Who are some reputable manufacturers of Solvent Trap Kits?

[Demi-human]

My DM kits are wonderful. And completed, so I’m going to need some more.

Unfortunately, DM is not operating at this time and I would like to purchase some more parts to make a few more mufflers, after the three more stamps get here.

I like titanium. I like high quality. I prefer nuke-proof.

Is there a match to DM’s kits?

Is an aluminum rimfire suppressor worth the work and treasure?
Are they long lasting, do they wear out?

Where do you who make them get the materials to do so?
(Not raw material, kits. Let’s not get crazy here. I’m already saving for a new wood lathe, and metal lathes are even more expensive!)

 

[greyling22]

First off, nothing is in stock. Anywhere. But I have a buddy at work who has built several, and he suggested

Jrmachine I really like the look of this one.

white trash tactical
Match grade customs
quietbore
Dino precision

I'm sure there are others.

 

[MachIVshooter]

What are you looking to build? Different outfits are better for different things.

For the most part, you'll do better to source tube & caps from one company, cones from another.

 

[Elkins45]

Quietbore is least likely to be shut down because they are now requiring you to show them your stamp before they ship. I would happily build another XRT Tactical rimfire can.

 

[Demi-human]

What are you looking to build? Different outfits are better for different things.

A few more rimfire cans to start. Now that I know my lathe will perform admirably.
I am very happy with the DM ones I just made.
But looking around, these seem to be the Cadillac of Form Ones. I wish I had gotten more...

I like the titanium construction. I like the lightweight.
I am apprehensive about the aluminum though.
I know it would be fine for a rimfire, but what about a 9mm or 45?
I can’t make these parts. I can only drill them. If I burn through an aluminum baffle or tube, or damage it, that’s it. Trash. Done.

Are my worries of aluminum unfounded? It is “fine”?
What about the Bushmaster? That’s a lot of boom for aluminum. But I don’t want three pounds of steel hanging off the end either.

And yes, some of these “traps” are the same price as a factory suppressor. And look like a flat faced pipe, lame. I don’t dig that. Must be the Italian and Irish in me, beauty and value. (Admittedly, more Irish...)

For the most part, you'll do better to source tube & caps from one company, cones from another.

This I was wondering too. There are some neat witch’s hat baffles one company makes, but their tubes are aluminum. So I thought I’d get a different tube.
What are the tolerances I need for them to fit? Three thousandths? I know a 1.000” thing won’t go into a 1.000” tube. How much smaller should the cones be?

Maybe I should have kept this in my New Bee thread, perhaps I’ll summarize it there.

I would happily build another XRT Tactical rimfire can.

These look nice and have the left hand feature that looks to be convenient. An all steel one would be okay for an AR if it wasn’t very heavy.


(Sigh) Where is all the titanium at?! I thought this was the future?!

 

[MachIVshooter]

(Sigh) Where is all the titanium at?! I thought this was the future?!

It's a great material for tubes, sometimes adapters, mounts and caps, but not so much for internals.

I use Ti almost exclusively for tubes, save for tubeless models. But the material has drawbacks. It's not as strong or hard as 17-4 stainless, especially in H900 condition, which is what I use almost exclusively for internals and mounts. Yes, its heavier for the same volume, but the higher strength means parts can be made thinner, so its about a wash. I usually make 8" long rifle cans come in right about 1 pound with 17-4 cores in Ti tubes or all 17-4 tubeless construction. 17-4 H900 resists erosion far better than Ti as well, which is certainly an issue in rifle cans. Ti can cause sparking in rifle cans, and the material will also hydrogen embrittle if it is elevated to 1,000°F in open atmosphere.

A 1.5x6" 5.56 K can I put some mount and cap features on, refinished and recored with a 5 baffle 17-4 H900 core, weighed only 10 ounces finished:



A YHM Cobra M2 that got everything but the tube replaced. Front cap and booster spring retainer I did from 6/4 Ti, booster housing and core all 17-4, still only weighs 11.2 ounces, barely an ounce more than the factory set up with aluminum monocore ( seen with original parts above the can in the photo)




There are other fantastic materials for internals as well, but material cost and difficulty in manufacturing make them prohibitively expensive and largely unobtainable to the F1 crowd. Look up the price of Inconel 718 bar and it's heat treatment process and you'll understand.

On aluminum, it's suitable for rimfire and pistol cans, though I would personally avoid any cones, caps or mounts not made of 7000 series. I use aluminum in my Ocelot and Phoenix models, though all have CWSR titianium tubes and 17-4 H900 blast baffles. This is a Thompson ISIS-2 9mm can I recored last week with all natural finish 7075-T651 Al except blast baffle to keep weight & cost down. Everything but the tube got replaced, and it came in an ounce lighter than factory monocore:





Now, as for selecting cones for tubes, there are some standardized sizes. And yes, cones need to be .003-.006" under tube ID or you'll be beating them in and out.

Check out some of the YouTube videos by Silencer Student. I know Joseph quite well, he's good people, and has done more for furthering F1 suppressor build knowledge based on available components than anyone I know. I can tell you all day long how to make fantastic cans from CWSR tube and bar stock, but I'm not much help when it comes to using off-the-shelf bits.

 

[Demi-human]

, but the higher strength means parts can be made thinner, so its about a wash.

Maybe I won’t shy away from steel so much then.

I think you are more than helpful and do appreciate all the education you’ve given me immensely.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Maybe I won’t shy away from steel so much then.

Just pay attention to the material, temper & part thickness. There are tremendous differences between different grades of Al, Ti, carbons steels and stainless steels. High strength steels will often have a strength to weight ratio equal to or better than high strength titanium alloys, but many grades will not, especially austenitic stuff like 303/304/316 or free machining grades like 416.

The 17-4 I use in H900 condition has a 210,000 PSI ultimate tensile strength and 40 Rockwell C hardness.

Gr. 5 titanium (6Al-4V, 6/4) is 130,000 PSI and Rc of 36

7075-T651 Aluminum is 83,000 PSI

304 stainless is only 73,000 PSI

If the cups are made from 304, they are heavier and weaker than 6/4 Ti for the same part thickness. If they're made from 17-4 and tempered H900, though, they can be about 40% thinner and roughly the same weight for equal strength. Conversely, if the cups are being made from Gr. 2 Ti, also known as commercially pure, they're nowhere near as strong as Gr. 5 Ti cups.

This is a fantastic resource for mechanical properties of metals in annealed and tempered conditions, and sometimes with information on properties at elevated temperatures, which also matters. For example, 7075-T651 has a higher ultimate tensile strength than 304 stainless at room temperature, but that changes at 300 or 400 degrees.

And on that note, ultimate/yield tensile strengths and hardness are among the most important properties to consider in most applications, but not the only ones. I don't want this post to turn into a mini book on basic metallurgy, but one does also need to pay attention to things like elongation at break, shear modulus, bearing strength, fracture toughness, thermal conductivity, coefficient of thermal expansion, etc. when choosing alloys.