Review: SilencerCo Scythe-Ti Suppressor

My first experience shooting SilencerCo’s Scythe-Ti was during a sighting-in session ahead of an early-April Texas hog hunt. I installed it via a direct-thread mount on my SIG Sauer Tread 716i rifle and started running 168-grain Sierra MatchKings through it.

While determining how best to zero my equipped Yishine AIM 101 thermal-night-vision fusion during daylight hours, fellow hunter, former Army Ranger and host of the Tactical Considerations YouTube Channel, Mike Mills, expressed the following sentiment: “Man, that can is [expletive deleted] quiet.”

The Scythe-Ti is SilencerCo’s first suppressor completely constructed from titanium. This .30-caliber silencer handles everything from .223 Rem. to .300 RUM. It functions best with bolt guns and semi-auto rifles and has no barrel restrictions. It is not full-auto rated, so its purpose lies in the hunting and precision-shooting spaces, where one will pace their shots versus rapid-fire engagements.

Like all SilencerCo suppressors, there are multiple mounting options, including direct thread, a SilencerCo muzzle device that would take a Bravo ASR mount, as well as a TOM (Thread Over Muzzle) device in conjunction with a Bravo TOM. The suppressor itself ships with a Bravo multitool, Bravo titanium direct-thread mount, and a Bravo single-port anchor brake. The SilencerCo three-port .30-caliber anchor brake (sold separately) may be swapped out for the single port for further recoil mitigation.

Initial Impressions

The Scythe-Ti shoots smoothly, maintains tight groups, and is indeed quiet, especially considering it also comes with a single-port muzzle brake installed at the muzzle. When hog hunting, it helps bring home the bacon while maintaining a low sound signature and working to displace the location of that sound signature. (Said differently: Like most suppressors employed while shooting at wild pigs, the Scythe-Ti ensures those invasive wheat eaters remain unsure of the location from which they are being shot and therefore will not necessarily run in the opposite direction.)

For western or stop-and-stalk whitetail hunters, as well as competitive shooters running from barricade to barricade, the light weight of the Scythe-Ti is a welcomed reprieve from heavier cans that offer comparable decibel reductions. As well, the merely 7.3 ounces creates a nice balance in the rifle, which is definitely noticeable when it’s necessary to shoulder and shoot off-hand after jumping a sounder.

Test Results

In addition to my .308 Win. SIG Sauer Tread 716i rifle, I directly threaded the Scyth-Ti onto my Aero Precision .300 BLK AR with a 10-inch barrel. Below are some average velocities, as well as max decibels. For testing decibels, I used an inexpensive sound meter I purchased online, but it will provide some context for how every sound registered as well as generally accepted decibel levels.

Comparison Sound Levels

Soft whisper: 30 dB
Rainfall: 50 dB
Normal-volume conversation: 60 dB
BB gun: 97 dB
Shouting: 110 dB
Unsuppressed .22LR: 140 dB

Range Measurements:

Loading metal magazine: 82 dB
Aero Precision .300BLK 10-inch barrel AR with 220-grain Sierra MatchKing ammo: 111.1 dB. Muzzle velocity: 1,020 fps
SIG Sauer Tread 716i (16-inch barrel) with 168-grain Sierra MatchKing ammo: 111.6 dB. Muzzle velocity: 1,260 fps

For reference, subsonic velocity for general environment conditions is understood to be 1,100 fps or lower.

I set the decibel meter to register the maximum decibel rating and during testing, I moved the firearms forward and back on the bench, within inches of the meter, to test every sound signature from muzzle to receiver.  It is generally accepted that subsonic ammo combined with a suppressor should registered below 120 dB, though OHSA standards advise that hearing protection should be used exposure longer than 15 minutes at anything above 100 dB. 

Conclusion

SilencerCo’s Scythe-Ti is durable, lightweight, and surprisingly quiet, though I do have to question my cheap decibel meter’s reading on the .308 Win. rounds. Still, fellow shooters familiar with suppressors guessed the can when shooting the 168-grain SMKs registered 115 dB, and they were only off by 4 dB, at least according to the meter.

SilencerCo Scythe-Ti Specifications

Compatible Calibers: .223 Rem up to .300 RUM
Weight: 7.3 ounces
Length: 6.16 inches
Diameter: 1.73 inches
Materials: Grade 5 and Grade 9 Titanium
Muzzle Average: 5.56 NATO: 128.9 dB; .300 BLK: 118.6 dB; .308 Win.: 132.6 dB; .300 Win. Mag.: 137.2 dB
Ships with: Radial tool, Bravo tool, Basic tool, 5/8×24 tpi titanium direct thread mount, .30-caliber, single-port anchor brake