In states where it’s legal, anyone who is able to purchase a firearm can purchase a suppressor, but they must complete paperwork and obtain an ATF Tax Stamp for the suppressor purchased. There is a $200 application fee and up to a six-month wait for the paperwork, which is ridiculous for those who just want to protect their hearing. The HPA would grandfather all current approved applicants and begin treating suppressors like any other firearm that you can walk in and purchase.

With HPA looming, it was impressive to see the number of first-time exhibiting suppressor manufacturers, the number of new models and the number of large sporting conglomerates now offering suppressors. The legacy suppressor brands were all apprehensively hopeful about the upcoming legislation. Why? The main reason is that most of suppressor companies are barely keeping up with demand with current regulations. If suppressors are moved off the controlled ATF list, then demand is going to explode. Many companies noted they were positioning and planning investment scenarios to greatly increase capacity if the HPA does pass. It should be noted that although this is a very long list of suppressor companies, this is hardly a complete list of what is hitting the market in 2017 and barely scratching the surface of the number of companies making suppressors. Indeed, 2017 could be the year of the suppressor.

The “Big Four” brands were definitely showing off their capabilities and readiness to fill demand in the suppressor market.

Silencerco (pictured above)

The big news for Silencerco was that the Saker Maxim 9mm integrally suppressed pistol is now shipping. The Saker Maxim is already selling quickly, but will likely be a red-hot item if the HPA passes. The primary advantage of the pistol is that it delivers full suppressor performance in a Glock G17 magazine friendly design that is only 9.54-inch long. The “long” version delivers a hearing safe report with any 9mm ammo, but is a little longer at 10.75 inches.

For more information, visit silencerco.com.

AAC

Shockingly, AAC was not showcased in the 2016 SHOT Show Freedom Arms Group booth, but it was this year. As was noted by the AAC representative, “No division is allowed to be shown at SHOT Show unless they have sufficient inventory to fill expected demand. This was the first year that we actually had enough inventory on hand to be allowed to show product at SHOT. Whether HPA passes or not, we feel that AAC is now in a very good position to fill demand.”  New for 2017 was the modular Ti-RANT 9M featuring a tool-less take down design that can be configured in either a short 5.84-inch 7.75-ounce size or 8.0-inch 9.5-ounce silencer, thus providing the buyer two configurations with one purchase and tax stamp.

For more information, visit www.advanced-armament.com.

Blackhawk!

Though Blackhawk! technically introduced concepts of the new suppressor line last year at SHOT, it is now shipping some models and has expanded the line to include .22LR, 9mm, .45, 5.56, 7.62, .300WM and .338 Lapua. The production models shown at SHOT were stunning quality with extremely affordable pricing. According to J.J. Reich of Blackhawk’s parent company Vista Outdoor, Blackhawk is ready and poised for the passage of the HPA. “We believe our suppressor quality, pricing and distribution will definitely give us an advantage if HPA passes.” For example, the $389 MSRP .22LR Pulse suppressor is full auto rated metering at only 114dB during testing. Of unique note was the very impressive $799 MSRP Mini-Boss, which is rated for 9mm and supersonic .300 Blackout and includes both direct thread and pistol piston mounts.

For more information, visit blackhawk.com/suppressors.

AMTAC Suppressors

AMTAC’s over-the-barrel suppressors were featured prominently on a number of manufacturers rifles, including JP Rifles. The primary advantage of the over-the-barrel mounting is an increase in overall volume of the suppressor, which drastically improves suppression. The new 9mm over-barrel Hornet suppressor delivers full-size suppressor performance while adding only 4 inches to the overall barrel length.

For more information, visit amtacsuppressors.com.

Ruger 

Ruger was again showcasing its Silent-SR .22LR suppressor design that is now in the hands of consumers after the late 2016 shipment and the waiting period for tax stamps. A lot of speculation circulated around the show noting the next obvious steps for Ruger considering the apparent success of the Silent-SR suppressor. The most noted comments were the hope for larger caliber offerings and factory integrally suppressed 10/22 rifles. We can only hope, but Ruger noted they are ready to start filling the demand if HPA passes.

For more information, visit www.ruger-firearms.com.

Sig Sauer

With a dozen different suppressors covering every application from .22LR to .338 Lapua, Sig Sauer has one of the most expansive suppressor lines of the big four. During a discussion with John Hollister, the Sig product manager for suppressors, he noted that the goal was to offer the most rugged, well-tuned and easy-to-use suppressors on the market. “We looked at suppressor design differently. For example, we do not have an external sleeve on our rifle suppressors and we exponentially increased the volume and efficiency of the suppressors by moving from an industry standard 1.5-inch diameter to a larger 1.65-inch diameter. Just increasing the diameter made a huge difference in the tone and suppression of our suppressors.”

For more information, visit www.sigsauer.com.

New and legacy heritage suppressor manufacturers were everywhere showcasing everything from cutting-edge designs to high-value no-nonsense options.

Aerocharger Ballistics 

The company offered a bit different take on baffles with a modular user-configurable suppressor based on spiral suppressor baffles. 

For more information, visit www.aerochargerballistics.com.

Alpha Dog

A rather new unique suppressor for 2017 is the very quiet 122 dB Alpha Dog suppressor featuring a monolithic style baffle, integrated fixed sights and full-length Picatinny rail. The primary advantages of the design are that the Picatinny rail allows optics to be mounted and zeroed for use with the suppressor, tactical light mounting positions so the light is not obstructed by the suppressor and the rail also functions as a cooling heat sink. 

For more information, visit alphadogsilencers.com.

Innovative Arms

A new unique and “innovative” product was a tiny 3.9-inch Slingshot Miro .22 multi-caliber suppressor intended for hosts ranging from .22LR to 5.7x28. According to Phillip Woodell, “The shorter size is not as effective as the larger Slingshot suppressor, but it fits a niche in the market and is more than adequate for rifle-length firearms.”

For more information, visit www.innovativearms.com.

Liberty

The big news for Liberty was the enormously sized bore of the .458 SOCOM suppressor released early this year. Liberty noted that this all-titanium 20-ounce 10 x 2-inch suppressor has been metering in at only 132 dB.  It’s going to ship with two different mounts: 5/8-32 and 5/8-24. Considering the size of the bullet and hole in the suppressor, this is impressive. The Liberty .458 SOCOM will ship with an Armageddon Gear suppressor cover.  Liberty also introduced the .30 caliber titanium and stainless Sovereign suppressor targeting the hunting and precision markets. The entire suppressor is designed around precision accuracy requirements and ships with 1/2-28 and 5/6-24 direct thread adapters, a brake and Armageddon Gear suppressor cover.

For more information, visit libertycans.net.

NG2 Defense

Another extremely unique baffle design was the MAXFLO 3D AFD Suppressor that looks like the inside of a jet engine. The MAXFLO 3D was completely computer-designed and fluid dynamic-tested to virtually eliminate all of the major issues common with firearms suppressors — back pressure, first round “pop” and flash, accuracy robbing turbulence, recoil, excessive heat buildup and more. NG2Defense noted that they are in the late prototype phase and hope to have the suppressor on the market by late 2017.

For more information, visit www.ng2defense.com.

Operator Suppressor Systems (OSS)

Many have heard of OSS and seen that its suppressor baffle design is unlike anything in the industry. Most believe that the OSS suppressor design is closer to a jet engine than a baffle. OSS confirmed that 2017 will be the year that the company actively markets and distributes the 5.56, 7.62 and Magnum line of suppressors.  A number of firearms manufacturers at SHOT have tested the OSS models and noted they are among the lowest backpressure and effective suppressors made.

For more information, visit osssuppressors.com.

PSD Rifleworks

Known for small batch AR-15 manufacturing including the “Range 15” rifle, PSD introduced two extremely affordable monolithic baffle suppressors in .22LR and 5.56. Both suppressors will retail for just under $430 and feature a user-serviceable design. According to Chuck Porter, “We want to assure quality suppressors are within reach of everyone.”

For more information, visit psdmfg.com.

Q LLC

“Q” is a company started by Kevin Brittingham formerly the founder of AAC and the recent executive driving innovative products at Sig Sauer — notably its suppressor line. Brittingham started his own R&D company to create solutions for the firearms industry “without corporate interference or regulation.” One of the more unique suppressor designs was the Q Erector, which looks a lot like a stack of Lifesavers. The unique system allows baffles to be added or removed to tune the suppressor based on the need. Q LLC also showcased the El Camino, which is a 4.5-ounce stainless .22LR suppressor that is only 5.8-inches long. This is extremely light and short compared to any other suppressors on the market.

For more information, visit liveqordie.com.

Rugged Suppressor

The configurable 22 Oculus provides shooters the ability to configure the suppressor in a short 3.25-inch or 5.25-inch 6.9-ounce configuration. Rugged also released a new very short full-auto belt-fed-rated 6.4-inch 7.62 suppressor. The new .45 Obsidian can be configured in 8.6-inch or 6.7-inch short configurations within seconds. It’s full-auto rated for pistol calibers up-to .45 ACP and can be used with .300 Blackout subsonic rifle ammunition.

For more information, visit ruggedsuppressors.com.

Small Arms Technologies

Unique to this company were carbon fiber-tubed .22LR, .30 and .50 BMG suppressors. These suppressors were extremely light and rely on the heat wicking capabilities of carbon fiber to keep the suppressor exponentially cooler than metal suppressor tubes.

Surefire

New for 2017 were Surefire’s three-lug MP5 mount full-auto-rated SF Ryder 9-MPS, which is specifically designed for the MP5 platform for rock solid attachment. Like many manufacturers, Surefire delivered on the flexible and configurable design format to allow for short or higher attenuation configurations all in one suppressor with the SF 9-Ti. The 9mm SF Ryder 9-Ti series are lighter weight, full auto rated, and configurable into short or long formats. Both designs are cleanly engineered for simplicity to maximize strength and versatility and are offered in black, dark earth and grey with 1/2-28 or M13.5x1LH mounts.

For more information, visit www.surefire.com.

Troy

Although Troy did not note any new suppressors for 2017, it did note increased product availability compared to last year. Cyndi Dalena, head of marketing for Troy, said, “The popularity of the suppressor line was impressive during 2016, however we are making an effort to assure that production is matching more closely to the demand. With HPA on the horizon, that could greatly impact sales and Troy wants to be in a position to take advantage of that sales opportunity.” Shown this year were a complete line of Troy pistol and rifle suppressors along with integrally suppressed .22LR Ruger Mark IV pistol and 10/22 rifle models.

For more information, visit troyind.com.

Yankee Hill Machine (YHM)

YHM was showing off two new suppressors that included the TURBO and NITRO. Paul Tetreault, GM for YHM noted, “We really wanted to make a high quality suppressor affordable and easy, thus the concepts for the TURBO and NITRO.” The TURBO is designed to deliver a fully featured, quick disconnect rifle suppressor at an affordable $489 retail price, which also includes a QD brake. The NITRO is essentially a kit with everything a shooter needs to configure and shoot a .30 caliber suppressor for many different rifles. The YHM NITRO kit includes a .17 HMR to .300 Ultra Mag-rated suppressor, fixed and quick detach rear caps, flat and muzzle brake front caps, a set of assembly tools, a quick disconnect 5/8-24 .30 caliber brake, a soft Basofil heat-resistant storage bag and hard case. The NITRO is quite a package for only $890.

For more information, visit yhm.net.