First suppressor on the way, tips, tricks or lessons learned?

[syoungs]

Finally pulled the trigger on a supressor this weekend. Have a resilient Joelene S on the way.
Purchased it to use mainly on my hunting rifle, but will probably make its way to an ar once in a while.
I dont think I want to mess with getting a QD setup for this can, as 90% of its use will be on a Tikka in 6.5prc that im trying to keep lightish weight. Am I silly or desiring direct thread, even though it will get used once in a while on a 223 coyote gun, or possibly on an AR?

Its a 30 cal can, on a 6.5mm bore. should I still get an alignment rod, or will it be easy enough to see a miss alignment?

Should I make copies of the tax stamp and let them live permanently in the gun case and my hunting pack? is it something I will get asked for on a regular basis?

My plan is to keep the suppressor in my backpack while hiking in to places to hunt, and only attaching once I have camp setup and am ready to hunt. mostly to keep my  overhead clearance shorter by 7", am I overthinking that? should I just leave it on all the time?

Any tips, tricks or lessons learned that I should be aware of before it gets here and I start using it? lots of questions here, appreciate any help!

[dreadi]

There's nothing wrong with using direct thread. Keep in mind after a string of fire to check that it is secure. Silencers loosening will cause groups to move about. Loosen enough and you get a baffle strike.

Having access to your approved form 4 is good practice.

Most importantly, enjoy it.


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[Wolfdog2314]

I’ve got my second on the way, I love em!

I utilize direct thread also, no issues or complaints.

I keep a picture of the tax stamp in my phone for just in case.

Overthinking the on and off. Just leave it on. I’ve backpacked in with it attached to my gun attached to my pack. Just something to be aware of for overhead clearance. I wouldn’t want to have to scramble to get it threaded on if a shooting opportunity came up fast either. I also use one of those solo hunter rapid rifle covers on my rifle when it’s on my pack.

Check your zero once you get it. May have a slight impact shift to account for. Also chronograph is your speed if you have any form of calculations for your bullet drop.

And buy another one soon 

[Gentrys]

Just take pictures of your Tax stamps and keep them on your phone.  I've talked to numerour law enforcement officers while out in the field and they've never even asked to see them.

[bustedoldman]

Just take pictures of your Tax stamps and keep them on your phone.  I've talked to numerour law enforcement officers while out in the field and they've never even asked to see them.

Me too, never an issue and I have 6 of them......

[jeffro]

Get a Boonie sling
Or carry muzzle down

[CP]

Check your zero before you shoot through the chronograph.  Don’t ask me how I know this.   

[Parasite]

If you are going to be taking your suppressor on and off, check zero at the range doing this before you go hunt. If you are getting POI shifts, then you might want to go to a tapered mount setup. A tapered mount also reduces carbon buildup in the threads which can be a problem when swapping platforms.

Also, sight in your gun with the suppressor on. Due to the added weight, you should get a POI shift lower.

I have a paper copy of my tax stamp with me as well as a digital PDF on my phone.

[addicted]

Got my first one 6 weeks ago. Nosler K-can. Direct thread has been fine.

10 day wait for me. My buddy got a scythe at the same time and he is always fiddling with adapters coming loose because he cant dedicate to one thing.

[str8meat]

Just picked up my first as well following thread to avoid confusion

[OltHunter]

Just take pictures of your Tax stamps and keep them on your phone.  I've talked to numerour law enforcement officers while out in the field and they've never even asked to see them.

This too. Don't need paper copies. Congrats!

[birdshooter1189]

Mine are direct thread. I swap them between rifles from time to time. No problems for me.  From time to time a bit of gunk builds up on the threads and I clean it off with a wire brush and gun cleaner solvent.

Alignment: a 30 cal can on 6.5 and smaller should give you plenty of room to never have to worry about alignment. I'd not bother with alignment rods. However, I DO perform a visual check every time I put a suppressor on a new rifle for the first time.

1. Thread suppressor onto barrel hand-tight.

2. Remove bolt from rifle.

3. Look down the barrel from the chamber end. Point the barrel at a bright/white surface so you can see well through the bore.

4.  Move your eye around or rotate the barrel while looking through the bore. Look for the edges of the baffles of your suppressor.  You are looking for even amounts of baffle all the way around--this will let you know that it is centered.

4a. Depending on caliber of rifle and caliber of suppessor, you may not be able to see any baffles when doing this method. That's ok. No visble baffles means you have plenty of tolerance all the way around.

4b. If there is a tight tolerance between rifle caliber and suppressor caliber, you will likely see a significant baffle ring all the way around. That's ok, just make sure there is even "thickness" of visible baffle all the way around. This will let you know that the suppressor is centered to the bore. 

4c. You can take a loaded round and align it with the projectile in the end of the suppressor to give you a visual idea of how much "wiggle room" there is for that specific caliber and suppressor combo.

4d. Depending on your rifle caliber and suppressor caliber combo, there may be enough "wiggle room" that the suppressor can be mis-aligned a bit and still be ok without baffle strikes.  I could explain this, but it's a little more complicated.


I've threaded a few rifles on a lathe, and I built my own suppressors (with approved Form-1's).  I'm very finicky about alignment and I've seen enough "problems" in other people's work that I always want to do a visual check myself.  I've seen gun barrels where the bore is not centered to the outside round profile of the barrel. I've used thread adapters (1/2x28 to 5/8x24) that have introduced some mis-alignment. I built my suppressors with very tight tolerance for the caliber intended, so my alignment has to be spot on.  I've noticed that most commercial suppressors use a larger bore diameter to account for variations in alignment.  I still recommend doing a visual check each time you put your suppressor on a new rifle to make sure it's aligned. No tools required and it's free.

[huntandjeep]

I use direct thread .
I just keep pictures of my stamps on my phone . The only people I've had ask to see them are the Range Officer Fudds ( they get told no )