By Joe Ferronato
Maybe being civilized isn’t as bad as I once thought. And that’s exactly what shooting with a suppressor is: civilized. A good suppressor, though it may not be ideal for continuous shooting, will save your ears from permanent damage and means not having to keep up with or deal with the discomfort of separate ear pro.
CUTTING THE RED TAPE
I was never truly enamored by suppressors; sure, they are fun to shoot with because squeezing the trigger no longer requires placing intrusive muffs on your head or ill-fitting foam in your ear canal, and they cut recoil in half. But the red tape was such a pain in the ass. I’m sure that sentiment is shared by many. Who wants to spend hard-earned money on a product and then be forced to wait months or even years before being allowed to take possession and actually use it? I sure as hell don’t.
Even with the red tape, I ended up getting a .30-caliber can—the common vernacular for a suppressor, if you’re unaware. It was light, quiet-ish, and was a direct thread for most of my rifles. It was cheap enough I didn’t care about the wait—which ended up being roughly seven months, even with the ATF’s new and improved E-Form system.
For those who don’t know, suppressors are a National Firearms Act (NFA) item, akin to short-barreled rifles and fully automatic firearms. Absurd, I know. Why? Because government, that’s why. It still blows my mind that in countries with the strictest gun laws, citizens can waltz right into a store and tango right out with a new can. Why? Because those countries’ governments realize that without the gun to attach it to, the hunk of metal is nothing more than an over-priced paperweigh—I digress.
I’m a proud American, and I’ll obey and abide by most laws most of the time. I’m hopeful that with the incoming administration NFA laws may change. But, for now, those of us wanting to own suppressors must give all but our first-born son to the government so the ATF, FBI, and any other alphabet agency that wants to have a look can discern whether you get your can. Those willing to submit the appropriate documentation will be subject to finger printing, photos, a pile of paperwork, and a $200 tax for a stamp. Then you wait.
Luckily, the ATF has recently changed their system, got their asses in gear, and are turning around approvals in less than 24 hours in some cases. Right now is the best time to buy a suppressor. And Silencer Shop makes it even easier. With thousands of kiosks around the country, it’s easy to complete fingerprinting, paperwork, and photos that live in the company’s database for easy submission to the ATF through the E-Form system—which your local gun shop will walk you through in about 15 minutes.
The red tape is all but gone, and we’re moving in the right direction.
THE LAHAR LINE
I mentioned I bought a hunting suppressor previously, but I never investigated the details much. But now, I am fascinated by the technology. I’m neither a scientist nor an engineer, so I’ll stick to the basics.
Suppressors are designed specifically to suppress the explosion of propellants coming out of the muzzle of a firearm. They do just that, but don’t silence a gun completely like you see in the movies—unless you pair them with subsonic rounds or smaller-caliber guns. The series of baffles within a can are what capture, disperse, slow, and cool the explosive propellants, making it much quieter while greatly reducing the felt recoil. The more baffles, the quieter the can. Baffle design and the material used will play a part in how quiet the can is as well.
This past year, Aero Precision released a line of .30-caliber suppressors that just work. The line is designed around the Lahar-30, which is the standard length can of the group measuring in right at six inches. It is built from a combination of 17-4 stainless steel and Inconel which greatly increases the performance while also ensuring long-lasting durability. The lahar is rated for magnum cartridges and full auto.
Out of the box, my first impressions were great. The can is rugged but clean. My only hesitation was the weight. The 30 weighs in at 15.4 ounces. Not a huge problem, but it felt heavier than I was expecting. Using the 5/8×24 threads, I screwed it directly onto the end of my Aero Solus Competition rifle chambered in 6mm Creedmoor for testing. It deadened the recoil and was impressively quiet. I don’t have a decibel gauge, but I would have no issue with long-duration, continuous shooting with this can. It’s that quiet.
The next line extension I tested was the Lahar-30L. When compared to the 30, the L features 3 extra baffles making it roughly an inch and half longer, which increases the weight to nearly 20 ounces. With the 30, you could get away with it on a hunting rifle, but the increased weight and length on the L limit it to range use in my mind. On the same competition rifle, the 30L found its home. The sound from the shot was next to nothing, and the rifle was dead still. I’ll likely keep this can on there for competition shooting and PRS practice.
As hunters, we often cringe at the idea of adding more weight and length to our already long-barreled rifles. To remedy that, and to keep us civilized, companies have been making lighter-weight, more-compact suppressors. These cans aren’t the performers that longer, heavier ones are, but they aren’t meant to be. Consider them a muzzle brake with built-in hearing protection. Aero followed suit with this movement, but with versatility in mind. The Lahar-30K is built to perform—even with short-barreled rifle systems and magnum cartridges. It measures just about five inches and weighs in at just under 13 ounces. It’s heavier than competitors but can be used on a variety of applications and is still full-auto rated.
I’m not concerned about weight; length is more of an issue when putting a can on a hunting rifle. A few ounces means nothing, but snagging on brush and tree limbs makes hiking a bitch. I screwed this can onto an Aero Solus Lightweight Hunter (more to come on this) chambered in 7 PRC. Zeroing the rifle with no ear protection was fine, the can definitely made the rifle hearing-safe, though extended range sessions would likely benefit from some muffs. It cut felt recoil way down as well, making it comfortable and easy to shoot the punchier load.
After carrying the rifle around for several days, I was fortunate enough to kill a bull. At the shot, my ears weren’t ringing, and I could still have a conversation afterwards. A big win in my book. The can accomplished exactly what I was looking for when using a suppressor while hunting: it made it hearing safe. Then there’s the bonus of being able to screw it onto a SBR .300 BLK or a full auto—two more items we’d like to see accompanied by less red tape.
Cost: $599-$829
Pros: Rugged construction; direct thread; quiet; full-auto rated; can be bought with a custom-cut Condition 1 case for easy travel.
Cons: Heavy
