Suppressors & Shooting Cast

I’m taking a deep breath and ready to pull the bandaid off with one jerk.

Through the advanced search I found a couple threads on suppressors from 2020, but most were dated a few years back. I was hoping someone could add their opinions and possibly their experiences with cans produced with today’s technology.

My situation is specific to
- OSS 762 on a Ruger Mini 30 (#5868) in 7.62x39 and a
- Sig Sauer SRD 9 on a Ruger 9mm PC Carbine (19100) and a
- SilencerCo Sparrow 22 on a Ruger 77/22 K Hornet.

All three cans are specific to the calibers.

First: Can cast be shot exclusively in all three scenarios?

Second: In general has there been any issues with gas checks and suppressors?

I really, really wanna shoot GC’s in the 7.62 and the 22K Hornet. And the other is the 9mm being shot with a carbine so I was thinking of going up to as high as 147 grain and GC’s would be welcomed there as well.

I’d appreciate your opinion. Bill.

Make sure you can take it part for cleaning. Sealed suppressors and cast bullets are a bad idea....





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I don't see why gas checks would be an issue, provided they're crimped on...

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There are those that swear they will never put a gas check in their can based upon the possibility of a check coming off and getting a baffle strike.

While I prefer to shoot non-checked bullets, I have fired a few subsonic PC bullets checked with hornady crimp on checks through mine with no issues to date. Your investment and your decision to make.

I have had my suppressor for about a year now and I found that not using a gas check results in lead build up fast. I use gas checks in mine, Pat marlin made checks from aluminum and I have no problems with checks coming off.

I have also heard people don’t have can leading issues with pced boolits but I don’t have any experience with em. I’m 31 and I still love my boolits lubed, not into all this new-fangled PC stuff these kids are into lol.

Caliber specific yes and no. For the absolute best sound suppression you want caliber specific but from what I am told it’s not really a big difference in using a can set up for 45acp on a 300blk or something like that.

If you are looking for a good can maker I love mine from Curtis tactical, Joe is a real stand up guy and a joy to talk to. If you have any questions that you feel would be best answered by an expert I know he wouldn’t mind answering them. The dude loves his job and makes some nice user serviceable cans with k baffles.

I know a lot of folks also like the mystic X for an all around user serviceable can. I don’t have any experience but most people in the suppressor business make a solid product and back it If there are any issues.

For what it’s worth this concerns PC and not lubed boolits.

So another variable comes up.

I lube and have never PC’d. Is there such a thing as GC’d PC’d boolits?

I meant to add this.

http://www.silencertalk.com/forum/vi...%20buy%20going.

I use a Silencerco Hybrid 46, which is a sealed can. I shoot .45, 9MM, and .300 BLK, almost exclusively using PC cast. Time will tell, but I have not had any issues. Other than typical carbon buildup, I have never noticed any lead. I also shoot supersonic 5.56 through the can pretty regularly. Silencerco advertises that doing so helps clear build up. I think powder coating is the answer. I would never shoot projectiles with exposed lead. At the end of the day, if after I've run 20,000 rds through the can and I have issues, I'll buy another one.

Wm Cook

"First: Can cast be shot exclusively in all three scenarios?

Second: In general has there been any issues with gas checks and suppressors?"


To answer your questions let me say, I've shot quite a bit of cast bullets out of numerous handgun and rifle cartridges through numerous types of suppressors over the years.

I prefer to use crimp on GCs (Hornady's) "just in case" but have shot quite a few Lyman slip on GCs and my own GCs made of brass shim stock w/o any "issues". What I have found to be an "issue" if we want to call it that is lube, carbon, lead or PC build up inside the suppressor with PB'd cast bullets and Lube build up with GC'd bullets. The more lube the bullet carries and the faster the twist the more the lube is spun off inside the suppressor. Sealed suppressors need boiling or cleaning out with solvents every so often. Suppressers that you can take apart for cleaning should be cleaned every couple three hundred rounds. I've found the cleaning is easier when soft lubed cast bullets were fired. The lube keeps most of the lead and carbon "soft" and cleans up easily. I just soak the internal parts in engine degreaser for a couple hours and most of the fouling cleans right off. Some lead/carbon fouling can be hard to remove but a small wire brush or screw driver blade cleans it off.

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I have a 9mm can that I shoot exclusively cast through on a SBR and 16” upper depending on what I feel like that day. Every couple thousand rounds I’ll have the range drop it in their ultrasonic tank.

I will be getting a 30 cal can for supersonic 300BO and will not hesitate to shoot Lee 312-155 2R through it. For those I gas check, run through a .311 die, THEN powder coat and size to .310. I can’t imagine a gas check coming off.

Lots of variable will affect the buildup of crap in the can so keep that in mind. I've been building and working on suppressors for more than 20 years now and one common thing I see with cast bullets is the hotter you get the barrel and can the more fouling you get in the barrel and can. Guys shooting single shots like the TC Contenders seem to have less trouble then those running semi autos because they don't get the heat buildup. Keep things on the cool side and your troubles will be smaller.

Gas checks can be an issue but its not a thing that happens a lot. I have had some cans apart that show dings from gas checks that came loose. In one case we found a few loose ones in the can. It was the reason the customer brought it in....rattling. When he learned that the gas checks were supposed to be run through the lubri-sizer he quit having the problem. Not sure how he managed to seat the bullets in the cases.....

There is a problem with lead in cans and it will happen whether you gas check or not. It just takes longer with no checks. The lead will form a bit of vapor on every shot due to friction and this vapor will deposit somewhere. With the suppressor trapping a good amount of gas and helping it cool a lot of the vapor will deposit in the can. The blast chamber and first baffle catch most of it. The lube you use can make a difference in how much trouble it will be to remove. The powder affects this too. The lead vapor will partially oxidize leaving lead oxide which can be a pretty hard substance. Mixed with the carbon of the powder residue and a bit of glass from the primers it can create a pretty tough to remove ceramic. Your bullet lube can help keep all these things dispersed so they don't form solid homogeneous layers of glass like ceramic.

Powder coating right now seems to be working well and I don't see any real difference in buildup compared to jacketed stuff.

Just what I've seen, your mileage may vary of course.

Frank

my 22rf mod is non strip-able .haven't had any problems yet in a few 1000s rounds.just spay with a suitable cleaner as per makers instruction.

I talked to a guy awhile back that called to order Carnauba Red, he said that he's shooting 9mm full auto and suppressed and doesn't have any problems with Lube build up. I don't remember which can he was using, or if it was serviceable or not...
FWIW

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ak_milsurp

Make sure you can take it part for cleaning. Sealed suppressors and cast bullets are a bad idea....





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I'd go a step further and say sealed suppressors are a bad idea, regardless of what you shoot.
I can speak from experience and say suppressors get absolutely FILTHY and carboned up with any bullet. I had a 300BLK shooting only Jacketed subs and had to use a wooden dowel and hammer to disassemble my suppressor to clean after just a few hundred rounds. and that was loading for 90% or more powder burn in the barrel before it got to the suppressor.
My advice is get a serviceable can whenever possible for the longest life regardless of what you shoot.
But to answer the original question I have seen little to no difference between Jacketed, Cast, GC or PC in my cans

Cleaning my Griffin R9 after shooting cast made me switch to Jwords exclusively, not even PC'd. Had to resort to the "Dip" to get rid of the lead fouling, not fun. With Jwords, all I do is throw the baffles in the tumbler & they're as shiny as can be.
Got 2 other rifle cans (YHM & RF) being both sealed, I only shoot Jwords. I weighed them otb & both got good mileage (wet & dry fired) & haven't notice any relevant increase in weight, meaning, not much crud accumulation. I shoot supers after rounds of subs or mild loads though.