Ti-Rant's baffles are made of aluminum and aren't designed with as strong a shape:

swr_oct45_dis_800_1.jpg

My wife was shooting my buddy's Octane 9 and it came unscrewed a little and I didn't notice. We had several baffle strikes before we noticed. Afterward, my buddy shook a bunch of bullet jacket fragments from the can, but there was no damage to any of the baffles because they're made of stainless steel. I highly doubt aluminum baffles would have fared so well.
 
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I do plan to shoot 22 through it as well, so it will need to be able to be taken apart and cleaned myself. I have not looked into the Octane silencers. I will start doing my research on those as well!

I also have been reading that you can shoot other smaller calibers besides 22 through 45 suppressors. Does anyone have any experience with this? I saw an email from Silencer Co to a customer about the Osprey 45 saying it could be used without harm on guns with the correct threads in the following calibers: 45, 40, 9, 223, 38, and 22
 
You can also shoot 357 mag and 38 special through the Octane 9 and osprey 9. The Octane on any barrel for those calibers and at least a rifle for the osprey. You'd have to ask silencerco about a sorter barrel use and the osprey.
 
Theohazard said:
I doubt you're going to find any numbers anywhere, but all you need to do is take both cans apart to see the difference.

The Octane is clearly a very good suppressor built from quality materials but why make unsubstantiated assertions based on intuition? Define strength. What type of loading are you talking about? If the baffles aren't pressed into the tube (and they're not), they don't add anything to torsional rigidity or axial strength. The suppressor's torsional and axial strength comes from the outer tube, one of which is titanium (grade 9) and the other is 6061-T6 Aluminum. Compare just about any mechanical property of Titanium Grade 9 to 6061-T6 aluminum and you'll see that Titanium is superior. However, if aluminum is strong enough it doesn't really matter.

If I didn't get such great deals on AAC suppressors I'd probably buy an Octane, but I wouldn't feel the need to make stuff up to convince others that my choice was the best one.
 
Both are good options and you will be happy with either. The big advantage of the Ospery is the ability to use standard sights. The TI-Rant is quieter, has low POI shift and the ability to adjust POI shift direction by turning the tube.

Mike
 
1858 said:
The Octane is clearly a very good suppressor built from quality materials but why make unsubstantiated assertions based on intuition? Define strength. What type of loading are you talking about? If the baffles aren't pressed into the tube (and they're not), they don't add anything to torsional rigidity or axial strength. The suppressor's torsional and axial strength comes from the outer tube, one of which is titanium (grade 9) and the other is 6061-T6 Aluminum. Compare just about any mechanical property of Titanium Grade 9 to 6061-T6 aluminum and you'll see that Titanium is superior. However, if aluminum is strong enough it doesn't really matter.
I'm making my unsubstantiated assertions based on experience. But you're right, I have no numbers or data to prove this, I just have my own experience with both designs.

The Ti-Rant is a fairly typical design with aluminum K-baffles. Sure, the tube is titanium, but the weakness is the baffles, not the tube. The baffles on the Octane are made from a stronger materiel with a stronger design that handles pressure better. How do I know this? Well, it's a combination of observational experience with other designs similar to the Ti-Rant, and also my general knowledge of baffle designs. But I admit I'm not an engineer, nor do I have any engineering experience, so take that for what it's worth.

Even though it's not rated for it, the Octane can handle moderate amounts of supersonic 300 Blackout without any damage. A SilencerCo rep once told me that they did one test where it took three 30-round mags of supersonic 300 Blackout fired on full-auto to damage the Octane's baffles, and even then the tube was just fine. Sure, the rep could have been full of it, but I doubt it. Besides, I've watched people shoot a bunch of supersonic 300 Blackout through the Octane by accident with no ill effects, so I find that test very believable. And I highly doubt the Ti-Rant's baffles could handle that kind of over-pressure (though I could be wrong).

I recommend Octane over the Ti-Rant if you want to shoot lots of .22 though it or if you want to use it on a 300 Blackout with subsonic ammo (not only are the baffles stronger in case you accidentally shoot supersonic 300 Blackout through it, but AAC doesn't even offer a 5/8x24 mount for the Ti-Rant). But the Ti-Rant is a great can that is certainly strong enough for its intended use. And, like I said in post #3, it's slightly quieter than the Octane and also slightly lighter. So if that's what matters most to you, then the Ti-Rant is a better choice.
 
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I do plan to shoot 22 through it as well, so it will need to be able to be taken apart and cleaned myself. I have not looked into the Octane silencers. I will start doing my research on those as well!

I also have been reading that you can shoot other smaller calibers besides 22 through 45 suppressors. Does anyone have any experience with this? I saw an email from Silencer Co to a customer about the Osprey 45 saying it could be used without harm on guns with the correct threads in the following calibers: 45, 40, 9, 223, 38, and 22
As far as I know the pistol suppressor can not handle the high velocity and pressure rifle rounds like 223. On their website it says 9mm-45acp and 300 blackout.

As for .22 you would be better served with a .22 suppressor. They are much smaller and lighter. Osprey 11.1oz, 1.3w x 1.75h, 8.0625" long vs sparrow 6.5oz, 1.062" diameter, 5.08" long. The Octane is bigger. The .22 can is pretty much half the size and weight which helps alot when shooting the smaller 22's. You can get .22 cans pretty cheap $300-500.
 
kdunn said:
I saw an email from Silencer Co to a customer about the Osprey 45 saying it could be used without harm on guns with the correct threads in the following calibers: 45, 40, 9, 223, 38, and 22
It's not rated for .223; none of the silencers mentioned so far are rated for any supersonic rifle calibers. These silencers are all rated for 300 Blackout, but with subsonic ammo only.
 
What I did was get 3 suppressor's to cover all the calibers, for the most part. I have a YHM stinger 22 for 22lr, 22mag, and 17hmr. A specwar 762 that I recently ordered that will cover anything up to 300 remington ultra magnum. A Osprey 45, also recently ordered, that will cover up to 44 magnum carbines, that will be used for all my pistols and pistol carbines. At least for me that will cover 98% of the weapons I will ever own. Also all of those are full auto rated.
 
What I did was get 3 suppressor's to cover all the calibers, for the most part. I have a YHM stinger 22 for 22lr, 22mag, and 17hmr. A specwar 762 that I recently ordered that will cover anything up to 300 remington ultra magnum. A Osprey 45, also recently ordered, that will cover up to 44 magnum carbines, that will be used for all my pistols and pistol carbines. At least for me that will cover 98% of the weapons I will ever own. Also all of those are full auto rated.
zerobarrier, I plan to do this same thing as well - eventually. I just need to learn a little more about them before purchasing them.

Thanks for all of the help so far guys!

-kdunn
 
I would recommend the Silencerco/SWR Octane. I think it's the best pistol can on the market. Design is great but I think what sets it apart is Silencerco's customer service.
 
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