I started with
suppressors back in 2016, in part because I was
considering getting back into ARs after a 10 year
hiatus and in part because I wanted to see how well
AKs really do suppress. I am typically the guy who
reads something on the Internet and wonders if it's
true. If it's interesting enough I then begin to find
out on my own (Actually, the entire reason I have this
website is because people said AKs can't easily use
optics and that Russian designs suck. Surprise, but
that is also not entirely true).
So in 2016 I started working with suppressors on
AKs. A couple years later this is what I have learned
(so far)
As far as suppressors go the common mantra is that
they also suck on AKs...too loud, too much port pop,
too gassy and the ever present issue of non-concentric
threads leading to potential baffle strikes. In short,
most people believe AKs don't suppress well and this
is often repeated online. Some of that is true, and
some of it isn't depending on the rifle in question...
it is always highly specific to the AK being
suppressed
While it is definitely true that AKs don't suppress as
easily as ARs do, AKs are quite effective
suppressed and actually a ton of fun once you get them
dialed in. Due to the wide variety of alignment issues
you could run into (depending on your AK) you must
certainly be careful when suppressing, however, after
you assess your particular rifle it can be very smooth
sailing and a crap ton of fun. I have found that I
have had zero issues with Bulgarian or Russian built
AK74s, and I would also consider those to be among the
most consistently built AKs on the market
One thing that is also definitely true about AKs is
that there is a wide variance in consistency across
all potential models manufactured by so many different
countries, and many that are assembled in the US. The
variations in thread concentricity, canted sights,
magwell dimensions and the ability to mount optics are
just a few of things you could run into on an AK, so
please be aware of the bigger picture - you really
cannot just grab any AK and run it suppressed without
looking it over in detail first. It's not as easy as
an AR so don't fool yourself. However, with a properly
built rifle you have an excellent chance to suppress
your AK but until you are 100% sure take it easy, be
cautious and triple check everything.
If in doubt, don't shoot. It's as simple as that
***
***
PSA AK103 with DA Sandman K on the Griffin 24x1.5
FSB adapter
Here are a few dedicated suppressors I was using
in September 2018
L to R
Sandman-K, AAC 762SDN-6, Joshards SOCOM 762 on his PSL
and the Wolverine on my modified Tiger
I think down the road I will move the 762SDN-6 over to
the Tiger, or possibly get another K can for it (turns
out I went Larue Tranquillo and am very happy with it)
This shot was made in the rain at about 125 yards
using a TA31 ACOG and the TigIR clip-on thermal. 203gr
Brown Bear SP and he was DRT. I have been very happy
with the Tranquillo and will be keeping it on the
Tiger
Suppressors
AAC Mini 4
This was my first ever suppressor and I'm glad I got
into K cans first. I've gotten a ton of use from the
Mini 4 on AK74s and ARs and have been extremely happy
with it. I have been really surprised at how quiet K
cans are relatively speaking and how effective they
are outdoors. The lower weight and smaller length
makes them very handy on 16" AK74s, and really sweet
on 12" AK105s (or shorter 8" AKSUs). I've had great
experience with the Griffin 24x1.5 to 1/2x28 FSB
adapters on a number of my rifles, especially my
SGL31-94, and the Mini 4 has been a damn good can
For me this can is tolerable outdoors with no
hearing protection and while I must be clear that it
is not hearing safe I personally would have no problem
shooting it if I had to without protection. As
with all things suppressor related I am not a
professional and YMMV, so be safe and take care of
your hearing. Don't do anything stupid because some
guy on the Internet posted his opinion
SGL31-94 with Mini 4 and Kashtan 1P
AK105 with Griffin M4SD-K and 1P87 + 3x Jupiter
magnifier
Both with RS Regulate BM1 light mount, X300 and
ZenitCo B10 lower HG +B33 top cover
I've moved the M4SD-K over to the Larue for now
but this is by far the quietest K can I've shot. It's
quite effective I must say, and I like the fact it
uses milspec A2 flash hiders as a mount
Even though I usually use a mag hold anyway, if I plan
on doing mag dumps or extended firing I will use a
vertical grip when shooting with a suppressor. It
helps massively with the heat build up
Check your suppressor repeatedly. Heat burns up
Loc-Tite really quickly and the mount can start to
walk off, even using other more robust products
like Rockset
I've moved the ACOGs back to my ARs but this is a
great combo. I really can't say enough good things
about the ACOG (and Browe BTO). Definitely my favorite
Western optic hands down
Shown here with Aimpoint T1 on the Stormwerks rail, Zenitco
B13 HG and AAC Mini 4 suppressor with Griffin
Armament 24x1.5 to 1/2x28 adapter. PN6K can see past
the T1 without a problem
This is a damn nice package I have to say. I
really like the UF with the Attero Arms red dot mount
Mini 4 on the SLR104UR that has a 9 inch barrel instead of 8, with the extra inch threaded 1/2x28
AAC 762SDN-6
On my SGL31-94 (top). I really like the performance of the full size can, so much so that I also have an AAC M4-2000 on the way as well. It's hearing safe as far as I can tell, and a really nice shooting experience
Dead Air Sandman K
Instantly my favorite suppressor, I picked this up
in August of 2018 and it went straight to my 'light
weight' hog gun, an SGL31-44 converted to an AK105
pattern rifle. I say light weight because by the time
you add light, laser, optic and suppressor nothing is
truly light anymore, but relative to the suppressed
Tiger this a balanced rifle
Shown here with the PVS14 as a weapon mounted optic. I keep a Larue QD weapon mount on the PVS14 in case I want to run it on the rail instead of the helmet
While I have had good success using a Griffin 24x1.5
to 1/2x28 adapter (and continue to use them on most of
my AKs), I wanted one or two rifles with 1/2x28
directly on the barrel. This AK105 is cut about 13.5"
instead of 12" and the Dead Air Key-Mo is rocksetted
directly to the barrel as you would with any AR15. I
left the 24x1.5 FSB in place and threaded ahead of it
which allows me to put the standard cone booster on
instead to restore the classic look
Dead Air Wolverine PBS-1
It goes without saying that Dead Air knocked this one
out of the park in terms of ease of use and mounting
to most any rifle out there. They solved one of the
biggest potential issues with AKs and suppressors,
which is concentric barrel alignment. The Wolverine
does this by a generously large baffle stack and a
large end cap exit path. It is very unlikely to have a
baffle strike, but it can happen - I've had one end
cap strike on an SLR107FR that had a very non
concentric bore that I didn't look too closely at
before shooting. Since the Wolverine is a modified
Sandman-S tube it's quite easy to swap the end cap out
in the unlikely event of a strike. However, based on
the baffle design and baffle placement through the
tube it seems very improbable to get an actual baffle
strike
Due to the size of the baffles the Wolverine is not
hearing safe on any rifle I have shot and it is
uncomfortable to the shooter without ear pro, but it
works quite well if you are not looking for maximum
suppression (and use plugs or other ear pro). It does
what a suppressor should do and has a nice tone, it's
just not the quietest can you'll run into
I use mine to hunt on my modified SVD Tiger rifle and
have been really happy with it. I'm still testing
repeatability for removing and re-adding the Wolverine
but this is one suppressor that I have been very very
happy with and highly recommend for fun. There are
many quieter options on the market but the Wolverine
is the de facto Easy Button when it comes to
suppressing the AK. All major thread patterns are
available as inserts including AR thread pitches, and
I have used my Wolverine on two ARs while waiting for
their dedicated cans to come in
Wolverine PBS-1 show here on the Tiger with custom
24x1.5 front sight block
Getting the REAP-IR zeroed on the Tiger
Auzzie's fixed stock RPK74 with plum furniture and
1P29, using the 14x1L insert
On the AK74 under folder using 24x1.5 insert
High Standard Hungarian non matching kit with US
barrel and nice Tula laminate
Also has the AK Master Mount and PK01-VS and is using
the 14x1L Wolverine insert
1988 Izhmash kit from RGuns converted to a side
folder with 1PN51 mounted
The Wolverine ran really well on the Larue with
the 1/2x28 insert. It doesn't have anything to engage
the locking collar against since ARs don't use a
detent pin on the FSB but slow fire and frequent
checking of tightness works just fine
I used the Wolverine with the 5/8x24 insert for a
while on my 300BLK 10.5" Faxon barrel Anderson upper.
Great combo, especially for 220 subs. The Faxon seems
to really like Nozler Custom Competition Match Grade
220gr subsonics
AAC Illusion 9
I bought this to do double duty on the Scorpion
Evo as well as my G19 pistol, and perhaps an MP5 clone
down the road
** Update 9/16/18, was able to shoot the Scorpion and
am really impressed! **
Due to the lack of availability on the
Illusion 9 improved fixed barrel spacer I had to
make my own while I waited for them to come back
in stock. You don't need the fixed barrel spacer
for a pistol with a recoiling slide, but since the
Scorpion has a fixed barrel you can't use the
1/2x28 piston and spring without risking a baffle
strike. Not sure why in September 2018 they were
impossible to find, but the improved fixed piston
was out of stock everywhere, even AAC didn't have
any lying around.
In the meantime I worked with an industry partner
who absolutely told me this was not a professional
suggestion, but that he had seen others DIY
themselves this way without issue
****
Please note: I chose to take the
risk of damaging my Illusion 9 and I DO NOT
recommend this, unless you are ok with
destroying your property. It is not factory
supported or encouraged
****
I used a piece of 5/8" copper tubing which
perfectly slid over the 1/2x28 piston that came
with the Illusion, and carefully marked where the
end cap tightens down all the way, then cut the
pipe to match. The whole process took about 10
minutes once I could see what needed to be done
I made sure everything was square and fit
properly, then crossed my fingers and started
shooting. I fired one round at a time and then
removed the piston each time to check for issues.
After 10 slow fire careful rounds I handed the
Scorpion over to Nictra to finish the mag
I have to say the Scorpion and Illusion 9 combo is
bad ass. With subsonics it's super quiet and
brings a smile to your face. I am extremely happy
with this little blaster
Joshard's SOCOM 7.62 RC
This was really my first intro to suppressed AKs back
in the day, Joshard had this around 2014 or so. Before
I could get really into the nitty gritty I relocated
overseas and put most of my gun hobby on hold and
didn't get back into it until 2017
We mocked this up many years ago on the AK105 but only
shot it on the full size SGL31 back then. Seems to be
hearing safe on the SGL31
The permanent home for the SOCOM is Joshard's PSL.
He spent a lot of time working on the muzzle face to
get it perfectly aligned and in 2018 installed a KNS
adjustable AK piston. The SOCOM 7.62 is hearing safe
on the PSL, or if it's not it must be very close
**Verify concentricity before
attempting to shoot**
I used 13/64"
x 3' Grade A2 Steel Precision Drill Rods which
are perfect for 5.45 rifles, available from
fastenal.com. They also have rods
that work for 7.62 rifles
You need to get used to what concentric looks like as
the position of the rifle will cause the rod to tip
from side to side
I recommend to check this about a zillion times until
you are comfortable with what concentricity looks like
and then check yourself a few more times for safeties
sake
Please note I do not consider this
concentric enough to shoot - this is a photo
demonstration only. You want the rod to have an equal
amount of space around it and this needs to be done on
a very flat surface. It takes time to get used to what
it should look like
