Quiet on the range...

I got a call from the gun shop this morning. My Form 4 was finally approved for a suppressor that I'd bought about a year ago. Much of the delay was THIS SHOP not forwarding everything to BATFE as they should have--and no, they didn't offer to do anything to make it right--but it finally cleared and I went to pick it up and put some rounds through it today. And I was in awe, as it was actually quieter to me then the unsuppressed pistols being fired an the adjacent firing line on the other side of a brick wall and a steel door.


The can is the Acadian Arms Defender made right here in Lafayette, Louisiana.

I got in on the first production run of the new Defender and I got it pretty cheap. I chose it after evaluating their Predator model, and I was impressed with that one, but this one is better. Just 6" long at 13oz, it brings a 5.56mm muzzle blast down to actual hearing safe. I was shooting my 18" HBAR on the indoor range with just foam plugs in my ears and I felt no discomfort at all. Normally pistol shots bother my ears with foam plugs alone, which is why I use plugs AND ear muffs when I shoot. Unless I'm shooting this one. Heck, if I was outdoors and not shooting next to a brick wall I probably wouldn't have even needed the plugs.

As far as I could tell, the Point of Impact didn't shift a bit. This can is light enough that you hardly notice the extra weight on the end of the barrel, unlike say a Gemtech HALO. Only downside is that being so light it heats up fast, but it is rated for full-auto per the manufacturer. I have it on a Special Purpose Rifle (SPR) though so rapid fire shouldn't be a problem. It can be fully disassembled for cleaning with just one hex-head wrench and it comes with some anti-seize grease for the threads when you install it. This one is direct thread, so no fancy (and expensive) proprietary muzzle devices are needed but that does mean that it goes on one particular rifle and stays on that one. I bought this one specifically for a particular rifle though so that's not an issue. It's a fine addition to my 18' HBAR with a variable power Leupold Mark AR 3-9x40mm scope.

Now I just need to grab a good bipod and sling for it and I'll be all set. (I'm still kicking myself for selling a bunch of Harris bipods that I'd bought used from Springfield Armory at Camp Perry one year. The money I got was good at the time and badly needed but I could have used every one of those bipods had I only held on to them. Sigh...)