hstexan
New member
Now I know there are 'better' more specific forums for this but looking for thoughts on my next suppressor
Its going to most likely for ARs as I have multiple, they are all 14.5s and 16s with a 10.5. Not likely to go shorter unless it was in 9mm but that's something else.
At this time I don't own a 7.62/308 gun, but I could see owning one again.
Do I strictly look at a 5.56 specific can or opt for a 7.62 one with its primary use on a 5.56 rifle. I have to assume the sound reduction is better on a 7.62 than it would be on the 5.56 rifle since it wasnt specifically designed for 5.56.
I know HPA is in the works but there is no promise and I might as well get the ball rolling.
Thoughts? Personal experiences?
I'm in the same boat as you about to purchase my first suppressor--I've got two AR's and one .308 bolt gun, but the .308 isn't even threaded for a muzzle device so in theory I've got no .30 caliber guns to suppress. On top of that the .308 belonged to a relative who passed away so I'm hesitant to even modify it in such a permanent manner.
That said I'm still looking at .30 cal suppressors (and my first pistol suppressor will be a .45). I know at some point in the near future I'm either going to modify this .308 or buy another so I'll want a suppressor that works with it. NFA items are investments that very rarely get sold/transferred again once you've bought them. The way I see it is that I'd rather have one suppressor that can do it all and then add more later on. If the HPA ends up passing it'll be quite easy to add a dedicated .223/5.56 can, but you'll still have full use of the one you own if it doesn't (especially if you end up buying a .30 cal gun of some sort before another suppressor).
A .30 cal suppressor will also be more effective typically because they are larger than their .223/5.56 counterparts so the interior volume is greater. I've got a Silencerco ASR brake on my 10.5" and an AAC 51T on my 14.5"--I've been looking at the Saker 762 ASR since they make an AAC mount for it which means I can buy that one can and one additional mount and use it on both AR's. Then if I thread or buy a new bolt gun I can just mount an ASR brake on it and use it on all my centerfire rifles.
Just keep in mind that even after you decide to purchase it'll be another 6-8 months before you see it, so say you buy a .223/5.56 suppressor and three months later you go out with a buddy who has a brand new .308 bolt gun. You shoot it and realize how much you want it and there's one on sale at the corner gun store for a steal so you buy it. You're still waiting on your first suppressor to get out of jail and you already want a .30 cal suppressor so now you've just signed up for another 6-8 month wait.
IMO if you can deal with the extra size and bulk for a little it's worth being able to use it on whatever (applicable host) you want. Start with a "universal/modular" and then work your way down to specifics later.

