Low Back Pressure Suppressor Showdown – Huxwrx, SilencerCo, B&T, Surefire
Overview:
In this suppressor test, Rob puts six low back pressure suppressors head-to-head to see if they live up to the hype. Like our previous back pressure test, we used a 16" AR15 with a Riflespeed gas block to determine how much back pressure is required to achieve last round bolt hold open. However, we also included a 11.5" rifle in the testing to observe variations. In a future test we will include sound suppression and other metrics to determine which suppressor reigns supreme.
Suppressors Tested:
HUXWRX HX-QD
HUXWRX FLOW K
HUXWRX Ventum 556
B&T SRBS Titanium
SilencerCo Velos
Surefire SOCOM556-RC3
Skip To Video Topic:
00:00 - Intro
00:40 - Test Parameters
02:10 - Surefire RC3
02:50 - B&T SRBS Titanium
03:56 - HUXWRX Flow K
04:53 - HUXWRX HX-QD
05:06 - HUXWRX Ventum 556
05:37 - SilencerCo Velos
Transcript:
Hey everybody, Rob Orgel. In today's video, we're looking at low back pressure suppressors, or at least the ones that alleged to be low back pressure suppressors. Let's set the stage. First, we did a test, and I know you guys all know about this from one of our first videos, a 16-inch rifle with an adjustable gas system. Now, in that 16-inch rifle, we had the rifle speed gas block on a mid-length style. Now, we found some good deviations on that day, and we did several more days of testing just to get a good baseline. So because that video was so well received, we hopped into an 11.5-inch version. And I can tell you, we found some pretty serious deviation from barrel length and back pressure. It's some pretty surprising effects. So the groundwork, on the 16-inch gun, we had settings between 9 and 10 for unsuppressed, depending upon the day, and all the way down to the setting 1 for some of the not so great back pressure suppressors. On the 11.5-inch gun, we did this testing today. We have a 8 to 9. We did one other test a day earlier, and it was on 8 for unsuppressed. Today, it was on 9 for unsuppressed. It's kind of right in between those two. It doesn't consistently hold open on the last round on 8. So we've decided 9 is really the safe number to be on for unsuppressed setting. Now, we've got suppressors that dropped all the way into 2, which means we had to choke off a whole bunch of gas, and it would still hold open onto 2, just not on 1, which means that's a really high back pressure suppressor. So in the end, understand that our test is in search of last round hold open. So of course, you don't fire one round in a magazine and expect hold open, because why would he fire one round? You would fire 4, 5, 10, 30, whatever the number is, and then seek hold open. And the gases do change within the suppressor after a few shots. So this is why once we get hold open, we look for repeatability on that hold open. So we'll fire three rounds and then get hold open again to verify that even with a suppressor full of gases, we're still going to get hold open in those settings. So now, let's break down. Now that we understand that you've got a 9 or 10 over here, down to 1, and then on the shorter configuration, you've got an 8 or 9 all the way down to a 2. That's the scope. The higher the number, the closer it is to unsuppressed. Therefore, the less back pressure we have. All right, let's dive into the tech specs of what we found. All right, let's compare first the Shurfire RC3 suppressor. We're going to talk about the 16-inch configuration, and then we're going to move into the 11.5 configuration. So the Shurfire was between position 5 and position 6 on the 16-inch gun. On the 11 and 1,5-inch gun, it was position 6 consistently. Is that good back pressure? That's pretty darn good. Some of those suppressors that didn't do good was 2. 3 and 4 is pretty standard type suppressors. Again, the baseline, in my opinion, is the Omega 300 with a 556 end cap. And that guy's pretty consistently at position 3 for the 11.5-inch configuration. So having said that, the Shurfire is, in fact, a low back pressure suppressor. Next, the B&T, the new kid on the block. So OK, side notes, I know this is supposed to be about back pressure only, but I want to talk just a quick second. This suppressor, without a muzzle device adapter, a direct thread, or an ASR, just the suppressor alone only weighs 7 ounces. That is crazy light. It's light for a suppressor to be 7 ounces. It's stupid light for a reduced back pressure silencer to weigh that little. That's nothing. So with the mounts and everything together, it's like 12 or 14 ounces, depending upon your mount. And if you do a direct thread 556, you can have this can weigh 8 ounces. It is stupid light. OK, back on track. I know back pressure video only. So we've got the hub system. We've got stupid light. But the suppressor on the 16-inch gun, not terribly impressive when it comes to back pressure. It was on a position 3, which is pretty regular back pressure on a 16-inch configuration. However, it did shine in the 11.5 configuration. And the 11.5, it was position 6. Now that matches the Shurfire RC3. So it definitely is a reduced back pressure suppressor. It just shines more on some of those shorter guns. All right, move it on. The Flow K. So the guys who pioneered this, the Huxworks, really, really good equipment, not so great on sound. I know a lot of people in the comments from the last video were like, sure, low back pressure, but not so good on my ears. And that's not what that silencer is for. So as long as we understand that there are many different roles people ask for in their suppressor. Some people need an SUV to move their family. Some people need a truck to move their livestock. It's up to you. It's America. Make your own choices. But often in military law enforcement perspective, they care less about sound reduction and more about overall signature reduction without having any adverse effects on the weapon. So understanding its intended design, it does have very low back pressure. But definitely wear your hearing protection when you're running that suppressor. So on the 16 inch configuration, we saw position 8. That's very close to no suppressor at all. So highly effective. And then on the shorter configuration, this year's 11.5, we had position 7, which again, 8 and 9 is unsuppressed. So pretty darn good on the shorter configuration. The QD followed suit. The Huxworks QD was 8 on the full size, 7 on the short. So almost identical. The QD is a little bit quieter than the K, but still both of them. Definitely wear hearing protection. Next, the Ventum. The Ventum did pretty darn good, surprisingly good. On the 16 inch configuration, the Ventum 556 kept us at a consistent 6, which is pretty darn good. But it blew our mind that it was on position 8. Remember, 9 and 8 is unsuppressed. This guy was at position 8 and outperformed the QD and the Flow K, which doesn't make sense to me. At first, I thought that suppressor was like, ah, it's kind of cheap. It's OK. But now that I've tested on the short, it is actually a really good can. And we get the hub system out of it. Finally, the Velos. Everybody was asking for the Velos on the 16 inch. Check in, Raj. We got it done. 5 on the 16 inch configuration, 7 on the short configuration, 7 on the short configuration. So we are outperforming the BNT. We're outperforming the Surefire RC3. We're outperforming it. And we're getting the hub system. It's not light. That's the only drawback. It's not light. Soon, we're going to go head to head on all things considered on the reduced back pressure suppressors. Right now, just back pressure alone is what we looked at in this video. If you like this video, please like, comment, subscribe. Share your thoughts on your opinion on reduced back pressure suppressors, whether it matters or whether you'd prefer suppression over back pressure. Let us know in the comments section. And as always, stay safe.